I almost have all the parts to begin my build. I will add comments here of some of the challenges I run into, and hopefully answers as well. If anyone has some tips, help aids, etc. to add please put them here. I can't be the only one that could use the help
I have also searched this thread for some answers, which if I can find again I will copy into here.
My frame is spec'd out for a 31.6mm seat post, so I purchased a 34.9mm collar, as recommended by most. When I tried to install it, the collar was too tight. I looked at the frame and noticed that they barely sanded the area for the collar to slide one so I had one of three choices. 1) try a larger collar 2) sand the frame or 3) sand the collar. I had no intention of taking material off the frame so I opted to gently sand the collar until it would fit. I used a dremel. Easy.
Remember, the slot of the collar should be 180 degrees from the slot of the seat tube. I believe it is to spread the pressure more evenly.
After finally receiving my order, I started my Chinese Carbon 29er build yesterday:
1) Seatpost to frame - Top of seat clamp (supplied by frame vendor) sits slightly above top of frame, seems to be okay and will tighten down on post without issue. The fit of the seat post into the seat tube is very good, snug but not too tight. No issues assembling the seat to the carbon seat post that I ordered with the frame.
2) Bottom bracket assembly - BSA/GXP style - No issues on the drive side, threaded right in. Non drive side had some difficulty, some paint or something in the threads. Threads needed to be cleaned out, unlike the drive side, the non-drive side needed a bit of torque to thread the cup in. No big deal but worth mentioning since I wanted to be careful not to cross thread anything.
3) Rear derailleur hanger was slightly damaged during shipping, luckily I had ordered an extra one. However, the spare hanger is slightly different than the one that came on the frame, it is a two piece design vs a one piece design that came on the frame. The one piece design seems slight better. I will contact XMIplay about getting a replacement for the one damaged during shipping.
4) I also want to mention, my frame has the 12x142 thru axle, I needed to purchase the Shimano style axle that includes the nut, not the DT Swiss axle that I originally purchased.
5) I stopped for the day when I could not assemble the XX1 crankset. For some reason there is a green thread locker on the cap of the non-drive side crank arm. The threaded cap needs to come off so the crank arm can be installed but it is stuck on there. The cranks were new, in new packaging still with hang tags so I'm not sure what is going on. I contacted the eBay seller and will most likely need to do an exchange.
No other apparent issues with the frame, other than the damaged hanger, so I must say I'm very happy with the Chinese sourced carbon frame, carbon seat post, and carbon riser bars I ordered. They all seem to be of very good quality.
In order to get the seat post to insert to a depth to my liking I had to do an angle cut to clear the rivets from the derailleur cable guide. I considered drilling them out since I am going 1x10 but decided against it.
I am going with a 28 tooth chainring because the places I ride tend have a lot of short steep technical climbs. One of the problems I found was that most chain guides will not accommodate anything under 32 teeth, unless it is the bolt on type.
So I took a k-edge chainsuck thingy and modified it so it could be turned up and work as a chainguide. It is super light and simple. Should work fine, and it will protect the frame from the chain.
Had a few hours available today to work on the new bike.
Day two:
1) Installed the headset.
Thanks to peterk123 for posting his pic of the stack. Only issue was learning that a crown race that measures 39.0 mm does fit on a 38.9mm (1.5") steer tube. Even though the crown race measured small it was marked 38.9mm so I followed some YouTube directions on how to install the crown race w/o the need of special tools. Really pretty simple, tap it on with a punch and a hammer, being careful not to mark the surface of the crown race. All I did was put some tape on the punch.
2) Installed the fork.
Using a stem from one of my other bikes, I assembled the fork, marked a cut line, then used a $9 hardware store pipe cutter to cut about 2" off the fork. I left it long and will probably cut more off later as I think it's about 1/2" too long.
3) Assembled the carbon bars. No issues there.
Both wheels are on so I now have a rolling chassis. Below are a few pictures from today.
looking forward to brakes and deraileurs.
You didn't happen to weigh your frame to see how close to claimed weight it was did you?
Are those 2.25 RR or 2.1?
Otherwise, thanks for the updates.
looking forward to brakes and deraileurs.
You didn't happen to weigh your frame to see how close to claimed weight it was did you?
Are those 2.25 RR or 2.1?
Otherwise, thanks for the updates.
Front brake is easy, no internal routing, but the rear brake will take a little more effort as the brakes I purchased (Avid Elixir Carbon) come pre-assembled with fluid in them. Yes, when I get time I will be doing the brakes and the rear derailleur cabling next. Since I'm running 1x11 I won't need to run a cable for a front derailleur.
