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Newb Bike build... help please....

10K views 157 replies 17 participants last post by  cpfitness 
#1 ·
I want to build a bike and I have decided on picking up an xl 2009 stumpjumper pro carbon frame.... it comes with s120 forks and front derailleur. I am 6'2" 240lbs.... is this the right size frame for me? Whats wheels, gears, etc would fit this bike? I am clueless but want to build a bike because it will be more cost effective for me and I can learn the in and outs of the bike.... thanks
 
#30 ·
I love to help out new people. Heck, I'm new to mountain biking. I did turn wrenches in a bike shop long time ago. All I want is to see madscientist have some idea that this can be a big job. Some of us have jobs, and have limited time to build stuff at home, as fun as that is.

I've been collecting parts for a Surly Krampus frameset which I hope to get in December. I have spent more money than I would like to admit to. I have also been unsure about component choices. I obsessed over brakes for weeks, before finally deciding what I could afford, what would fit the bike, and which adapters I would need. Still need to buy a headset. The part numbers don't line up for me. I see recommendations about what to get for this frame, but do not see those exact part numbers on the online marketplaces.

I did buy a $200 bike from Craigslist so I do actually ride. I have lots of bike wrenching experience, though that is a couple of decades out of date. The bottom brackets are different, shifters are different. Nothing I can't figure out, but it all takes time.

Enjoy the journey. Just don't expect it to be real fast or real cheap.
 
#34 ·
I have not seem anyone hammering on OP. telling someone that building a bike can take a while and cost a lot is true. I just paid 170 dollars for my handlebars and due to them be back ordered and getting the wrong ones it took 4 weeks. That is handlebars. I have paid about 1g for rims and tires, stem, and pedals. You can get a bike for that. So yeah it can be expensive. I also have built 4 bikes and still take them to the LBS to get certain things done, I am sure others do not but I don't have the tools or knowledge. I enjoy building them though. Having a stand is nice (I have one) but not a necessity. I feel like my skill is more suited to commuters and back up bikes. I still feel like my main mountain bike needs to get difficult work done by the lbs due to the fact I don't want to make an expensive mistake.
 
#36 ·
just for the hell of it, lets review installing a bb. step one measure bb shell determine if its 68 or 73mm. Apply grease to threads inside bottom bracket and on threads of outboard bearings. Screw on outboard bb bearings using appropriate spacers based on headshell. Tighten to proper spec. slide drive side crank through bottom bracket. Slide on crank arm on other side. install bearing tension setter thingy (sorry brain fart on what that piece is called) tighten hex bolts on non drive side crank arm to spec. Voila. simple instructions for your standard outboard bearing crank ala Shimano. WHAT IS SO HARD?????? WHY WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE THEY NEED TO SPEND $100 ON A STAND???????
Does a stand make things easier? yes. Is it required? absolutely not. do you carry a stand with you on the trail when things break? lol
 
#39 · (Edited)
Dude chill.;) OP is not spending your money or mine on any bike tools, if you are cool with building the whole bike from the frame up I'd love to see that on youtube. Can it be done? absolutely! Is it a good idea? absolutely not!

OP has a carbon FS frame and want to build it from the frame up, one of the point he asked in his op was cost effectiveness. Which has different answer, yes and no. Yes if you want specific parts on the bike and learning as you go, and no, it would not be cheaper than buying complete bike or a groupo/build kit.

Since op did not mention the budget(if he did show me where I missed it), I'm not going to assume that he does not have any to spend, just because someone is new does not mean they are poor as well:rolleyes: Last thing you want when building a bike from the frame up is not to have proper tools. It's not like he picked up the bike on craigslist for cheap and want to learn how to wrench it.

I've done my fair share of trailside repair using whatever available but I'm certainly not going to recommend anyone to do that at home everytime, WTH is wrong with you, stop screaming:D

edit: OP just to give you a point of reference, LBS would charge $100-170 to build a bike up from the frame when you bring them all of the components. Smaller job would be $10-25 like headset installation, adjustment, etc.
 
