# Moto Photo!



## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Ok,
I am 99% done with it. But the tires don't arrive until tomorrow. Unfortunately, it was like high 50's if not 60 degrees today! Personally, I think the rear end looks really long and it is probably a result of the sliders. Right now they are about in the middle so I do have some room to shorten the chain a tad and tighten things up.

Front tire will be a WTB Nano Raptor 2.1 and the rear will be a RK 2.2. I will ride the Nano while the weather is crappy and eventually pick up a second one. Once things dry out, I will be rolling on RK's front and rear.

Current weight with chain is 17.51 lbs. I can't believe how much lighter this chain is. The old chain was 308 grams and the new one is 229! I know I posted that the bike was 17.01 the other day but after weighing it 3 different times and taking the average, I guess it was just slightly off the other day. I am banking on my tires coming in right around 3 lbs. Reported weights for the tires is 595 for the WTB and 640 for the RK. Of course I will weigh them before installing and then there are the tubes. Should still be right at 21 lbs!


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## Joe V (Jan 6, 2011)

Looks GREAT, But those are some skinny tires


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

What can I say, I'm a weight Weenie!


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## ISuckAtRiding (Jul 7, 2006)

it does look awesome, even for a 29er!


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## jackspade (Jul 23, 2010)




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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

^ That just makes me cringe.


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## vudu (Mar 24, 2008)

very nice!! i've been following your other build thread and like others have been waiting to see this build! :thumbsup:


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## atom29 (Feb 6, 2010)

Motobecane and XTR go together like peanut butter and mayonnaise. Are those wheels VXCs and Phil ?


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Until it gets tires, I'm saying it is still a 26" bike. Did you buy a new WB fork? I picked one up on craigslist last week and I'm impressed with how light they are...

I have a similar build in my garage for fireroads and commuting, but it is on ice until I can find wheels.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Sorry for disgracing the XTR cranks by putting them on a Moto. But perhaps if you looked back in history you would know that Moto was once a well named brand made in France. My first road bike was a hand welded steel Moto back in 1986 or so. 

I have not gotten a new fork yet. I set if up just like the GT so far. I will give it a shot and then make the decision. I can say that the front end already feels higher because of the geo but haven't been able to ride it yet.

Wheels are VXC w/ WI hubs


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## sheff_daddy (Jul 29, 2004)

Before you built it, did you happen to weigh just the frame. I have been looking for a new lighter ss frame...one without a ebb. This might be an affordable alternative.


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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

sheff_daddy said:


> Before you built it, did you happen to weigh just the frame. I have been looking for a new lighter ss frame...one without a ebb. This might be an affordable alternative.


He weighed it in his last thread. A touch below 5 lbs.


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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

1SPD said:


> I have not gotten a new fork yet. I set if up just like the GT so far. I will give it a shot and then make the decision. I can say that the front end already feels higher because of the geo but haven't been able to ride it yet.


That 26" WB fork has more clearance than my Reba 29!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

sheff_daddy said:


> Before you built it, did you happen to weigh just the frame. I have been looking for a new lighter ss frame...one without a ebb. This might be an affordable alternative.


frame weight came in at 4.8 lbs on my cheap little scale.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

p nut said:


> That 26" WB fork has more clearance than my Reba 29!


seeing it sitting right now with no tires on it, I am sure I won't have a clearance issue. The question is going to be the steering angle. But I like it quick and rode it with my GT that came with a longer fork on it and loved it so I might just get lucky.

Only a few more hours until the tires should arrive. the down side is that everything is a frickn mud pool around us right now. We have had a couple of really warm days so the snow has melted which is a good thing. But the ground has also thawed out and pretty much turned everything into a swamp around here.


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## ISuckAtRiding (Jul 7, 2006)

the rake doesnt seem horribly off, and i bet it would be pretty dialed if you ran a bigger tire in the front than the rear.


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## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

1SPD said:


> Sorry for disgracing the XTR cranks by putting them on a Moto. But perhaps if you looked back in history you would know that Moto was once a well named brand made in France. My first road bike was a hand welded steel Moto back in 1986 or so.
> 
> I have not gotten a new fork yet. I set if up just like the GT so far. I will give it a shot and then make the decision. I can say that the front end already feels higher because of the geo but haven't been able to ride it yet.
> 
> Wheels are VXC w/ WI hubs


FWIW the bikes and frames sold by bikesdirect have no relation to that old company; bikesdirect simply chose this name to put on their product that has some good history too it and either had no trademark protection in the US or they were able to cheaply purchase the rights to the name

I wouldn't run something that steep for aggressive trails, but for XC use it sounds pretty fun. Nothing quite like a bike that you almost have to hold back from turning _too_ quickly. The accepted norm tends towards more stable setups, but some companies like OS Bikes have sold some very steep setups too


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

1SPD said:


> I have not gotten a new fork yet. I set if up just like the GT so far. I will give it a shot and then make the decision. I can say that the front end already feels higher because of the geo but haven't been able to ride it yet.


If it steers wonky, let me know. I have a 465 a-c (I think) in the garage and I got it really cheap, so I'd be a good person to swap with...


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## J. Fragera (Apr 16, 2008)

Looks sweet, man! Looking forward to seeing tires on as it looks really slack with only the rims.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

She's a good looker. 1SPD, I want to thank you for ID-ing your bike by the brand name on the frame and not by the retailer /e-tailer / individual / reseller / online search function / whatever / wherever / whomever you purchased it from.

I wholeheartedly support what you're doing here. Hope you bust the 20# barrier.

--sParty


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## Drbbt (Jan 6, 2004)

Great looking bike. Love the cranks.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well there was a bit of a SNAFU with the tires. I got my WTB Nano Raptor from one shop Fri by lunch time. My RK's apparently never got shipped. I ended up getting a message from the shop explaining that while they had a tracking number for them, they apparently never got picked up and shipped. I was told that I could have the set ot 2.4's they had on the shelf at the shop since the RK's would not be in until Monday at the earliest. So I went to the shop and was basically given a set of MK 2.4's. I asked if they wanted me to just pay for them and cancel the other order. I was told to just take them and they would call me when the RK's come in and just pay for them. I asked if they wanted something for the MK's and I was told to just take them. They had been sitting in the shop since it opened (a year). So without further ordo, here it is with the super heavy tires (700 grams each!) The Nano Raptor only weighs 540! So you can be what I will be running when things dry out!

I swapped out my flat bar back to my 3/4" riser (Race Face) and slapped my Alieante saddle back on it as the Merek kept scraping on my leg when moving the bike around under me. the weight on the bike right now is sitting at 21.87 lbs. So no 20# goal right now. The tires will get things back down quite a bit though.

Sorry about the shadows! The ride today was challenging. We have had 30-40 mph winds since last night with gusts up to 60! The wind did not bother me too much but it fricken knocked trees down all over the place. Add the nice pasty mud to the equation and the ride was nothing but work. The gearing was not too bad but the mud really did not help.

