MTB 1x 9 drive train

Basics - Gravity crank set mega exo bb black spire stinger 29er specific cassette race face 36 tooth chain ring slx rear derailleur. 

Recently I purchased a frame an fork from bikeisland and so far have been very happy with it. I have made changes since I originally purchased it by adding a 60mm truvativ hussefelt stem, easton xc 70 685mm bar, removed the front derailleur and shifter, converted my gravity 2 speed crank to single speed, continental MKII 2.4 tires and then added a black spire stinger chain guide. I did this after many rides dialing in the bike on flat single track, fast and flowy single track and downhill rides locally and in surrounding areas.

The two biggest and best additions I have found for me is the 2.4 front and rear tire which makes the hard tail less hard and provides more contact and grip, the other was the 60 mm stem. The shorter stem took some getting used to which I did not think would happen; not only is it more comfortable placing you in a more upright position and body weight more balanced on the bike but, it really changes the handling. The steering response is quicker and more precise too. 

The other two items that made some significant improvement where the replacement of the Tora shock. Although I really liked the fork, for it to work appropriately it would have required a spring change for my weight. So I sold it for a fair price on ebay and purchased a new recon to replace it. What I really liked about the recon is the air adjust-ability. The other item was an add-on which I purchased used on Ebay. A chain guide. Sure it might not be considered a performance improvement it really is! No more chain slap which always made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and, also no more chain jump!

Gravity Point 3 Frame and Fork

Recently I purchased a frame and fork from http://bikeisland.com. I never built up a bike before although have done most of the tuning and etc on my other bikes myself. I have a number of bikes already but, after reading about 29ers and all the debates going back and forth between 26ers and 29ers I wanted to check it out for myself. I have been riding a Motobecane fantom trail for a couple of years and love the bike However, I still wanted to experience the 700c/29er on a mountain bike. I have wanted a full suspension bike but really do not ride on a lot of trails that require it.

To begin my 29er build. I decided on the gravity point 3 with the tora fork.I could have spent more to get the recon fork with the same frame but, found that the recon basically replaced the Tora fork and was a hundred bucks less plus you could purchase the motion control for the tora and make it a better then the Recon. My Fantom dart 3 shocks were probably the crappiest part on that bike with the 28mm stanchions you can actually feel the lateral flex; someday I might upgrade that fork. I have a feeling I may be riding the 29er more.

Some of the components and parts I already had on the fantom trail. I had to purchase the wheelset and Hydraulic brakes. I purchased the Shimano Deore 565 wheelset from http://blueskycycling.com and got the Hayes stroker brakes from http://pricepoint.com. I already had the tubes and tires, Crankset, 9speed SRAM cassette, ritchey stem and handle bars, ODI grips, deore shifters and the slx rear derailler. I did buy a WTB seat, pedals and Giant coated shifter cables at Bluesky also.

I took the Gravity out on its maiden voyage this weekend and was immediately impressed. This bike was not as squirrelly as the 26er I guess that is why they say the 26er has a more lively riding characteristic. The 29er seems to roll and climb better which I would guess has something to do with a longer wheelbase of the 29er. I did notice that the larger front wheel wanted to act like a plow when turning sharply which I never experienced on the 26er of course some could be due to the type of tires I have on the 29er CST Critter which are probably the cheapest tires you can purchase. The Tora shock is miles above the Dart 3 shock and smooths out the bumps well.

I weighed the 29er when I got back and found that it was around 31 pounds which is not too bad considering the components.

Tora around 5 lbs
Wheelset around 5 lbs
Frame close to 5 lbs
That leaves around 16 lbs for everything else. Not too bad unless you are a weight weenie.

2011 Motobecane Fantom Trail Review

7/7/2011 - Update: Purchased a set of Neuvation Mountain Max Wheels. Went tubeless with Stan's and 2.1 Nevegal and 2.1 Slant Six. Bike weight 29 lbs!


6/7/2011 - Update: I decided to weigh the bike. It weighs in at 32 lbs in 16" frame.


Of course I did not weigh it before doing upgrades but, the Motobecane website claims around 30lbs. Difference from stock: Kenda 2.35 nevegal front, Kenda 2.35 excavator rear, Avid BB7 Mech discs, Avid speed dial levers, 44t chain ring removed,  stans tubeless and, diamond back BMX pedals, with Sunlight lock on grips, E3 Pro form saddle, SRAM sqwers and bar ends. This is 2lbs lighter than the Motobecane 500ht 17" that my daughter has.


6/8/2011 - Update: I contacted Bikeisland.com and asked a question regarding the bearing type in the hubs for the WTB Cross Country Speed disk that comes on a lot of the Motobecane bikes. Sealed bearing could mean a couple different types as I understand so I wanted to find out exactly what types of bearings are used. 


Here is the response:


Hello and thanks for your interest in our wheel sets. I'm afraid your wheels have regular ball bearing hubs not cartridge. Since all the components are different with cartridge bearings, It would be best to simply upgrade the entire wheel. I like these:

http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1440

Thanks for your inquiry.

Best regards,

Jeff

www.bikeisland.com

So I get why they use ball bearings because it is proven reliable technology. I have been happy but, like a lot of people I have upgradeitis. I found some neuvation MTB wheels for 99.00 on sale plus shipping and tax.  These are about the same weight but, contain cartridge bearings. Which I think should be smoother rolling in comparison and that is what I'm looking for. I'm not sure but by looking on the neuvation website the rims look just like the WTB speed discs.  I have not received them yet but, expect them tomorrow.

