Pinscher
Molosse
You could be forgiven for thinking that there are quite enough brands in the jumpy hardtail niche. But to our minds, just as there's always room for one more bike in the shed, so there's always space for another brand in a niche.
All of which blatant filler brings us, if not neatly then at least eventually, to Dobermann bikes. It's a relatively new brand, having been operating in its native Canada for a year or so. Dobermann certainly has the heritage - the two people behind it are Matt (who previously welded Balfa bikes together) and Alain (formerly US distributor for 24 Bicycles). And they're now available in the UK from Twenty Two Distribution.
All three frames in the Dobermann range are designed and built in-house and all share the same dirt/street/park-oriented geometry - choice of 21.5 or 22.5in top tubes, adjustable chainstays from 15 to 15.75in, 12.5in seat tube and 69/71 head/seat angles. All the frames are designed to be happy with two 26in wheels, two 24in wheels or a 26 front/24 rear setup.
Entry level is the Pinscher. At £329 it looks very reasonably priced for a hand-made-in-Canada frame. It's cheaper than the others basically because it's a simpler construction and easier to build.
Next up is the Molosse (£449), built from True Temper Verus double-butted tubing with square-section stays and laser-cut adjustable vertical dropouts.
Top of the tree is the £579 MBF, described as being "designed and built with no compromise". Tubing is True Temper BMX Supertherm double-butted, with extensive machining to trim a bit of weight - the frame comes in at 6lb, which isn't at all shabby for this sort of thing.
They certainly look pretty smart, and those prices include a range of custom colour options too. Find out more at www.twentytwodistribution.co.uk or www.dobermannbikes.com.
