[ridgy]

Hi guys,

Need some advice on colors and specs for my new Spot. For frame color I'm thinking a choice between the two standard colors namely black smoke or deep red unless you guys can convince me custom is worth the extra wait

I should add, in case it affects part choice,that I'm 5'10" 200lbs and I'm looking for an all day trail bike that will be able to deal with the odd drop and jump (nothing major) but would be light enough for burning around my local lake which is fairly flat.
I have already been collecting stuffs which were intended to upgrade my current ride but will now find their way onto my new Spot (although I can replace any of these if they don't suit). Namely:
SRAM PG990 Cassette
SRAM PC991 Hollowpin Chain
SRAM XO Long Cage Rear Mech
SRAM XO Shifters
Bontrager XXX Carbon Riser Bars (Not sure about these, they were for my Trek)

and these little beauties..

Red carbon Marta SL's

Other parts I need and have in mind are:

Wheelset - Hope Hoops (DT Swiss 5.1 on Hope ProII's) Could I get away with 4.2d's?
Fork - RS Pike Air U-Turn
Headset - Chris King. Color ideas?
Seatpost & Stem - Thomson ( I'm 5'10" what length post should I be looking at in the Spot?)
Saddle - Charge Spoon
Bars Something light but strong. Easton Monkeylite, FSA
Crankset - Nothing in mind yet. Is XTR still the way to go for lightness now they have solved the chocolate chainring problem? Would something from one of the niche brands such as FSA or Raceface be ok?

Is there anything else I've forgotten?

I've been agonising on colors for headset and hubs etc. Should I go subtle and get black or go for an accent color (bearing in mind my brake color) like red against a black or white frame?

Ok guys let me know if my build is looking ok and hit me with your suggestions and experiences so I can get this lot ordered.

Looking forward to joining the rest of you Turnerites :thumbsup:

 

[Legbacon]

I'm 220 and IMO the extra weight of the 5.1 is worth it on rougher trail. I ride 4.1's on my HT and they hold up fine but I like the extra stiffness on the Spot.

Put a 7 or 8" rotor up front. I have 7 up front on the SS & HT, and 8 on the Spot & RFX. Much better for Clydes.

I'm 5'10 and my 410mm post is more than long enough on my medium frame.

I have RF Deus & Shimano Saint cranksets and the Shimano is much easier to install and take off. If I were buying for my Spot today it would be XT.

Welcome aboard and good luck with the build.

 

[SSINGA]

Get the smoke black - the red brakes will be a nice acccent.

Ditch the Hollow pin and get a 991 cross-step chain.

5.1 is the way to go.

Your bars might be ok if you're ok with the width.

Get the new XT cranks (are they available)

 

[cowdog]

Get the new XT cranks (are they available)

I've been asking about these -- don't seem to be available just yet.

 

[Jerk_Chicken]

Get the smoke black - the red brakes will be a nice acccent.

Ditch the Hollow pin and get a 991 cross-step chain.

5.1 is the way to go.

Your bars might be ok if you're ok with the width.

Get the new XT cranks (are they available)

Solid advice right here. I'd make sure the front rotor is a 180 on top of that.

 

[cactuscorn]

smoke black fer sure, red king, consider dt 420 hubs, 5.1's are stout and light but it sounds like the 4.2's would be fine if yer not a big jumper, xt cranks ('06 is fine), hollow pins are sketchy, 160/180 will be more than enough, bars are fine as is the rest.

whats yer plan for pedals, grips, tires and most importantly, tubes?

 

[RSutton1223]

Are your Marta's set up for 180 front and 160 rear? If not, I think you can get an adapter for the front.

 

[Random Drivel]

Pimp yo ride

Smoke black is the bomb diggety. Pewter or silver HS and seatpost clamp would look killar. Think black and red, with subtle silver accents. Red hubs, silver spokes, black rims.

I don't think the new XT is available yet, at least that's what Larry told me last week. Worth looking into though.

 

[tald]

Another vote for the 5.1 (or Mavic 321 or Stan Flow) vs a thinner rim. I've found the wider rims (28mm) to significantly boost cornering confidence on 2.35" tires as compared to a thinner (23mm) rim.

