Build Kellan a bike

[Tornadom]

Kellan has long sought out a lightweight, yet durable steed to ride in all of his off-road adventures. Kellan has a very capable and trusty bike in his Specialized Hardrock disc, but knows that he needs something a little lighter, a little nicer and a whole lot more personal. As mountain bikers (or cyclists in general) we have all reached this point: the point at which no factory built bike can ever meet your 100% expectations or desires, the point that you are scouring website upon website memorizing the weight of various components to the gram and envisioning every possible combination of parts to build the perfect bike.

It is time for Kellan to build his very own bike.

The following is what Kellan had in mind, followed by my comments on the components.

Originally Posted by fiatjeepdriver

the frame - voodoo bizango
2008 Bizango
fork - RS reba (maybe recon if i can't swing the reba)
king headset (i might go cheaper)
thomson stem and post
mix of lx and xt (or maybe a mix of x7 and x9)
lx crank (or maybe the RF one like yours)
those speed disc wheels i have
bb7 or juicy 5's

i think i could do this build for @$1000 and it should be @25-26 lbs which isn't bad for a steel hardtail.

I would predict closer to 26 pounds, but that is a solid build for sure. I would choose BB7's over any hydro disc brake just for their amazing mechanical feel and price that can't be touched. After riding a set of BB7's (rather, a bike equiped with them) I was in love! I wish Nikki had rear disc mounts, but despite that I am tempted to get a set for the front anyway.

The rest of the build looks good, but you'll need to decide on Shimano or SRAM before you go any further. After a recent tuneup, Nikki rides WAY better than she did while you were here and hits the shifts like she is suposed to (fast and firm). I like the frame, and adding Thomson anything instantly ups the pimp factor. RS forks are consistantly good, so either one should do.

What handlebars and saddle are you planning? Tires? Brake and shifter cables?

As for the crank, Raceface Deuce XC >* That is my single favorite part on all of Nikki.

[fiatjeepdriver]

I might just swap parts off of the hard rock for the short term.
but for the ?s asked:
handle bars - EA70's
saddle: WTB power v or laser v (depends on how much $ i want to spend)
tires: i like my panaracer fire xc's (i am currently running 2 sets of them)
i am considering nikon cables but i might stick with jagwire.

[The Mad Wombat]

I hope you get this assembled Kellan! This is the kind of craft one wills to their kids! You are after all, a master of your craft! I used to go mountain biking on several trails but back then brakes were a luxury! We INVENTED extreme biking! Whipping across a fallen tree at 24 KPH! YEAH BABY!!! But I see this bike you're trying to build as your Excalibur and I hope it gets built.

[Tornadom]

I might just swap parts off of the hard rock for the short term. <---Okay, but then what?

handle bars - EA70's <---2nd best aluminum bar out there (2nd to the EA90 that is)

saddle: WTB power v or laser v (depends on how much $ i want to spend) <---Saddles really are a personal preference, so that's fine (my preference is SDG Bel-Air)

tires: i like my panaracer fire xc's (i am currently running 2 sets of them) <---Again, tires are a personal preference. The Panaracers are a little heavy at 620g for the 26x2.10, compared to my personal favorite: the IRC Mythos XC at 550g for the same size and 510g for the 26x1.95. I am very interested in trying out a set of IRC Mibro tires as well as the new Michelin XC tires. The last tires that I used were a set of Kenda Nevegal DTC Tomac editions that were nearly $40/each. The tire was excellent in the corners and in loose terrain, but terrible in any smooth or hard-packed surfaces (they felt like you were pedaling a tractor tire

i am considering nikon cables but i might stick with jagwire. <---Jagwire is what I run, and given proper maintenance will perform as well as anything out there... plus they make housings in cool colors (like red)

[fiatjeepdriver]

i might just sell the hard rock and use that money on new parts.

as for the ea90's i thought about those but the ea70's are a great price and almost as good

i do run a set of irc mythos so i might have to reconsider those (it is just that the fire xc's are currently on the wheels i would be using)

[Tornadom]

I might just sell the hard rock and use that money on new parts. <---Never a bad idea, unless memories with the bike are too precious to part (I.e. Nikki)

as for the ea90's i thought about those but the ea70's are a great price and almost as good <---You won't hear an argument from me. Are you looking at flats or risers? If flat, are barends in the works?

i do run a set of irc mythos so i might have to reconsider those (it is just that the fire xc's are currently on the wheels i would be using) <---Wow, you own 11teen bikes, but aren't willing to swap tires?

