[bigreen505]

Hi all,

After a long and somewhat strained relationship with my Trek 9900 Pro Issue, I decided to pull the DBR out of the moth balls and give it a bit of a modern face lift. I'm not trying to be period correct or anything like that, just get it up and running on a mix of spare parts and upgrades (ebay/craigslist) and see if I still love it, even after I moved on to bigger and better. I don't expect it to act like a modern F/S bike, and I know it is no where near as stiff or efficient as the Trek, but I am looking for a great bike on the trail, not just a great bike on paper ... which is where the Trek really shines.

I'll post some pictures when I get a chance, but this is one of the older, bead blasted, plain titanium gray frames. Not one of the newer super cool polished ones (where do you guys find them?).

Was:
Fork: Judy SL long travel
Headset: Tioga Alchemy
Stem: KORE elite
Bars: Synchros 25.4
Bar ends: Synchros
Saddle: Serfas ??? (love it!)
Seat post: Synchros 26.8
BB: Shimano
Crank: LX 8-speed
FD: LX 8-speed
RD: XT 8-speed
Shifter: XT
Cassette: LX
Front wheel: Mavic 517, Chris King hub, DT 14G spokes, guessing brass nipples, 32H laced 2x
Rear wheel: Mavic 517, Chris King hub, DT 14G spokes, guessing brass nipples, 32H laced 2x
Tires: Bontrager Jones
Brakes (Front): XT
Brakes (Rear): XT
Brake levers: XT
Weight: just shy of a metric ton (probably around 26 lb.)

Will be: (everything here up for debate)
Fork: Marzocchi Marathon SL, Z2 Bomber, or '98 Rockshox SID (hopefully not)
Headset: Chris King or Cane Creek S8
Stem: Titec RIP 30
Bars: Specialized Enduro Riser
Bar ends: Carbon
Saddle: Serfas ??? (love it!)
Seat post: Suspension of some kind
BB: Shimano M952
Crank: XTR M951
FD: XTR M951
RD: XTR M951
Brakes (front): Avid BB7 or Juicy 7
Brakes (rear): XTR M951 V-brake
Brake levers: XTR
Cassette: XTR M951 (ti/steel)
Shifters: XTR M951 or M952 (can the M951 derailleur handle 9 speed?)
Front wheel: Mavic 819, Chris King hub
Rear wheel: Mavic 517, Chris King hub, DT 14G spokes, guessing brass nipples, 32H laced 2x
Tires: WTB Velociraptor
Weight: hopefully sub 22 lb.

 

[cegrover]

Those are very cool frames!

If you really want to track down weight, accurately weigh that bike now and spend some time on the Weight Weenies web site and weighing your parts.

Your proposed build is extremely nice, but I'm frankly not sure the sum of the proposed parts weigh any significant amount less than your current/past build (also very nice!). It certainly doesn't look pounds less. You may even increase weight overall if you go to a suspension post and disc brake, though your proposed discs are pretty light.

Looking at your existing build, your best improvement in weight along might be the bb/crankset and maybe the cassette; but those are likely to save you grams and maybe ounces, but not pounds.

 

[colker1]

i would track down englund air cartridges for those judys. save weight, gain performance and save $500 from not buying another high end fork.
hell... i would buy me a vicious cycles fork, make it a singlespeed and call it a day.

 

[bigreen505]

cegrover - I have to say looking at the parts spec I don't see much difference either, but most of those parts are moving over from the Trek and it weighs about 21.5 with a Rockshocks suspension post (unfortunately 27.2). Where I see it, the difference is in the SID (2.65 lb.) vs. Judy shock, crank/BB combo, and I'm running Cane Creek wheels on the Trek which are WAY lighter than the Mavic/King/14g spoke/LX cassette combo.