No, didn't weigh the frame, I'm only interested in the total weight of the bike. I mean hey, it's a carbon frame it weighs about half as much as a typical AL frame and is much stiffer. Even though it's not finished, the bike feels extremely light when I pick it up and clamp it in the work stand.
Tires are 2.25" Racing Ralphs, I see no reason you could not run a 2.4" wide tire as there is still clearance.
Looking back at my pictures, I don't like how tall the stem and bars appear, I'm sure I will cut the stem down more and maybe even flip the stem over for a more aggressive stance but for now I have the beach cruiser look going.
Glad you saw that(tall stem - everybody has their own idea of good looking),
seems you would put spacer below and above.
How tall are you? How long is your stem.
My guess is you are near 6'
I am looking to compare to myself to see if I need to go to a 21" frame.
I am 6'1"
5) I stopped for the day when I could not assemble the XX1 crankset. For some reason there is a green thread locker on the cap of the non-drive side crank arm. The threaded cap needs to come off so the crank arm can be installed but it is stuck on there. The cranks were new, in new packaging still with hang tags so I'm not sure what is going on. I contacted the eBay seller and will most likely need to do an exchange.
I think I know what you're talking about and that's how the non-drive side crank is supposed to be. You install the crank by tightening the bolt under that cap with an 8mm allen, that cap is supposed to stay on the non-drive side crank arm permanently.
The cap acts as a self extractor when you need to remove the crank. The only time you'll remove that cap is if you need to replace the bolt under it, which hopefully is never.
Here is a look at the chain line on the FR-213 BB30 with 1x10 (32t front 11-36 rear) chain line is almost dead center on rear cog.
So far I have not felt the need for a chain guide shifting is smooth.
I think I know what you're talking about and that's how the non-drive side crank is supposed to be. You install the crank by tightening the bolt under that cap with an 8mm allen, that cap is supposed to stay on the non-drive side crank arm permanently.
The cap acts as a self extractor when you need to remove the crank. The only time you'll remove that cap is if you need to replace the bolt under it, which hopefully is never.
Now that's interesting, thanks for the heads up. I just assumed the cap needed to come off, particularly since there is a torque value printed on it. However, if the cap is to act as a self extractor, shouldn't it be able to turn?
Now that's interesting, thanks for the heads up. I just assumed the cap needed to come off, particularly since there is a torque value printed on it. However, if the cap is to act as a self extractor, shouldn't it be able to turn?
No the inner bolt will press against it to extract the arm
Could you write out a list of parts, being specific as to where you ordered and what size. I've never built a bike and am finding this really interesting.
No the inner bolt will press against it to extract the arm
Thanks tracke30m3 and dprimm, cranks went right on. I've installed and removed my share of Shimano cranks and some of those cranks have caps that you remove, so I made a bad assumption with the SRAM cranks.
Could you write out a list of parts, being specific as to where you ordered and what size. I've never built a bike and am finding this really interesting.
The specific parts you need depend a lot on your budget, preferences, what type of riding you do, etc. In the Chinese Carbon 29er thread many of the posters there list their build components.
I was thinking, it would be good to have a list of tools necessary to do a build, however, the tools needed can also depend on which components you select.
So far I've used the following tools:
1) A set of metric hex wrenches.
2) A few different sized torx bits.
3) A hammer and punch to set the crown race on the fork.
4) An external BB tool (for the GXP/BSA bottom bracket).
5) A $9 pipe cutter to size the fork tube, file and steel wool to clean up the cut.
6) A tube of Park Tools polylube (grease).
7) Park tools cable cutter.
8) Chain tool to remove links from a new chain.
9) Avid bleed kit for the Elixir brakes.
10) A tube of Blue Loctite is recommended although many of the bolts already have a patch of thread locker already on them.
I will add to the list if I missed anything but really not that many tools are needed.
Completed the build, total time about 10-12 hours, a few of those hours were spent figuring out a few things, looking for a tool I misplaced, or reading through some of the cryptic hieroglyphs on SRAM's instruction sheets, etc.
1) Front brake - Since the Elixir brakes were already pre-filled and bled it was just a matter of mounting the caliper on the fork and brake lever on the bars.
2) Crankset - See previous posts.
3) Rear dérailleur, shift cable, gripshifter, chain. I thought internal routing of the cables would be makes the install tricky but that was easy, really no different than external routing of the shift cable. I spent a stinkin' hour trying to get the rear derailleur to shift correctly. Long story not worth going into detail here but if someone else is installing an XX1 setup I will through a tip your way.