[fiatjeepdriver]

i am not real attached to the hard rock and i could get $350 or so out of it. plus i will be selling the old hard rock, both dahon folders, and maybe the old mizutani and spare cruisers.

either flats with single track solution bar ends or a smaller rise.

the irc's are on the gear 950 and have dh tubes in them, they suck to take off.

[fiatjeepdriver]

I was looking at the specs and the bizango is 4.4 lbs and about $600 while the wanga frame is 4.0 lbs and $400. Hmmm

[Tornadom]

Originally Posted by fiatjeepdriver

I was looking at the specs and the bizango is 4.4 lbs and about $600 while the wanga frame is 4.0 lbs and $400. Hmmm

One is made of very nice steel and can take a slight weight penalty in exchance for a super amazing ride; the other is going to be your average cro/mo frame: strong, light and flexible.

[Whitz End]

Originally Posted by fiatjeepdriver
the frame - voodoo bizango
2008 Bizango
fork - RS reba (maybe recon if i can't swing the reba)
king headset (i might go cheaper)
thomson stem and post
mix of lx and xt (or maybe a mix of x7 and x9)
lx crank (or maybe the RF one like yours)
those speed disc wheels i have
bb7 or juicy 5's

i think i could do this build for @$1000 and it should be @25-26 lbs which isn't bad for a steel hardtail.

Frame; Voodoo Bizango (NICE!)
Fork; Rock Shox Reba for sure. Should be cheaper, especially online with the new Reba comming out. New one beefs upto 120mm travel and introduces a Maxle lite thru axel. recons get much the same features as the Reba, bar floodgate control in the Moco cartridge and do have a bit more weight then the Reba (though your comparing a dual air fork to a solo air one there...)
Headset;If you can go cheaper, do so. King are good but there are better performers out there. CK just have the bling factor and the lifetime warrenty.
Cockpit; Thomson = Win
Drivechain; Shimano Shadow? A good set up could also be X9 shifters with an Shimano XT front mech and X9 rear mech. Id rate any Shimano Hollowtech crank over a Race Face (sorry Torm). The interface on the Shimanos is alot more fool hardy in that you not only have pinch bolts holding the arm onto the spindal, you also have the torque cap thing on there too preloading the bearings. Compare this to the RF cranks (which are awesome performers mind you! My riding buddy has Deus XC and another with Atlas!) which dont quite have the bearing quality and require a near-perfect BB shell to fit into, otherwise you run into issues. And the self-extracting bolt tends to fall out too. Aim for an older XT if you can find one. 20g lighter then the old-gen LX (now replaced by SLX). I rock older LXs and they are great!
Brakes;Matt! Honestly! Get yourself an A2Z disc adapter. The bugger just bolts onto your chain/seat stays and means you can attach a disc caliper without having to weld anything on. Make sure you loctite it though...
While I an a fan of Nikki's crisp lines, discs would set her off!
Again, free plug to Shimano. Their XC brake is superb. I cannot think of any better brake for the money. True, BB7s kill the vast majority of lower end brakes (namely Hayes Nines and lower Avids) but the XT provides such an awesome mix of power, bite and modulation. Cheap also.
Wheels;You'll shead the most weight here, physically as well as psycologically for rolling weight is the biggest killer. Jump on Chain reaction Cycles and get a Hope Pro II hub laced to a Mavic XC717 rim. The 717 is an awesome rim...light yet strong and certainly capable of trail abuse. The hope hubs are equally awesome with 48 engaugement points in the free hub and cartridge 'sealed' bearings for long life. Front hubs can be flicked between 20mm and QR 9mm set ups also. They are also a relativly affordable wheelset too. Absolutly eat WTB SpeedDiscs for breakfast!
Saddle; SDG Bel Air or a Fizik Gobi. Both comfy but the SDG is significantly cheaper.