Oddest thing about the switch is the fact that the chainstay is slightly longer due to the sliders. Add in the larger wheels and it just seems harder to pull the front wheel off the ground or to hop over stuff. I definitely started getting the hang of it towards the end of my ride. The steering did not bother me at all. I am quite happy with the handling of it and it feels pretty close to what I am used to. I mean, i would not say that it is steering any faster than the GT was. I think I have about 2" of clearance with the MK 2.4's on there.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

While the current brand name may not be what it used to be. I did not however get my frame from Bikesdirect though the company I ordered it from might have. For me, it will do what I need it to do. It is a cheap alu frame. it is my first 29. It is lighter than what I was riding. If it breaks, I can warranty or just buy a new one. The color works for me as well. Don't get me wrong, if I had more money, I would have probably done something else. I would also add that my wife bought it for me as a birthday gift so I really can't complain at all!


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Sharp looking bike. Personally I'd happily accept 22# and keep the Mtn Kings, although I'm used to them and they're one of the few "real" mud tires that work in western Oregon's epic mud. Hell, I'll pick up 2# of mud during a typical Feb. ride anyway. 

--sParty


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## csteven71 (Jan 15, 2009)

looks good!:thumbsup:


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks fellas! I can say that the tires did quite well today. I really can't complain about them at all. The bike did not feel any heavier when riding. The only odd thing for me was just felling that it was hard to get it off the ground or get it to manual (not that I can manual very far to start with)


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## mtnbikej (Sep 6, 2001)

Looks good.....I would ditch the oversized front rotor. My steel fork flexed enough under my 210 lbs with a 180mm rotor.....I can only imagine how much that carbon fork will flex.

Plus, it will drop a bit of weight.


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## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

1SPD said:


> While the current brand name may not be what it used to be. I did not however get my frame from Bikesdirect though the company I ordered it from might have. For me, it will do what I need it to do. It is a cheap alu frame. it is my first 29. It is lighter than what I was riding. If it breaks, I can warranty or just buy a new one. The color works for me as well. Don't get me wrong, if I had more money, I would have probably done something else. I would also add that my wife bought it for me as a birthday gift so I really can't complain at all!


Yep, not trying to say they're a bad company or a bad product, esp for the price. I ended up picking up my second bikesdirect frame recently from a friend for cheap. BTW, if you're referring to BikeIsland I'm quite positive they are part of bikesdirect too


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## J. Fragera (Apr 16, 2008)

Ah... Yep tires evened it out. Looks awesome! Really digging the color.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Nioce. I think the bike turned out well. The frame really does look sharp.

Do you ride rigid through the summer? How long are the drops.


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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

You may want to take out a link and slide the drops forward a bit. Or if you're planning to swap in a 20T, it'll move it forward a little I guess. Bike looks good. It weighs 4lbs less than my tank. Get yourself a One9 frame and you're under 20.

Happy trails. Don't let umarth rain on your 29er parade.


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

I would wait until the trail dries to run the Nanos. I love the tires for everything except mud.


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## Hardguy (Nov 4, 2006)

Nice bike, love that color! Thats a huge front rotor you got there. Don't mean to sound like an insult but how much do you weigh that you'd need that big of rotor?!


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## MyName1sMud (Feb 6, 2011)

Whoa that's beautiful

I really need to invest in one of those frames sometime.

Wow they don't appear to cost much more than my Dawes.... damn.


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## Mr Pink57 (Jul 30, 2009)

Am I crazy or do those brakes look like the BB7 Roads? (sorry if I missed it being mentioned)


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## jackspade (Jul 23, 2010)

Rise bar do looks great with fat tires.


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## mordecai (Jan 17, 2005)

You could definitely get that thing to manual easier if you get the rear axle forward a bit.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I pulled a link out the day I shot the last pictures. When done, the chain is too tight and the sliders is slammed to the front. I am about 1/4 of a link too short when I pull a link. Right now, the sliders are pretty much right in the middle. I could possibly run a half link I guess.

I will probably swap my rotor back. I figured I would give the 203 a try. My thinking was that of a car, when you add bigger wheels and tires, you are generating more rotating mass so I figured I would add the larger rotor. I did not notice much flex but then again, my body has never been that great at picking up on that sort of thing. The braking power is definitely better but I have to wonder if it is largely due to the size of the rotor or the fact that there is more metal to the rotor as compared to my KCNC rotor.

Oh, I'm not planning to run the Nano's until things dry out. The same goes for the RK's at this point. 

It was beautiful out here yesterday. We had a ton of wind over the two days prior but in the morning everything was calm and pleasant at about 40 degrees. We were getting ready for church and I was running around staging all my crap for my ride afterwords. I checked the blackberry and saw a message from my sister. The next thing I knew, we had everyone loaded up in the truck and were heading to the ski slope for the day! I guess it wasn't that bad in that I wanted to go but I was dieing to get back out on my bike.


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## zaskaranddriver (Oct 14, 2009)

Looks good, Chris.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Mr Pink57 said:


> Am I crazy or do those brakes look like the BB7 Roads? (sorry if I missed it being mentioned)


The front definitely says MTB on it. The rear however does not. They seem to work fine with normal levers though. They are definitely an older version.

Got an 11 mile ride in yesterday in the mud. My legs must have been feeling better as it was not that bad. Only hit one hill that I could not clear but I will be back for that one. Spent alot of my ride getting off the bike and pulling tree limbs out of the trail after a huge wind storm we had a few days ago. Overall the bike did well. Getting a little more used to hopping over stuff but am not getting nearly as much air as I have in the past. Still need to work on that.

The brakes worked great. I decided to go ahead and try my 160 on the front as there is a 136 gram difference between rotors/adapters between the two. Unfortunately, this was post ride and then it snowed again last night.

MK tires in the mud are just frickn awesome!

Thanks Josh!


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## zaskaranddriver (Oct 14, 2009)

Where are you riding mud without pissing off the MORE guys?


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## BunnV (Sep 7, 2005)

atom29 said:


> Motobecane and XTR go together like peanut butter and mayonnaise.


Wow! You'd hate my Motobecane with it's Industy Nine wheels.....


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## Mike A. (Aug 16, 2010)

looks like you had fun building it! nice looking ride. now beat the piss out of it!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I swapped out the front rotor and put the KCNC back on. I tooled around on my street picking up speed and locking up the brakes. They suck! The KCNC rotor on the front does little to nothing as far as stopping after countless brake adjustments. They howl and the front end shutters. I slapped the 203 back on there and while it is squealing ever so slightly, they are smooth with not shuttering and they frickn stop! The KCNC on the rear works great! 

I am currently working on picking up some new brakes and will hopefully know something by tomorrow night as to what I am going to go with. On the more pricey end of things is a used set of R1's. On the low end is a set of Hayes Stroker Carbons. In between is a used set of Marta SL's. 

Once the brakes are done, the only thing I can think that I might be changing by the end of summer might be my fork to a Niner carbon. But that really is not a priority what so ever at the moment. Just want to ride at this point.


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## csteven71 (Jan 15, 2009)

1SPD said:


> Just want to ride at this point.


Story of my life.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

So much for smooth and quiet braking! I made it out yesterday for a ride in the drizzling rain, mud and snow slush. Don't worry, I wasn't out on our local trails tearing them up. It was more of a road slash power lines/fire breakers ride. None the less, my brakes were horribly loud. Even on the flats while riding around a lake on asphalt, I was able to tap my brakes and use it as a frickn horn to get the geese to move! 