4) Rear brake - Since the Avid Elixir's are pre-bled I had to disconnect the lever, cap the end of the house with some tape, run the hose up the internal routing, install the lever on the handle bar, and reconnect the brake line to the lever. SRAM has a good video on their website that goes through dealing with the brake line. Also, I spent a bit of time making sure I did not cross thread the caliper mounting bolts. Last but not least I still need to bleed the rear brake since I opened the line, there is also a good video on SRAM's website for the proper way to bleed Elixir brakes.
I'm pretty much done with the build. Below is a picture of the completed bike loaded and ready to go for a ride.
I tried this website called doityourselflettering.com. Beautiful decals that were very easy to transfer to the frame. I went with 1/2 inch on the seattube and 1.5inch on the downtube. The 1/2 inch is actually .83 inches from lowest to highest point because of the lower case letter "g". It's just something you need to keep in mind when sizing it for your bike.
I ordered the absolute black chain ring. This is like the one by MRP and some others; you can remove the spider from your sram crank and install it directly. I chose the company because the machining looked great and they were the only ones that offered colors. I will post up how the installation went once completed. Oh, and it weighs nothing. Pete
Tip: Avid Elixir R Brakes and XX1 Gripshifter, not a great combination. The lever adjust knob interferes with the gripshifter not allowing the lever to mount in the proper location in front of the grip. So if you want to run a SRAM gripshifter, check your brake lever and make sure the reach adjust knob will not cause a problem.
Solutions:
1) Avid (SRAM) recommends changing out the brake lever internals using kit #11.5015.064.050, I assume this changes out the reach adjust knob and allows the lever to mount next to the gripshifter without a gap. Kit cost is approx. $25, you need to disassemble the lever assembly, install the kit, and bleed the brakes to make this work.
2) Opt for the XX1 trigger shifter. (This is what I'm going to do as I'm not a fan of the gripshifter after a couple rides). Anyone want to be an almost new gripshifter? $100 shipped, send me a PM.
3) Install brake levers that don't have reach adjust knobs that interfere with the gripshifter.
4) Install longer levers, although I've not seen any levers that are longer than the stock Avids.
This is very easy to do. You need three things, pvc pipe, rubber mallet and a 2x4. The 2x4 is your stand. You rest the bottom of the steerer tube/arch on it. Please do not place your fork on the floor and whack away at it. It's probably asking for trouble.
I used a 1/1/2 pvc pipe because I had a tapered steerer. Slide it over the steerer tube and rest it on the race. Take your rubber mallet and give the pipe a few firm taps. Make sure the race has completely set. Done.
In order to get the seat post to insert to a depth to my liking I had to do an angle cut to clear the rivets from the derailleur cable guide. I considered drilling them out since I am going 1x10 but decided against it.
Hey dprimm,
Nice ride. I just picked up the same frame and fork. How is the rear shifting working for you with the cable run that way--i.e., using ferrules to stop the housing at the frame with cable going through using the built-in internal plastic sleeve. That seems to be how you have it, right? Thanks in advance.
Reading through my post that you quoted above makes me realize I have a few typos to correct .
Here is an update after 5 rides (approx 10 hrs) on the bike:
1) Will change out the seat post to an Easton Carbon EA90.
2) Decided I liked the stem that I temporarily stole from one of my other bikes so I will be installing an Easton EA90 110mm stem. I know it seems like a long stem but so far it has been very comfortable on my back, no fatigue at all, but maybe that's the carbon frame not transmitting the vibration like the Al frames I have been riding.
3) Changing the XX1 Grip Shifter for an XX1 Trigger shifter, the Grip shifter just didn't work out for me.
Ride report:
The XMIplay IP-057 (aka HongFu FM057) in the large size feels like a tall frame. I have a riding buddy (about the same height as me, 6'-0") that likes XL frames and when he took mine for a spin he liked the size. I typically ride Large frames but there are geometry differences that will make the same size frame feel larger or smaller.
The frame feels very solid and I've had no issues at all with the frame, the headset, or the bars I ordered from China. The seatpost is not so great so I am swapping that out for the Easton EA90. The bike feels nice and light when riding, you can definitely throw it around, I think "flickable" is the term often used.
On the other hand, my weight distribution is biased to the front, as I've noticed it's a little harder to pop up the front wheel when rolling over roots and rocks. I'm sure this is a result of the longish stem I chose. I'm sure I could move the seat back and chose a shorter stem but for now the 29er is working nicely.