#37 ·
Are you replacing a bottom bracket on the trail? I would probably walk home. But it does sound easy now that you put it that way. You are telling someone to get a torque wrench that costs a lot. The bottom bracket is definitely not the most difficult part of putting a bike together. You going to measure and cut a fork on the trail? You going to install the headset without tools, use your multitool and a rock? You absolutely don't need a stand but it is nice. There are lots of tools required to build a bike that would not be cost effective to buy to use once. That is why I do what I can and when I need special tools go to the lbs.
 
#38 ·
I agree that there are things that it's worth having the lbs do because the amount of times that you are going to do them doesn't justify the cost of the tools. With that said, what planet do you live on that a torque wrench is expensive? cutting a fork? A hacksaw blade is a $1!!! I live in NYC. I barely have room for my clothes never mind a basement "man cave", garage, workshop, shed, etc and I have had no problem building up numerous bikes. Bottom line the op needs realistic expectations and saying he can't build a bike at all, or that he can't build one without a stand is utterly ridiculous. That is what other posters did.
 
#43 ·
Personal preference. Long bars can always be cut shorter. Make sure you get proper clampsize on your stem. It mist likely is 31.8 as opposed to 25.4. Most importantly, don't torque those stem bolts without putting it in a stand first:rolleyes:

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#49 ·
Oh wow, this thread is a complete mess. Where to start... don't order parts or frames before checking to make sure that is what you want. Post here before you order the parts. The frame may be too big or it may fit you great. Those size bars should be fine, especially since you already purchased them. I ride with bars that wide.

For all of you new people. Mimi has very valid points. You can put a bike together without a stand and tune cables, but a bike stand makes life a lot easier. The OP can hang two hooks in the ceiling of his garage or whatever, but a brick on a 5 gallon bucket. Really? I would not want to set a frame worth 2k on that and work on it. That is ghetto.
 
#51 ·
Oh wow, this thread is a complete mess. Where to start... don't order parts or frames before checking to make sure that is what you want. Post here before you order the parts. The frame may be too big or it may fit you great. Those size bars should be fine, especially since you already purchased them. I ride with bars that wide.

For all of you new people. Mimi has very valid points. You can put a bike together without a stand and tune cables, but a bike stand makes life a lot easier. The OP can hang two hooks in the ceiling of his garage or whatever, but a brick on a 5 gallon bucket. Really? I would not want to set a frame worth 2k on that and work on it. That is ghetto.
Yea I am most definitely going to get a decent 360° swivel bicycle stand. I found some good ones for around $120 I am interested in.....
 
#50 ·
Thanks again everyone.... I just figured the bars I purchased would be adequate for the situation... the bars are 640mm long... 31.8mm clamp.... 6 degree up sweep... and 8 degree back sweep.... low rise.... I had a few questions about brakes and gear sets and shifters. .. what is a good brake set up? Avid juicy ultimate carbon? I see the newer bikes run avid xo? Im not sure? I have a 9 speed sram xo rear derailleur and it is a long cage? A friend sold it to me for $30.... i would need 9 speed sram shifters for this correct? this should work right? Sorry for all the questions....
 
#52 ·
T I had a few questions about brakes and gear sets and shifters. .. what is a good brake set up? Avid juicy ultimate carbon? I see the newer bikes run avid xo? Im not sure? I have a 9 speed sram xo rear derailleur and it is a long cage? A friend sold it to me for $30.... i would need 9 speed sram shifters for this correct? this should work right? Sorry for all the questions....
I'd suggest the shimano hydro brake. The new XT are very nice, but you can get much better deal with the older model which is still awesome. Juicy ultimate is not really that good, many(myself included) have issues with howling and vibration, the newer elixir cr was not better either, it came with my blur LTc.

SRAM xo are very nice they are 1:1 ratio vs shimano 2:1 rear shifting of course, the front are the same 1:1. Yes you'd need SRAM shifter, take your pick trigger or Gripshift.

