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Building my first 29er...help me spec her out!

701 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by edwin191, Feb 16, 2011

edwin191

Discussion Starter · Feb 14, 2011

Just picked up a Lynskey frame this past week, time to start getting the parts on order. I'm a 195lb rider mostly riding XC trails. Both of my current 26" rigs are XTR equipped rides, one a full suspension ride, other steel hardtail. I'm normally pretty easy on my equipment. I'be been riding MTB's since 1988 and have never taken a bike back to a haven't had a LBS for any sort of work other than having a headset pressed into a frame. Sooooo...three questions -

1) Any suggestions on building the bike via build kit like custom options via Colorado Cyclist or piece meal it?
2) Wheelset - I've checked out the Stan's Crest wheelset at the LBS. They look nice but the LBS admitted the hubs / bearings are smooth at first but not overall at the same quality of a King, Hope, DT hub. I'm leaning towards having a set built with King hubs but unsure on what hoops to go with. Thoughts?
3) I've never owned a bike with anything other than Shimano equipment. Any real world thoughts on the 2011 2x10 XTR vs Sram XO vs Sram XX? Also considering Shimano XT with a double chainring up front.

I'm open to any and all input...thanks in advance!
edwin

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customfab

· #2 · Feb 14, 2011

1: your going to get better pricing if you buy all your stuff in one place assuming we are talking about inline product.
2: Stans wheels are a favorite for the tubless fanboys, they are lighter than anything else out there at a given weight. There hubs are good for the price but there are better things out there if you have the budget.
3: stay with Shimano, 980 XTR is that good and it beats the piss out of Sram if you are willing to maintain it.

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3fast3furious

· #3 · Feb 14, 2011

I just finished a build up on my Eriksen 29er. I did similar products to what you are planning. Colorado Cyclist was good for a few parts that I got like spokes and stuff. But there are much better deals out there if you are willing to look. A good tip is to find a site like cambriabike.com that offers a "price smash" option. Then find your item cheaper from another site and copy the link onto Cambria and they will under cut it. I would say that you will most likely find better prices going individual items rather than a build kit. And it will also allow you to mix and match based on budget, weight and simply what you want. I did build my Stan's Arches with Chris King hubs. Arches are good for your weight, stay away from the Crests. The ZTR hubs are decent for the price. The only thing I don't like about them is that you cannot adjust them when they start to get loose. SRAM stuff is good. In fact, for the majority of parts, I'd say it's way better. Shimano makes good brakes, I'll give them that. But their drivetrains are pretty sloppy. They allow for a lot of chain slap. SRAM keeps things in check in that department. I have a mix of XX and X0 on mine and I love it. Hope this helped

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edwin191

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 14, 2011

Thanks for the info folks! I'm not in a hurry to get it built up as the trails will be a mudfest for the next month or so. Will pull together a spreadsheet of the parts I'm looking for and start searching...tnx for the CBO idea!

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wheelhoss

· #5 · Feb 14, 2011

Im in this process as well, except with a different TI frame. Been shopping around for the build group. The Colorado Cyclist gig is pretty nice in that if you buy the group you get 25% off the fork....So, not bad. Things can be had cheaper, no doubt.

I decided to go with an LBS as they gave me a nice deal and I prefer to keep my dollars local as we live in a pretty isolated place and all cash is important for local commerace. Going with an XO build and DT 240's with a Reba. Frame should show up in time right around when the snow starts to melt. Spring can't come fast enough.

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edwin191

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 16, 2011

Thanks for the input folks. I ended up finding a good deal on new XTR via Jenson...just ordered it up. Was able to build the entire bike with XTR for the same price as XO via the LBS. Can't wait to get it together and on the trail!

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