I initially thought I had a brake issue as the Elixir brakes did not seem to do a great job of stopping (180mm/160mm rotors). In the end it was just a matter of bedding in the pads.
Overall I'm very happy with my purchase, an equivalent name brand Carbon 29er with my level of components would have easily cost 2X the price and I would have relied on someone else to assemble it.
By assembling the bike yourself you also learn how to maintain it and fix it when something isn't working correctly.
Feel like a kid waiting for Christmas - that has to be a good thing. Will document the build as it happens...I went with the Carbonal Avenger frame and front fork.
My first tip I would like to know is for when I install the rear brake line - do I have to cut or can I undo an end and thread thru - is it better to do this at the calliper end of the handle end - or doesn't it matter? Deore M596
Build list
Carbonal Avenger Frame and Fork
Carbon seat post 400mm
Carbon Stem 110mm
Carbon Spacers
Carbon handlebars 640mm Flat
Wheelset Shimano MT55
Shimano 160mm ICE rotor
Shimano 180mm ICE rotor
SLX 10 speed rear Cluster and chain
SHIMANO Deore BR-M596 BL-M596 Hydraulic Brake Set
Front Skewer Crank Bros 5mm
Shimano brake adapter front PM/PM
Brake Olives and Inserts
Handle Grips
15mm to 5mm adapter
Alligator Gear cable
Deore Crankset and BB
Bleed Kit
WTB Silverado Seat
Joes no flats kit
ZEE rear deraillieur
WTB Bronsons 2.2
Wolftooth 32T 104 BCD
Zee front shifter
You will need to cut the hydraulic line, the compression fittings will not go through the frame. I would recommend cutting the line at the lever end as it will be easier to bleed the air out of the line at the end that is higher.
Good luck with your build, you may want to check out the Chinese 29er tips and tricks build thread also.
Had no real issues with the build. As you've said you do need to cut the rear hydro line, and I too recommend doing it from the lever end. Mine needed cutting to length anyway.
The frame was perfect and everything was faced nicely and the frame is dead straight.
The only thing I did to the Lefty was pop a couple of spacers in to reduce the travel by 20mm - making it a Lefty 29er
I got a Project 321 tapered Lefty adapter, just slots into the headset like any other steerer (I got the headset from Carbonal along with the frame).
I found this stuff by Expel (clear universal door guard) on Amazon. It is used for cars.
It is great to work with and looks to be fairly durable. Basically, just spray some water that has a bit of soap mixed in on the frame, peel of the protective layer, and stick it on. You can use your fingers to firmly press it place. Then follow up with the squeegee. It was vary easy to get the bubbles out. It is also fairly flexible, so with some patience you can work around the curves.
Had a few hours available today to work on the new bike.
Day two:
1) Installed the headset.
Thanks to peterk123 for posting his pic of the stack. Only issue was learning that a crown race that measures 39.0 mm does fit on a 38.9mm (1.5") steer tube. Even though the crown race measured small it was marked 38.9mm so I followed some YouTube directions on how to install the crown race w/o the need of special tools. Really pretty simple, tap it on with a punch and a hammer, being careful not to mark the surface of the crown race. All I did was put some tape on the punch.
2) Installed the fork.
Using a stem from one of my other bikes, I assembled the fork, marked a cut line, then used a $9 hardware store pipe cutter to cut about 2" off the fork. I left it long and will probably cut more off later as I think it's about 1/2" too long.
3) Assembled the carbon bars. No issues there.
Both wheels are on so I now have a rolling chassis. Below are a few pictures from today.
Way too much stack there IMO.
That is a broken steerer waiting to happen unless you plan on only riding bike paths.
You either need to reduce the stack or sell that puppy and get a bigger frame.
This is very easy to do. You need three things, pvc pipe, rubber mallet and a 2x4. The 2x4 is your stand. You rest the bottom of the steerer tube/arch on it. Please do not place your fork on the floor and whack away at it. It's probably asking for trouble.
I used a 1/1/2 pvc pipe because I had a tapered steerer. Slide it over the steerer tube and rest it on the race. Take your rubber mallet and give the pipe a few firm taps. Make sure the race has completely set. Done.
You dont actually need the 2x4 or mallet.
Slide the PVC pipe over the steerer (making sure your PVC pipe is a few inches longer than the steerer.
Turn the fork and PVC so that the PVC is onthe ground and the fork legs are facing the sky.
Hold the legs and then bang the fork down onto the PVC which will then push the race onto the steerer.
