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Krampus builds - post em here!

379K views 1K replies 246 participants last post by  vikb 
#1 ·
i couldn't see a post dedicated in the Surly forum for Krampus builds so i hope people post their specs here.

Why? Well i for one want to build one but have a few questions, particularly about crankset choices. never run a 1 x before and i think i'm gonna miss that 22t ring, i see complete it has 34t Zee crankset with a 34 at the back. Not sure that's gonna cut it where i ride so looking for options?
Will any double fit? I've read that Surly suggest taking your 2 smallest cogs off the cassette and then space them at the big end.

So this turns your 10 speed into an 8? do i still use a 10 speed shifter or will a 9 speed work ok?

Will the limit screws on the rear mech come in enough to keep the chain out of "no mans land?"

If you've built one, love to hear about it.
 
#2 ·
Will any double fit? I've read that Surly suggest taking your 2 smallest cogs off the cassette and then space them at the big end.

So this turns your 10 speed into an 8? do i still use a 10 speed shifter or will a 9 speed work ok?

Will the limit screws on the rear mech come in enough to keep the chain out of "no mans land?"

If you've built one, love to hear about it.
Wherein We Attempt to Answer Your Krampus Questions

Yes, it would turn your 10 speed cassette into an "8" but it will still have 10 speed "spacing" so you'll still use the 10 speed shifter.

You could screw your limit screw in as far as you can, and see how far inboard you can get it to limit. If it limits enough to not get to your two largest cogs (before you modify it) you'll have your answer. (I don't have a ten speed cassette in front of me right now, otherwise I'd do it for you.)
 
#4 ·
my krampus

Tire Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle wheel
Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim
Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel Bicycle wheel rim
Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle tire Bicycle part Bicycle accessory Spoke
Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Spoke Bicycle part Rim


I'm running just a regular shimano deore triple crankset. 32t middle ring. I would definitely want a smaller ring for big hills(i.e., steep climbs longer than a half mile), but I think a double crankset will have the smaller ring a bit too close to the tire. I think the mr whirly crank with offset rings will be the best option for something smaller than 32.

For the climbs that I usually ride, which are never longer than a 1/4 mile, I just stand up and make it happen. I get to the top faster, but also with more effort!

I have the 27tpi tires and I had trouble going tubeless using split tube. I ended up using a low-density foam under the split tube to help push the bead towards the sidewall of the rim and it worked well. The foam is about 1" wide and .5" thick and is wrapped all the way around the rim.

I think I might drop one gear from my 10sp cassette, as the 32t(front), 36t(rear) combination is a bit noisy from cross-chaining, and that's become and extremely important gear combo! I haven't checked yet if losing 2 cogs will allow me to run the full triple, but I'm thinking it might be worth it, especially if I can find a 13 or 14t to put on the bottom to interface with the cassette lockring.

I built the wheels 3 cross and cross-laced (left hub flange goes to right side of rim and vice versa) which was very easy and so far not at all problematic. It feels like the wheels are much stiffer than 36h p35's at similar tension. Could just be the big rims I'm feeling.

I also went with a small, desptite always riding medium bikes. I chose based on ett, as I'm not convinced by the short stem approach. I prefer the shorter wheelbase and am extremely happy with how the bike climbs.
 
#5 ·
hi there
thanks for the info! fyi i checked my 10 speed and the adjuster screw easily locked out the two biggest cogs so i think i'll be going with a double crank up front. further down the line i may opt for the new Surly OD crankset to get the full 2 x 10.

Can i ask how tall you are? I'm also a medium rider normally but i got a small Pugs for a good price and apart from putting a 100mm stem and longer seat post, it's been great.
So, i will be going for the small definately based on the ETT numbers.

What size stem are you using? what height are you and inseem?

cheers
Steve
 
#6 ·
hi there
thanks for the info! fyi i checked my 10 speed and the adjuster screw easily locked out the two biggest cogs so i think i'll be going with a double crank up front. further down the line i may opt for the new Surly OD crankset to get the full 2 x 10.

Can i ask how tall you are? I'm also a medium rider normally but i got a small Pugs for a good price and apart from putting a 100mm stem and longer seat post, it's been great.
So, i will be going for the small definately based on the ETT numbers.

What size stem are you using? what height are you and inseem?

cheers
Steve
I'm 5'8" with legs on the longish side 31.5" or so inseam. not sure about arm length relative to others. I'm running a 105mm stem I guess I'm not buying into the long tt and short stem idea. I'd rather have the front wheel more underneath me so I can put lots of weight on it. The frame comes with tugnuts which move the wheel back in the dropouts 1/4" to give your f der more room. I am not running them and really like the short chainstays for climbing. Not wheelies, just great traction, so longer will only makes climbing harder. on twistie turnie descents I put lots of weight on the front wheel to make it stick in the turns and a long tt would work against me.
 
