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Jet 9 RDO XX1 Build...this one goes to eleven

18K views 108 replies 32 participants last post by  muzzanic 
#1 ·
First ride complete, I absolutely love this bike. This is also my first ground up build and I happen to be rather proud of it. It also gave me an excuse to buy some great tools (star nut setter, crown race setter, headset press...)

On the first go, my bb to chainstay housing was too short. I was banging my head against the wall, then I came here and read about 120mm housing. Re-cable the aft section, shifts perfectly.

Lastly, XX1 is just the trickest kit out there. Always having any gear on demand is going to make me lazy (or give me freedom to concentrate on other things.) If you have the means, I highly suggest picking it up.

Enough commentary. Build specs:

White Jet 9 RDO v1.1
SID XX fork
Cane Creek/Niner headset (had a red chris king ready, wont fit, oh well.)
Enve bars
Niner Rdo seatpost and 90mm stem
XTR brakes and 160 rotors
XX1 crank, rear d, chain, cassette
Stan's Crest rims built on DT 240s
Kenda Small block 8 tires running tubeless
Specialized Toupe saddle








Need to trim brake cables, and slam the stem. Still getting all adjusted.
 
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#8 ·
I will pay the SID the best compliment I can give: I completely forgot about it while riding.

Coming from an older Lefty (hate it), remote lockout was super important to me because on the lefty, if I left it open after a descent it was like pedaling in sand.

Yesterday I took this thing to the park and abused it. I left it open all day and never thought about locking it. It just simply works. Absorbed everything I threw at it, and yet was somehow stiff enough to not notice when i was out of the saddle hammering.

Found it at Jensen on closeout at 399. I wanted a World cup, but couldnt justify the extra $500-$600 for a carbon steerer. After yesterday, convinced Ill never miss it.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the compliments all.

I cant believe i forgot to include weight!

23.6 lbs, and that is with some pretty heavy duty tires. With some racing ralphs I think it would shed a pound.
Sweet looking build, Palmares. Congrats on your 1st ever build from the frame up. Well done.:thumbsup:

In terms of tires, not sure about shedding a pound of weight loss going from Small Block 8's to Racing Ralphs. If you got the tubeless ready Small Block 8's (DTC - SCT), they average around 680g per tire. If you got the other ones (DTC), they average about 588g per tire.

Compare that to the Racing Ralph 2.25 with SS and tubeless ready average about 651g per tire, and without the SS (Snakeskin) they are about 565g per tire. Now if you are talking about the new tubeless ready 2.1 Racing Ralphs - they come in around 500g per tire. Regardless, you'd have to shed 454g in total tire weight to lose a pound and that's only feasible if you go to something like the Maxxlite 29 tires or Schwalbe Furious Fred tires.

Probably more important is to view the rolling resistance properties. Small Block 8's don't score as well as the Schwalbe tires (Ralphs, Rons, Nics) in these tests.

I wouldn't sweat it though with that build and overall bike weight. It looks great.
 
#15 ·
Great looking bike! I'm going with XX1 on the Air 9 RDO that I'm currently building up, and can't wait to try it out!

How are the wheels treating you? I plan on going with the Crest/DT240s combo as well. I'm currently running Arch/DT240s wheels on my RIP 9, and like them a lot. Just not sure if I'll notice a difference (possible besides weight) with the Crests.
 
#16 ·
Great looking bike! I'm going with XX1 on the Air 9 RDO that I'm currently building up, and can't wait to try it out!

How are the wheels treating you? I plan on going with the Crest/DT240s combo as well. I'm currently running Arch/DT240s wheels on my RIP 9, and like them a lot. Just not sure if I'll notice a difference (possible besides weight) with the Crests.
Ironically i have put my new xc build through the wringer this last week. I took a little new years trip and absolutely abused it on some really rough trails.

The wheels were great, super stiff, strong and light. 1590~ grams-ish. You'll love 'em.
 
#32 ·
My 2912 all-black Jet 9 RDO frame from Bike Bling came into today! I managed to snag a Fox Float CTD 100mm in black as well (got from another source). Was going to do an XTR drivetrain, but am now thinking of XX1 after reading this. Please share any other thoughts you have on the XX1. I'm worried about the smaller range of gearing this will offer. I'm building this bike specifically for 50-100 mile endurance races where there will be a lot of climbing and some long flat sections. I went from years of freeride MTB to a year of road bike racing, and this will be my first year racing XC. I just don't have a good feel for what range of gears I'm going to need. Are you ever finding you have to slow-grind up some long/steep hills with the 32 in front? What type/length of races will you be doing with this setup?

Beautiful build BTW! This is the best looking build of J9RDO I've seen so far!
 
#33 ·
Well, if you gotten this far, you know Im a fan of xx1. I have raced one time so far - Miles of Disomfort half marathon. 27 miles of somewhat technical riding. As far as gearing, I was more than covered. In fact, I didnt spend any time in either extreme gear. 32-42 is PLENTY for me- its the same as 26-36. 32-10 is only needed on road sections, and even then only if its really flat or slightly descending. Obviously everyone is different, but Comfort is as technical a race as I will do, and a 32 front was perfect. If I will be racing any truly flatter/easier courses, I will probably get a 34 or 36 front to give me more on the road sections.

Anyway - to slightly correct you, xx1 does not offer a smaller range - it just offers a few less options in between. 32-42 and 32-10 very nearly mimic a standard 2x10 setup.

Thanks for the compliment to my ride. Its certainly taken some abuse since these pics.
 
#36 ·
Ok, now that I know you're a fellow roadie, I'm no longer worried about gear range. I'm thinking of ordering the group from the shop today. One last question: have you heard any hint of "knocking" sounds coming from the clutch mechanism as the rear suspension cycles through its travel? This website and others are filled with _user_ reviews complaining about this in the X.9 and X.0 Type 2. Way to many people for comfort are saying to avoid X.9 and X.0 until SRAM sorts it out (ie catches up to Shimano engineering again). I'm _hoping_ that they have sorted out that issue with the XX1...
 
#37 ·
Damn. Should have Googled earlier: http://forums.mtbr.com/sram/xx1-knocking-clunking-836175.html

Looks like SRAM has arsed up version 1 again. I'd feel better if the people having problems have found a solution, but so far nobody has anything to offer. It's not user servicable. One guy is thinking of buying a second one so that he can still ride his bike while SRAM is warrantying the other.
 
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