I went with the home made version, with the aid of my sram bleed kit. I used one sram threaded syringe at the lever, it fit perfect. I was careful. I washed it thoroughly with soap and a water and alcohol mix to make sure there was no DOT fluid in it.
At the other end was a Petco special. It consisted of a feeding syringe and aquarium pump hose. Let me take the mystery out of it. You need the 1/8 inch inside diameter. Do not get the 3/16 because fluid will go all over the place. Also get yourself some small zip ties. cinching the tube to the nipple with them will make life a lot easier.
As you can see from the pic, my bleed started from scratch because I just had to have red hose The mineral oil is nice to work with because it does not seem to have a lot of air in it. The front is the easiest because the brake hose can hang easily. Follow the youtube videos to learn how to do it.
The rear is a bit more work if your cable is internally routed because of all the bends. Gravity only kind of helps. Just be patient. I found it easiest to do the bleed process a few times. Regardless, it is hard to screw up. If you do, just bleed it again.
The new hose install is super easy with the Jagwire high flow kit. Again there are some good videos to watch. Just be careful with the banjos. The aluminum is soft. It is very easy to strip the threads. Pete
I found this stuff by Expel (clear universal door guard) on Amazon. It is used for cars.
It is great to work with and looks to be fairly durable. Basically, just spray some water that has a bit of soap mixed in on the frame, peel of the protective layer, and stick it on. You can use your fingers to firmly press it place. Then follow up with the squeegee. It was vary easy to get the bubbles out. It is also fairly flexible, so with some patience you can work around the curves.
Peter, can you post a link to where you purchased the clear film? I have the 3M film on my car but most sellers are asking quite a bit for what is basically some scrap pieces.
I haven't had much trouble with my Avid brakes but I think if I had it to do over again I might go for the XT brakes. Mineral oil is nicer to work with than DOT 5 fluid. I went with the Avid brakes partly because I have Avid Hydraulics on one of my other bikes and figured if I took a little time to learn how to install and service them it would save me from taking my bike to the LBS for them to do it.
Reasonably priced. It's more than enough to cover the trouble spots. I used it on the downtube (bottom) around crank area and the non-drive side chainstay.
I have been having a problem finding a chainguide for a 28 tooth chainring. I found one that would work but it was over 60bucks. So I picked up a KNC chainsuck thingy turned but decided I did like the aluminum bit it came with. So I made my own out keeper of Tyvek. Please take a look at it and tell me what you guys see for potential issues. I have to get the spacing right still but I think I may be close.
This is the "prototype", once I know it works I will make one that is better looking. Pete
Should work fine as long as you get the spacing set right on either side of the chain ring.
Peter, just curious but why not go with something like a Wolftooth 28T chainring and forget needing a chain guide? In case you have not heard of what I'm talking about: Direct Mount for SRAM GXP Cranks | wolftoothcycling.com
just as a note. this interference is due to the grip shifter being installed the wrong way around.
As far as i know, i have always, and only ever seen the grip shift pods being installed with the barrel and cable BELOW the brake lever - which will mean the lever adjust feature is clear to access
just as a note. this interference is due to the grip shifter being installed the wrong way around.
As far as i know, i have always, and only ever seen the grip shift pods being installed with the barrel and cable BELOW the brake lever - which will mean the lever adjust feature is clear to access
Nope, tried it both ways, does't work. That's when I called SRAM and asked about it.
Placed starnut on top of it then put the starnut bolt through.
Grabbed one of those little knurled nuts used for presta valves and threaded it onto the bolt.
If you use a 3/8 socket, the little round nut kind of jams itself into the socket hole, just tight enough so you can unthread the bolt when the process is completed.
Drop the whole thing into the steerer and gently whack with hammer.
I originally tried using the a compression nut. That thing sucked. I could not get enough pressure onto the bearings to get all the play out of the steerer. Starnut solved that problem.
This is the Neco headset that came with my IP-057 frame. Simple to install, it is an expanding star nut design that flares out with you tighten the hex bolt on top.
Either your stem or carbon shim needs to be above the top of the steer tube for it to tighten down correctly. It is a little tricky to get exact amount of play in the headset stack.
Not sure if this design is any improvement over the old star nut design but the install is pretty easy.
Yup....have the same one. My steerer is about an 1/8inch below the shim stack. It seems like this system would bind up before I could get enough upward pull.
The odd thing about the way it tightens down is you need to "pre-tighten" the hex bolt to expand the nut to be slightly less than the ID of the steer tube before you assemble it. This is required for it to grab the inside wall of the steer tube, otherwise it will just turn and never tighten. I found it a little odd but it works and since the clamp on the stem is what holds everything in place I don't see any potential problems with the design.
