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Canfield Nimble 9 build thread!

553K views 2K replies 300 participants last post by  dubthang 
#1 ·
Mine's here!
Here's the first pics.

Los
From Drop Box
 
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#372 ·
Seat post – 27.2mm OD
Seat clamp – 29.8mm ID

^ from the website.

There is a post in a thread about Nimble 9 (my searches cannot find it :( ) from on of the Candield Bros about a chain keeper on the Nimble. Something about what they recommend and some that did not work.
 
#374 ·
There is a post in a thread about Nimble 9 (my searches cannot find it :( ) from on of the Candield Bros about a chain keeper on the Nimble. Something about what they recommend and some that did not work.
No dice...

From Canfield

"The Paul is not going to work- because our seat tube is in front of the BB"

So will stick with the 1.x direct mount, tried to keep it local.
 
#377 ·
Still enjoying my Nimble.

On the first rides I had a lot of pedal strikes but after a few more rides it seems like a non issue.

I still rub my heels on the chain- and seatstays a lot, maybe I ride with my toes pointing outwards but anyway the stays could have been curved a little to avoid this. After 10 rides the clearcoat and some of the paint is gone in a few places. Not a big deal and I don't notice hitting the stays while riding but anyway...

The geo is spot on and it's a super fun bike to ride with 100 mm up front. In some ways it reminds me of the Yeti Asr-sl I had a few years ago. A Gen2 Nimble with re-worked stays and maybe lighter weight would make a great bike perfect...:thumbsup:

The Moots post has to return to my other bike so I'm trying to decide if I should get a Thomson or a Gravity Dropper...:confused:
 

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#381 ·
black & blue

Finally finished up the build. One ride so far & it was a blast!

I played around with the 95 / 120mm settings on the fork and I think I prefer 120. Seems to fit the bike better. I am running the sliders as far forward as I can and still have clearance for the FD. Even with the 120mm fork, this bike is every bit as nimble (duh!) as my other quick handling 29ers.
 

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#382 ·
Blue is Better than I thought

Just finished my full build of my long awaited nimble 9. Was forced into buying the blue color (due to lack of stock for 5 MONTHS) instead of the desired green, but happy to say that the blue and black color scheme has turned into one sexy machine. Built fully rigid with white bros fork, wheels are stans arch 29er (w/blue nipples), thomson stem/seatpost and collar, easton 70 XC bar, truvativ stylo cranks, WTB wolverine tires (1st pair of tubeless) gold KMC chain. And very happy to say that the blue glows in the dark too!
 
#387 ·
Little mechanical help.

I'm installing a Race Face Ride crankset with X-Type BB and 32T MRP chainring on the Nimble 9. Comes with three 2.5mm BB cup spacers. Installation guide states for a 73mm BB shell and using a chainguide use 0 spacers for both non-drive side and drive side. For a clamp-on front der. use 0 spacers for non-drive side and 1 for drive side.

Using the FD mount MRP 1.x so I am assuming that I would use the 1 spacer on the drive side since this isn't a chainguide, which would normally be BB mounted. Any thoughts?
 
#397 ·
I know I keep posting this in this and other threads, but I love my N9.
I just swapped my 170mm Ritchey WCS cranks to my wife's Karate Monkey, and put her 175mm XT M760s on the N9. Mostly did it to give her some appropriate length cranks, but wanted some stiffer cranks on my bike as I would still hit the DS chainstay when I'd really crank to pop the front wheel up.
Major, noticeable difference in stiffness! I opted to not ride our local rocky trail that has some steeps (Gov't Canyon,) because I felt a bit off, but will get a chance next weekend.
I did crank out some wheelies, and no contact- just a great handling bike!

Los
 
#399 ·
After much debate (which involved building and tearing down a small and a medium several times) I settled on the medium. I'm 5'5" but I felt cramped on the cockpit and had a 410mm seatpost exposed to the limit. Standover was great on the small and the bike was super easy to flick around.

IGUACA


Only have a handful of rides so far, but I'm really enjoying this setup. I'm amazed how easy this thing turns even with a 120mm fork. It just destroys twisty singletrack.

Only gripes so far is the standover on the med. frame (irrelevant while riding), and that the bike is harder to hop than my Waltworks. Probably due to a combination of the lower bb, having to overcome 120mm of travel and the higher weight. I'm sure I'll adjust.
 
#402 · (Edited)
Update:
I am happier with this bike every time I ride it.
I changed out my cranks twice now, and very pleased with the newest set up. The White Industries crank required a 122mm BB, which was really flexy- to the point of hitting the chainstay when I'd crank hard enough.
Next, I tried the Ritchey WCS cranks off of my Pugsley. Stiffer, but I had to space the ISIS BB over a bit to the drive side to clear the chainstay under hard efforts (again.)
Both of those were 170mm. I've been dialing in my wife's position on her bike, and noticed her XTs are 175mm, which are too long for her leg length, so I traded her.
Yesterday, I rode Government Canyon, a rocky, steep local trail. The increased stiffness was noticeable, and with the sustained, all-out effort climbs, I think I'm liking the gained leverage of the additional whopping 5mm of crank length.
I didn't notice an increase in pedal strikes, and had no problem staying on top of the cranks.
This was probably the most technically difficult climbing and descending I've done on the N9 to date. Not the steepest, and it IS Texas so the climbs and descents aren't super long, but it's tough on the single speed. I've punctured my rear tire (sliced the sidewall twice, punched through the tread once,) on the last three rides there...on the climbs!
I was thinking, as I was patching my AKA, that this bike felt like it was made for this kind of riding. Then I remembered thinking the same thing the first time I took it on our extended-rockgarden chunkfest, and on the fast, swoopy waterbar laden Boise trails, and the alpine Bogus trails...
Here's some pics from yesterday.




Los
 
#403 ·
I am on my 2nd set of cranks as well. The XTR 960's rubbed the stays when I was really pushing it up a hill. That was with two spacers on the drive side. it would clear when not flexing though. I went back to the XT crank I had on it originally and everything is back to normal with only one spacer. Definitely something to watch out for if you are building this and don't have a couple cranksets in the garage. I'm considering getting a Shimano Hone for this bike. Steel pedal inserts and spindle seem like exactly what this bike deserves. Plus my wife needs her XT back :rolleyes:
 
#404 ·
The XTR 960's rubbed the stays when I was really pushing it up a hill. That was with two spacers on the drive side. it would clear when not flexing though. I went back to the XT crank I had on it originally and everything is back to normal with only one spacer.
Good to know I'm not the only one with cranks rubbing the stays. I have the same problem you mention with my XTR 970's...

I have my cranks mounted with one spacer on the drive side (like always) and the distance between the crank arms and the stays are are not the same on each side. I have like 3,5 mm on the drive side and 6 mm on the non-drive side.

I've ordered some 0,7 mm spacers so I can get the cranks centered but from your experience the crank arm still hit the stays with 5 mm spacers installed...:madman:

I'm not a heavy rider, only around 165 lbs so the frame and cranks should be plenty stiff for my weight....a little annoying.

Other than that it's a great frame.
 
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