Try to catch the
Whippet
With clearance for XC tires, the Whippet 2.0 is a streamlined, race-ready gravel machine.
Update
24 Sep 2025
I plan to open up the Whippet for orders soon. Right now I'm trying to secure a bunch of Seido carbon forks, which is proving difficult. I'm looking at other fork options as a backup plan.
If you want to be the first to order a Whippet, please sign up for the Manzanita newsletter in the form at the bottom of the page. Newsletter subscribers will get first dibs placing an order.
Pricing
frameset
$2,800
Included:
- Whippet 2.0 painted racer ruby
- Carbon fork painted to match
- Wolf Tooth seat collar, headset, rear axle, derailleur hanger
- Stainless bottle and rear brake bolts
Component kit builder
- Frameset
- $2,800
- Components
- $0
- Total
- $0
*Pricing and parts subject to change. Saddle and pedals not included but can be added. Substitutions available.
Streamlined
The Whippet 2.0 is optimized for wireless drivetrains. The rear brake runs internally through the down tube and externally along the chainstay. You get only the mounts you need and nothing more.
The best gravel tires are mountain bike tires
The Whippet can clear a 57mm (2.25") tire for excellent bump absorption, traction, and speed. Or run skinnier 45mm tires for tons of mud clearance or lots of paved riding.
UDH dropouts for the win
The dropouts are CNC-machined by Paragon Machine Works in California. They are compatible with Sram Transmission and Shimano wireless rear derailleurs.
Proportional frame sizes
Short and tall riders finally get frames that scale for their size so everyone can enjoy a bike that handles intuitively. The frame tubes also scale to get that perfect blend of precision and suppleness that steel is famous for.
Geometry
The Whippet comes in 6 frame sizes to cover a wide range of riders. Please use the Frame Fit Calculator below to help determine the best frame size for you.
| M2 | M3 | M4 | M5 | M6 | M7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | 364 | 376 | 388 | 400 | 412 | 424 |
| Stack | 540 | 553 | 572 | 593 | 612 | 631 |
| HT angle | 69 | 70 | 70 | 70.5 | 70.5 | 70.5 |
| HT length | 110 | 120 | 120 | 140 | 160 | 180 |
| ST angle* | 74.5 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
| ST length** | 425 | 450 | 495 | 520 | 545 | 570 |
| CS length | 425 | 425 | 430 | 430 | 435 | 435 |
| BB drop | 62 | 62 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 |
| BB height*** | 285 | 285 | 285 | 285 | 285 | 285 |
| Fork length | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 | 410 |
| Fork offset | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 | 55 |
| Wheel size | 650b | 650b | 700c | 700c | 700c | 700c |
| Wheelbase | 1025 | 1032 | 1045 | 1060 | 1084 | 1102 |
| Mechanical trail*** | 69 | 64 | 70 | 67 | 67 | 67 |
| Standover*** | 737 | 757 | 790 | 812 | 833 | 855 |
*Effective angle at average saddle height
**Center to top
***Measured with 55mm (2.2") tire
Frame Fit Calculator
What's the best way to determine my Whippet frame size?
Numbers like effective top tube length, frame reach, and frame stack can be helpful, but they're not the whole story. And sizing based on height alone is often misleading. After all, you don't touch the frame directly when you're on the bike.
What really determines comfort and performance are the position of the contact points: your handlebars, saddle, and pedals. The Frame Fit Calculator focuses on these touch points to give you a more accurate recommendation, so you can be confident you're choosing the right size Whippet for how you fit on the bike.
The Frame Fit Calculator helps you determine the best:
- Whippet frame size
- Stem length
- Stem angle
- Headset spacer stack
Help me understand the Calculator's results.
The Frame Fit Calculator finds the closest setup match to the measurements you've taken from your current bike. It's as accurate as the measurements you take.
The best match shows you the closest dimensional match to your current bike.
But some people might prefer the look of their stem angled down. In that case, the calculator also shows the best match with a negative stem angle.
Many times the best match is also a setup with a negative stem angle. Win, win!
Measuring instructions
Find your fit fast
This process should take around 10 minutes.
You will need the following to get started:
- A drop bar bike you're comfortable on
- Tape measure
- Pencil or pen
- Piece of paper
Step 1: Bike setup
- Place your bike along an inside corner of a room with the rear wheel touching one wall and the bike positioned parallel with the adjacent wall.
- The front wheel should be pointing straight ahead.
- The handlebar can rest on the adjacent wall to keep the bike upright.
Measuring tips
- Measure to the nearest millimeter.
- If you're using a tape measure with feet and inches, measure to the nearest 1/16 inch and then convert to millimeters.
- Try to hold the measuring tape as close to horizontal and vertical as you can.
- Try to keep the measuring tape parallel with the wall the bike is resting on.
Step 2: Measure handlebar stack
- Measure vertically from the floor to the center of the handlebar near the stem and write down your measurement (y1).
- Measure vertically from the floor to the center of the bottom bracket and write down your measurement (y2).
- Subtract the second measurement from the first measurement and enter that number as your handlebar stack (y1 - y2).
Step 3: Measure handlebar reach
- Measure horizontally from the rear wall to the center of your handlebars near the stem and write down your measurement (x1).
- Measure horizontally from the rear wall to the center of your bottom bracket and write down your measurement (x2).
- Subtract the second measurement from the first measurement and enter that number as your handlebar reach (x1 - x2).