This is the Neco headset that came with my IP-057 frame. Simple to install, it is an expanding star nut design that flares out with you tighten the hex bolt on top.
Either your stem or carbon shim needs to be above the top of the steer tube for it to tighten down correctly. It is a little tricky to get exact amount of play in the headset stack.
Not sure if this design is any improvement over the old star nut design but the install is pretty easy.
Epic_Dude,
Did you need to use those two small silver spacers? If so, where would you insert them?
Did you need to use those two small silver spacers? If so, where would you insert them?
The spacers go under the top black cap, if needed they space off the cap from the frame. I guess it depends on how deep the upper bearing sits in the frame.
There is a picture at the beginning of this thread.
The spacers go under the top black cap, if needed they space off the cap from the frame. I guess it depends on how deep the upper bearing sits in the frame.
There is a picture at the beginning of this thread.
Thanks for the tip. I used the pvc pipe method discussed elsewhere for setting the crown race. Worked like a charm. After I cut the pipe I used a round file on the interior of the pipe so that it would mate nicely with the crown race before tapping it down. Like this. It's moving right along...
Prior to my ride I changed the air pressure, rebound, compression, and flood gate. What I got was a much more responsive fork and smoother ride.
1) Air pressure (the two air fittings on the dual air fork) - Using the o-ring, I checked my sag and found that even though the air pressure was right for my weight, there was too much sag so I added some air with my shock pump, matching pressures in both the positive and negative air chambers.
2) Rebound (the black knob on the bottom of the fork) - I set the rebound to about 20% from the fastest setting. Some sections of the trails I ride are pretty fast (20+ mph), there are lots of small rocks and roots on the trails so a faster rebound setting seemed like it should work well.
3) Compression - (the blue anodized knob on top of the fork) just a few clicks from fully open. I wanted to use most of the fork travel.
4) Flood gate setting - (the silver knob on top of the blue knob) This one is a little tricky and had more affect than I anticipated, even when the fork is not totally locked out. I set this about 25% from fully open.
The above settings made a very noticeable difference, fork was much smoother and took away much of the harshness I was feeling on the trial. I hope my feedback helps others get their forks setup for a better ride.
Hello
I have been building up a FLX-FR-219 (frame and Fork). I am a bit concerned that the top bearing in the head tube is loose. The bearing is placed easily into the formed head tube channel. expansion nut and preload is firm and to torque specs.
To those that have been building their frames - has the bearing required some force/pressure to place into the channel or have you encountered the similair issues?
It may result in 2 options:
1. Return/Exchange Frame
2. Find slightly larger bearing (diameter)
Hello
I have been building up a FLX-FR-219 (frame and Fork). I am a bit concerned that the top bearing in the head tube is loose. The bearing is placed easily into the formed head tube channel. expansion nut and preload is firm and to torque specs.
To those that have been building their frames - has the bearing required some force/pressure to place into the channel or have you encountered the similair issues?
It may result in 2 options:
1. Return/Exchange Frame
2. Find slightly larger bearing (diameter)
Any advice would be helpful
Mine just dropped in like yours. I used a starnut instead of the expanding nut, which really helped to take any play whatsoever out of the steerer. Pete
Here is what I did what my fork settings; I think almost opposite from Epic. I have been screwing around for a couple of weeks with it before settling on it this way (mine is the solo air SID):
I ended up setting the compression one click from full and only about 5 or 6 clicks on the floodgate. This allowed me to lower my pressure a bit, not affecting my sag, (about 92lbs of air and I weigh 175) and smoothing out the bumps when going slow. The other thing I found that will affect how much air to use is the length of my stem and height of my bars. I went short stem, wider bars and almost level with my seat (I used to be much lower). This seemed to lighten up my front quite a bit.
The biggest thing I noticed was in the lightly bermed turns. I never understood why I would wash out at times with my sx trail. It was because I had the fork set too soft. The hardtail xc bike really turns nice. I am using all of my travel, but it takes a pretty good shot to do it. I hit a small drop, about three feet, and it felt like butter. Of course, it had a nice transition, which always helps.
Finally, I don't feel like I am stacking up while going fast. I realized when I had the fork too soft it didn't seem to matter how fast the rebound was; I would stack up on multiple fast hits and run out of travel. Not anymore.
I am almost ready for a final pic of my bike. I am waiting for a hiflex seatpost and a new light saddle. Once those are in, the bike is finally complete with all the little bugs worked out.
