This is my second bike build. And there was a lot of things that I considered during the planning stage of my build. Let me enumerate them and have it on writing.
When I had my first XC bike I have always thought that it could have been better if I had a lighter bike. Lifting the bike was hard because almost all of the parts were either a non series part or a cheap one. I had no carbon fiber parts, few aluminum pieces and a lot of steel components. That is why I have decided to build a light XC bike this time.
The cheap components that I had installed on my previous bike was okay, they are doing their job but not that well. I have had issues with my FD and RD that I ended up barely using them. I have also noticed that during climbs I hate the feeling of pedaling a light gear combination. I tried to work on my shifting. Tried shifting before the climb and during the climb to no avail. I then tried a much heavier gear combination, stood up and pedal as hard as I can, I liked it much better. So this time, as much as I can, I will try to invest on good components and I am switching to a single speed set up.
Part of my plan is to use the bike as a daily commuter and trail worthy week end rider. I do not want to go CX or Hybrid. XC Race is too expensive, so I decided to go Full Rigid SS XC. Why? Well, for the most part I like how an XC MTB looks like and I'd like to retain the MTB posture. Going full rigid will give me a light bike without spending too much. SS will lighten the bike as well and will also lessen the overall cost of the bike because it has less components, plus it will solve the issues I had posted above regarding my previous bike. Another reason why I considered this set up, is because I will be riding on pave roads for most of my rides. The trails around my area are very minimal and I have seen guys use a rigid on much rougher trails. If they can do it I should be able to do it as well. hehehe
Requirements:
- Mid range components.
- Light.
- Fast.
- Can handle a minor beating.
- Has to look good.
- Within the budget.
I then started to scout for components that I will be using for my project bike. Initially I wanted an On One steel frame for my project, light, sturdy and it looks really cool. However it is way out of my budget. I tried to look for a cheaper steel frame alternative but I can't find one so I decided to go aluminum, now the question is what brand. Vision Pursuit designed by Da Bomb is one of the first choice here in the Philippines if you are just starting out. Cheap, light, it has the looks and sturdy enough to receive some beating. This was my one of my choices too, and the fact that my first bike sported a Vision Pursuit as well contributed to this decision. But it did not happen. I went KHS Alite 150, I had both frames on hand when I was about to purchase my frame. Welds for both frames were good, almost identical weight, same price range, same good reviews. Why KHS then? To be honest I don't know. Hahaha I guess at that moment I liked the Alite 150 more than the Pursuit, and up to know looking back, I don't have any regrets.
I have the frame, now I need a fork. The most common rigid forks around the bike shops in Manila are blade types and those rigid forks that looks like a BMX fork. I rarely see a suspension corrected suspension fork looking MTB fork. Does that make sense? LOL Most of the forks that I see of this type are full carbon and are for 29ers. That is why when I saw this La Bici aluminum 26er suspension looking MTB fork, I bought it even if it's a bit over my budget. But boy am sure satisfied with this purchase. I really did not realize how light this rigid fork until I disassembled my cousins bike who had an RST Launch Suspension fork installed. The weight difference was like a pack of cotton versus a bag of stones. A full carbon rigid fork would have been much better but I am okay with this one for now. ^___^
The wheel set gave me hard time deciding. I was torn between buying a wheel set or building me a wheel set. I decided to go with the forum reviews on this one. In one of the forums that I go to, the Shimano MT15 wheelset has been recommended by a lot of bikers. Tagging it as a bang for the buck wheel set that can surely take a hell lot of beating and has a flat aerodynamic spoke. Some even say that they use it for doing a couple of feet drops without breaking any spokes. The Kenda Small Block Eight has also been recommended as one of the cheaper fast rolling low resistance tires that is readily available. I am not totally happy with the stickers though and I am really thinking of customizing a sticker for my wheel set. I also bought and installed an A2Z singulator with a 16T gear.
I was so happy with my La Bici rigid fork that I have decided to use La Bici for my cockpit. I have read good reviews about this components on the forums. They are light and I believe more than sturdy for my intended use. I really liked the orange accent on the La Bici stem, it really goes well with my black/orange frame.
Well that is what I got so far. It would be great if I can finish the build by Mid May, so far I am really happy with the components that I have all I need is to complete them so that I can start riding.
- Frame : KHS Alite 150
- Fork : La Bici 26er Aluminum Fork
- Head Set : FSA Integrated Head Set
- Stem : La Bici 3D Forge Aluminum
- Handle Bar : La Bici 707 Aluminum
- Seat Post : La Bici Lightweight Aluminum
- Seat Clamp : KHS Aluminum
- Wheel-set : Shimano MT15
- Tire : Kenda Small Block Eight
- Tube : Kenda Lightweight Tube
- Freewheel : A2Z Singulator
- Crank-set : - (Probably a Shimano SLX)
- Pedal : - (Probably a Lightweight platform pedal)
- Grips : - (Will go with a Propalm Lock On Grips)
- Saddle : - (Will go Selle Italia)
- Brakes : - (Will go Shimano Non Series Hydraulic Brakes, heard a lot of good reviews for this)
- Spacers ; - (Generic Carbon Fiber Spacers)
Hopefully I can complete this list soon enough and sure hope I have picked good components. I just remembered, if you do have your own set ups that you would like to share please do comment below, same goes for feedback's regarding my current set up. I am no bike expert that is why comments and suggestions are very much welcome and appreciated.
Thanks for dropping by, now let's max out that cyclocomp!
No comments:
Post a Comment