What else do you plan to buy, next set of question should be fun wheels, forks, tires. Save some fund for a dropper post they are added fun for trail riding. What is your seatpost diameter 30.9 or 31.6?
 
#60 ·
Cpfitness, I am gonna disagree a bit here. For the inexperienced I think adjusting front and rear der would be the most difficult and frustrating part of the build but still quick, cheap and easy at LBS. Yes, pressing cups should be done with the correct tools but not difficult. Correct spacing on the BB is imperative but most new BB come with very detailed instructions to become nearly a no-brainer. Also, Harbor Freight has torque wrenches for as little as $19.99...not the best but will do for the beginner.
 
#63 ·
I agree that tuning deraileurs can take some work but i consider that tuning, not assembly of the bike. Yes adjusting on a stand is easier but again, flip your bike upside down and do what you gotta do or ride it on the block and tweak it which will let you see how its going to shift under load

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#68 ·
Nice!! I picked up a used set of Juicy Ult 7's recently for spare parts - I should just rebuild those calipers and have them handy. My wife isn't too happy with my ever growing parts pile. I think I have enough parts to put together another bike soon.

-S
 
#67 ·
Yeah, bikes exolode when you rest them on the seat and handlebars, especially rugged mtbs. And i forgot, the xtr and x9 groupsets on bikes direct bikes are inferior to the ones on name brand bikes. Silly me. Im a moron. I havent built a dozen road bikes in the past 3 years and you know those mtb hex bolts are wayyyyy different than those road bike hex bolts. I dont know anything.

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#69 ·
Yeap, that the confirmation needed. When you see BD deals you just got tunnel vision and only see XTR, X9 components not all I might add, nevermind some come with road cassette, oem fork, god knows what wheelset, and generic headset that may not fit op's bike. To top them off without the bike stand he had to pay to take the parts off, in order to install it into his bike. If you are building a $300 road bike on the budget bike then it's one thing.

Looks to me like op is planing to build a $5000+ retail bike and the advice you have to offer him is lean it against the wall and flip the bike upside down to tune the drivetrain.
 
#70 ·
Lol I dont know about $5000... but I have $2500... I figure it will cost me that much to get a decent start and have some pics to post. This is actually fun and suspenseful waiting for parts... I am going to go to my lbs for install help if you tube cant help me.... I plan on buying a bike stand from my lbs so I am sure they will help... thanks again everyone.... this is getting addicting to say the least :)
 
#74 ·
OP that is a good set up so far. Should be fast. I don't think you should buy a 29er from bikes direct since there would be a ton of research to see if the parts would fit. And since specialized didn't make a carbon 29er stumpy in 09 I am guessing your frame is 26" so truly buying a 29er would be stupid. I am actually proud of you for doing a good job collecting parts despite cpfitness "help". I may have missed it if you have a front derailleur or not. Make sure you do research on the type of pull you need and the clamp size. I am still confused about the bucket. Can I get a picture of how you used a bucket and a brick to hold a bike?
 
#84 ·
I agree man, you have missed the point. I have read the whole thread and yes, someone said that it could take 6 months if he were looking for deals and saving up. That was BEFORE the OP said how much he had to spend on the build. And not literally how long it would take to build the bike once he was in possession of all the parts.

As far as repairs stands go, I don't recall anyone saying that he "must have" a repair stand. I myself said that they make life easier but not totally necessary. Why are you so against repair stands?? They are a worth while tool. Higher on the list of tools than a headset press, IMO.
 
#85 ·
I agree man, you have missed the point. I have read the whole thread and yes, someone said that it could take 6 months if he were looking for deals and saving up. That was BEFORE the OP said how much he had to spend on the build. And not literally how long it would take to build the bike once he was in possession of all the parts.

