STEEL BIKES HANDMADE IN SPOKANE, WA

The National Forest Explorer

NFE
photos courtesy of bentography unless otherwise credited

The National Forest Explorer (NFE) is the ideal bike for long days of spirited riding on dirt roads. While designed to carry a small load over the front wheel for day supplies, the NFE also handles well with low-riders and a rear saddle bag for overnighting. Unlike many heavy "adventure bikes" sold by larger manufacturers, the NFE is light and responsive, built with a double-butted front triangle and 4130 rear triangle.

The geometry is optimized for experienced riders who prefer nimble handling and a light steering input. The fork is a straight unicrown construction with a handmade direct-mount disc tab.

For more information about the history of this bike, check out this article in Out There Monthly.

Spring 2024 batch

We are building a single batch of green, thru-axle stock NFEs in early 2024. Delivery in May. These will be the only NFEs going out in 2024. Email us for more info.

Important! The fork is now a straight blade unicrown fork. Most of the pictures on this site show the old forks. Here's a picture of the straight fork. (The picture shows post mount for the calipers. Spring 2024 version caliper mount type is TBA).

Frame details

clearance: 650b x 2.1" knobbies OR 42 mm slicks w/ fenders; 142 x 12 mm (thru)
disc rotors: 160 mm recommended
seatpost: 27.2 mm, seat collar included
front rack mounts: Nitto Mini standard rando; Tubus low-riders.
rear rack mounts: Wishbone seat stay shoulders.
derailleur cables & housing: housing on top-tube for top-pull front derailleur, full housing on top-tube and seatstay for rear derailleur
brake cables & housing: braze-ons for full housing on top-tube for rear brake
other braze-ons: three water bottles, top-tube pump peg, front derailleur pulley boss
fork: Unicrown with straight blades. 1.125" steerer, 100 x 12mm thru axle. Here's a picture of the straight fork (with quick release axle).
dropouts: front: Thru axle; rear: Flanged dropouts -- 142 x 12 thru axle. Takes M12 x 1.5 thread axles (not included).
steel: 28.6mm & 31.8mm diameter, .8/.5/.8 profile (front triangle); 4130 (rear triangle)

Geometry and sizing info (all lengths in mm)

size SMALL MEDIUM LARGE X-LARGE
stack 564 587 607 645
reach 362 386 400 413
seat angle 73° 73° 73° 73°
head angle 72.5° 73° 73° 73°
chainstay length 435 435 435 435
effective top tube 530 560 580 605
top tube slope 8.5° 5.7°
fork rake 70 65 65 65
axle-to-crown distance 387
front-center 596 616 631 655
head tube 150 170 190 230
bottom bracket drop 70 70 70 70
wheelbase 1021 1041 1056 1081
standover (approx.) 770 800 835 860
frame weight 4 lb, 2 oz. 4 lb, 5 oz. 4 lb, 8 oz. 4 lb, 10 oz.
fork weight (w/ 290mm steerer) 2 lb, 1 oz.
color: National Forest green (RAL 6021)

Price

Cost: $1900 (frame/fork) (Washington State residents must pay state sales tax of 8.7%)

Wait time: generally 10-12 weeks.

Shipping (USA): $20 + UPS delivery charge.

Shipping (International): We use the shipping agent, shipito.com, which has a proxy shipping hub in Nevada, USA. We ship to the Nevada hub for a cost of $20+ UPS delivery charge. Shipito.com bills separately for shipment from Nevada to international destinations. See shipito.com for rate information.

Box dimensions: 39 x 9 x 28 inches; shipping weight is about 16 pounds.

Get One

Before contacting us for ordering, please check out the FAQ.

Glen builds the NFE framesets individually and sometimes in small batches. If you're interested, email us at

Want wheels? Check out the NFE-specific wheels from Matthew Larsen.


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