Intro:
Hi everyone, this is my current ride:
As you can probably guess by looking at the bike, I used to be into dirt-jumping as a lad. Now, after 4 years of living abroad and being away from mountain biking (although I kept my skills and legs strong as a commuter), I've lost my taste for big air and broken bones.
I've been hitting the local XC trails several times a week and have been having a blast, even on this 13-inch, 32lb bruiser. More importantly, after just a few months of singlespeed riding, I noticed I'm smoother, faster, and stronger than I ever have been. Probably a similar story for most of you.
Anyway, my back has started hurting before my legs and I'm taking that as a sign that you shouldn't ride XC on a oversized BMX bike. I'm 5'10'' with a 32'' inseam.
Build:
Size: Initially I thought I wanted a 16", but now I'm pretty sure I need 18". I like a small-feeling bike, but I also want room for climbing even with a short stem.
Carry-over parts: I will reuse my wheels/tires, brakes, drivetrain, and handlebar/stem/grips.
New parts:
Inbred frame
Fork - used 100mm Rockshox or Fox from eBay. ideally a Reba.
Avid Speed dial 7 levers
Charge Spoon saddle
FSA Orbit MX headset
Halo Hex skewers
On-one seatpost and clamp
To deal with the rear BB7 problem, I'll just put my 185 front rotor on the rear, and order a 180mm post adapter and 180mm rotor for the front. A little funny, but it avoids having a wrong-size (180 or 183) rotor in the rear, while putting the front on the more common 180mm standard.
Any ideas, suggestions? Thanks for reading! I'm planning to order everything but the fork this weekend. I'll wait for a great deal on a used high-end fork instead of grabbing something cheaper and newer.
Hi everyone, this is my current ride:

As you can probably guess by looking at the bike, I used to be into dirt-jumping as a lad. Now, after 4 years of living abroad and being away from mountain biking (although I kept my skills and legs strong as a commuter), I've lost my taste for big air and broken bones.
I've been hitting the local XC trails several times a week and have been having a blast, even on this 13-inch, 32lb bruiser. More importantly, after just a few months of singlespeed riding, I noticed I'm smoother, faster, and stronger than I ever have been. Probably a similar story for most of you.
Anyway, my back has started hurting before my legs and I'm taking that as a sign that you shouldn't ride XC on a oversized BMX bike. I'm 5'10'' with a 32'' inseam.
Build:
Size: Initially I thought I wanted a 16", but now I'm pretty sure I need 18". I like a small-feeling bike, but I also want room for climbing even with a short stem.
Carry-over parts: I will reuse my wheels/tires, brakes, drivetrain, and handlebar/stem/grips.
New parts:
Inbred frame
Fork - used 100mm Rockshox or Fox from eBay. ideally a Reba.
Avid Speed dial 7 levers
Charge Spoon saddle
FSA Orbit MX headset
Halo Hex skewers
On-one seatpost and clamp
To deal with the rear BB7 problem, I'll just put my 185 front rotor on the rear, and order a 180mm post adapter and 180mm rotor for the front. A little funny, but it avoids having a wrong-size (180 or 183) rotor in the rear, while putting the front on the more common 180mm standard.
Any ideas, suggestions? Thanks for reading! I'm planning to order everything but the fork this weekend. I'll wait for a great deal on a used high-end fork instead of grabbing something cheaper and newer.