Chinese 29er race HT build - Aiming sub 8kg - Complete

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Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

Some more parts have arrived, and rest are on the way.

Light-bicycle wider 29'r rim Front - 394g
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Light-bicycle wider 29'r rim Rear - 398g
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These came in 22 grams heavier then expected, I was hoping around 385 for each rim. However for the price still can't complain.

I've also got my groupset now, I'm sure you all know the weights of these pieces but just incase.

XX1 Cassette - 268g
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XX1 shifter, I ended up going for the trigger instead of the grip shift as it is what I'm used to and there is no real weight gain - 88 + little for barrel adjuster and clamp
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XX1 Derailleur - 244g
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XX1 Cranks - 552g
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XX1 Chain, still has all links - 256g
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I have ended up spending more then I originally planned to in order to try break the 8kg mark w/o pedals.

Main things I've changed are I went for Thunder Burt tyres as I've heard good things about them and most top end bikes seem to all come with them pre-installed now. Got Tune DC15 and DC12 thru axles, for a bit of weight savings and bling. Swapped out the headset for the new Extralite Ultratop and Ultrabottom (Should be around 55 grams for bottom bearings, top bearings, all supporting pieces, expander, top cap and bolt, incredible!) Also got the mini I-links and a Powercords 2.7g cable to shed a bit more weight.

Can't wait for it to all show up in the mail to get it built and take it for a spin.

by Weenie


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DanW
Posts: 1243
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 5:39 pm
Location: Here, there and everywhere

by DanW

Looks like a really nice frame and a solid build! Should look great when built up :D

break the 8kg mark w/o pedals


My bike is hard to ride without pedals so aim high and go for sub 8kg with pedals :D

Some changes I'd make are:
Lefty. What is better than a Lefty equipped super light 29er hardtail? :D Maybe not feasible now you have the SID
XX1 shifter weight is a little misleading as the clamp is quite heavy at 25g and barrel adjuster 5g. An alu adjuster and matchmaker clamp will save some g's.
KCNC jockey wheels, some new bolts and a Fibre Lyte cage will save 20-25 from the rear mech
A direct mount ring should save around 50g
Stem to KCNC SC Wing or Rotor (~100g)
Seatpost to Climax, there are unbranded ones on ebay (~135g). I paid £60
That's about 150g saved without the Lefty

Ashima rotors are really poor in mud and go out of true very easily. Hope X2 race are a good balance of weight and great braking in all conditions
Not sure I'd like an extralite headset or Tune rear hub for a bike used for both training and racing but your conditions may be kinder to bearings than British mud

Thunder Burt and the lighter thru axles are a good choice!

Looks good!
Last edited by DanW on Fri Dec 27, 2013 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

Thanks mate, I thought air made pretty light pedals, might have to rethink my options. I would have been looking at 1100-1200 to get the top lefty set up on my bike and I got the Sid for a good deal, $750 brand new. Although I am eyeing off those Lauf forks, guys at open seem to be quite happy with them. So that'd be an easy 400-500 grams off if they perform well. I'll be getting a matchmaker clamp, unfortunately they are $40 for the little piece haha. Have to wait till pay day.

Don't think kcnc does the pulleys for the xx1 der yet do they?

I might go for an extralite stem down the track and put the ritchey one on my road bike but I like the carbon look the wrapped stem has and I'm hoping it's a bit stiffer at minimal weight gain.

I don't know if I trust the clamping system all those super light seatpost use on a carbon railed seat.

And yeah I am interested in seeing how the ashima rotor goes, I am fairly light and I'm keeping the meaty formula rotor up front since it's what mostly stops ya.

Conditions are reasonably dry here. And when it's muddy we don't really ride the trails to preserve them, so bearings should hold up fine. I'm hoping.

In like a month or two's time I'm looking at trying out a new frame from the chinese manufacturer (HM256) It comes in at 970 grams, looks fairly similar to an open frame with the tube shaping, uses t800 carbon instead of t700, and cost $620 AUD. So that's a 360 gram saving. Which would hopefully make me sub 8kg with pedals, garmin and bottle cage. But it'll be a while down the track. Got to see how first frame holds up before I trust one almost 400 grams lighter.

DanW
Posts: 1243
Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 5:39 pm
Location: Here, there and everywhere

by DanW

I would have been looking at 1100-1200 to get the top lefty set up


They are not the best value new but I found a DLR SL (the lightest made ~1150g) for £350 in pretty much new condition. It is a case of hunting for bargain I think with a Lefty unless you are made of money :D

Don't think kcnc does the pulleys for the xx1 der yet do they?


Any 12T pulley will be fine. KCNC 12T have been fine on my XX1, they run smoother and don't catch so much crud in them like the standard pulleys.

I don't know if I trust the clamping system all those super light seatpost use on a carbon railed seat.


