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Thoughts & advice on first ever bike build
Hi there,
Currently on an anthem but decided I wanted a bike with more travel for a bit more 'fun'. I've decided to go about building it myself for a couple of reasons. I'm a poor bike mechanic and this should be a good practical lesson and I also don't have the money upfront to drop it on a bike in the lbs.
I was looking originally for a yeti but i've just got myself a Pivot Mach 5 frame and front fork. I was thinking about doing a full XT build with cranks, bb, f dr, r dr, brackes, shifters and tublesss wheels. Just thought it would be easier to keep everything the same. Shimano is all I've used so far on bikes. Not sure what else is out there comparable to it.
On my anthem I have a 3x10 gear setup. Was looking at maybe going 2x10 with a bash guard on the front as well as a chain guide, sick to death of the chain slipping off on descents. Once again any thoughts?
What a rough idea on the different teeth combinations and the different rear dr sizes.
I hope then to put some sort of dropper seatpost in. Also with the theme of keeping parts the same I was looking at Easton for the stem and bars but nothing is set in stone.
As you can see this is a complete novice build but you gotta start somewhere. I sure more questions will follow over the course of the build. I will post a picture of the frame once I receive it.
Cheers
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Hi, I know cash may be an issue, but I've just got one of the new XTR Shadow + rear derailleur and it makes a world of difference on rough stuff. No more chain drops and almost no chain slap doesn't matter how rough it gets.
Cheers,
Leo.
Yep, those XTR rear mechs are awesome! I just with they were compatible with 9s...
You can't go wrong with XT, shop around and you'll be able to find the components at great prices. For the wheels, if you are a pretty smooth rider, the XT - XC wheels are light and pretty tough. But if you like to bomb down stuff, you'll probably want a bit stronger wheelset. The XT - AM wheelset is great! Also look at the Mavic ST or SX wheel sets for tubeless ready rims. Or the Stans range with tubeless tape and a set of Hope Pro 2 hubs, also work well. Easton stuff is top shelf. But if you buy the lower spec stuff it is quite heavy. Just keep an eye on that, go for the EA70 range or something, as this is a good compromise of weight and money. Also look at Thomson stuff. Second hand stems can be got for a bargain if you are patient and wait for a bargain. Dropper seat posts, any of them are good. the RS Reverb, once bled is a great option, the Joplin is good (I've had one for yonks), KS etc.
Another way to go if you want to get the bike going quick and stay on budget. Just buy budget stuff straight up. SLX, Deore etc. Then slowly as things break/wear, or as money becomes available. Upgrade bits and pieces. That way you don't have to compramise and can wait to get the right part for the right price.
Also, don't skimp on chain. Get an XTR with an XT cassette. Don't bother with a cheaper chain. If they are looked after, they work a treat for a lot longer than any other chain. I now rotate 3 chains on my bike. First time I've done so and should hopefully extend the lifetime of my chainrings and cassette a fair bit more.
Good luck
The main problem I had when I did my first build was ordering everything in that would fit and work together properly. Websites like the shimano website have compatibility graphs to help you. I ended up buying a few front derailleurs untill I found one that did what it was meant to do. If you are building up a certain brand frame for example, 'Giant', it can be just as easy to go to the giant website and look up the size of the components on a bike that is already built with the same frame.
If your not worried about keeping up with the Jones's there's nothing wrong with buying last years stuff on run out. You may not get the latest and greatest but you can save upwards of 50% if you look in the right places works really well on wheels and cockpit gear, and brakes if you'd not too fussed.
I've become a huge fan of custom hand build wheels as of late, set of hope hubs with your favorite rim would be nice. There generally not too much more and built for you. Think CRC usually has a set up for this and there's a couple guys around the northern beaches that can put them together depending on if you bring in the pieces or Wheel Works across the ditch.
Hey guys,
Cheers for the advise so far. It looks like I will go XT & the XTR Shadow plus rear derailleur, im reading nothing but good things about it. I don't mind paying the money as I can spread it out over a few months. I'll use parts off my giant until i get the new parts for the pivot.
Muvro - good advise on the wheels and chain.
Pedalgogy - thats a great tip, all over it at the moment.
I'm hoping to get the frame in the next week. The fork is uncut so that will be my first port of call. I believe there is a headset already on the bike. I've been looking at the Easton EA70 range of stems. The current stem on my giant is 8 degree. Can anyone enlighten me on the difference in the different degree stems. From the pivot website the bikes come with an SYNTACE F109 an FSA SL-K or a FSA OS 150.
Haven't even started and my brain is spinning
The main factor with me dropping chains was having the chain too long. They sre almost always too long out of the factory... what's with that?
Once i shortened it to the right length, it hardly ever comes off, maybe once a year...
The other thing i do which helps stop the chain drop is to shift to the big dog when the track points down.
Stems: These obviously change your bar position but more importantly alter your centre of gravity. Depending on the bike size the common sizes now are from 80 to 100mm and degrees is the angle of elevation or drop depending on which way around the stem is. 6 to 10 are pretty standard but you'll also find 0 degree (right angle to the steerer) out there. FSA = make OS = Oversize (31.8 bar)150 presumably grams although it actually weighs more like 185. Don't sweat it, go for a cheap 90mm 6 to 8 degree at first if unsure. As long as the bar & steerer width is the right size it wont be far off.
For your description of what you ride go for a rated riser like the EA70. Don't skimp on a cheap bar as it will be either very heavy or weak & there are bargains to be had on good kit like this.
XT; Great kit allround, a real workhorse and standard for all things gears & brakes, however personally I'd get wheels elsewhere although the new XT are far better than previous ones which were ok but nothing special. For me Hope hubs have proved bombproof and with Stans or Mavic rims you'll have a great set of wheels.
I'd probably fit a standard 3 ring Crankset & drivetrain then see how she rides.
Seat droppers etc. Extra's. Build using a cheap post and save this stuff for later.
Good luck
Cheers for the advice Cotic and following on from what you've said I had a look and I'm leaning towards the Hope Hoops - Pro 2 Evo On Stans ZTR Crest Rim available on crc. I'm mainly an XC rider weighing 75-80kg so the crest should be fine.
Are they fully UST rims, the say you need to use yellow rim tape or are the converted?
On the stems, I'm going to use the one from my Giant and take it from there. Try borrow a few different sizes off mates and get a feel of what's right on the bike.
I also picked up the XT brake package that bike shops have been selling recently, Ice Rotor(6 bolt), cables and levers sorted.
First glimps of the new project
[Mod. fixed up image]