Is this a common occurance for disc brakes in crappy conditions like this? 

Aside from the brakes, the ride was fun and the temp was in the mid 40's. Funny because the only think clean on the bike at the moment is the tires of all things!


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## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

1SPD said:


> So much for smooth and quiet braking! I made it out yesterday for a ride in the drizzling rain, mud and snow slush. Don't worry, I wasn't out on our local trails tearing them up. It was more of a road slash power lines/fire breakers ride. None the less, my brakes were horribly loud. Even on the flats while riding around a lake on asphalt, I was able to tap my brakes and use it as a frickn horn to get the geese to move!
> 
> Is this a common occurance for disc brakes in crappy conditions like this?
> 
> Aside from the brakes, the ride was fun and the temp was in the mid 40's. Funny because the only think clean on the bike at the moment is the tires of all things!


I believe the stock BB7 pads are sintered (or semi-metallic) type, which always trades a higher chance of noise for better performance and wear life. In normal conditions this is only an occasional squeal and nothing terrifyingly loud, but in nasty and wet conditions you are quite likely to have very loud screams from your pads a good part of the time. Organic pads are better about noise, but they don't last as long and don't hold up as well to long downhill runs with lots of braking.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Thank you sir! Very good to know. It was definitely loud yesterday. I mean, car horn loud imo! Down right embarrassing really. I certainly don't want to be out on the trails this summer dealing with that drama for sure.

May just have to look into some better pads for whatever brakes I end up with then.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

I hate to ask...but...did you set up your brakes properly?


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I must answer...Yes! After doing it a few times on my own as I always have, I went back their video and followed that to the T (what was the same way I had been doing it). At this point, I need to just make it through till next week some time when my new Hayes Stroker Carbons arrive. I will then take the BB7's and build the GT back up or at least come close to having it built back up. Just gotta get the stock crank off my old Access Frame (need a different crank puller).

I really think it was largely due to all the crap I was riding in yesterday as the evening piror they sounded no where near that bad. I will probably try to clean them up this evening and see how they sound after that.


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## aka brad (Dec 24, 2003)

1SPD said:


> Thank you sir! Very good to know. It was definitely loud yesterday. I mean, car horn loud imo! Down right embarrassing really. I certainly don't want to be out on the trails this summer dealing with that drama for sure.
> 
> May just have to look into some better pads for whatever brakes I end up with then.


The usual suspect for the type of squealing you are talking about is the caliper is not lined up properly with the disc. If you used these brakes on another bike before you mounted them I would put on new pads. If not, I would have caliper bosses and fork checked for true? (it's a good idea anyway)..You also may have a warped disc..


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## MyName1sMud (Feb 6, 2011)

aka brad said:


> The usual suspect for the type of squealing you are talking about is the caliper is not lined up properly with the disc. If you used these brakes on another bike before you mounted them I would put on new pads. If not, I would have caliper bosses and fork checked for true? (it's a good idea anyway)..You also may have a warped disc..


I'm really thinking my brand new disc is warped.

I've had absolute hell with it tonight.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, I wiped the rotors down with alcohol earlier today prior to my ride and I had minimal squeal until they road through a creek. But it was still not as bad as the other day.

Thanks for the tip (aka brad) on swapping in new pads after swapping frames. In this particular case, I am just going ahead and swapping my brakes all together. Not really because of the all the squealing mind you but because I have wanted to go back to hydraulics again anyway. I will however be sticking these BB7's back on the GT so I can have two complete bikes!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

On another good note, I got word that my Smud seat shipped the other day!! Pretty excited about getting and trying that out. The brakes will probably get here first since they are just coming from CA.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, the brakes arrived in Gaithersburg last night but I doubt they will make it to my office today. I suspect, I won't see them until tomorrow some time. That's ok as we got hit with a down pour of rain last night. For as hard as it was raining, I would think we got a good 2-3" of rain! So, the swamp is back and I have no desire to be back out in that crap right now.

The bike is need of a diet! I slapped it on my scale last night and it weighed 22.1. Could it be from the 700 gram tires or the 200 gram tubes or even the 230 some gram saddle? It rides great though! Can't wait to swap out the tires and go tubeless. I would guess that doing that swapping all these back out will net me close to 2 lbs! So, the good news is that I should be 20.? when this is all said and done. I just can't believe how heavy these 29er tubes are.

I thought about running 26" tubes but I really did not want my first few rides on the bike to be filled with flat tires. For now it is fine and knowing that it will be lighter when the weather breaks certainly gives me something to look forward to.

On a good note, I cleared every log that I went over the other day though I know I am still not hopping as high as I was on my 26". But the trails were mushy and it was hard to keep speed prior to just about everyone of the logs (strategically placed fallen trees I tell ya). I also cleared every climb so that is a good thing. My brakes made no squealing but that could be due to the fact that I was only riding at 4 mph most of the time as I had my wife with me.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Oh, also planning to try my 160 rotor again with the new brake set up. I am hoping it works better than it did recently with the BB7 as that will drop another 130 grams off the weight. I tell ya, it all adds up. But I will keep the 203 if the 160 doesn't work as well.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

aka brad said:


> The usual suspect for the type of squealing you are talking about is the caliper is not lined up properly with the disc. If you used these brakes on another bike before you mounted them I would put on new pads. If not, I would have caliper bosses and fork checked for true? (it's a good idea anyway)..You also may have a warped disc..


I played around with the front caliper yesterday. When using the adapter to run a 203 I found that the caliper does not move as freely when loosened up for set up. I enlarged the mounting holds (on the caliper) slightly and it freed up its movement. The break worked great. But the bulk of my squealing came when I tried to run the smaller 160 rotor without the adapter. I will give it ago again with the 160 with the new brakes and see how it goes.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, the brakes showed up yesterday and I got them installed last night. It was pretty straight forward if you will but I will need to trim the lines down as they are both too long. Unfortunately, I was not able to actually test ride the bike due to rain and time constraints but they are on the bike! I need to reweigh things but the initial weight shows my BB7 set up as being lighter than the Hayes not accounting for rotors. I guess I did a good job at shaving down the weight of my BB7. My caliper, cable, lever weighed in at 325 (front) and the Hayes was 347. But the power/feel of the Hayes is so much smoother!

1. Swapped out the 203 for the 160
2. Shaved about 110 grams 
3. Centering these things is a bit of a PITA
4. Pads need to break in as they seem to just slip right now and make a little squealing
5. Gotta trim lines which means I have to get some new cable ends if you will

I can't give any real review as of yet since I have not had the chance to actually ride with them but I do like the way they look and the install was pretty quick. Centering was a little bit of a pain in that you just have to leave it loose, squeeze the lever, tighten and release lever to see if they are centered. If not, repeat. I repeated the front one at least 5 times. For now it looks good but we will see how it does after a ride. Might be able to get out this evening while my daughter is at practice but it I know it is going to be a swamp out there. But I am dieing to get them through their "Burnished Period"


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Have you created a spreadsheet with all the individual components and their weights?