The 135g Chinese one I mentioned for £60 is almost identical to the one you are using but 40g lighter :D There are a few being used here on WW and most people seem happy with them.

When do you hope to have it built up?

Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

That's awesome to know. Might look into that. Going to do the more fine tuning once it's assembled. Although it's only really the rear der that can be fine tuned.

Looks like the climax post is 119aud shipped. The 40 grams saving is tempting. But looks like it uses a U shaped cradle on the bottom, I've heard these are quite harsh on carbon rails, mine has a cradle which supports like 4 cm of the bottom of the rail rather then two points. As well as rounded yolkes to provide softer clamping on the top. I've been stuck on deciding what seatpost for weeks now, As I wouldn't mind a name brand one but none have completely satisfied me. The brand new new ultimate posts look cool, but pricey and still uses the U shaped cradle. What's your opinion on the procraft carbon post? Still not sure about it's clamping system.

stuka666
Posts: 296
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 3:28 pm
Location: portugal

by stuka666

Nice project, waiting for more pictures :D

Please give a report for the hubs as soon as you have info on them, wanting the extralite on the front aswell.

Cheers

rainerhq
Posts: 898
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:32 am
Location: Estonia

by rainerhq

Does the rear der housing enter from left or right side of head tube? Asking because on my frame it enters from right side and thus making this weird bend. Don´t know if it will affect shifting.
In my case XX1 + Alligator I link.
"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride"

Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

On my frame it is on the left (non drive side). I don't think it will affect shifting as long as there is no kink or super tight bend, can you still spin your bars around 180 degrees without too much tension on the cable? In the case of a crash. Look at your build it's looking quite nice, love the paint, I couldn't bring myself to adding weight. Yours is quite similar to mine, I'll be running xx1 + alligator mini I-link. Although must admit I am considering going with the HM256 and giving it a shot. No ones tried it yet which is putting me off a little. But if I did that this frame would use all my old spares, and I'd get a rigid fork and beer comps BB and make a single speed.

rainerhq
Posts: 898
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:32 am
Location: Estonia

by rainerhq

Maybe I am worrying to much, but will see if I get the cassette and put the drivetrain together.
What is HM256?
I was looking at BM-01 from YFY-carbon.com. 1110g.
"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride"

Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

Peter from xmiplay isn't allowed to advertise it, but it is for sale. And sorry it's the IP-256 but still not much online about it, have to contact peter directly for details. It is round the 920-930 gram mark. Has really good geometry as well. Similar to the scott/your frame as far as I can tell, just 440mm chain stays instead of 445mm.

stuka666
Posts: 296
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 3:28 pm
Location: portugal

by stuka666

I think the chinese should make frames with smaller chainstays, for me, that's a major problem along with no pf41.

Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

Some more goodies arrived!

Mt Zoom bottle cage (11G) and Mt Zoom Hardware (5G)
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Mt Zoom calliper bolts (10G) The RX ones they're replacing were 20G so a nice 10G saving.
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Mt Zoom XL Handlebars 740mm (170G) Will most likely run these at 700mm, but going to try 740 first.
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Alligator Mini I-link gear cable kit. No weight on this yet as I don't know the length I need. I wont be using the gear cable that comes with it. I have a powercordz one on the way that is 2.7G. I also have some red mini I-links so I can add a few red highlights into the gear cable. Will look ace!
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And lastly a few teaser pictures. There's also a Mt Zoom seat collar with a claimed weight of 5.5G but forgot to weigh it, I believe claimed weight though. My scale only measures on 2G increments so it wouldn't be accurate for small things anyway.
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devinci
Posts: 2904
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 9:43 pm
Location: Canada

by devinci

Are those bar matte finish?

I suggest you ride them at 740mm for quite some time and resist the temptation to cut them, it is worth it. I have gone from a 680mm MT zoom to a 720mm one and found my hand always positioned wider. I will now ride some 740mm bars.

Nicholas68
Posts: 69
Joined: Wed Jun 19, 2013 1:30 am

by Nicholas68

Yeah they are in matte finish with the subtle 10mm markings on the end. Think Mt Zoom has finally made up their mind on how they want their bars to look. I tried riding today holding onto just the tips with a wide stance on my current narrow 590mm bars and it felt so uncomfortable. But guess it's all just getting used to it. Main thing I am concerned about is living in Australia there is a lot of bush and all the singletrack has trees right on the edges of it. So there are some tight spaces. I sometimes clip with my 590mm bars. Will however try them at 740 for a good couple of weeks first.

Now that all the parts on this bike are ordered I've already got temptations for a 4th bike. When does the addiction stop!? 2014 Norco Sight Carbon as a hacking around/fun bike. Have to save up a bit for it. Don't know whether to go for a low spec and gradually weight weenie it, or a high spec and not touch it.

by Weenie


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pumpkins
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:21 pm

by pumpkins

Nice build , is that carbon saddle?

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