Well I finally finished my son's XS carbon frame 26" wheel build. To cut to the chase, here is the end result;
If you would like to know more, continue reading
So to start, my son is 4' 7" and fits his Scott Scale RC Jr 24" perfectly. That said, he could stretch into an XS 26" frame and benefit from the larger rolling diameter of the 26" tire. I got the idea of building an XS Chinese carbon frame from XC71's post (very trick bike). So I started my quest of looking for the smallest frame I could find. I emailed all the usual suspects XMIplay, Flyxii, HongFu, DengFu, Yoeleo, LT Bike, Miracle Bike, and XM Carbon Speed.
A lot of frames came in 15 or 15.5" but I was hoping for something in 14". Peter (formerly XMIplay) at XMCarbonSpeed said that he actually had a Cube frame in 14" that he was building for his wife but was now pregnant and so he wanted to sell it. He gave me a fair price and I agreed to purchase it. I felt comfortable enough since Peter's name was plastered over the various forums and had a good rep for being timely and honest. All of my dealings with him so far back this up.
Now that the frame was secured, I started to opportunistically buy 26" components. Lucky for me everyone was blowing out 26" specific items at very cheap prices (mainly purchased at Pricepoint and JensonUSA).
As for configuration, I wanted to build an XT level spec bike. I wanted to have something that was a little more bulletproof. With the new M8000 XT coming out, the previous generation XT stuff was also at decent pricing. Here is the final build sheet;
Lessons learned;
Here are additional pictures during the build. Enjoy;
Frame, Seatpost, and Seat.
Rockshox SID RCT3 Tapered, 100mm travel
Checking crank and fork fit
Removed the 3X chainring setup and added Race Face BG. Also changed the cassette to an 11-42 wide (removed 15t/17t, added 16t/42t)
Routing the cables for the rear derailleur.
Next day it started raining so I had to move operations indoor. I bought the pre-bled brakes but it doesn't matter because the pre-bled hose lengths are WAY to long. That said, Shimano brakes are so easy to bleed compared to my Avid Elixer CR's and Formula R1's. Picture shows test fitting brakes and determining the correct length.
Finished all cable lengths and added blue grips.
Picture of bashring and inside chain keeper
Only thing left is to cut the steerer and seatpost.
And complete.
Time to hit the trail!
If you would like to know more, continue reading
So to start, my son is 4' 7" and fits his Scott Scale RC Jr 24" perfectly. That said, he could stretch into an XS 26" frame and benefit from the larger rolling diameter of the 26" tire. I got the idea of building an XS Chinese carbon frame from XC71's post (very trick bike). So I started my quest of looking for the smallest frame I could find. I emailed all the usual suspects XMIplay, Flyxii, HongFu, DengFu, Yoeleo, LT Bike, Miracle Bike, and XM Carbon Speed.
A lot of frames came in 15 or 15.5" but I was hoping for something in 14". Peter (formerly XMIplay) at XMCarbonSpeed said that he actually had a Cube frame in 14" that he was building for his wife but was now pregnant and so he wanted to sell it. He gave me a fair price and I agreed to purchase it. I felt comfortable enough since Peter's name was plastered over the various forums and had a good rep for being timely and honest. All of my dealings with him so far back this up.
Now that the frame was secured, I started to opportunistically buy 26" components. Lucky for me everyone was blowing out 26" specific items at very cheap prices (mainly purchased at Pricepoint and JensonUSA).
As for configuration, I wanted to build an XT level spec bike. I wanted to have something that was a little more bulletproof. With the new M8000 XT coming out, the previous generation XT stuff was also at decent pricing. Here is the final build sheet;
Lessons learned;
- Rockshox SID RCT3 looks like it will work for his weight. I was concerned because the lowest pressure rating on the shock is 70psi for 140lbs. I was able to run it at 35psi with good results. Also, Rockshox now provides a pump and rebuild kit with all of their forks.
- Shimano Pre-bled brakes will need to be cut regardless because the hoses are so long.
- Shimano brakes take a fraction of the time to bleed as Avids and Formulas
- The Wolf 42T cog shifts awesome
- Carbon splinters really hurt and 1 splinter is actually multiple fibers that all need to be removed... ouch!
- Buy a bike stand with a tray holder
Here are additional pictures during the build. Enjoy;
Frame, Seatpost, and Seat.
Rockshox SID RCT3 Tapered, 100mm travel
Checking crank and fork fit
Removed the 3X chainring setup and added Race Face BG. Also changed the cassette to an 11-42 wide (removed 15t/17t, added 16t/42t)
Routing the cables for the rear derailleur.
Next day it started raining so I had to move operations indoor. I bought the pre-bled brakes but it doesn't matter because the pre-bled hose lengths are WAY to long. That said, Shimano brakes are so easy to bleed compared to my Avid Elixer CR's and Formula R1's. Picture shows test fitting brakes and determining the correct length.
Finished all cable lengths and added blue grips.
Picture of bashring and inside chain keeper
Only thing left is to cut the steerer and seatpost.
And complete.
Time to hit the trail!
