Who is Tam and Burf?
After both studying as design engineers at university, Tom‘Tam’ Hamilton and Paul ‘Burf’ Burford bumped into each other while working for Oxfordshire-based bike brand K-9 Industries. The pair hit it off and soon realised they shared the same ambition to design and build their own bikes. That was six years ago. Since then, the pair have dedicated themselves to turning out immaculate steel-framed bikes from their workshop in Frome, Somerset.
Why this is a superbike?
- Designed by a pair of steel bike fanatics and built entirely in-house right here in the UK
- A short-travel trail weapon that’s capable of having seven shades of sh*t smashed out of it!
- Craftsmanship and detailing is second to none
UK-made, steel-framed, do-it-all trail destroyer
“When we started, we never planned on building a full-sus bike,” says Tom ‘Tam’ Hamilton, one half of BTR Fabrications.“Back then we were searching for a way to make downhill fun again and our Belter hardtail was the solution. Now we want a fun, versatile full-sus, and this is it!”Tam and his business partner Paul ‘Burf’ Burford started designing the Pinner four years ago, and the bike we see here is the third iteration. The original models were built for friends, the second-generation bikes were sold to the public and the latest version has numerous refinements.“We’ve tweaked the geometry, dedicated the design for coil shocks and made the swingarm and linkage lighter,” says Tam,“but it’s still very much a Pinner.”
The holy grail
“Our goal was to design a bike that would be fun on any trail,” says Tam. “Something that was fast, but wouldn’t suck the fun out of a mellow trail like a DH bike would, or get sketchy on gnarly stuff like a trail bike would.”This sounds like the holy grail of bike design to us, but BTR are confident they’ve nailed it, and with just 130mm of travel. “Suspension is integral with geometry and key to the performance of the bike,” Tam explains. “The short travel makes the Pinner efficient and lively, and we’ve balanced this with long, low and slack geometry.”Sceptics might question whether 130mm is enough for a bike with such hardcore intentions, but the pair believe it is.“We don’t worry too much about the exact travel figure, so long as the bike behaves in the way we want,” says Tam.“If it had 160mm of travel we’d have to alter the geometry and make the BB higher, and you’d sacrifice that feeling of being ‘in’ the bike, rather than ‘on’ it.”
A strongly progressive suspension platform still allows the Pinner to handle heavy hits.“The progression has to be delivered in a linear fashion, though,” says Tam,“otherwise the suspension will feel unpredictable and harsh. By using a linkage,we can position the main pivot where it needs to be for efficiency and tune the leverage separately.We both like the simplicity of single-pivots, so we wanted to go down that route, but we’d never use one without a linkage because then you’re at the mercy of where the tubes are.We’ve designed the frame specifically for coil shocks, because they feel better, give better small-bump sensitivity and are generally more reliable.”
The linkage and hardware are the only parts of the bike that aren’t made from steel. That’s no surprise, given the duo’s long-standing relationship with the stuff.“We’re not saying you can’t make a great bike out of aluminium,” says Burf,“but with the range of tubing that’s available in the UK, steel is the best choice. It affects the ride in a really positive way and produces a bike with a long fatigue life.”
Eye-catching design
Numerous grades of steel go into the Pinner – Reynolds 853 and 631 in the front end, Dedacciai, Columbus and aerospace tubing in the swingarm, and the gussets are made from two grades of sheet material. The finished frame, with its almost parallel top and down tubes, braces and gussets, certainly stands out next to its carbon contemporaries, but its creators don’t see this as a bad thing.“We’re hoping it opens people’s eyes to steel and proves it’s not an old-fashioned material,” says Tam.“We want to show what can be done when good design, geometry and high-quality manufacturing are combined.”
Being a BTR, you know that every small detail has been deliberated over, and done on the basis of functionality, not fanciness. That extends to things you can’t see, like a main pivot that’s fully welded to the seat tube before the gusset is added over the top, to increase strength.“The main pivot bearings can take triple the load capacity of some downhill bikes, and we’ve given the bikes some proper hammer,” says Tam, proudly.“Burf got married earlier this year and as part of his stag do he was bundled off to one of the gnarlier corners of the Alps for some proper testing.We figured that if the bike could keep him alive with even the fiercest of hangovers, then it must be alright!”
LINKAGE DRIVEN
In the interests of simplicity, BTR have gone for a single-pivot suspension design. Using a linkage has allowed them to optimise the position of the main pivot and design in the progression that’s critical for a burly short-travel bike.
THE LITTLE THINGS
Fully-tubed internal cable routing, slick machined dropouts and an integrated seat clamp show the thought that’s gone into this bike, but the lacquered raw finish and immaculate welds are enough to marvel at on their own.
STEEL IS REAL
BTR are unashamed lovers of steel bikes and the Pinner is welded up using multiple grades and tubing types. CNC-machined aluminium is used for the linkage.
SERIAL PINNER
The head tube badge is like an ID tag for the bike, telling you what number the frame is and the date it was made. It forms a nice connection between maker and rider.
COILED AND READY
Unusually, the frame is coil-shock-specific. The Burf edition (seen here) comes with an EXT Storia LOK damper, while the Tam edition is specced with a Cane Creek DBcoil. Each shock gives a different feel and range of adjustment, and is tuned for the bike.
Price $4200 (frame only, Burf edition)