Ragley Big Wig frame

The Big Wig is Ragley’s long-travel steel 29er hardtail, a genre of bike synonymous with the British mountain biking scene.

Ragley has taken the best bits of the classic hardcore hardtail and given it a thoroughly modern make-over with a frame that, on paper, ticks all the right boxes.

It's not the lightest or most refined to ride, but it tackles a variety of trails with unfussy aplomb.

Ragley Big Wig frame details

4130 Cro-Mo steel is used throughout the frame. There aren’t any fancy claims about the performance of this steel, but it’s good stout stuff, ready for a life of thrashing, and weighs 3.2kg (Large).

The frame is built for 140 to 160mm-travel single-crown forks, with a geometry based around these longer-travel figures.

The head angle is slack, at 64 degrees with a 140mm fork, while the seat angle is middle-of-the-road at 75.5 degrees.

If you were to fit a longer-travel suspension fork, the angles would slacken by up to a degree with a 160mm fork.

My Large test bike has a 480mm reach, which is long but not exceptionally so. This would shorten a touch if you were running a longer fork.

The chainstays are 435mm long. I measured the wheelbase at just under 1,250mm with a 44mm-offset fork.

Only three sizes – M, L and XL – are offered. Ragley’s Blue Pig model, with 27.5in wheels, offers a size Small, so this may be more appropriate if you’re at the lower limits of a Medium.

If you want smooth lines, you’ll need to look elsewhere, because the Big Wig is festooned with easily accessible external cable routing along the top and down tubes, ISCG05 mounts for a chainguide, braces and gussets.

A PM160 brake mount sits right at the back, a Velcro chainslap protector runs along the driveside chainstay and a bolt-thru axle is provided.

Ragley Big Wig build details

This review is for the frame only, though two stock builds (£2,199.99 and £2,499.99) are listed on Ragley’s website.

I built this test rig up with suitable parts, including a 140mm Manitou Mattoc Pro fork, SRAM AXS drivetrain, Hope Pro4 X2 brakes and a range of wide alloy wheels.

Stout tyres were fitted front and rear, in the form of a pair of Schwalbe Magic Marys in a 2.4in width.

Ragley Big Wig performance

Ragley’s designers clearly haven’t been looking through the geometry archives, because the Big Wig has a shape that’s firmly in the present.

The roomy front end and mid-length 435mm chainstays give a balanced position over the bike when you’re climbing.

The front end doesn’t wander about too much when it's steep, and the rear balances traction and tightness to help you get up awkward pitches.

The seat angle might not be crazy steep, but with the fork settled into its sag, the bike naturally steepens a touch.

As such, I didn’t find the bike uncomfortable or unwieldy uphill.

When it comes to descending, the Big Wig brings a smile to your face.

The bottom bracket is slung low under the axles, and with the slack head angle and fairly long reach working together, the bike loves to be slapped into corners.

There’s no noticeable twist as you load the steel frame up, but at the same time there’s clearly enough give in the chassis to iron out buzz and front-end harshness.

At the rear, there’s decent mud room for broad tyres, while the steel construction takes the sting out of harsh hits.

It’s not as beautifully zingy as a lighter frame built out of top-spec steel, but it’s no blunderbuss either and certainly encourages you to take creative lines.

Though I tested it with a fork at the lower end of its travel bracket, on steep terrain I found the length and angles gave me confidence when picking through gnarled rocks and roots.

I set the fork up with a touch more air than I would on a full-suspension bike and ensured I had plenty of mid-stroke support to help keep the front propped up.

How does the Ragley Big Wig compare to the Marin El Roy?

Both the Big Wig and Marin El Roy have been built with aggressive trails in mind, and consequently, their steel construction means they’re both heavy bikes.

The Marin’s geometry is as wild as it comes, with a long reach (480mm or 510mm in the Regular or Grande sizes offered), slack 63-degree head angle and steep 78-degree seat angle.

On all counts, it’s more extreme than the Big Wig.

Both bikes excel at descending, however the El Roy's shape gives it as much stability and straight-line speed as any hardtail mountain bike I’ve ever ridden.

The Big Wig is more versatile, and slightly more agile too, making it more of an all-rounder.

On the steepest trails, the El Roy thrives, but the Big Wig is more fun to ride on anything approaching ‘mild’.

On climbs, the El Roy takes the win, with the steep seat angle making a real difference to how the bike feels under your legs. Even though the angles are extreme, it still tackles technical terrain with aplomb.

Ragley Big Wig bottom line

The Big Wig is a great example of the modern hardcore hardtail.

The handling balances big-terrain capability with cruisy confidence, meaning it feels happy to be ridden on a wide variety of trails.

It’s not light and the ride isn’t as refined as a pricier steel frame might offer.

However, this results in a no-nonsense approach, enabling you to get on with your ride without feeling you need to nurse it down the trails.