Mine just dropped in like yours. I used a starnut instead of the expanding nut, which really helped to take any play whatsoever out of the steerer. Pete
Some questions.
1. Did anyone use carbon paste or deem it necessary for seat post or handlebars?
2. Did you guys use torque wrenches?
I'm having a heck of a time finding an accurate one in my area need to look online. Never used one before but since these are carbon parts on these frames/bikes it seems necessary.
Some questions.
1. Did anyone use carbon paste or deem it necessary for seat post or handlebars?
2. Did you guys use torque wrenches?
I'm having a heck of a time finding an accurate one in my area need to look online. Never used one before but since these are carbon parts on these frames/bikes it seems necessary.
Always use a carbon paste and torque wrench on my bikes.
Have not needed carbon paste but I don't think it is bad idea if you wanted to apply some, and yes it is a good idea to torque the bolts to spec whenever possible. Harbor Freight sells decent inexpensive tools online, invest in a torque wrench and bits your carbon components will thank you for it.
I have the FSA headset purchased from XMIplay;With an adapter for non tapered fork.
If a the starnut is already installed on fork do I need to replace it with this one (pic) for people headset/fork install?
Still having issue with headset. I ordered from XMIPLAY and they sent what they said was a FSA no42. Although it sure doesnt look like it, all the pieces in the picture were in a little box.
I received an adapter which was basically the crown race that fits my fork (not pictured but fits perfect)
However the headset either ends up too tight or too loose. Ive tried micro adjusting ,removing/adding headset spacers ,and I cant get things right. Either its so stiff it barely turns ,or so loose I can feel it move when braking or moving fork.
This is how I stacked them.
1. Dust cap on top with rubber washer already inside.
2.Red aluminum spacer/wedge with slot.
3. Bearing (orange side facing outward.
Hi, I am assuming you have a 1 1/8 straight steerer? I have never used the adapter but number 5 looks like the crown race for the tapered steerer. Can No 5 slide over the adapter you place on your steerer; meaning your adapter would fit inside no 5?
Hi, I am assuming you have a 1 1/8 straight steerer? I have never used the adapter but number 5 looks like the crown race for the tapered steerer. Can No 5 slide over the adapter you place on your steerer; meaning your adapter would fit inside no 5?
Yes straight steerer.
It won't fit under, and over is just same result.
Last edited by manmythlegend; 07-11-2013 at 01:17 AM.
#6 is your crown race. Also, it seems to me you need some of those micro-spacers in Silent Drone's image as I suspect once assembled and torqued, the top cap is binding on the upper part of the head tube due to the lack of spacers.
1. Starting with the fork in hand, the crown race (#6) should be installed so it is flush with the fork crown at the base of the steer tube
2. Slide the bearing (#4) with bevel side (Side with the orange seal) facing down so that the bevel on the race matches the inner bevel of the bearing.
3. Slide fork steer tube into headtube of frame.
4. With orange seal of bearing #3 with facing up, slide bearing down onto steer tube until it sits flush in headtube.
5. Slide #2 red slip ring with bevel side down then apply force until bevel slips into bevel in upper bearing.
6. Slide top cap down steer tube onto slip ring/upper bearing and the assembly should turn freely with little wiggle/wobble otherwise you add micro spacers to prevent topcap from binding on head tube.
Way too much stack there IMO.
That is a broken steerer waiting to happen unless you plan on only riding bike paths.
You either need to reduce the stack or sell that puppy and get a bigger frame.
I would agree IF it were a carbon steerer. It's not.
"Either way it doesn't really matter, I just got back from a bike ride."
> dbhammercycle
To the avid brake fans out there
I am sure you all have encountered the cable stop bolt issue with the avids and not enough room to get the allen wrench in because of the frame
My solution:
Take an old allen wrench and cut some off to make it fit
Works like a champ
Most people are installing hydraulic brakes, the Shimano XT brakes are simply amazing, but thanks for posting for those that still like the Avid cable brakes.
Most people are installing hydraulic brakes, the Shimano XT brakes are simply amazing, but thanks for posting for those that still like the Avid cable brakes.
I know most folks run hydros
I have tried many hydros in the past and always go back to avids just because of the pure simplicity.
Some of the guys I ride with give me crap for still running Avids
I know that the new XT hydros are supposed to be awesome.
Hi guys.
I have just received the frame and fork from LTbikes (ltk023), and i'm now ready to order some new wheels.
On the fork, does any of you know what axle size it supports-9mm qr, 15mm or 20mm?
thanks.