Frame specs
- Max tire width
- 2.25" or 57mm
- Hub dimensions
- 12x100 front, 12x142 rear
- Derailleur hanger
- UDH / Sram Transmission
- Chainline
- 47mm to 49mm
- Min crank Q-factor
- 150mm
- Max chainring
- 46t
- Brake type
- Flat mount
- Max front rotor size
- 180mm
- Max rear rotor size
- 160mm
- Seat post
- 27.2mm
- Seat post clamp
- 29.8mm to 30.0mm
- Bottom bracket
- 68mm BSA
- Avg. weight size M5
- 1850g
Raw materials
- Headtube
- Paragon Machine Works CNC-machined tapered EC34/EC44
- Toptube
- Reynolds 631 25.4 8/5/8 for size M2, Reynolds 853 28.6 8/5/8 for sizes M3-M6, Reynolds 853 31.8 8/5/8 for size M7
- Downtube
- Reynolds 631 31.8 8/5/8 for sizes M2-M3, Reynolds 853 34.9 8/5/8 for sizes M4-M5, Reynolds 853 34.9 1/8/5/8 for sizes M6-M7
- Seattube
- Reynolds 631 1.2/6/9
- BB shell
- Paragon Machine Works 68mm threaded BSA
- Chainstays
- 4130 19x0.9 straight gauge custom bent in house
- Seatstays
- 4130 12.7x0.9 straight gauge custom bent in house
- Chainstay yoke
- Custom 3d-printed heat-treated stainless steel
- Dropouts
- Paragon Machine Works CNC-machined UDH/flat mount
Paint scheme
Whippet 2.0 is getting a paint upgrade!
Ollie at Dark Matter Finishing will be painting frames and forks a beautiful metallic ruby red. Ollie also paints on the baby blue Manzanita graphics. He then follows up with a durable clear coat for that showroom finish.
For those of you who want something different, here are the options:
- Simple powder coat with vinyl decals and a bare carbon fork – $200 off base price
- Different color scheme painted by Ollie – $300 and up depending on complexity
Whippet results
Elliot
- 7th place
- 2025 Stetina's Paydirt - Men pro
- 2nd place
- 2025 Ruby Roubaix - Men pro
- 9th place
- 2025 Grinduro - Men 31-40
Miguel
- 10th place
- 2025 Lost and Found - Men 31-40
Ward
- 1st place
- 2025 Fondo Leavenworth - Men 60+
FAQ
Can I get the frame and fork custom painted?
Yes you can. Contact me for pricing and turnaround time.
Can I run a front derailleur?
The Whippet is optimized for 1x drivetrains.
Can I run a mechanical drivetrain?
The Whippet is optimized for wireless drivetrains. But if you'd prefer external routing for mechanical drivetrains it'll be +$100, which includes custom 3d-printed housing guides along the down tube and chainstay.
Can I run 650b wheels?
The two smallest frame sizes are designed around 650b wheels. All other sizes are designed around 700c wheels. Using 650b wheels on sizes M4 and up will put the pedals too low for safe ground clearance.
What's the narrowest tire I can run?
The minimum recommended tire width is 45mm.
What's the max weight I can carry on a rear rack?
The frame will get wiggly if you try to add too much weight on a rear rack. I'd recommend carrying no more than 8lbs, including the weight of the rack.
What's the max weight I can carry on the fork?
The Winow Sports carbon fork is designed for a max system weight of 130kg (286lbs). The mounts on the fork legs can carry 3.5kg (7.75lbs) each or 10kg (22lbs) if using some kind of 3-pack rack.
How many headset spacers can I use?
Seido limits the total headset spacer stack under the stem to 19mm.
Additionally, Seido requires that you leave 5mm of steerer tube above the stem. Your Whippet will come with Seido's installation instructions. Please refer to those when cutting your steerer tube.
Can I run a suspension fork on this frame?
Most gravel suspension forks with 30mm-40mm of travel will work. The taller fork length will slacken the seattube and headtube angles a bit, but not enough to dramatically change how the bike handles.
Can you make me a steel fork instead?
The Whippet is designed specifically for the Seido MGV carbon fork with its tapered steerer. I think a large headtube and a skinny steel fork clash. But I'm happy to make you a bike similar to the Whippet with a skinny headtube and a matching steel fork. See the custom option.
What is the return policy?
All frames are made to order, one-at-a-time in my workshop. Frame set and complete bike orders are final. I do not offer refunds or returns.
What is the warranty?
I use only the best tubing and raw materials for making your frame, and I stand by my work. If you are the original owner, Manzanita Cycles offers a lifetime warranty on all Manzanita-made products that fail due to a materials or manufacturing defect.
If you crash, abuse, modify, or damage your Manzanita product, or if you install parts incorrectly, use incompatible parts, or fail to do proper maintenance on your bike, then it will no longer be covered by the warranty. Any paint and graphics are also not covered.
If you have a problem with a component not made by Manzanita Cycles, it's best to contact the component manufacturer for support. However, if you're having trouble getting traction, let me know and I'll try to help out.
Is shipping included in the price?
I typically use UPS to ship your bike with insurance to cover its replacement in case of theft or damage. Shipping to a US destination starts at $75 for a frameset. Complete bikes will be more.
I'm also happy to ship to international destinations. But please note that shipping fees, import fees, and import taxes can get very expensive.
You can also pick up the bike from Manzanita Cycles World Headquarters if you live near Reno.
Whippets in the wild
