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Frame up 29er HT build
My new big wheeled baby is coming together nicely. I've incorporated several new idea's & technologies that I've not used before so this rig will be a bit of a testing ground for me.
Project outline: 29er hardtail that will be fast enough to race but durable enough to take the Kalamunda drops & rocks. (Tyres exempt)
Budget: Approx $2000
Spec:
Frame - On One Scandal 29er 19.5" interchangeable drop out with taper headset. 1.6kg*
Fork - RS Reba pop lock 120mm (can reduce to 100) with taper steerer & 20mm through axle. 1.8kg
Brakes: XT Icetech 160's (Also have a 180 & adaptor if necessary)
Wheels - On one max adaptable 9, 15 or 20mm 1.8kg. Converted to tubeless.
Gears - 10spd Sram X9 2 x 10 shifters, X7 26 - 39 x 175 cranks, 12 - 34 XT cassette, KMC SL chain. X9 carbon rear & high mnt front derrailiers.
Bits - Richey carbon bar, 90mm FSA 6' stem, Easton EA70 carbon post, WTB Silverado saddle, Maxxis UST Ardent & Crossmark tyres plus 2 x Schwalbe 2.35 Ralphs for racing.
After reading up on others thoughts I've tried to make the front end as stiff as possible without adding too much weight. I also think that 30 gears is overkill and have been really impressed by the latest Sram so have taken the plunge & gone for the 2 x 10 set up. Shimano brakes, apart from a slight vague feel they are awesome for the money & size. I'm a little worried that the front end will be too high & long but that's not such a big deal & is easily rectified.
Well on the way now, I'm just waiting for the Fork, stem & bars.
Se you out there. T
Update:
Almost complete apart from one of the X9 shifters that was missing it's bracket. You can see I've opted for a Fox fork at the moment although being 1 1/8" and qr it may be a bit flexi, The wheels will go 20mm if needed.
Weight as is is 11.4kg which isn't great but considering the cheap wheels and UST boots it could be improved fairly easily.
Will report on how it rides after I throw the flu!
Tony
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You gotta show us some picks as you are building it up dude.
Wow you really did well to get all that under $2000, I guess its not through you LBS.
Will do. I thought that half built pics would be a bit boring so was going to post once it's complete.
Yeah, whilst I do support my LBS's for ancillaries, lube etc I build from the net. To be honest this one has been quite tough to source as the stuff is all fairly new to the market. The whole 2x10 SRAM especially. This little lot has come together from The UK, Ireland, France & the USA.
$2000 may be a bit optimistic but I don't think I'm far off. Bargains like sub $50 carbon bars & post help.
Will do. I thought that half built pics would be a bit boring so was going to post once it's complete.
Yeah, whilst I do support my LBS's for ancillaries, lube etc I build from the net. To be honest this one has been quite tough to source as the stuff is all fairly new to the market. The whole 2x10 SRAM especially. This little lot has come together from The UK, Ireland, France & the USA.
$2000 may be a bit optimistic but I don't think I'm far off. Bargains like sub $50 carbon bars & post help.
I would be keen to see it when your done. Building a bike from scratch would be pretty cool. Most things you buy off the shelf you end up changing anyway.
Changing bars, stem, upgrading groupsets, changing tyres.... all are costs most wouldnt even consider when shopping for a new bike.
post picks when done
Pics attached!
The build has come up really well. Great job.
Once you go 29er you never go back
The raw ali looks cool too, nothing worse than building up a great bike and not being able to enjoy it out in the bush, I hope you get over your flew quick.
Very nice big wheel build Tony. After you've had a few rides, it'd be great if you could post something about what you think of the ride quality of the frame...a Scandal is on a short list of HT frames I'd like to build up.
Also, if you do decide to beef up the front end later down the track and want to offload the Fox fork in the process, I may be interested as it would make rides on my currently rigid 29er single speed just a bit less grueling!
Cheers
very nice.
I couldn't wait for Mr Influenza to bugger off so went for a ride yesterday armed with tools for tweaking.
First impressions are all good, with the saddle at it's mid rail point all of the controls and contact points are spot on. The bike pedals easily and is nice & quiett with a stable & planted feel but without feeling vague or slow to respond to rider input. The Fox forks (running at 100psi) are working faultlessly & make a tiny squeak on compression rather than the usual hiss.
Despite their extra weight the Maxxis Ardent/Crossmark UST combo feel lively enough and never felt squirrelly (Although this may be due to the damp ground).
I was also impressed by the way the bike steamrollered through some deep & loose sand that normally sucks at my smaller wheels making steering a motocross like balancing act. Whether this was all again due to the damp conditions I can't tell but I don't think so.
I've also noticed that squared edge up & overs are noticeably smoother which makes sense.
At the moment the gears are restricted to one front cog until the missing clamp arrives so I was running 26F - 36-12R. Despite the climbs I never needed anything bigger than the 28 rear cog so today I did the Kalamunda loop on the 39 front. Rocky had me on the biggest rear cog but it was ok therefore the spread of gears should be fine.
The X9 shifting started a little slow to downshift despite tweaks to the barrel but improved during the ride. I'm a little sceptical about the reliability of the KMC SL chain though but only time will tell.
Apart from a slight seat angle adjustment and lowering of tyre pressure everything was good as originally set.
Very happy.
T