[bigdhusker]

I am 6' 1" and around 245. I am a long torso, short-legged Clydesdale. My inseam runs right at 30". I have a hard time finding a bike that feels right. I have been riding an 18" Giant Boulder SE with a 6* 115mm Easton stem and 40mm riser bar. This bike is one of the few bikes I can stand over comfortably and not feel cramped.

I now have the desire for a 29er, and I purchased a 16.5" Rocky Mountain Hammer 29 frame. The specs on the geometry are similar to my Giant, but the Boulder SE has a 22.9 inch top tube and the Hammer has a 23.7 top tube, so I should be able to run a shorter stem. I am considering building a 1X9, and was looking at suggestions for budget-conscious options for the rear derailleur, cassette, and shifter. I am most likely going to get a 29er single-speed build kit and delete the rear cog and spacer kit so that I can add my own gearing system.

I want to stay around 1k total for the build. I have $250 in the frame, I picked up a new take-off SR Suntour Raidon 100mm from a Giant Talon for $80, and the build kit from Jenson is going to run around $630 with the rear spacer and cog kit deleted. Has anyone else built a 1X9 29er, and what are some suggestions for a cassette, derailleur, and shifter combo that would stay in the $100-$150 range?

 

[jeffj]

Is that inseam measured with your cycling shoes on?

At 6'1" with a long torso, I will go out on a limb and say that a frame with a 23.7" top tube will be very short in the top tube for you.

For the cassette on a 1x9, I would go with either a Shimano HG-61 at 12-36t or somw sort of 11-34t cassette. The 11-34 actually has a greater range than a 12-36, but you might appreciate the lower granny gear of the 12-36 more than the slightly greater range of the 11-34.

You can get the HG-61 (12-36) for about $45 or a CS-M580 (11-34) for around $35 (maybe less) and they are both strong clyde worthy cassettes.

Add that to this (SRAM X.7 triggers shifters and rear derailleur):

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/12...hifter--w_-X.7-Rear-Derailleur-COMBO-2010.htm

and you are into good parts for well under $150.