As far as repairs stands go, I don't recall anyone saying that he "must have" a repair stand. I myself said that they make life easier but not totally necessary. Why are you so against repair stands?? They are a worth while tool. Higher on the list of tools than a headset press, IMO.
Mimi clearly stated that a repair stand was a must. All i said was that it was certainly not a must which he refuted. He then went on to ask how a crank could be installed without a stand. I answered him in detail. Im contemplating shooting a video of me removing and reinstalling my crank! This began as a discussion on doing a build to save money. That is the way I continue to approach it. Hell, i even advised the op that a first time builder will almost never realize any savings but certainly can learn a lot to save money down the road. Can we get this discussion back to helping a newbie build a bike because until someone can present concrete facts proving me wrong like ive done to others, im not backing down.

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#86 ·
It was not said that it takes 6 months of building. But if you are trying to save money it does take time to find a good deal on the specific parts that you would want. That is what takes the time. you advice has consisted of telling OP he doesn't need a stand when he has said he was going to get one and to buy another bike and harvest the mediocre parts and sell the rest. If he wanted to be stuck with parts that the company decided he could have bought a complete bike in the first place and it could be specialized and quality parts and not bikes direct parts.
 
#89 ·
Again tell me how the xt, xtr, and xo parts from bikes direct are different from what the "name brands" put in their bikes. Nobody said anything about mediocre parts, just showing him how to get better prices on best stuff without spending "6months" looking. Lets get off the stand issue, for the last time you dont need a stand to build a bike, nice to have but unnecessary. He said hes gonna buy one, great. Stop putting words in my mouth and putting misinformation out there.

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#92 ·
Ken and everyone I think I got it figured out. Grab some popcorn.

Yes, I suggested the first thing to get is a bikestand it's no brainer, sop, then njoy said he uses a DIY contraption mojo finely referred to as a crapper. I asked how are you even going to install say a crankset and bb. Cp not understanding the context went on and explained how to do it.

I said, I can see that it can be done but not ideal. Not saying that bikestand is a must. He didn't get it. Now it's on, or how he put it? I'm not backing down. That's when we start seeing his flip flopping the context to fit his new agenda.

See, he's a thin skin noobs who's not going to be told he's wrong. I'm quite certain 3 things would happen on this thread.

One it would turn into a rep party, two, cp would be ban, and three, this would get binned.


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#95 ·
Ken and everyone I think I got it figured out. Grab some popcorn.

Yes, I suggested the first thing to get is a bikestand it's no brainer, sop, then njoy said he uses a DIY contraption mojo finely referred to as a crapper. I asked how are you even going to install say a crankset and bb. Cp not understanding the context went on and explained how to do it.

I said, I can see that it can be done but not ideal. Not saying that bikestand is a must. He didn't get it. Now it's on, or how he put it? I'm not backing down. That's when we start seeing his flip flopping the context to fit his new agenda.

See, he's a thin skin noobs who's not going to be told he's wrong. I'm quite certain 3 things would happen on this thread.

One it would turn into a rep party, two, cp would be ban, and three, this would get binned.

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lol, why would I get banned, I'm not the one being antagonizing and doing name calling. I continually try to present facts. on 2 occassions you said a stand was a must before finally conceding that you've never built a bike without one but supposed it could be done. I'd love to know what I've flip flopped on? Bottom line, I could take the op's frame and build it to a reasonably high end spec in under 1 month and under 1500 bucks. I'm saying one month because I'm allowing for time to sell off parts under my donor bike scenario. Personally, I think the op is making a big mistake in going high end on his first build for a few reasons.

1. my personal opinion is that you should start on lower end bikes to help develop a feel and appreciation for the better bikes.
2. Expensive high end parts often aren't the BEST part for us casual riders. i.e. if your a pro racer with sponsorship that doesn't have to pay for parts, you will go with lightweight over durable parts that function equally well.
3, If he truly takes on this endeavor solo and makes a serious mistake it could be very costly. I'd rather strip a thread on a Suntour crank than a XTR crank. I don't expect this to happen he's an experienced mechanic but still, it's possible.