Recently, I purchased the Motobecane Fantom Trail. The bike comes in just at 30lbs and is nicely spec'd in my opinion. Here in Southern California where I live the trails are mostly hardpack with some loose. Because of this I swapped out the original Panaracer Fire pro XC tires for a Kenda slant six up front and a Small block 8 out back also I just wanted to try them out too. I like the small block 8 on the back and am very surprised on what excellent traction it has had so far. These tires are some what specialized for my terrain in my area. A few weeks ago I was in  Fresno and took a trip to Auberry at the foothills of sequoia national forest. I found that the trails consisted of softer dirt and in some areas crushed granite. It was there that I realized how great the Nevegals were (what I run on my windsor cliff). Mostly what I found going down steep switch back was the sb8's did not dig down into the dirt very well during braking and the slant six in that same soil would tend to wash out a bit.

More about the bike the Dart 3 not as bad as everyone says unless you are a reall advanced rider. I have ridden the Suntour and RST entry level models and I can say without a doubt the Dart 3 completely exceeds those as it is plush in comparison and has rebound adustment. I'm 235lbs and the fork has held up so far.

The avid BB5 disc brakes drag regardless of how you adjust them at least this has been my case. I found a blog that describes a way to adjust the brakes and it did stop the dragging but, then the brakes were backed out so far that there was no brakes. I gave the rotors a visual and they do not look warped but, who knows. While they still drag a bit they stop pretty well. On another bike I have Tektro aquila's that squeel real bad when braking but do not drag at all and brake just as well I don't know what that means maybe I expected the Avid BB5's to be leaps and bounds better in comparison. I found some BB7's that I will upgrade too as I have heard both sides of hydraulic versus mechanical debate. Sounds like they compare to the Juicy's in braking and use the same pads so they probably will be good enough for my riding style.

Shifting has been flawless and has not required any adjustment after a few months even with daily rides. I did not know that the SLX rear deraillers did not have an adjustment barrel. The WTB speed disc have held up so far considering my weight and the hard terrain. I recently mounted Kenda Nevegals 2.35's without tubes using stans on them but, that is another story.

The ritchey cockpit components tapered bar, stem and seat post all seem to be of good quality I suppose items could be lighter but, will suit me just fine. As far as the ride the bike feels solid, handles well enough for me and I think it is a good base.

First Windsor Cliff 4700 Review

2011 Windsor Cliff 4700

Assembly

Out of the box it took 20 minutes to assemble. I removed the stock tires (Kenda Kobra 2.1) I opted for Kenda Nevegal 2.35 front and Kenda Excavator 2.35 rear. I was surprised at how tall the 2.35's are! it almost looks like a 29er now:)

* Update I gave this bike to my son and removed the Nevegal and Excavator 2.35's and installed a 2.1 nevegal up front and a small block 8 in the back.

This bike is still lighter than my Fantom Trail by about 2lbs. My son is 6' 2" 275 lbs and alread squashed the stock wheels. We replaced them with the WTB speed Discs that come on the Fantom Trail. They were about 135.00 from Bikeisland.com.

First Impressions:

Weld and paint quality - very good

Preassembly - Very good

Stock tire selection - Poor

Components - Good

Parts fit - Good

The bike feels very solid. I weigh 235lbs and have hopped some curbs and taken some small jumps so far so good. Bike weighs approx 28 lbs

The shifting out of the box was perfect but, with more use and cable stretching I'm sure it will need adjustments.

The disc brakes are confidence inspiring and amazing compared to v-brakes. I needed to adjust them a bit though.

I have taken it on one muddy rocky sandy trail and it seems to be agile and perform well. I will update as I go on more rides.

Windsor Cliff 4700

Commentary:

I did a lot of research on mountain bikes and found there really are only two maybe three main differences that affect cost - frame/frame material and components. Frame geometry is important too depending on how you ride but, I haven't seen it affect cost in my research except the more radical the geometry the more radical the bike due to purpose built full suspension bikes rarely have entry level parts.

You could be riding a race inspired frame, a racing frame or a purpose designed frame. With various levels of components all impacting the cost.

Somebody considering a mountain bike purchase should know the quality of the frame and the level of components to get a good value. Most folks will immediately buy a name brand bike to be safe although this may not always be the best value except when it is sold on Craigs list. Others will go to the large discount stores and buy a inexpensive bike and wonder why they hate riding it.

Various component manufacturers will also have component levels like SRAM, Suntour, Truativ etc. Making things even more confusing and complicated.

Shimano Mountain Bike Component levels

LEVEL 1 (Least expensive usually found on discount stores bikes)

SIS-5 speed/6 speed/7 speed

ALTUS-7 speed

ACERA-7 speed/8 speed

LEVEL 2 (Usually found on name brand entry level bikes)

ALIVO-7 speed/8 speed.

DEORE-9 speed

LEVEL 3 ( Usually found on intermediate bikes)

DEORE LX-9 speed

LEVEL 4 (Usually found on intermediate to advanced bikes)

DEORE XT-9 speed

LEVEL 5 (Usually found on high end bikes)

DEORE XTR-9 speed

Tips:

Know that caged bearings are the cheapest oldest technology and the least expensive.

Look for sealed, cartridge or contact bearings (these will increase the cost!)

Check

•  Hub bearing type

• Bottom bracket bearing type

• Headset bearing type

Use common sense unless you can afford it no really. Just like $200.00 basketball shoes won't make you a professional basketball player a, race bike will not make a beginer a downhill racer. Of course you will look really cool when you crash that expensive bike.

A little tire tech:

What is TPI? Threads per inch

Threads Per Inch this is how much/many fibers of thread are encased in the rubber. The more thread the lighter and more pliable the tire. The less TPI the heavier and less pliable the tire will be. So for example a race tire might have a 320 TPI level and weigh mere grams.

Most mountain bike tires I have seen are 60 to 120 TPI.

Just like other components, tires have various levels too for all levels of biking. The expense will depend on the characteristics you desire from being puncture resistant, grip, weight and tread type.