I'm not trying to build a weight weenie MTB (road bike perhaps), just something that fits my needs. I am losing weight in several areas, but gaining it back with a heavier than SID shock and front disc brake. So compared with the Trek, I'm adding a half pound on the frame, half on the front brake, and as much as one lb. with the fork.

colker1 - You clearly have me confused with someone who has strong legs. If I did a single speed it would be the 24/32 combo because that is where I spend most of my time.

Thanks for the thoughts guys, keep 'em coming!

 

[cegrover]

Given you already have the parts, go for it! I was just pointing out that I'm not sure I see it being under 22 lb... I'm guessing it should be a nice ride vs. the carbon. Is the frame really only 1/2 pound heavier?

 

[bigreen505]

Given you already have the parts, go for it! I was just pointing out that I'm not sure I see it being under 22 lb... I'm guessing it should be a nice ride vs. the carbon. Is the frame really only 1/2 pound heavier?

Good question. The Trek is claimed to be 3 lb., but I have never weighed it. The DBR was 3.76 lb. with seat post, headset (Tioga) and two bottle cages, so I figure it is an honest 3.5 lb.

Honestly, sub 22 lb. is more of a target than obsession. The real goal is a nice riding bike that climbs, corners and descends well. The Trek is a little skittish for my liking. It was designed for racing on smooth winding singletrack.

 

[MCK-74]

Hey BigGreen505 - I like the sound of your Axis build. Very similar to mine

My Axis TT (1995 frame - 20") is built with White Bros SC70 forks, full M950/1 8 speed groupset, ringle headset, Titec titanium bars, stem, seatpost, flite saddle, Ritchey pedals, Mavic Crossride wheelset and modern Specialized Houffalize tyres. Its weighs in at bang on 22lbs and rides sweet. In fact if the frame had a disc mount I wouldn't have bothered buying a modern bike for everyday hacking/racing.

 

[bigreen505]

Hey BigGreen505 - I like the sound of your Axis build. Very similar to mine

My Axis TT (1995 frame - 20") is built with White Bros SC70 forks, full M950/1 8 speed groupset, ringle headset, Titec titanium bars, stem, seatpost, flite saddle, Ritchey pedals, Mavic Crossride wheelset and modern Specialized Houffalize tyres. Its weighs in at bang on 22lbs and rides sweet. In fact if the frame had a disc mount I wouldn't have bothered buying a modern bike for everyday hacking/racing.

I guess I owe a bit of an update. I have most of the pieces on. Front wheel is a Chris King ISO disc laced to Mavic 819 with an Avid Juicy 7 185 mm. The fork is a Marzocchi Marathon SL Doppio Air that I bought from a guy near me. It was sold to me as an 80 mm fork with a fresh rebuild from Marzocchi, but the manual lists is as a 100-120 mm travel fork depending on negative air. I have the negative maxed at 150 psi and it still seems tall and stiff. Axel to crown on the Doppio Air is 460 mm compared with 420 mm for the original fork. I'm not sure if this will work or be a deal breaker, but I'm thinking it won't be good. The instructions clearly state that the fork should have 15-20 percent sag with the rider. So set up properly, the 100 mm fork becomes an 80 mm fork. I've been riding a 63 mm SID for a decade, this is new territory for me. Any thoughts?

Zinn quoted me $150 for adding disc brake tabs on the rear, and I may do that.

I bought a new XTR M952 BB from Excel, but didn't put spacers on (the old BB/crank didn't have any) and completely bunged it up when a Spin Doctor tool slipped and destroyed the fragile aluminum splines. It is trashed and a shop will have to remove it. During this process, I noticed that the chainrings on my XTR crank are 46/34/24. I'm not that strong, so the crank is officially for sale and will be added to the classifieds soon (PM if anyone wants more information). This is a shame because the crank and the chainrings are literally in like new condition.

So I think my crank options now are a used XT M760 or M770 or a Truvativ Stylo 3.3.

Overall, I have had a few more setbacks than I expected, but I think the bike is slowly coming together.