REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Welcome to the dark side

2094 Views 24 Replies 16 Participants Last post by gcavy1, Apr 1, 2010

BobShort

Discussion Starter · Jan 16, 2010

8

After many years riding/racing my kiddie wheels, I recently got the strong urge to try a 29er. Why you ask? Don't know. Maybe I've convinced myself that big wheels would better fit my 6'3" frame. Perhaps I envy my buddy's new big wheeler. Or most likely I've caught a classic case of "upgradacitis." That desire for something new and different. Incurable some say.

I've never spent any significant time on a 29er so I really have no idea what I am in for. At any rate the time for second thoughts has come and gone. I parted out most of my 26er full susser on EBay and built up a hardtail wagon wheeler with the leftovers.

How do I like the ride? Well considering I'm stuck in the middle of a cold Canadian winter the only riding I've done is a couple of laps around the basement. The big wheels do roll over my children's toys like they are not even there. Smooth! I haven't compared to my 26er basement lap times but the big wheels just feel faster

Now the only thing left to do is wait for Spring so I can find out if size does matter. Will I like the bike? I'm guessing I will. Will I love the bike? That remains to be seen... I can't wait to hammer on it and see!

Here are some build pics for your viewing pleasure. Welcome to the dark side!

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1 - 20 of 25 Posts

smaxor

· #2 · Jan 16, 2010

nice job, very cool to be able to put your own wheels together :thumbsup:

jncarpenter

· #3 · Jan 16, 2010

If you're a big boy, you may not be too excited about flexy wheels. Personally, I would have gone with the arches (at the very least)...if not flows.

Report back on your thoughts...

BobShort

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jan 16, 2010

jncarpenter said:
If you're a big boy, you may not be too excited about flexy wheels. Personally, I would have gone with the arches (at the very least)...if not flows.

Report back on your thoughts...

My race weight is about 165lb. I'm not exactly a clydesdale.

I'm definitely wondering how the bike will be for stiffness. Later I might build up a medium weight set of wheels with Archs and some sturdier hubs than AC. Use them for every day trail riding and keep these wheels for racing.

Drea

· #5 · Jan 16, 2010

Looks fairly similar to what I have in mind. I'm 6'2 and 165 so I'm looking forward to anything you have to say about your bike. Especially wheel and frame flex.

Enjoy the ride

jncarpenter

· #6 · Jan 16, 2010

BobShort said:
My race weight is about 165lb. I'm not exactly a clydesdale.

I'm definitely wondering how the bike will be for stiffness. Later I might build up a medium weight set of wheels with Archs and some sturdier hubs than AC. Use them for every day trail riding and keep these wheels for racing.

OK...they should be a decent set of race wheels for you then. If you do decide to build up another set, consider the flows instead of the arches. Not much more weight, but less similarity in wheel builds.

Boyonabyke

· #7 · Jan 16, 2010

jncarpenter said:
If you're a big boy, you may not be too excited about flexy wheels. Personally, I would have gone with the arches (at the very least)...if not flows.

Report back on your thoughts...

Agreed, I hope the rider weighs under 180 #s at 6' 3" with 355's, otherwise things ain't gonna last too long, unless those are race day wheels only.

Edit: D'oh!, he beat me to it. Good luck with the race day wheelset. What did you use for spokes, nipples, and what did you tension them up to in kg's?

BobShort

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 16, 2010

RandyBoy said:
Agreed, I hope the rider weighs under 180 #s at 6' 3" with 355's, otherwise things ain't gonna last too long, unless those are race day wheels only.

Edit: D'oh!, he beat me to it. Good luck with the race day wheelset. What did you use for spokes, nipples, and what did you tension them up to in kg's?

The spokes are Wheelsmith DB14 with brass nipples.

I don't mess around with stupid light spokes (e.g. DT revs) or alu nipples. I'd rather have something a tad more sturdy and forgiving for the amateur wheel builder. I was going to go DT Competition but I needed two lengths and could only get DT in boxes of 100. I didn't really feel like buying 200 spokes, so I went with Wheelsmith simply because they came in more reasonable packages of 50. It was my first time building with Wheelsmith but I was very happy with how they built up. If they stand up on the trail I'll definitely build with them again.

I'm not exactly sure about the tension. I borrowed a DT Swiss Tensio meter and I could only find tension conversion charts for DT spokes. So I just guessed they would be in between a DT Comp and a Super-Comp. If I guessed right the tension should be between 90 and 95 kg.

The hubs are American Classic. I had a set of 26er AC350s that were a couple years old. I couldn't have sold them for much so I just broke them down and re-used the hubs which were still in good shape.

The wheels came in at 1650g with rim tape and valves.

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need4gforce

· #9 · Jan 17, 2010

I think the weight limit can be stretched if you know how to ride..... Ive seen people bend rims simply because they cant ride...... Some people just are not ment to ride bikes......

Nice build bro...

Boyonabyke

· #10 · Jan 17, 2010

Looks rather similar in build to my XL AIR. What's she weigh 25 to 25.5 pounds?

DFYFZX

· #11 · Jan 17, 2010

Another rim option for you to consider if you build another set of wheels, or don't like the 355s, is the DT Swiss X470. About the same weight as the arches but it's nearly half the price and has eyelets. Just throwing it out there...