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

No. I kept saying that I would but then I would weigh the parts, install them and go ride. I may actually go back and do that though when I do an overhaul of the bike. I have a good idea of what most of it is but I don't have an accurate weight on my wheels. My little scale doesn't go that high and my cheapie bike scale isn't that accurate (doesn't do grams, just kilos to the second digit so it would be close) I could always take them over to my budies shop though. 

Thanks, I actually have time to play around with that stuff today due to some things getting cancelled on the schedule and might as well go ahead and work on putting something together.

When are you going to get back out and ride with me?


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

The spreadsheets for my bikes have been instrumental in getting their weights down to a minimum without compromising strength. I think it's a terrific tool, and one which would serve you well.

I'll start riding again once the weather warms up. Cold weather destroys me, and make riding decidedly not fun.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, I put together a spreadsheet real quick in excel but of course can't recall all of the weights. I will definitely have to tear into this thing a little more and the question is to what degree do I want to expand the spreadsheet. I mean, I can't really break my wheels back down if you will so some of it will sort of be as built if you will.

I am sure there are quite a few areas that I could shave weight at this point but I now have to question whether or not it is worth it. I mean, the parts I have are actually good parts so spending another $130 on a handle bar to shave 40 grams may not be too worth it. Sure in the big picture all weight shaving counts but I think I am pretty much at a point where I am happy and there is no point in replacing it if it aint broke. I don't have much else that I need to do at this point short of trim my brake lines, get some new skewers, and another Nano Raptor tire and go tubeless. Honestly, I just need to get out and ride the stupid thing. With the tire change, seat (Smud is in the mail to me) I should be back at twenty point something which is good for me. Now it is time to buckle down and get out of debt. Even more important is saving some money in the event that the Gov actually does have a furlough.

My daughters soccer practice starts outside again this week so I will be out at the Soccer Plex 3 x week. Schaeffer is not open yet but I may try to hit Hoyles Mill barring the conditions until Schaeffer opens. Just link up with me when you are ready!


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

You can get a pretty good idea of weights by going to the manufacturer's specs, hitting http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php, and just asking around. Making the sheet helped me find some hidden weight.

I'll let you know!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, I have not done much of anything else with my spreadsheet but I have made it out for a few more rides.

The brakes worked great yesterday. In fact the trails were considerablly dryer which made things much more pleasant and I avoided the really muddy areas by taking a different route. I even ran into a MORE rider that I rode with on one my the blistering cold winter nights in early Jan. The only real issue I ran into was a stick getting caught up in the chain line and causing the chain to derail at the rear wheel. Simple enough though since I have QR's on the rear now but I wanted to tighten the chain line up some. Unfortunately, when I went QR on the rear, I took out my short ratchet wrench and 6mm allen socket since I have a mini tool I carry. That sucked. That thing is too small and I about broke my hand trying to loosen the slider bolts. In the end I got it fixed but dropped the ratchet back in the bag as soon as I got home.

I am still dealing with something just feeling different to me on the front end. It almost feels too high for me. I ended up swapping out my Race Face bars which are a 3/4" rise and slapped my flat bar Merek's back on. The weight of the two is about the same which just shows me that the Merek's aren't as nice but the feel is much better at this point.

I also noticed that the Race Face bars are ever so slightly smaller in diameter at the ends of the bars. This is one of the main reasons that I had not put my KCNC bar ends back on. Aside from the cleaner look of the bars (which I like) but climbing has been a little difficult for me due to some tendonitis in my L elbow. Basically the bar ends would not tighten down enough on the RF bars and would slip. This however is not the case on the Merek's so they are now back on the bike. 

After a quick spin in the neighborhood, I can say that I have lost a little bit of leverage on the bars but it does feel more like the fitment of the GT at this point so I will give it a shot.

I took off from the house yesterday at about 4pm. The plan was to ride for an hour and either go back to the house or meet with my wife by a lake near our house where the trail pops out. I opted to go back home and just pick her up. When I got there, all of her day car kids were still at the house. Go figure, everyone was late picking up their kids. By the time the last kid got picked up, it was already getting colder and the wife did not want to get caught in the dark (even though I have lights, enough for both). She is still a beginner out there and opted to just work out in the basement. Too bad, as it was a beautiful day out there. But it did allow me time to tinker with my handle bar situation!

Gotta trim these brake lines. It looks ridiculous right now. But hey, they frickn work like a dream! No seat yet though.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

1SPD said:


> Well, I have not done much of anything else with my spreadsheet but I have made it out for a few more rides.
> 
> The brakes worked great yesterday. In fact the trails were considerablly dryer which made things much more pleasant and I avoided the really muddy areas by taking a different route. I even ran into a MORE rider that I rode with on one my the blistering cold winter nights in early Jan. The only real issue I ran into was a stick getting caught up in the chain line and causing the chain to derail at the rear wheel. Simple enough though since I have QR's on the rear now but I wanted to tighten the chain line up some. Unfortunately, when I went QR on the rear, I took out my short ratchet wrench and 6mm allen socket since I have a mini tool I carry. That sucked. That thing is too small and I about broke my hand trying to loosen the slider bolts. In the end I got it fixed but dropped the ratchet back in the bag as soon as I got home.
> 
> ...


I thought I was obsessive. 

--sParty


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I know right? But seriously, I can probably trim abot 3" from the front line and maybe 4-5 from the rear. I may just drop it off at my buddies shop tomorrow after a ride and let him have it over the weekend. I have a bunch of soccer crap to deal with both days and it's supposed to rain again on Sunday so this might be a good oportunity to get the cables cut.


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## Just1Gear (Jan 14, 2011)

I haven't been on in a few weeks and I see you made the switch....26>>29....no going back now :thumbsup: 

Nice build by the way!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks! I am quite happy with it so far. Everything is working well at this point.

I got in 13 miles yesterday and was definitely tired on the way home. I actually managed to ride myself to sleep. I guess that is what happened. I mean, have you ever been driving and then realize where you are and think, "I really don't recall passing just about anything to get to where I am?" You know all the familiar things that you would normally see out the window as you drove along. 

I was riding along at about mile 11 or so and thinking about what I was going to eat when I got home. I don't know if I was looking down or if my eyes closed. All of a sudden I felt a little off balance and looked up. I had begun to ride myself off the trail and of course my balance was now all out of wack and down I went. Fortunately, I was not riding that fast and the trail actually dropped down about 18" in the direction I was falling so I did not fall very far mind you. But I was laughing the minute I hit the ground. Not a single rock or root near me and down I went. Just comical. 

On a side note I spent about 10 minutes building up my other bike. I couldn't get the cranks off the Access frame I have so I went ahead and built that up instead of the GT. It does have the GT fork on it though (ugly!). Just need to get the BB7's and some pedals on it! Go figure, it has a magic gear!


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## crazy8 (Apr 21, 2009)

Nice build 1SPD, cranks look good with the Moto frame too. I don't ever remember ever falling asleep riding the bike, but have a couple times when being ridden by the wife  Explained it had to be narcolepsy and not that I was bored with her Enjoy the Moto!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, Last night I was playing around in the garage and slapped this together in about 10 minutes. That was after trying to get the crank off for about 30 minutes so I could build the GT. But no can do. I will have to take it to my buddies shop or buy a new crank puller. 