 

[Cucucachu]

Crankset - Nothing in mind yet. Is XTR still the way to go for lightness now they have solved the chocolate chainring problem? Would something from one of the niche brands such as FSA or Raceface be ok?:thumbsup:

Have you considered crank brothers?
These puppies look so cool and get pretty good reviews.

 

[ridgy]

Thanks guys for all your recommendations. Keep them coming. It seems I might have a bit of a wait for a Spot frame, 2008 was mentioned , unless anyone out there knows different, so we have plenty of time to get this right. Anyone have a Spot they wanna offload :madman:

You guys have reinforced my ideas on the smoke black/red combo,thanks.

One question, why is XT recommended time and again over XTR? Is this purely a best bang for the buck thing or more to do with the cranks strength?

Does anyone know if you can specify hub color on the Hope Hoops?

@Travis Bickle and others - Your advice about the 180 front rotor is noted. The kit I have is 160/160 so it seems I'll need an adapter.

@ SSINGA - Thanks for the advice on the chain and I will look to change this. Regarding the XXX bars you mentioned sizing. Are these wider or narrower than other brands?

@cactuscorn - Re pedals, I wanted to give clipless a go so invested in a cheap pair of Shimmy 520's.
Grips - I have bought ODI cross trainer lock-on's. :thumbsup:
Tyres and Tubes - I would like to run a tubeless set up with Stans or Eclipse. I haven't had much thought on tyres yet but I'd want something as light as I could get away with . I know most of you guys will be running in the region of 2.3 but here I could probably get away with a 2.1 XC tire until my riding environment dictates otherwise. Having said that the 2.3 Conti Speed King Supersonics are receiving good press and are only 400g per tyre If I went for an AM tyre it would probably be the Kenda Nevegal

Thanks to your comments I'm also confident the 5.1 is the wheel for me. Any more thoughts on forks? I have actually been offered a cheap set of Mav DUC32's (these will work apparently with the Pro II hub with an adapter) anyone running these? Other than that I'm favouring the Pikes.

While I'm here I'd just like to say thanks to the guys over at the Yeti forum in case any of you are reading this. I enquired some time ago about speccing up a 575 and you guys were a great help. While the 575 is a great machine I just feel that this is the way to go for me and I was a little concerned about one or two niggles reported on the forum. I also feel there may be one or two changes in the air for the 575 so probably not the best time to get one.

 

[SSINGA]

Have you considered crank brothers?
These puppies look so cool and get pretty good reviews.

Where are you going to find a decent bottom bracket for those?

XTR if you want light - XT if you want bang for the buck.

The XXX riser is a 630mm (24.8") bar. If that is what you like then by all means get it. I prefer a 27" bar myself.

 

[006_007]

If you go with the DT swiss 5.1 they make a tubless conversion kit that works great (it is essentially the eclipse kit). I love this setup (laced to my red I9's).

The 180mm marta SL is the way to go (up front), was very happy I chose that. Contact Lonnie at Magura and he will tell you the exact adaptor you need.

Post some pics when built!

 

[unclekittykiller]

I gonna go against the grain here and recommend the 4.2d rims. I've had a set laced to Kings on my Spot for a few months now and they're great. I do quite a bit of jumping and dropping and they hold up beautiful, and you'd save a significant amount of weight over the 5.1d's for burning around your lake. I am around 25 lbs lighter than you but as long as you're not dropping off roof tops these rims will treat you great. Also definitely go with the RS Pike (forget the Maverick) and consider the Azonic ST-1 Carbon bar - perfect geometry and strong as anything out there.

 

[ridgy]

I gonna go against the grain here and recommend the 4.2d rims. I've had a set laced to Kings on my Spot for a few months now and they're great. I do quite a bit of jumping and dropping and they hold up beautiful, and you'd save a significant amount of weight over the 5.1d's for burning around your lake. I am around 25 lbs lighter than you but as long as you're not dropping off roof tops these rims will treat you great. Also definitely go with the RS Pike (forget the Maverick) and consider the Azonic ST-1 Carbon bar - perfect geometry and strong as anything out there.

These were my thoughts exactly. I know I could probably get away with the 4.2d's for general trailing and I was looking that route to begin with but I feel the 5.1's are a good deal more future proof for those occasions when I want to try something more demanding or if I was vacationing and riding rougher terrain. Better to have to much wheel than not enough.

