[frankenmike]

Hi folks, first post here. I just ordered a frame from bikeisland, a 19 inch outcast in matte grey. I got this frame because it was so inexpensive, and the welds seemed decent. I am building it up with some decent componentry kindly donated by my pops, who is a long-time 29er singlespeeder. He gave me some Salsa delgado with wtb SS hub wheels, a surly karate monkey fork, as well as some other small bits(stem, cogs, etc.) I am hoping that it will build up as a durable rigid 29er singlespeed that won't be too terribly heavy. My plan is to use BB7 brakes, not sure about some of the other components. I will post some pics as I progress with the build. Anybody build up one of these frames before? Any advice is welcome. BTW I used to wrench for a couple years, so I have tools and plan on doing all my own work.

 

[manabiker]

there are some build ups above in, post pic of your moto.. yours sounds like a good build, and the price is right with all the freebies you got, post pics for sure.. Happy Trails

 

[frankenmike]

Got my headset today, The Pig, an FSA product. The bearings on the bottom are big- 1/4 " or so. I figured it would be good to go beefy on a fully rigid. Still need cranks, the ones I had won't work. Anybody know of a good deal on some?

 

[1SPD]

So far I can't complain about mine. Still working out the geometry issues (swapping stems/bars...) but the frame is doing quite well. Honestly, it was a great buy! Here are a couple pics of mine. I just finished building it about 2 weeks ago or so. Gotta trim my brake lines but waiting for the cable end pieces to come in. Also have a different seat in the mail and when the weather breaks I will be rolling on different tires. Currently the bike is sitting at 21.87 lbs. Should be 20.?? once the tires/seat are swapped out and I go tubeless.

Just look around on ebay for cranks. You can't go wrong with an SLX, XT, or XTR. I am running a modified XTR M960 that has been modded/ceramic coated by Crazy8 (member on here). I picked up my XTR's initially for $120 so that means that an SLX or XT should go for less.

 

[frankenmike]

Wow, nice looking build, 1spd. Mine will be heavier than that, I'm sure. I ended up ordering a raceface singlespeed crank. I promise to post some pics soon! BTW, how well do those 2.4 tires clear the stays?

 

[1SPD]

I have about 1/2" between tires/stays on the rear. Been riding in the mud alot lately and had no problems! The tires do seem to attact more sticks however as I am constantly having sticks flying up into my frame and what not. Just odd. I don't ever recall having this happen to me as much as it has since getting out on this build. Then again, there probably hasn't been that many sticks out on the trails as there has been lately due to all the big wind storms we have gotten lately.

 

[coot271]

Hey 1spd, have you noticed some torsional flex on your front wheel when you apply the brakes? I have a 2010 Moto outcast 29 with the rock shok 3 fork...and I am getting some pretty good flex on hard braking......so hard, that my front wheel loosened up and it would rub on the fork under braking......i readjusted tension on the axle skewer and i still notice the flex under hard braking......is this normal for disc-equipped bikes, or do i have another problem? Thanks:thumbsup:

 

[1SPD]

I will say that I notice it a little bit. I am on a rigid set up and I can see my fork moving forward and back ever so slightly under hard braking. I have not had my skewers come loose however (I would think that perhaps being rigid I might be more prone to that). I can say that having the brake mounted lower on the wheel (think of it as a lever in its truest sence) that it would generate more leverage further up the line as it is farther away from the frame than a set of rim brakes.

I would flip the frame over and double check the frame for any sort of cracks, check the headset to make sure it is properly tightened as well. Other than that, I don't really know. It is a fairly mass produced (somewhat cheap) frame. I can say that it is more stiff than my old Access 26" frame that I could throw the chain when on a hard climb while it was set up as an SS.

 

[manabiker]

Check your cone nuts are tight, you may want to get the Zinn & the art of Mountain Bike maintenance out.. good luck,,

 

[frankenmike]

Well, I finished the build today. 24.6 lbs isn't too bad, especially since I am kind of a large rider(220). I sure like the way it looks, and I am taking it out on the trail tomorrow. http://forums.mtbr.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=603049&stc=1&d=1300240584

 

[1SPD]

Looks good. Love the color! Now it's time to go play. Go get her dirty!

 

[frankenmike]

Man what a blast to ride! The climbs are definitely a challenge. I converted the wheels to tubeless last night, using gorilla tape, some removable core tubeless valves, and wadester's secret sauce. Maxxis ignitors on salsa delgado disc 29er. Still holding air this morning, so I am pretty stoked. Also ordered some upgrades this week(already!?)- A ti rail saddle, a thomson post(I was stealing the post from my road bike), and some atac xs pedals.