I like the bike! Tasteful build. Congrats! You're going to love it. I did the same thing over the winter and don't regret going to a hardtail one bit

jamesmichael

· #12 · Jan 17, 2010

I have had a 355 wheelset made from Daves Wheels, and beat the snot out of them for over a year. I am over 185lbs not over 6', but have had great rides with the hoops

BobShort

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 17, 2010

RandyBoy said:
Looks rather similar in build to my XL AIR. What's she weigh 25 to 25.5 pounds?

Ah yes. Weight. Now you asked for it

My buddy is a weight weenie so I borrowed his gram scale just for kicks. Might as well while everything is in bits.

The build ended up at 24.5 lbs.

The only things I'll probably upgrade eventually is the bar (Salsa Pro Moto Carbon) and maybe the disk brakes (Formula R1s). That would put it under 24 lb. The Shimano pedals are also boat anchors but I just like how they work to much to go to something lighter.

Weights:

Niner Air 9 XL 1670
Fox F29 RL 80MM 1753

FSA Headset 116
Niner Seat Collar 26
Thomson Elite Seatpost 243

Easton EA70 Stem 150
Easton EA50 Flat Wide Bar 264
ODI Ruffian Grips 108
SLR XC Grips 184
Shimano 540 Pedals 346

Front Wheel AC / DB14 / Stan's 355 771
Rear Wheel AC / DB14 / Stan's 355 879
Front Skewer AC 49
Rear Skewer AC 52
Front Tire Hutchinson Python 29er 646
Rear Tire Hutchinson Python 29er 658
Stans Sealant 120

Front Brake XT 301
Rear Breke XT 306
Front Rotor XT 6 bolt 118
Rear Rotor XT 6 bolt 124
Rotor Bolts (both) 26
Caliper Adapter 39

Cranks XT 773
Bottom Bracket XT 97
Cassette XT 262
Chain XTR 267
Front Derailleur XT 146
Rear Derailleur XT 222
Front Shifter XT 123
Rear Shifter XT 125

Shifter Cables 48
Bottle Cage 60
Headset Spacers 12

Total: 11084 grams = 24.4 LBS

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triguy6

· #14 · Jan 18, 2010

Nice build! Impressive that you built your own wheels. What did you use for a saddle? Also, if you wanted lighter pedals, Eggbeaters are the way to go. The brass cleats wear out quicker than I'd like, but they're easily replaceable. I just love the ease of cleaning the pedals compared to SPD's.

wannabeRacer

· #15 · Jan 18, 2010

nice build...

+1 wish also about building my own wheelset

88 rex

· #16 · Jan 18, 2010

The switch from full sussy to hardtail will be more noticable than the 26" to 29".

Nice bike!!!

Boyonabyke

· #17 · Jan 18, 2010

BobShort said:
Ah yes. Weight. Now you asked for it My buddy is a weight weenie so I borrowed his gram scale just for kicks. Might as well while everything is in bits.

The build ended up at 24.5 lbs.

The only things I'll probably upgrade eventually is the bar (Salsa Pro Moto Carbon) and maybe the disk brakes (Formula R1s). That would put it under 24 lb. The Shimano pedals are also boat anchors but I just like how they work to much to go to something lighter.

Weights:

Niner Air 9 XL 1670
Fox F29 RL 80MM 1753

FSA Headset 116
Niner Seat Collar 26
Thomson Elite Seatpost 243

Easton EA70 Stem 150
Easton EA50 Flat Wide Bar 264
ODI Ruffian Grips 108
SLR XC Grips 184
Shimano 540 Pedals 346

Front Wheel AC / DB14 / Stan's 355 771
Rear Wheel AC / DB14 / Stan's 355 879
Front Skewer AC 49
Rear Skewer AC 52
Front Tire Hutchinson Python 29er 646
Rear Tire Hutchinson Python 29er 658
Stans Sealant 120

Front Brake XT 301
Rear Breke XT 306
Front Rotor XT 6 bolt 118
Rear Rotor XT 6 bolt 124
Rotor Bolts (both) 26
Caliper Adapter 39

Cranks XT 773
Bottom Bracket XT 97
Cassette XT 262
Chain XTR 267
Front Derailleur XT 146
Rear Derailleur XT 222
Front Shifter XT 123
Rear Shifter XT 125

Shifter Cables 48
Bottle Cage 60
Headset Spacers 12

Total: 11084 grams = 24.4 LBS

Hmmm, you must stand and mash, I see no seat in the build?

strat819

· #18 · Jan 18, 2010

I went 26 sus (racer) to 29 HT... friggin lovin it! You're gonna love it! :thumbsup:

BobShort

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jan 18, 2010

RandyBoy said:
Hmmm, you must stand and mash, I see no seat in the build?

SLR XC

It's there. Just says "grips" beside it. Do! Excel cut and paste fun...

BobShort

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jan 18, 2010

triguy6 said:
Nice build! Impressive that you built your own wheels. What did you use for a saddle? Also, if you wanted lighter pedals, Eggbeaters are the way to go. The brass cleats wear out quicker than I'd like, but they're easily replaceable. I just love the ease of cleaning the pedals compared to SPD's.

Saddle is an Selle Italia SLR XC. It's off my old bike. I've found it to be quite comfortable and very light.

I was thinking about Eggbeaters but last fall I started single speeding on an old 26er hardtail I had laying around. I found that SPDs where nice for the abuse of SS grinding and read some people having trouble grinding the Eggbeaters. I like using the same pedals on all my bikes so I decided to stick with SPD all around. Too bad they weight a ton.

1 - 20 of 25 Posts