Thanks for the heads up on the Azonic ST-1, I will look into it :thumbsup: Your advice on the DUC's is also noted. It was just something I was throwing into the mix there but I have to admit the weight of those things (3.9lb) is attractive!

 

[monkeybaby]

XT cranks

I've been asking about these -- don't seem to be available just yet.

Distributors have them in stock so bike shops will probably have them next week.

 

[cutthroat]

The XT crankset is great. The new XTR is also very good according to the reviews, but you are dropping a lot of money on relatively minor weight saving over the proven reliable XTs. The 2006 XTRs can now be had for some bargains. Those cranks have also been good to me, but the rings are soft and they use a proprietary BCD which limits your ability to swap rings and install bashguards. For under $200 the XTs are tough to beat. Seems a little odd to me to be looking at the 5.1d rim but contemplating a 2.1 tire. If it were me I'd go with the lighter rim and run a bigger tire like a 2.25. I've been running narrower profile Velocity VXC rims on my Spot and they have been trouble free. A narrow rim will still take a bigger tire just fine when you want the extra rubber and saving rotational weight is big plus. Of course, the BLACK is the only real color choice.

 

[ridgy]

The XT crankset is great. The new XTR is also very good according to the reviews, but you are dropping a lot of money on relatively minor weight saving over the proven reliable XTs. The 2006 XTRs can now be had for some bargains. Those cranks have also been good to me, but the rings are soft and they use a proprietary BCD which limits your ability to swap rings and install bashguards. For under $200 the XTs are tough to beat. Seems a little odd to me to be looking at the 5.1d rim but contemplating a 2.1 tire. If it were me I'd go with the lighter rim and run a bigger tire like a 2.25. I've been running narrower profile Velocity VXC rims on my Spot and they have been trouble free. A narrow rim will still take a bigger tire just fine when you want the extra rubber and saving rotational weight is big plus. Of course, the BLACK is the only real color choice.

I'd also heard about chocolate chain rings on the old XTR's but the new crop are different I'm told. It would make more sense to go XT as suggested I think.

Yes I could get away with a 2.1, I was just mentioning that for comparison purposes but I've never run anything that narrow yet. I'm running 2.2 Bonty Jones ACX's on my Fuel. I'd probably be looking to stay around that width or 2.3 especially with a lightweight tyre.

I agree with your comments on color although I have to say when I was contemplating the 575 I was determined to go white because everyone has the ano black or team.

 

[epicriderat]

Build option.

Build kit for my Med. Deep red Spot
Estimated weight 26.58 lbs

1. 2006 Manitou Nixon 20mm Super Intrinsic 145mm
2. 2007 XTR crankset 175mm
3. 2007 XTR front der.34.9mm d. swing, top-pull
4. 2007 Sram OX trigger shifters
5. 2007 Sram rear Der. Medium cage
6. Thomson 27.2mm x 330mm seatpost - black
7. Thomson OS 4X stem 90mm x 10 - black
8. Easton Monkeylite carbon OS 31.8mm carbon riser
9. ODI Ruffian lock on grips
10. 2007 Hope M4 brakeset 160Rr 180frt.
11. Sram PC 991 Hollowpin chain
12. Sram PC990 11-34 Cassette
13. WTB Devo 143mm saddle Ti rails
14. Chris King Headset - black
15. Wellgo WAM-M3 Pedals - black
16. Kenda Nevegal Stick-E 2.3 tires
17. Michelin Super-lite tubes

The Wheelset - 1570 grms

DT Swiss Competition Butted Spokes
- 2.0-1.8mm Black

DT pro lock brass 2.0x12 mm Nipples
- Black 12mm

DT Swiss XR 4.2D Disc Front Rim
- 26 x 32 Hole

DT Swiss XR 4.2D Disc Rear Rim
- 26 x 32 Hole

Hope Pro 2 Disc Rear Hub with Dtswiss thru axle conversion
- Gunsmoke 32 Hole - 135mm Spacing

Hope Pro2 Front 20MM Disc Hub
- Gunsmoke 32 Hole - 100mm Spacing

 

[tald]

Ridgy, I have the 2007 XTR cranks and actually vote against them. Maybe its the specific size of my legs, but the bolt area of the xtrs cuts into my ankles on a standard basis like a sharp knife. In hindsight, XT would have probably been better.