#7 ·
If you're building your wheels from scratch I'd highly suggest you look at using an SS hub and putting as many cogs as you can on it depending on your speed selection - 9 or 10spd. Will build you a dishless rear wheel and keep the chain far away from the huge tyre. Check out the 29er forum for a couple threads on this, but just an FYI, without any machining I can fit 6 9spd cogs onto a Hope SS/Trials hub, if I do some machining to the carrier on an XT cassette I can run 7 cogs easily and 8 if I really wanted to with some "fiddling", so for 10spd you could easily run 7 without any work and 8 with some work.
 
#12 ·
well my frameset is on the way, wheels are built and will ship next week. still gathering parts but i'm afraid the hold up will be the cranks.
xt shadow rear mech
xt 2 x 10 direct mount front mech

still deciding on either slx shifters and brakes or xt, i've had the new slx on another bike i to be honest, i can't pick the performance difference between the two, might come down to what i can get in stock at the best price at the time.

i have the 120tpi knards and definately going to try split tube tubeless before i go to tubes.
 
#14 ·
you still get a better bracing angle with the ss hub.

I'm very very happy with my cross-laced (and 3 cross) RH wheel. It's far stiffer than my previous wheel, a 36 hole 3 cross p35 with the same shimano hub. For someone who rides very hard and who is heavy, it's the best I've ever experienced on a 700c rim. I've ridden the wheels for about 150 miles now and highly recommend cross-laced builds.

With a regular cassette hub you can choose regular, offset (like you vikb posted) or cross-laced. offset has more even spoke tension than regular and cross-laced has a better bracing angle than regular. ss hub can get you both, but all the ss hubs that take cassette cogs are too expensive for my buget.
 
#24 ·
for me, using the middle ring of a fsa triple, there is very little clearance. If its bumpy and I'm not pedaling, the chain catches a bit on the knobs, which makes noise but doesn't seem to have other deleterious effects. It's probably worse for me since I'm running the wheel all the way forward in the dropouts, while most people seem to be running the monkey nuts for a 1/4" longer cs.
 
#48 ·
can i pick your brain a bit about this? i got my xt cranks last week and i'm seeing that i'm going to have some rubbing issued and possibly going to have to drop one of my smaller cogs to make it fit.
what chain are you using?
are you using the standard XT bb?
how many spacers are you using on the BB and where? Just the single on the drive side?
 
#20 ·
i can live with that, i checked out your flickr pics, i love your ride, great build!
my frameset arrives tomorrow (fingers crossed), wheelset etc next week, more parts are on their way.
just need brakes and crankset and i can finish it off. i'll post some pics when i have something to show ;)
 
#21 ·
In hind sight, I would have gone with an XL frame simply for the head tube size increase, the cockpit is a little on the low side for the flat thomson bars, easily fixed with some budnitz riser bars that should be on their way to me now.

I went L due to the top tube length thinking XL would be too long.... doh !
 
#22 ·
I'm surprised the headtube length would affect fit at all. My fork had a lot of steerer tube to allow room to adjust height.

The sizing is definitely a bit tricky. Fortunately most people will be mostly happy with more than one size, so picking a horrible size for you isn't that likely. I'm happy with my small that I bought based on ett. the longer bike I would have gotten with the medium has several small disadvantages due to its increased size, e.g., longer wheelbase and less weight on front wheel.
 
#33 ·
Good Day All, I'm looking for some sizing advise from those of you who have ridden or purchased a Krampus. I am 5' 11" with a 35" inseam and weigh 185 lbs. Large or medium size frame? Based on ETT I'm thinking medium since the bike runs so long in the top tube. I would be grateful for any feedback.
 
#35 ·
I'm 5'11" and 33 inseam. Based on the numbers I could fit onto a Med or Lrg. The TT is really low so you'll have a ton of seatpost showing on a Medium, but you'll need to run a short stem on a Large with some medium width bars - or some swept back bars like the Jones H-bars or On One Mary bars. The Medium will have a shorter wheelbase for maneuverability and the Large will be longer which will be stable - depending if your riding is tight and twisty or wide open.

I think both would work for you, but there are tradeoffs with either option.

Just for another option a Pugsley frame will take Knards on Rabbit Holes and has a shorter TT with a longer ST. The steering geo isn't as slack, but I own a Pugs and it's a lot of fun to ride and the sizing might suit you better than the long and low Krampus. You can see the differences in Saltyman's Krampus & Moonlander photos above.
 
#36 ·
OK, for the uneducated Saltman, give us a run down on the Moonlander - what rims and tyres are those? I just sat and stared at this pic with my jaw dropped, those tyres on the Moonlander look GiNormous :D Have you, or could you weigh the rear wheels on both of those bikes, curious what sort of weight difference there is in going semi-fat with the Knard as opposed to going full fat?

 
#37 ·
Moonlander is still on standard clownshoe 100mm rims and has the 4.8" bud and lou tires.

No idea what the wheels weigh on either bikes, never been fussed in weight, traction without compromise is what I went for!.....they certainly grip....and turn heads, that's for sure.

People comment on my krampus tires, saying there huge.....but when they see the fatbike they are stunned.
 
#41 ·
Thanks man, guess I haven't kept up to date on the Fat Tyre stuff, didn't know they had out a 4.8" wide tyre - that's just insane, must be a boiat load of fun rock crawlin that thing :D
 
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