Obviously the op probably should re-evaluate what his ultimate goals are. You don't expect someone to say "I've never ridden a bike before, I want to build my own to save money.....oh and by the way, I want to build it with all the highest end parts that exist" Quite frankly, I think it's a foolish endeavor but when involved in forums I do my best to try to answer the questions that are asked not just inject my opinion on the question being asked.

you guys seem to derive so much pleasure from your forum rantings. I have no friggin idea what this whole "rep" thing even is and really dont give a **** if I have any or not. And I love being called a noob. just because I"m new to your forum doesn't make me new to the world of cycling. you keep building your over priced bikes and I'll keep building my value bikes that equally or outperform yours.
 
#99 ·
Chains are much more expensive than front derailleur. So $2500 for handlebars, stem, saddle, shifters, derailleurs, brakes and rotors, tires and tubes, maybe front derailleur, maybe seat post and clamp. Since he already has rims and a fork. That is a good deal? Then have to sell off the other parts. You could get the SRAM xo groupo brand new for $1500 without shopping around and don't need to sell anything.
 
#101 ·
an xtr FD is way more expensive than an xtr chain. fortunately the op already has an FD.
so we buy the sram group for $1500 and then your going to pay for wheels, tires, bars, seatpost, saddle etc. so before you know it, you are back at 2500 bucks and you don't have an extra frame and fork to show for it. yes selling off the parts is work, but if your trying to save money, this is the way to do it no?
 
#100 ·
I'm done, op my pm box is open if you want straight talk and advice about how to build up a bike. I'm sure that we all want you to have a successful build but somewhere along the way we all forgot that there are multiple ways to skin a cat. As a fellow clydesdale, I can offer you insight into some of the durabilty issues bikes will present to you as they are numerous.
 
#103 ·
I googled the chain from your bike $77 and the front derailleur $65. He already has rims. You may need a different seat post anyway. And all of the parts would be SRAM xo. And I am not certain on an cut groupo price. So damn he doesn't have a frame to sell but his current bike would be sweet. So yeah he would still have to buy handlebars, tires, and stem and a few little things but he has probably 500 dollars to do that with after selling the other stuff. And this bike would be way more awesome than the bikes direct bike. And that is without shopping around. I am sure you could find it cheaper.
 
#105 ·
I've seen XTR chains for 45 bucks but the xtr FD's are usually at least 60 but yeah they are pretty close. the FD and chain are the smallest ticket items in the drivetrain. He mentioned getting spinergy wheels, didnt say that he already had them so I assume that is another purchase. I looked up those wheels, there is nothing too special about them, probably a lateral move at best from the bd wheels. By the way, there is another Bikesdirect bike that is SRAM XO. I was using XTR as an example but look at this one. IT's only 2100 because it's alloy frame not titanium.
Mountain Bikes - MTB - Motobecane Fantom Team SRAM XO 2x10 20 Speed 2011

so he could get all SRAM XO except the crank (the fsa is a better crank anyways) and still have the sweet bike that you are mentioning, then sell the frame and fork and the only little part he would have to buy is a seatpost because it's not going to fit. In your scenario he spends about $1500 and gets SRAM XO Groupset including the brakes but has no wheels. The wheels he is looking at are a $500 wheelset and anything custom built new for his weight (240lbs) is gonna cost around that unless he decides to build them himself which is totally doable.
so he needs to still spend the following
Wheels $500
Ritchey WCS alloy seatpost 75
Ritchey WCS alloy 4axis stem $75
Ritchey WCS Handlebar $75
Ritchey Streem Saddle $75
When all is said and done, he is probably spending about 2300 bucks.

In my scenario he spends $2100 + $75 for a proper sized seat post and gets SRAM XO shiters and RD, FSA Crank that is as good if not better than SRAM and a set of wheels with tires and all of the little things except a seatpost. The trade off is that he does get a lesser level of brakes but in my scenario he has a bike that can be ridden! in yours his bike is still in the stand waiting for a set of wheels and tires. He will then have a frame, Reba Fork, headset, front derailleur and seatpost that he can sell off. If he doesn't want a long drawn out hassle of getting that stuff sold he could advertise it all for $500 and i'm sure it would sell in a day. 1 week max. If he's willing to wait, he may get a lot more. So in my scenario he is riding his bike for $1675 with high end parts. With the $625 he has saved he can upgrade the brakes if he finds they aren't to his liking and he can also consider upgrading other bits to really high end finishes i.e. carbon bars.