My frame is an older one and I would say that the fork is too tall for it. There is definitely some slop/flop in it. Oh well, maybe I need to just get a Niner for the Moto and slap my WB on the back up bike. But that will be a while. I will just go ahead and try to get the cranks pulled and build the GT. The cool thing though is that the current set up has a magic gear!

The other photos are just updated pics of the Moto as it sits right now. New brakes, old seat, cheap carbon flat bar. Still waiting on the new seat. Buddy is ordering cable end crap so I can trim my cables down. Parts won't be in until the end of the week but they work.

Crazy8-cranks are holding up great! Best bang for the buck out there!


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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

Dude, crank pullers are $7 at price point.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14...tte-Torx-ST-215CB-Cotterless-Crank-Puller.htm

I heard there is a 6 month wait for the Niner forks? Crazy.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Sorry, didn't have alot of time to elaborate. I have a couple of crank pullers but can't seem to find the larger plug portion that threads into the end of it that lines up with the larger spindle. I can just swing by my buddies shop and use one of his to pop it off. I'm in no rush though. I am more concerned about shortening my brake lines than anything at the moment.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, this has pretty much become my go to thread at this point. Better than making 50 different ones I guess. Especially since it is all about me anyway!

Heading to my ortho doc here in about 30 minutes to see what the hell is going on with my left shoulder. Woke up on Saturday about 2 months ago and it just frickn hurt. I did nothing that would have stressed it (that I can remember) and just assumed that I slept on it wrong. But after a few days of constant biatching and moaning about it, I started doing a little research and found that I could have simply enflamed the little fluid sac inside. I started taking Ibuprofen and what not and stopped lifting. I have had good days and bad days since then. This past weekend, I woke up felling fine but by lunch time things were pretty bad. Once again, no idea what could have caused this. Yesterday it was feeling like something was slipping into the joint when I lifted my arm up to the side and I would then have to shrug my shoulder around to get things back to normal all with a little pain of course. So, I got an appt to get it looked at. Having had knee surgery a few years ago, I know exactly what a torn ligament feels like so I am hoping that I can get them to send me for an MRI instead of a quick short of cortisone. I'm also going to get my knee looked at again as well since it has been aching again. Odd, neither seem to bother me when I am riding only during everything else in life! Sitting at my desk and typing even starts to bother my shoulder. 

Thats it! I should file a workmans comp claim and go ride! 

I'll post up something later after I see what the doc has to say! Hell, I would rather just go and have surgery and be done with this at this point. Gotta do it quick though as the weather is going to break in a couple more weeks!


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

*Best of luck*

I just sent mtbr's owner a PM proposing a new & separate 1SPD forum. :thumbsup:

Don't thank me, bro.

--sParty


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

MRI scheduled for next Tue. I get to deal with the shoulder pain for at least another week. Oh joy!

thread closed and done!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I lied! Seat finally made it here and I got my brake lines trimmed today. The seat is just about as weight weenie as you can get. The sticker on the back says 69 grams but on both my scale and the one at the shop we got 66 grams. Just ridiculous! Cost = $150. The seat it replaced weighed 240 grams! (Fizik Aliante).

Bike weight with new seat and trimmed lines is now 21.25 lbs (down from 21.57 or so) Still need to do the tire swap and tubeless when the weather breaks but the Stans kit is now in the mail so that should be happening in the next couple of weeks.


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## csteven71 (Jan 15, 2009)

That seat gives you like a 99 on the bling scale. I want it.


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## zaskaranddriver (Oct 14, 2009)

I've seen comfier looking cacti.  

Keep this up and you'll be in mattkock territory. :thumbsup:


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

zippinveedub said:


> That seat gives you like a 99 on the bling scale. I want it.


Please, that saddle is so ****ing ugly that the bike ends up weighing more.

1SPD, I'll send you a Brooks sprung saddle. I've always assumed that you've been saving weight in the other areas of your bike so you can have a comfortable saddle so your taint doesn't resemble roadkill.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

You need to cover that carbon fiber with carpet fiber.

32 grams saved, huh.

Let us know how well it nuzzles your tushie.

--sParty


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Sparticus said:


> You need to cover that carbon fiber with carpet fiber.
> 
> 32 grams saved, huh.
> 
> ...


32 grams saved????

Not sure where that came from. The weight of my bike was listed in lbs so it was a weight savings of about .32 lbs! not grams. Gram savings was close to 170 grams shaved.

I have had a Brooks saddle and while they are comfy when they break in, they weigh more than my frame! I don't think I will ever ride one again. If I need a comfy seat, I will slap either of my Aliante's back on.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

1SPD said:


> 32 grams saved????
> 
> Not sure where that came from. The weight of my bike was listed in lbs so it was a weight savings of about .32 lbs! not grams. Gram savings was close to 170 grams shaved.
> 
> I have had a Brooks saddle and while they are comfy when they break in, they weigh more than my frame! I don't think I will ever ride one again. If I need a comfy seat, I will slap either of my Aliante's back on.


Oops... my bad. Yeah, a third of a lb is a lot.

I'm with you on the Brooks. I have two of them... from the '70s... roadie days... they're comfy but not really any more comfy than my WTB SST and besides, Oregon is a bad place to expose an all leather saddle to the outdoors. Factor in the poundage and it makes more sense to leave the Brooks in the parts bin, IMO.

So, is you carbon-looking saddle really hard CF or does it just look like it? I mean, is there any cush to it? I'm trying to imagine a 7-hour ordeal on Bunchgrass trail on that thing. (A hardtail with a cozy seat is bad enough on Bunchgrass.)

--sParty


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## paco664 (Sep 18, 2010)

its pretty but just looking at that CF saddle made me stand up and pull my underwear out my crack....

ouchie...


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I would say that it is not soft like the bottom of my Aliante. I certainly would not ride this saddle for prolonged rides consisting of lots of saddle time. It looks nice mind you but it is more of a racing saddle and I plan on using it most of the time but when I know I'm going out for 3+ hours I will sawp it out. Definitely on the solid side of things.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Here are a few new shots of the bike with trimmed lines and new seat! Honestly, my favorite is the one of my cranks!


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## rolondo (Jul 19, 2005)

Certainly the nicest Motobecane I've seen, and the dirt on it signifies that you're riding it and not just posting pictures. But the saddle....wow. That doesn't look comfortable, but it is pretty.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

I thought carbon rails didn't like that style of clamp.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

bad mechanic said:


> I thought carbon rails didn't like that style of clamp.


I was going to say something but didn't want to be a killjoy.

Besides, BM... you're way better at it.

--sParty


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Sparticus said:


> I was going to say something but didn't want to be a killjoy.
> 
> Besides, BM... you're way better at it.
> 
> --sParty


Seeing joy die makes me warm inside.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Look close at the lower cradle. It is off my Thompson post that is too large for this frame. I am using the same upper clamps however. The problem with the KCNC post and carbon rails is the stock "U" shaped lower cradle that creates two distinct pressure points on the rails. I have changed that out for one that provides close to 1.25" of support on the bottom of the rails. I keep saying that I am going to order the Smud lower cradle but just haven't bothered yet. Need to get a new set of bars and a tire first.


