Review 29er HT Build please.

[Nicholas68]

So I have done a fair bit of research and have a pretty decent understanding of what I want but thought I'd share and let you guys offer some suggestions just incase I've missed some stuff.

Things I have bought already:
Stans Arch rims (Probably going to sell)
DT Competition spokes (Probably going to sell)
Formula R1 Master cylinder paired with RX Callipers 180mm & 160mm rotor (Will use 160mm formula rotor up front and get an ashima for the rear most likely as I hear formula rotors have more breaking power)
2012 Rockshoxs Sid RCT3 World Cup dual air
Dt swiss alloy nipples

Purchase list currently
Chinese carbon 29er IP-106 frame (xmiplay) (looks almost same and has almost exact same geometry as focus raven 1.0 frame (seatstays on chinese one are 440mm instead of 446mm, headtube angle is 70.5 instead of 70, bb is 6 mills higher off ground and wheelbase is 3mm longer. Other wise it is virtually the same)
Neco headset (cheap and allows for money to go elsewhere for the time being, + not really sure what headsets fit the frame as it's a 42mm ID up top and I think standard is 44?)
sapim cx-ray spokes (replace dt swiss competition)
light-bicycle wide carbon 29er rims (replace stans)
Hope pro 2 hubs 15mm front 142x12 XD rear
XX1 groupset
Richey WCS c260 carbon stem + titanium bolts down the track
mt zoom 660mm 31.8 bars
extra light foam grips
shimano e-thru axle (would like tune one but it cost a lot so would have to cut cost down elsewhere or save it for down the track)
eggbeater 3 pedals with ti spindles down the track
seat chinese carbon one that is $75 which has colnago branding and graphics (claimed weight 95 grams)
seatpost unknown, maybe $40 chinese carbon one which is claimed 188grams as I have no money left in budget
american classic red valve stems
stans yellow tape and sealant for tubeless
schwable rocket ron 2.1 evo's
Mt zoom seat collar
Mt zoom alloy bottle cage bolts


Think that is everything. After any opinions or suggestions to make it lighter. All the weights in a spreadsheet list it at 8.75kgs, normally ends up a bit heavier so maybe 9kgs. Don't know if that is good weight or not for XX1 on 29er HT? When making suggestions please note I am on the very high side of my budget. So would be ideal to keep components swapped out in a similar price range or making cuts elsewhere for better weight saving.

Thanks everyone and time spent helping is much appreciated.

[devinci]

Maybe consider going wider bars, the MT zoom 740mm are stupid light. I have started with 660mm, then went to 680mm. I just tested 720mm and loved it and I received me ENVE bars yesterday, 740mm

[michel2]

Should work fine, if you going for lightweight you might aswell stay with stan's there probably light, my lieghtweight rimss came in at 404 isch but i went for the wide option

[Nicholas68]

I was originally thinking 620mm wide bars, went to the 660's because I like the UD and wide bars tend to be the go these days. I am currently on 580mm bars with a 100mm stem on a 26er. This will be my first 29er. Am worried about he flex and weight of the 29er wheels which is why I was considering carbon rims as I've heard good stuff about them, theyre around 30 grams lighter each then the stand and I'd guess a lot stiffer. I was considering the 740's today as they can always be cut down. But it just seems like such a big jump from 580. I still occasionally hit some trees with 580's as we have very narrow trails through the bush here. And with our council we can't clear any tree's when trail building. So bit on the fence with bars.

The advantage of sticking with the stans is I don't have the hassle of trying to sell them and can put a couple hundred towards other parts and probably save more weight. But being my first 29er the main thing going through my mind is a nice light stiff wheelset. If only extralight hubs weren't $900AUD...

[Nicholas68]

Maybe consider going wider bars, the MT zoom 740mm are stupid light. I have started with 660mm, then went to 680mm. I just tested 720mm and loved it and I received me ENVE bars yesterday, 740mm

Also what stem are you pairing the 740's with? And what kind of riding do you do generally?

I have had my current bike since I was 12 which was 9 years a go now. So it's done me well, 10.2kg ti HT 26er. I have normally done MTB marathons and social cross country but this season I signed up for my first race series and absolutely loved it. Wish I had been racing since I started at the age of 4. So im after a race machine with this bike. Although it's long overdue. I think having a bike that fits me better will be the biggest different. 6'2" on a 17.5" frame atm..

[rainerhq]

Definitely LB carbon rims. I have the wider ones on my cx bike and love them. I will use them on my 29er build soon.

[devinci]

My stem is a 100mm KCNC arrow -17d

I ride anything from flowy trails to very technical sections with tight switchbacks and other cross-country stuff. It is very diversified but keep in mind my region is known for being quite technical in general.

I race a lot and I dont think I have seen much narrower then 660 if not 680mm this season. The trend is definitly to go wide. It's so much better to lean the bike. In most situation, you dont want to steer the bike much anyways.

[Nicholas68]

My stem is a 100mm KCNC arrow -17d

I ride anything from flowy trails to very technical sections with tight switchbacks and other cross-country stuff. It is very diversified but keep in mind my region is known for being quite technical in general.

I race a lot and I dont think I have seen much narrower then 660 if not 680mm this season. The trend is definitly to go wide. It's so much better to lean the bike. In most situation, you dont want to steer the bike much anyways.

Okay cool so you like wide bars with a 100mm stem. Jumping to 740 from 580mm sounds scary through the trails. My understanding is that the longer bars have a greater sweep. How would a 740mm with a 6 deg sweep feel if I had to chop it down to 660-680mm you recon? Would it be a problem or would I be looking at a new bar if I wanted 660mm with a 3 deg sweep? You trails sound fairly similar to ours. Lots of singletrack with a fair bit of technical.