Lets not forget that if he doesn't sell off the frame he has paid the same amount of money but now he's got a few parts. he might wreck his carbon frame 6 months down the road and need somthign to ride while he waits for a warranty repair. he's got a frame to throw it all on. He might decide that he loves his full suspension high end bike but wants a hard tail for another purpose, he's now got a chassis to build off of. This is one of the ways that we all start amassing our bike stuff and parts bins.

Never underestimate the cost of those "little things" that was the first thing I learned when building my first bike up. Thought I had everything good to go and then it was like "oh yeah, I need a couple of tubes $10 oops forgot pedals $25 oh dammit, i bought tubes but forgot rim tape $10, damn I got the shifters but forgot the cable housing $10, oh yeah I bought the saddle but what about the post and the clamp $30. I was doing a budget build and suddenly I was adding on another $100 of little things. Now start doing it with high end stuff and your costs go through the roof. I realize that my scenario isn't the simplest; but if your trying to learn how to work on bikes and you are trying to save a little money in the process while builiding high end, its one of the only ways to go. His other option is to source all used parts. I have no problem buying used road bike parts with some limits, but I'd be a bit more wary buying used MTB parts due to the amount of abuse they potentially get subjected to.
 
#106 ·
I would have to shop around more to make a better comparison but that setup seems to make a little more sense if that was the way you wanted to go. I don't know anything about the rims either but from the looks of them and if OP is a Clydesdale I would research their durability.
 
#107 ·
nothing wrong at all with shopping around. If you are willing to build from used parts and not build quite as high end, you can build up a very solid ride for short money using used and take off parts. Below is a summary of the build i'm doing now. I'm under $1000 and while I definately need to replace the fork on this, it's a solid build with pretty high end componentry for the riding i'm doing and durable for my size (250lbs)

diamondback trace alu frame, suntour xct v2 crank, nvx susp fork, headset, stem $150 brand new (bike was obviously not ridden, parts stripped off immediately for another bike. I plan to sell the crank to recoup $30-40)
slx m660 triple crank brand new $140 off craigslist
slx m660 shifters brand new (may be takeoffs from new bike) $57
xt m781 fd brand new $37 from nashbar
xt m780 sgs rd used one season from mtbr classifieds $40 (i have a deal in place to get a brand new xtr for $100, i'm considering it)
xtr chain lightly used $25 from craigslist
avid elixir 5 hydraulic brakes brand new take offs from ebay, rotors not included $129
used velo saddle $10 from craigslist
wtb laser tcs trail 29" wheelset $236 brand new from chainlove
sram pg-1050 10-speed cassette $43 brand new from nashbar
handlebar and grips brand new $20 from nashbar
wellgo pedals brand new free (came with my new road bike purchase last year)
brake rotors free (lbs mechanic friend hookup)
185mm brake avid g3 cleansweep rotor (upgrade from freebie 160mm) $10craigslist
shift housing free (lbs mechanic friend hookup)
seatpost free (had one in my parts bin from old project)
seatpost clamp free (lbs mechanic friend hookup)
geax mezcal tnt tubeless compatible 29 x 2.1 tires $60 from chainlove

Total spent $957

I'm not knocking the op, if you've got the money to go big with your first build, great. I'm shooting for a combo of solid entry level performance with the understanding that as rider I have a lot to learn about what style of riding i'm going to like and gravitate for. I don't want to spend $3000 on a xc bike only to find out that I really want a bad ass downhill bike. Likewise, I don't want a total entry level $400 bike that can't accelerate or has parts that are flat out going to break under my weight. I think my build hits a nice sweet spot. I oculd have bought something similar but I enjoy the build process and the feeling of knowing that what I'm riding is my creation
 
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