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## Just1Gear (Jan 14, 2011)

I may have missed it but have you commented on the saddle comfort level (or lack thereof)?? I'm in the market for a new saddle and want something streamline but at least semi-comfy...


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

This is a hard question for me to answer. I mean the shape of the seat is comfy but the bottom line is that it is solid. I don't notice much flex to it. I wear standard cycling short with a padded @ss and I find that I need to make seat adjustments from time to time to prevent any pain. But I guess I pretty much do that with all my seats anyway. So far I have a couple of 10 milers on it and I have been ok. I suspect I will be fine on it for 2-3 hours but more than that and I am sure I will want my padded seat back.

I can say that the shape and slim lines do make it easy to slide off the back and I did not notice it pintching my thighs or catching my shorts. So far I am pretty damn happy with it. Hope that helps you some.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

She's getting there. Since I did not have time to ride and everything is sopping wet, I barrowed my buddies air chuck and swapped out my rear tire and went tubeless. Basically, I have been having problems with the tube leaking air and having to fill it up every time before I ride yet have found no leaks in the tube anywhere. I am guessing it is leaking at the valve. But I really did not want to stick another tube in there and figured, if I had to take the tire off again, I might as well make the swap.

I used about 1.25 scoops in the tire and prior to writing this it was still holding air. The good news is that the bike now weighs 20.77 lbs w/ the Garmin on it (it had been of all the other times I weighed it). So I have hit my twenty something weight and I still need to order/swap out the front tire and am waiting for my new bars to arrive as well as my skewers. I am thinking that I could possibly end up at 19.something at this point. SWEET! Ok just had to tell someone! Good night!


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Forget the 1SPD subforum, we need to ship you off to weight weenies. 

I see that you are pimping your blog. You're doing a good job staying up on the posting. Mine always die in the first week.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I know. I'm sort of stuck in the middle though. I can't really compete with the WW guys over there. I got alot of ideas from them though and some really helped me out on where to look for weight savings. But man, these guys are rocking $8k+ builds that are coming in at 13# fully geared! It almost makes me laugh when I see a thread over there about someones bike weighing 17#. I'm like, "dude, that is way too heavy to even bring up over here with this group!" I also don't have some high end frame made on planet Kriptolite so I normally lay low over there.

I try. It gives me a bit of an out. Always been a bit of a writer though. Not much time this week as work has been hectic.


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## mellowme17 (Aug 3, 2009)

very clean looking build!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well thank you! Now if the area would dry out I could actually go ride the thing!


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

1SPD said:


> I know. I'm sort of stuck in the middle though. I can't really compete with the WW guys over there. I got alot of ideas from them though and some really helped me out on where to look for weight savings. But man, these guys are rocking $8k+ builds that are coming in at 13# fully geared! It almost makes me laugh when I see a thread over there about someones bike weighing 17#. I'm like, "dude, that is way too heavy to even bring up over here with this group!" I also don't have some high end frame made on planet Kriptolite so I normally lay low over there.
> 
> I try. It gives me a bit of an out. Always been a bit of a writer though. Not much time this week as work has been hectic.


1SPD, I'm trying to help you get this thread to 2 pages.

To that end, some unsolicited advice...

WW is dumb. Sorry to say, because pursuing light weight makes sense up to a point. But this is mountain biking and real riders know that a 13# bike makes no sense whatsoever. Unless you're short, wimpy, don't actually ride your bike much plus carry spare parts to replace those that break. Friend, don't own a $10,000 mantlepiece. Life is short. Dress your sled for real world and then ride the piss out of it.

Operative phrase "ride the piss out of it." The rest is distraction.

--sParty

P.S. Did this post do it? Are we over 2 pages now?


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## paco664 (Sep 18, 2010)

Sparticus said:


> --sParty
> 
> P.S. Did this post do it? Are we over 2 pages now?


i don't think so ... but this could have broken the camels back....


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I'll give it a shot then! (nope that didn't work either!)

I don't plan on much more at this point as far as trying to shave weight. I will do the tire because that was in the plans to start with as I needed new 29" tires. I ended up with the Conti MK's due to a foul up with the shop. They will be too much once things dry out here in the summer and offer little grip on the hard packed trails. 

Honestly, I am quite happy with the ride at this point. I've worked the ergonomic bugs out it. The bars are coming to offer a wider option for me at this point as all my bars had been cut down as I liked the narrow feel with the smaller wheel set up. The one bar that I have that is wider is a cheaper EA30 but it is the wrong diameter for my stem. So, once these last couple of pieces come in, I will be content. I hit my personal WW goal and the bike rides great (for now anyway). If I want to go any lighter it will require a ton of money in an effort to buy yet another frame and some new wheels. 

Trust me, I have been blessed to have what I do and I am very greatful for that. I certainly don't want to build something I'm not going to go out and ride and the last thing I want is the headache of constaly having to replace parts here and there. Just not worth it. At the moment, I think I have built up a pretty reliable and trail worthy set up that just happened to come in at a decent weight.


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## Just1Gear (Jan 14, 2011)

Preesh on the saddle review, I may just stick with the one I got, it's new and I'm broke anyway....


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## Just1Gear (Jan 14, 2011)

And there's your 3rd page....


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Hot Damn!

Ok, so now that I have had quite a few rides on the Moto I feel that I can offer up an honest opinon. For the most part the bike is great. I mean, it is of a decent weight (could be lighter), it handles well, rides nice, and is stiff but not that bad. The geometry is decent and the welds are as nice as any other mass produced frame out there. But if I had to pick one weak link I would say that it is the slider design. They are not as nice as the Paragon design (as seen on many other frames to include the Redline Monocog) and there are no tensioners on them. While I have not had them slip on me, I can say that it is quite a pain getting the chain tensioned and keeping the wheel straight while trying to do so. Tensioner screws would help out so much with this aspect. Along with this seems to be an odd length of the chainstays. While I don't know the official measurment off the top of my head, I can say that I pretty much have my sliders pushed all the way to the rear of the frame (maybe 2mm of space left) in an effor to get the chain tension correct. I noted that my chain was a little loose yesterday on a ride so I thought that perhaps I would finally be able to pull a link out of the chain and slam the wheel forward. Unfortnatly that was not the case. I pulled the link and got it all back on there. The tension was so high that you could feel every link hitting the chainring and it certainly did not back pedal very easily. Once again, I put a link back in the chain.

While the chain is tensioned, I dislike having the sliders pulled almost to their max. This of course lengthens the wheel base as well. Coming from a 26er I can say that I can certainly notice this. It is harder to manual over things and has limited my ability to get the whole frickn' bike in the air on a bunny hop (though I am getting better at this). It sucks because the frame has enough clearance for me to slam my rear wheel but unless I run some sort of half link, that just aint gonna happen.

Lastly, this is just a pet peeve but the frame is designed to be used as a multi speed or as an SS. With that said, there are a bunch of different cable guides hanging out on there that I am not using as well as two rack mounts on the seat stays. I just wish it had clean tubes and all that extra crap was gone. You know, just a cleaner look.

