Mountain Biking - New bike is done...first impressions and pics!

Well I finally finished my Major Jake build-up tonight. I know it's a CX frame but it'll basically be used as a 29" MTB as well as my winter commuter. I figured that this setup would be the best of both worlds and so far, it feels great. I took it out tonight on the singletrack near my house and my first thought is..."Wow, this thing is fast!". It was dark out and I had just bought a Light & Motion Solo Logic so I was also trying that out for the first time, and riding that trail in the dark for the first time.

Well the bike does feel extremely fast on the trails. I took some of the really steep hills out of the creek valley and I felt like I was climbing way faster than I normally could on the Rockhopper, in a higher gear. I also took it down a couple of the steep valley walls and it felt great descending. And with the light, I felt like I could go as fast as I normally do during the day. I'm going to use it to commute to work tomorrow and I am looking forward to taking it on more singletrack trails tomorrow night.

I built this bike on a moderately cheap budget but I am extremely happy with the way it turned out, I think it actually looks pretty sweet too. I waited on deals for most of the parts (i.e., eBay, LBS) or I bought parts to upgrade the Rockhopper and swapped the RH parts onto the Major Jake. I haven't added up what I spent on it, nor have I weighed it yet. It's light, being a full rigid and all, but not super light because I went for durability on some parts, rather than weight savings (i.e., Mavic 36H touring rims).

Well, here is the build:
Major Jake frame, 2001, previously assembled but never used, 58cm
Kona P2 Disc fork
Tange cartridge headset
Specialized 120mm, -6deg stem
Truvativ XC Race flat bar
Specialized grips
Deore shifters
Deore front derailleur
LX rear derailleur
Truvativ 5D crank with 44/32/22 (going to get larger rings)
Truvativ BB
Shimano HG-53 chain
105 cassette (12-25)
Hayes brake levers
Hayes HMX-1 front brake with 8" rotor
Shimano Acera (I think) rear V-brake, will be upgraded to Avid SD SL when the Rockhopper gets discs
Mavic A719 36H black rims
DT Swiss Competition silver spokes and brass nipples
Hayes Elite front hub w/XT skewer
Shimano Tiagra rear hub w/Specialized skewer
Hutchinson Gold Elite Pro CX tires 700x30 (want to try something fatter)
MEC tubes and rim tape
GT seatpost
Kalloy seat binder
Specialized BG saddle

And here are the pictures:

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD5.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD4.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD3.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD2.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD1.JPG
I just threw the light onto the bar to try it out...it worked great but now it is on the helmet which should work better for the tight, twisty singletrack I ride near my house.

I dig :D

Sweetness!

I intend on going the opposite way when I get my Jake the Snake. I plan on doing the "big boy roadie" thing on it.

not bad at all!

but isn't it like heresy to put a Specialized part on a KONA?!

gasp!

Very nice. I'm starting to regret selling my cyclocross bike now that bad weather is getting here. I am actually thinking about building a new one. I just have to figure out a way to hide it from the wifey. :)

Thanks guys. I rode it to work this morning and it felt great. Obviously limited with the smaller chainrings but fast, nonetheless. I can tell I am going to have fun with this bike! I have to be out of the house with the dog tonight for a couple of hours so I should really be able to get comfortable with it on the singletrack.

rev - I not too worried about that because it was the cheapest stem my LBS had in the size/angle I needed, plus I like both brands.

I intend on going the opposite way when I get my Jake the Snake. I plan on doing the "big boy roadie" thing on it.

That's the cool thing with these bikes, you can go either way and still have a great ride.

That's the cool thing with these bikes, you can go either way and still have a great ride.
Yup. So far I think the biggest mods will be a 52 tooth big ring a set of actual road tires (25's or 28's) and a chain swap

Well I have gotten the bike dirty and I'm having a lot of fun with it. But with the bike being a full rigid combined with the small volume tires, it's a rough ride on the singletrack trails and the rear tire really gets thrown around over wet roots (when compared to the larger volume tires on the Rockhopper). I think I'll wait until the winter to see if I should look into larger volume times, something like a Kenda Klaw 29x2.1, or something with studs. I'll just have to check how large of a tire the frame can take.

Some more pics with dirt on the bike...

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD9.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD7.JPG

http://members.shaw.ca/ehartman/images/MJ/MJD6.JPG

Oh, and I just weighed it and it came in at 25lbs as pictured in the previous post, that's a pound heavier than the Rockhopper.

hold up, what exactly is a cyclocross bike used for?

is it like used on light xc conditions, and like a road bike to get the speed of one?

Nice bike, never. It looks...eager.

Good job, although the 203mm front rotor l@@ks a bit overkill....

Who am I 2 Judge?

hold up, what exactly is a cyclocross bike used for?

is it like used on light xc conditions, and like a road bike to get the speed of one?

WikiPedia to the rescue:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclocross

Good job, although the 203mm front rotor l@@ks a bit overkill....

Who am I 2 Judge?

Yeah, it is definitely overkill. I was looking for a 6" setup but I got it used for really cheap so I couldn't complain. For $35US, I got everything, front and back including levers, calipers, cables, housing, rotors, adapters, pads, etc.