[sfr4dr]

This may be crazy but I cherish my ride season and my old bike is giving me trouble. Need a new bike now! Would like to keep the total price under $5k. I'm not excited about the carbon S build for that price. Looking at building an alloy from the frame up but the dealer is telling me they won't be available until October or so. Could buy a complete alloy S build but still stuck with some parts I don't like. I'm wondering if anyone has ever purchased a direct to consumer bike with better parts (for the price), then swapped them over to their Santa Cruz frame of choice and sold off the old frame. Seems nuts but wondering if I could achieve my goals of getting on something good to ride for the rest of summer, getting a better build kit for the HT2 swap in the fall and keeping the price under my budget. My list of affordable donor 29ers with good parts and a reduced offset forks is short. The YT Capra might be the one. Bonus is the Capra frame is nice on it's own so would probably be easy to sell off later or just keep if I really like it.

 

[Blatant]

Obviously build kits had pluses and minuses depending on your tastes.

What Capra would you buy that has an overall "better" build than the S build carbon Hightower? The comp alloy for $3,300 with a mixed 11-speed drivetrain, boat-anchor tires and so-so wheels?

I owned a Capra comp carbon. I liked it quite well for going downhill. It's a lot of bike to ride as a daily driver; well, at least it was for me in Phoenix.

Then, what, you're going to buy the alloy HT2 frame when available for $2k and try to sell the YT frame? Presuming it sells, I guess you'd ultimately come in under your budget, but not necessarily with a "better" bike. Unless you think it's better, then have at it.

Seems like a ton of hassle to me to save a few bucks when you could just buy a carbon S build right now and be riding. What on the S build is so offensive?

 

[mfa81]

I think your best option is to go carbon S and replace parts with time. It's a nice build, gx eagle isn't bad, code r ... I don't see anything that's really bad with that build. the issue would be if you are a shimano guy vs sram, then it's kinda of a deal breaker!

what is that you don't like on the S build?

 

[sfr4dr]

Well, a carbon S build is over the budget. Alloy isn't even available, which is why I'm looking at either building an alloy from scratch or swapping parts from another bike. Looking at the swap idea because my current bike is toasted. I ride 2-3 days a week so was just wondering if I could get on something now and swap the parts later. Yes, this might be way too much of a hassle and then I'm better off just waiting for an alloy HT. Also, yes I'm a Shimano and Fox guy but I've ridden the Lyric and Super Deluxe and they were good. I've demo'd a ton of new bikes, most had the new GX and almost every one popped and clicked its way around. Maybe they were all out of adjustment. The new Shimano 12 speed that you can shift under pressure sounds awesome. Also had nothing but bad luck with Reverbs and several Sram brakes in the past. I honestly don't care if a bike is 11 speed. Even been looking at the Box Components 9 speed. Kinda interesting. Base model Capra comes with DT wheels, Lyric, Superdeluxe, Code R's and NX 12 spd. Not bad for $2,599. I'll probably just end up waiting until the alloy HT2 frame is out and then build up from scratch but I was hoping there was another option.

 

[minimusprime]

save money, get a carbon S and ride the piss out of it. When stuff wears out, put shimano stuff on it. I always do well buying bikes and selling parts off it when new to get what I want. Likewise, I've gotten bikes and just replaced stuff when it wore out. I ride 3-5 days a week and no drivetrain components last long, they are expendable.