For use as my first 29er, I am quite satisfied. I don't forsee me running back to my 26 any time soon. My ride yesterday was quite nice. I rode my normal trail (the one I raced on last year) and found that even with the slightly harder gearing that it just seemed smoother. There are sections that are covered in roots and the bike rode over them as if on suspension. It was quite nice. I survived all the climbs that I thought for sure were going to kick my butt and aside from wishing I had my barends on or my new wider bars (not here yet) it was pretty fun.

Tubeless: 

So I swapped out my rear tire last week and yesterday was my first ride on it. It was dry enough out that the Nano Raptor did quite well. I did get a few burps though and heard some strange tire rub sounds only to find that it was still inflated and doing fine. I started the ride with about 35 lbs in the rear tire and felt the need to add a little air along the way after it burped. In the end, I came off the trail with the tire at about 30 lbs. It did great and this will probably be the pressure that I keep it at. Though I still have the MK on the front, I can say that the bike was rolling pretty frickn fast and the MK's don't seem to create nearly as much drag as my Navagals did on the 26er. While the front still has a tube in it, I really don't feel too pressed to swap it out just yet though I am sure the time will come in the next month or so when things really dry out for the summer out there.

Seat:

The Smud seat is quite nice. It felt great yesterday and I could not be happier though I am paranoid that it is going to get scraped up should the bike ever hit the ground. The cool factor came into play yesterday in the parking lot when a guy and his wife pulled in next to me. He spotted my bike leaned up next to my car and the first thing he asked before even saying hello was, "What seat is that?" He then came over and started fondling it and asked if he could ride it around the parking lot. His comments were that it was quite firm and he did not know if he could handle it. Then he said, that he was sure he could get used to one since you don't spend nearly as much time sitting on the saddle out in the trails as you would on a road bike. Then his jaw dropped when I told him how much it weighed. He didn't believe me so I told him to look at the label on the bottom. He was floored. Certainly made me feel good! Nothing like a little bling here and there.

Brakes:
Hayes Stroker Carbons-they worked great yesterday. I did not have any failure moments though towards the end, the front was rubbing sligtly. I think the only thing that would make me happier is if they were Formula R1's that weigh less but I have no interest or thoughts of swapping. Quite happy with what I got!


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Why not use a half link? It seems like it would solve your problem nicely.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Just haven't had the time to find one and get it ordered. Honestly, for the past two rides I have been thinking that the chain was going to be long enough for me to drop a link but after playing with it yesterday, that just isn't the case.

BTW, bad mechanic-Schaeffer is open- rode there yesterday. it was quite nice actually.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

I have a stock pile of the good half links with the good master links if you want to try it.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

My chain has a snap link in it so that is taken care of, just need a half link. Let me know what your schedule looks like and maybe we can link up some time. I'll trade you and handfull of plastic water bottle screws for a half link (or give $$). You know you want the plastic screws though!


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

The snap link, in all likelihood, isn't wide enough to accommodate the half link. Also, I have the Gusset half link (by far the best I've found), which requires a master link at each end. I appreciate the offer for the screws, but I already have a big bagful of them already dyed black.

My schedule is kind of crazy until the middle of next week, since I'm leaving for Jackson Hole on Friday. If you want, I can just throw them in an envelope and drop it in the mail.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

No rush. We can link up when you get back. The bike is working for now.


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## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

Dude, just email me your address and I'll get it out to you.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Just emailed it to you. The bike worked great today but I must not have tightened things down all the way last night as it slipped just enough to make the brake rub a little on my ride with one of my daughters today. Had to do a quick realignment and we were back riding with no more problems.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

So, my new bars came in today and my skewers showed up yesterday. Current bike weight is 20.55 lbs. Ordered a Maxxis Ikon 2.2 today so that should be here by Monday or so. I am guessing that it will end up coming in right around 20 flat!

Not sure if I am going to keep the Smud seat and have a swap thread posted over in the WW section and also have if up for sale in the classified section. W/ my Aliante saddle on the bike it weighs 21.15. I don't think I can live with that so I will still need a sub 200g seat. Maybe an SLR will work.

So hopefully by Monday/Tuesday, I will have this baby done! FINALLY.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Thanks for Sparty, I am now smarter and can calculate gear inches. I know, I'm retarded! In any case, the increase in swapping from a 32t to my 33t is only about 1.55 so I went ahead and made the swap. I figure the increase when I went from the 26 to 29 was almost 5" and I survived that so 1.5 should be doable. Having riden the bike down the street just a moment ago, I can say that it doesn't feel that bad but I am sure things will be a little different out on the trail. Nothing I can't adapt to over time though.

The idea of switching had more to do with the placement of my sliders than gearing up for speed/power. As a result of the gear swap, my sliders are now closer to the middle of their range thus shortening my wheel base by about .25" (if that) but I will take it! 

Right now, i think the wider bars feel more funny. I noticed that I was holding on to the inner part of my grips simply because that is what felt normal to me. I had about 1.5" of bar sticking out past my hands on each side! Made me laugh. Can't wait until things dry up and I can get back out on the trails to really get a good feel for how they will help out on the climbs.


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## umarth (Dec 5, 2007)

Yo 1SPD- slider suck, period. I have them on a MCF and I absolutely prefer track ends. I have to tension the chain again because it has become loose, but I am not relishing the job.

Wide bars are awesome. I hate ****ing narrow bars. I have a hard time steering, climbing, everything. I have to top out at 660mm, otherwise I'm going to catch trees.

I've been riding my 1x9 almost 29er on the local trails recently. I do miss some aspects of 29ers, but I just did a fairly tech trail today on my 26" SS. I heart it. So much. And it probably weighs 25lbs.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, the swap in chain rings helped out with the placement of the sliders and honestly, mind really have not come loose or slipped. But the rig is new so only time will tell. I do think that sliders are a great idea but a tensioner would certainly make life easier. Even with trackends, the just make wheel alignment easier. But we are talking about 3 bolts on each side that would need to come loose for this thing to slide.

The wider bars were different but not bad. Will take a little to get used to though.

I still like the 26 and I do wish I had the funds to have two highend builds but that just is not in the cards at the moment.


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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

Almost to Page 5 for me. Setting at 30 posts per page. 

How do you have your tubeless set up? I've got Gorilla tape on one bike and split tubeless on the other. Little bit o'burp with Gorilla and zero with split tube thus far. 30 psi and 20 psi for Gorilla and split tube, respectively.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I only have the rear done so far. But it has Stan's yellow tape with two wraps around the rim, then the Stans rubber rim strip w/ valve and 1.5 cups of sealant. The front already has 2 wraps of yellow tape and will be done in the same fashion as the rear. 

I had a couple of little burps on my first ride but came off the trail with 29 lbs in the tire. So far, I have done nothing else since and the damn things still has 28 lbs in it. I love tubeless! Can't wait for the rear. 

I figure when I swap tires again (fall I hope) I will switch to Slime pro and run less fluid at that point.

I got a long ways to go before I hit 5 pages.