 

[dr.mediocre]

Man what a blast to ride! The climbs are definitely a challenge. I converted the wheels to tubeless last night, using gorilla tape, some removable core tubeless valves, and wadester's secret sauce. Maxxis ignitors on salsa delgado disc 29er. Still holding air this morning, so I am pretty stoked. Also ordered some upgrades this week(already!?)- A ti rail saddle, a thomson post(I was stealing the post from my road bike), and some atac xs pedals.

Interesting. I would love to hear a report later to see if the conversion held. I would be interested in doing this on my upcoming commuter build.

 

[ssm-gd3]

Here's my Outcast... pretty much stock. had it for 2 years now and it's been a fantastic ride.

the only changes are the tires - IRD Fire XC Pro in the rear and Panaracer Rampage in the front, and eggbeater pedals.

 

[1SPD]

I sorta wish my Outcast had track ends on it instead of the sliders. Mainly because there are no tensioners on the sliders. I'm not having a problem with the wheel slipping, but it is quite a pita to get the wheel straight in the frame when initially setting the chain tension. Either that or I am missing something.

My bike should finally be complete this evening. Well the new tire for the front is scheduled for delivery today and I will convert it to tubeless (Stans kit). But the weather may dictate when that actually happens.

I got a ride in yesterday with my wider bars (new Ritchey Super Logic w/ 20mm rise) and Cane Creek bar ends (had these for a while and stuck them back on). Climbing was much easier even with the new gearing set up (33:18 vs the older 32:18). I swapped the chainring to help take up some slack in the chain and be able to put the sliders in the middle of the drop out instead of almost to the rear. Yet the chain was too short if I pulled out a link. I did get a half link from a friend but I already had the chain ring and if anything it will make me stronger!

 

[frankenmike]

The track ends are nice, but I've found using discs makes the sliders easier because the wheel can come out without having to adjust the caliper every time. My friend has a KM and can't even remove the wheel without loosening the disc caliper.

 

[1SPD]

I hear you. My GT had the same issues. I really think that the Paragon sliders are the best design out there at the moment but that would drastically increase the cost of the Outcast if it came equiped with them. Then again, I would still be willing to pay another $200 for them. Hopefully my next bike will have them. That or I will end up with a Fly and run an ebb on it and just call it a day.

 

[frankenmike]

EBB is a good theory, but I've yet to see a design that doesn't involve a huge heavy chunk of metal in the bottom bracket. Also, I've seen more than one stripped pinch bolt on EBB bikes in the shop, which makes me leery. My Outcast is losing some weight this week, BTW. Tubeless+carbon bars+ti rail saddle+deus crank swap-out with my stumpy should be about a pound, I figure. Cheers

 

[1SPD]

I suspect you will get your pound. Dropping the tubes should net you close to a 1/2 pound based on most 29er tubes weighing in at right around 200 grams. I'm running 2 wraps of Stans yellow tape, the rubber rim strip/valve and 1.5 scoops of sealant on my wheels. Not sure what bars you have but I suspect that if you are going from alu to carbon you could be shaving around 50 grams and maybe 30-50 for the seat. Not sure about the crank swap so I have no clue. But I bet you get the pound you are looking for.

My tire showed up so hopefully, my daughter skips her club practice and goes with her mom to help out at the PTA meeting which will leave me at the house to play with it. I might actually see the 20 lbs mark. Then again, I swapped out my seat and have my Aliante on it right now and am waiting for a Flite Carbonio to arrive by the end of the week (traded with someone on the board here). We will see. I will post up a weight when done later this evening if I get it done. Actually the bike weighed 20.55 without my barends on it. So I stand the chance to see high 19's. After this, it is done though. No more gram chasing for me at this point. Just wanna ride.

 

[frankenmike]

The new bar is a raceface next low rise carbon, replacing an easton ea70 monkeybar. My best calculations are: 160 grams saved going tubeless, 50-100 grams saved handlebars, 100 grams saved going from BB7s to juicy 7s, 50-100 grams crankset, 70 grams saddle, 20 grams grips(went from rubber to cork wrap). Grand total: 450-550grams saved! which is .99-1.21 lbs. I'll let you know how much it turns out to be. Still a little jealous of your build, though. Cheers