I'm building my FM036. I ordered some of the XPel guard tape as recommended in this thread. What locations have folks here seen wear that the tape might help protect?
I would apply the Xpel where the cables might rub, on the chain stay above and below the chain line, as well as on the chain stays where you heals may rub, maybe also apply some on the underside of the bottom bracket and down tube.
In order to get the seat post to insert to a depth to my liking I had to do an angle cut to clear the rivets from the derailleur cable guide. I considered drilling them out since I am going 1x10 but decided against it.
Pic of how the assembly of the Necco Headset should look. The bearings press fairly easily into the headtube (pic from Chinese Carbon 29er thread).
I have the same headset but mine at the bottom headtube to where the fork and frame meets there's not much gap, ive heared thats theres should be atkeast 1mm gap but mine is totally flushed together. Any advice to make it work?
Dude that sure is sweet and so light. Would you mine posting up your components build list for all of us to reference
FR-219 frame and fork
Bontrager carbon bars
ESI Chunky grips
Hylix stem
KCNC spacers
Forte Carbon Pro SLX seat (Tioga Spyder D in photo)
Hylix carbon seatpost
KCNC clamp
Sun Ringle Black Flag Pro wheelset
Halo bolt on skewers
Avid Elixir 7 brakeset
Wellgo WO-1 pedals
Bontrager carbon crankset
MRP 32T Bling Ring
BEER EBB
KMC-810SL
Endless 20t cog
KCNC 160 rotors
Racing Ralph 2.25/r
Racing Ralph 2.35/f
Tubeless
It's sitting at just over 17 lbs now with the seat change.
Pretty much everything purchased on eBay with the exception of the wheels which were on sale at Price Point for $369. I think I have about $1300 into the entire build. Not too bad.
"Either way it doesn't really matter, I just got back from a bike ride."
> dbhammercycle
Still having issue with headset. I ordered from XMIPLAY and they sent what they said was a FSA no42. Although it sure doesnt look like it, all the pieces in the picture were in a little box.
I received an adapter which was basically the crown race that fits my fork (not pictured but fits perfect)
However the headset either ends up too tight or too loose. Ive tried micro adjusting ,removing/adding headset spacers ,and I cant get things right. Either its so stiff it barely turns ,or so loose I can feel it move when braking or moving fork.
This is how I stacked them.
1. Dust cap on top with rubber washer already inside.
2.Red aluminum spacer/wedge with slot.
3. Bearing (orange side facing outward.
The #5 supposed to go to the stter tube of ur fork. If im not mistaken.
We have the same headset from xmiplay, but mine the problem is the is so much binding on the top and bottom headset.
FR202 question: Bought an FR202 second hand off of Ebay. There doesn't seem to be any frame cable stops for the internal frame shifting routes. Tried both shimano and jagwire derailleur housing with ferrules on the end and both slide though frame easily (see pic). I would like to run bare cable through frame, if possible. Anyone have recommendations on what to use for a cable stop? thanks
FR202 question: Bought an FR202 second hand off of Ebay. There doesn't seem to be any frame cable stops for the internal frame shifting routes. Tried both shimano and jagwire derailleur housing with ferrules on the end and both slide though frame easily (see pic). I would like to run bare cable through frame, if possible. Anyone have recommendations on what to use for a cable stop? thanks
Internal braking is designed for hydraulic lines. Try another hole it may be the wrong one.
FR202 question: Bought an FR202 second hand off of Ebay. There doesn't seem to be any frame cable stops for the internal frame shifting routes. Tried both shimano and jagwire derailleur housing with ferrules on the end and both slide though frame easily (see pic). I would like to run bare cable through frame, if possible. Anyone have recommendations on what to use for a cable stop? thanks
I'm running my 202 as a single speed so I haven't run a shift cable. If it fits, why don't you just run full length housing? It will shift better anyway.
"Either way it doesn't really matter, I just got back from a bike ride."
> dbhammercycle
Building up a 17.5 FR-202. I have a few question I need answered. I'm sure they have been pointed out somewhere before. Just to many pages to go through.
I'm using spare parts I had around to save on money. I will be using a fox 34 ctd, 140mm travel. I will be lowering the travel to about 110mm. Question, will the head tube support a 110-120mm travel fork for light xc trail racing?
Second question, what post to post disk brake adapter do I need to run 180mm rotor in the rear?
Finally, frame calls for a 36.6 seatpost clamp. Will a 36.4 do, or will this effect the integrity of the seat collar? Thanks for the help in advance.