On a side note, todays ride was pretty fun. I got in 13 miles and would have gone further had the wife not said that she had to go pick up her contacts. I guess that was a good thing as I was pretty tired by the time I got home. Over all it was fun and managed to get my feet wet. Litterally, I had to cross a 25' wide creek that apparently got about 1.5' deep. Managed to only get my right foot wet on the way out but my left wasn't clipped in all the way on the way back and it went in past my ankle. It was refreshing but not my best experience. But it was great to skip out of work about 30 min early and the temp was about 85 today! Just awesome!


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I guess I am a little PO'd. I got the front tire swapped out and tubeless and the damn thing weighs 20.42 lbs. WTH? I guess it is due to the seat swap and addition of the Cane Creek barends. 

I am thinking that I had it down to 20.55 w/ the MK on it but had the Smud seat, no barends and my RF bar. Unfortunately I forgot to weigh the new bars before installing. But they are supposed to be 130g. So now all iam am waiting for is my Flite Carbonio to arrive in a couple of days but I will only be at 20.25 at best. Damn! Oh well, this is pretty much how I will be riding it! In the back of my mind I was pretty sure I was going to hit 19. Guess it will happen with the next build.


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## p nut (Apr 19, 2007)

Don't worry about that--that's probably how much my front wheel weighs.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

I'm not too stressed. Just a little irritated. I guess I just got a little hyped up with the idea of breaking 19. Don't get me wrong, I could still do that as I still have my other carbon seat, can pull my bar ends, and go ahead with trimming 1cm off the ends of my bars. But the bike feels good right now so I am content....sort of. Honestly, it is not worth it to go back and replace parts for lighter ones at this point unless something breaks. The most cost effective way to be a WW is to build it up from scratch so that you only buy the parts once. I am far past that point now.

On a side note, I swapped out my front tire yesterday. The old one was 710g w/ a 210g tube. The new: Maxxis Ikon @ 530g and 90g of sealant. Not a bad drop. The tire is a 2.2 but right now it looks like a 2.0. I suspect that after a couple of rides it will stretch and expand to its true size just like the rear did. For now, it just looks funny being narrower than the rear. The rear was the same way though and it now looks larger. Just gotta get out and ride.

If time permits this evening, I may pull my bars and weigh them. The goal was to get something wider than my trimmed down RF Next SL's but be lighter as well. I believe the claimed weight is 145g. I think my RF's were about 160. At this point I am just curious what they really weigh. I will probably add a little more weight when I lube my chain this evening as well.:eekster: 

At this point, I don't plan on doing much of anything else short of riding the biach! I need to get a couple new pairs of shorts and maybe a jersey. My real goal is to start picking up some new winter clothing. I want to get a nice long sleeve wool jersey/jacket, a new base layer shirt, some new tights, and winter riding shoes. Hopefully, I will be better prepared for winter riding when I come out of surgery on my shoulder (trying to push that off until Oct/Nov time frame).


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, my new seat showed up today! I installed it and removed my bar ends. The bike weighs 20.23 lbs. That is about it. I am pretty sure I would have come close to breaking the 20 barrier had I kept the Smud seat but if it doesn't work for you, then it isn't worth having.

At the moment, I don't have any other WW plans for the bike. If I do anything it would be another set of wheels just so that I could swap between the two depending on trail conditions or riding location or maybe even gearing. I am sure I could lighten it a bit more by changing out my pedals and perhaps even a different set of wheels but I actually like my pedals and just don't have some $800+ for wheels right now. 

Over all, I think I have built up a fairly reliable bike that rides smooth, is relatively light and was not outrageously priced. Sure a nicer frame may be in the plans down the road but I am not even thinking about that right now. Really, more than anything, I just want to get out on the bike and improve my endurance and enjoy the thrill of riding.


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## paco664 (Sep 18, 2010)

maybe you should let the air out of the tires and fill them back up on a dry arid day... that way there won't be a over abundance of moisture in the tires....... water=8lbs a gallon....


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

So here are a couple of quick photos of the finished product. Nothing too new other than the bars and seat and the front tire. Completed weight as seen in the picture is 20.6 (w/out Garmin). I will probably leave the barend on for a while as I did not enjoy my ride without them too much the other day. The water bottle cage may or may not be on the bike depending on the ride length or location. When the weather gets hotter, i will probably be rocking the hydration pack simply so I can carry more water.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Dropped the bottle cage (will have one off and on depending on ride distance...) swapped out barends and slapped the KCNC's back on. Weight is 20.5.

Got a quick 7 miler in yesterday and things worked pretty well. Battling brake alignment. Damn things don't self center and I find myself adjusting them after every 2-3 rides. Starting to take away from the whole SS simplicity if you ask me! But, I gotta make them work as I am out of duckets!

Got a nice creaking going on during standing climbs yesterday. Right off the bat I assumed chainring bolt and of course I was right. One of them was not tight enough and when I went to tighten it, it stripped. (the female side) so I did a quick swap but realize that I need to order some new ones just to make sure I have a couple on hand. Hmm, might get them in red this time.

I also went ahead and pulled the non drive crank arm as I was not sure if that might have been causing my creaking (of course I did this before the chainring for whatever reason). Cleaned it all up and put a little grease on the the threads. Because I was not sure if I had it tight enough, I pulled out the torgue wrench (love this little thing-got a digital one from work that costs about $180!) and ended up torgueing down every bolt on the bike to spec. Then cleaned off my brake rotors with alcohol (not with my beer mind you-that would just be abuse) as they were squealing like mad while out on the ride. I guess that is a result of a few creek crossings that went a little deeper than I expected.

So today is a big day in that my wife turns 40 today. It is also supposed to be 82 degrees and sunny! So, I am leaving work early today at about 1:30. I am then heading straight to the trails (bike and gear are in the car) and going for a ride. I figure that will give me 2 hours worth of riding time before I need to head home based on my getting there by 2. That way I will still get home at my normal time to play good husband/dad and be there for my wifes bday. Supposed to start raining again later tonight so that pretty much kills my ride during my daughters soccer practice tomorrow night. Told the wife and she wasn't upset at all. Life is good! Hell, I even wore shorts (not cycling shorts) to work. Back to jeans tomorrow though.


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## Just1Gear (Jan 14, 2011)

I like the bars and the seat, I'm really digging this bike! A 20lb bike is pretty damn respectable, mine's sitting at right about 24lb right now....but it IS steel, if I could get to 22lb I think I'd be happy! Guess I could go carbon throughout, maybe in the future.


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## 1SPD (Apr 25, 2010)

Well, I have a few new changes on the way. Some of you may have seen a comment in another thread but have ordered a Black Sheep Infiniti seat post. Unfortunately, it won't have the nifty seatpost clamp on it as it won't work with my carbon rails on my saddle so it will be coming with a Thompson clamp on it. I will eventually order some Smud upper/lower craddles for it. The other down side to all of this (which I was actually excited about initially-until I called BS today to have the clamp style changed as I originally ordered one with red caps on it) is that my order shipped today with the following:

Red KCNC chainring bolts-actually need some new bolts
Red KCNC seat post collar
Red King headset (my current one is about 7 years old and rattling)

So, I guess I am just a little depressed because the BS post won't have the red clamp on it and will intead have a black clamp and now all this red crap is coming. Oh well, I guess I will just have to get some red hubs and a red King bb over the winter now! Will post up some pics when the crap arrives.


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