Thread: New MTB projects

Originally Posted by Psimpson7

Quite looking forward to taking this out for a ride. Have to sort out a ride to Nerang, or Mount Joyce or something at some point if you fancy it.

Sounds good. Perhaps we should do another AULRO Mt Joyce ride. I'm also keen for Nerang. We're coming into the perfect time of the year for riding, weather-wise.

James.

All I am waiting for on this one is the front mech. Everything else is done, including setting up the tubless and the handlebar grips.

Hopefully it arrives tommorow.

I've been off the bikes for a couple of months now (too much work, dodgy knee, etc) but still managed to acquire a new project. A friend upgraded to a new carbon Blur, so I bought her old Santa Cruz Superlight frame for a very reasonable sum. I know that high forward single pivot frames have their critics, but I'm a bit of a fan.

I usually ride a Pivot Mach 5, which isn't really suitable for longer distance endurance type riding, so the plan is to build this one up to suit. The bearings have been replaced and NSD rebuilt the RP23 shock, modifying the pro-pedal settings at the same time to stiffen the whole thing up.

My friend also let me have her SID World Cup fork. It is fairly new (so has 32mm stanchions) but has a 9mm QR axle, so I'm worried it might not be stiff enough for a rider of my excessive girth and indelicate riding style. If not I'll have to get something beefier.

I also have a wheelset. Hope Pro Evo hubs with Stan's rims and Schwalbe Nobby Nic tubeless tyres. They are fitted with Shimano rotors, which is handy as I'm planning to fit XT brakes.

Aside from that I have basically nothing, although I may be able to press an old Chris King headset back into service. I think I'll go with an XT drive train, probably 3 x 10, but I'll work out the rest as I go. It would be nice to keep it under 11kgs, but on a limited budget I think I'm dreaming.

Norco is finished and working, bar the final trimming of the bars. I went out and did a quick (relatively - it was windy!) 10k earlier on it and nothing fell off, although I did take a few tools with me just in case!

Will give it a proper run out hopefully over the weekend.

Final spec for it is:

Frame: Norco Bigfoot.
Fork: RockShox Pike 454 Uturn air 140mm
Rear derailleur: Sram x9
Front derailleur: Sram x9
Shifters: Sram x0
Chain: Sram 1090R
Cassette: Sram 1070
Cranks: Raceface Turbine
Bottom bracket: Raceface X type.
Pedals: Shimano DX
Brakes: Formula The One - 203mm Rotors front and rear...
Bars: spank spike 777 evo in chrome.
Stem: Straitline SSC 50mm
Headset: Cane Creek 110
Seat: Fizik
Seatpost: Norco
Wheels: Hope Pro 2 Evo with Stans ZTR flow rims (20mm front, qr rear)
Tyres: Maxxis Minion 2.5 super tacky. UST.

Have also got another set of XO shifters now for the Banshee. Pretty impressed with how they feel (always used Shimano up to now) Hopefully that frame will turn up very shortly

Did a couple of rides on this over the weekend.

It rides really nicely and I didn't crash once either!

Did a 20k loop of the fire roads at nerang, which in places are bloody steep and rough. Ended up with 639m of climbing in the 20k.

Then did a ride at Daisy Hill yeseterday morning with JohnR and Alison, and Sam.

Only thing I have had to adjust is the front mech, and the rear brake calliper so far.

The brakes felt a bit dead to start with but the couple of damp rides, have cleaned them up and they have serious bite now.

Also ordered a new set of chainrings and chain for Sams Scott Genius as its been dropping a chain, we think due to some damaged teeth on the middle ring.

Update on the Banshee. The frame shipped today

Nice work Pete!

What made you go SRAM gear? I am building up adual suspension bike at the moment and received half the components and am just waiting for remaining bits. I have gone with full Shimano XTR.

Will get some pictures up later in the week. I still need to order a new rear shock and either rebuild the front shocks or replace.

Looking forward to riding it.

Ps...I still ride my old Giant nearly everyday

Cheers
Andrew

Hey Andrew,

No real reason for SRAM over XT/XTR other than I just grabbed bits as they came up, and once you have a SRAM rear mech, you are tied to Sram shifters etc.

I got the X0 crankset at about half retail when it was on sale at Jensonusa.com

The raceface cranks were a purchase mistake by someone and they were again under half price of retail.

I have just been grabbing nice new/unused parts as they came up

Out of the cranksets I actually prefer the Raceface I think.

Will be good to see your new bike come together so put up some pics.

I have fitted the X0 rings on the X9 crankset on Sams Scott now too so hopefully that solves the chain drop issue.

cheers
Pete