Been looking at seatpost, if I sell the xbox which we all know is worth it then I can fit one in. Probably looking around the $150 maybe 200 at a stretch AUD.

I love the new ultimate carbon ones, in particular the EVO because it has a UD finish, and 118 grams for 31.6x350mm is amazing. But looking at the clamps it doesn't look very friendly??? (Anyone know about these with carbon rails) This post is around 236 so on the max of my limit.

3T Doric team is $112 around 210 grams for 31.6 350mm and 3T Doric LTD around 185ish grams for same size is $176, they both look very carbon rail friendly.

I like the exotic carbon-ti for $100ish at 188 grams but I HATE the orange logo. And don't trust myself with sanding the logo and re coating.

Ideas?

[Kastrup]

I have the Al version of the NU post and ridden it with a carbon railed saddle. Never experienced a problem and i have slammed the seat numerous times. I too thought it looked unsafe with the minimum of support for the rails.
I know several people who have cracked both their Al and Carbon NU posts though. If i were buying a new seatpost i would choose a few extra grams and some durability over some super light weight part. Especially since this is a racing rig. I have passed several riders cramped out because their post broke, and manye times it was a NU one.

/Emil

[Nicholas68]

I have the Al version of the NU post and ridden it with a carbon railed saddle. Never experienced a problem and i have slammed the seat numerous times. I too thought it looked unsafe with the minimum of support for the rails.
I know several people who have cracked both their Al and Carbon NU posts though. If i were buying a new seatpost i would choose a few extra grams and some durability over some super light weight part. Especially since this is a racing rig. I have passed several riders cramped out because their post broke, and manye times it was a NU one.

/Emil

Thanks for the info. I think with that info since this is a budgeted build might be better off playing it safe with a 3T post and putting the money towards dropping some grams elsewhere.

[quinner]

Why 2.1 tires? Out of interest.

[Nicholas68]

Why 2.1 tires? Out of interest.

I sort of think it's an easy place to save weight where it counts. But I have also only ever ridden 2.0s on my 26er. So 2.1 is still a step up for me. In Australia 90% of the riding I do is dry and when it's wet it mostly makes the tracks tacky not slippery. There are some loose pebbles/rocks around but I find the narrower tire slips and finds a path through the middle of them. My fathers freeride bike has 2.4" tires on it and it bounces all over the place (does have tubes though and 35-40psi in tires to prevent pinchflats)

Having said all that I have thought about trying 2.25, I'm tempted to try the thunder burt although not sure how it will hold up as I won't have a race set of wheels so it'll get ridden all the time. Want to break that 8.5kg mark though. Being a weight weenie is tuff.

[Nicholas68]

Just had a thought which someone might be able to shed some light on, this is my first weenie bike, I assume it is going to bounce around on the trails a bit more then a heavier bike. So would larger volume tires help reduce the bouncing making me faster overall despite the 140gram weight gain right at the worst point?

[robgall13]

You'd be better spending the CX-Ray money on lighter hubs, comp spokes on Tune Hubs is better than CX-Ray on Pro2s to me.

Otherwise it looks like it's going to be a very light build, nice!

[Nicholas68]

So I have revised my build and this is how it stands at the moment.

Frame: xmiplay IP-106 20" - 1330
Headset: Ritchey pro drop in is42, is52 tapered - 106
Seatpost clamp: Mt zoom - 5
Rear axle: Shmano e-thru 142x12 - 90
Fork: 2012 RS Sid world cup rct3 - 1482
Front thru axle: Sram 15mm - 76

Drivetrain
Shifter: Sram XX1 grip - 80
Derailleur: Sram XX1 - 241
Cassette:Sram XX1 - 265
Chain:Sram XX1 - 252
cranks:Sram XX1 - 582
Cable housing: Stock Gore - 50
Cable: Stock Gore - 16
Bottom bracket: wheels man. bb30 - 45

Controls
Stem: Ritchey c260 wcs carbon tuned w/ ti bolts - 120
Bars: Mt zoom 740mm chopped to 660-680 - 150
Grips: Extralite foam - 14
Seatpost: Chinese carbon - 186
Saddle: Sanmarco chinese replica carbon - 100
Pedals: Eggbeater 3 w/ wade ti spindles - 215

Brakes: Formula R1 levers w/ rx callipers - 470
F rotor: Stock formula 160mm - 90
R rotor: Ashia ai2 - 66

Wheelset
F Hub: Extralite hyper J bend 15mm - 85
R Hub: Tune kong 142x12 XD - 215
Spokes: Sapim cx-ray - 300
Nipples: Dt swiss alloy - 20
Rims: light bicycle wide carbon 29er 30mm - 770
Valves: american classic - 4
Tape: stans yellow - 16?

Sealant: Stans - 100??
F Tyre: 2.25 rocket ron - 525
R Tyre: 2.1 thunder burt - 420

Total weight 8.459kgs +/- a bit for variation

So this is my current thoughts. I am undecided on tires. Might just go rocket ron 2.25s front and rear for the extra durability over the thunderburt and grip. Will bump up to 8.56 putting me over my 8.5kg goal and it's a bit more weight added right on the worst point for rotation weight. But the tires might make me faster overall. Can play with this over time as they wear out. And could later on get the tune DC15 and DC12 thru axles dropping 36 grams front, 48 grams rear, extralite expander dropping 9 grams, mt zoom top cap/bolt dropping 15 grams, nokon slim cable housing and power cordz cable dropping 40 grams which would all safely put me back under 8.5kg without compromising ride.

I think with this build the bike should be solid and hold up to everything I throw at it, I'm 6'2 and 67kgs. It's going to be my every day bike for training and racing.