Mountain Biking - help me choose my 29er frame

Ok so its that time of year when I get the itch to start a new project. I want to build a HT 29er, possibly a 1x9 drivetrain and i need to keep the total cost under $1500. As you can see in my sig that I really want the Niner EMD but im not dead set on it yet. Any other frame ideas? I was thinking about maybe the Giant xtc-2 29 frame or for really cheap the sette razzo 29er frame which is only $180 and has good reviews. Lets hear how you guys would build this up frame, fork, and drivetrain.

I'd get a Vassago Bandersnatch if I were building a geared, HT or rigid 29er. That frame is $479 I believe.

You could do a pricepoint build kit - SRAM x9 is $739. You'd get a 3 ring crankset though so you could figure out what to do with the crank from there. Then you just need a fork.

I have looked into the pricepoint build kits and although I love pricepoint www.jensonusa.com has a better deal for me. They let you completely customize it, I already have most of the parts for the cockpit so a kit minus those parts is only about $600. So im ganna have $600 in parts probably $400 in a decent fork and that gives me $500 for a frame. those vassagos are pretty sweet but dont come in a size that I like and man they are heavy for a hardtail.

Yeah you'll gain a little weight going with steel over AL. My 20" single speed came in right at 24lbs and I wasn't doing the weight weenie thing ;)

wow 24lbs isnt bad at all. is that was a suspension fork or rigid? is steel that much better of a ride, I know people who ride steel love it. I am right in between there sizes of 16" and 18" but with the right stem length it would work.

Im also looking at maybe finding a redline steel frame for cheap. anyone have opinions on redlines 29ers?

I'm partial to Gary Fishers (obviously due to me owning one) but you can get the Rig as a frameset with a msrp of like $989. I am pretty sure you could probably end up getting it for around $700-800 if check your local trek/fisher shops. I love my Rig, but those Niner frames are sexy too!

I like my Surly Karate Monkey - many options of how to set it up and bombproof...

I Like the Nine Frames but what about the Surly Karate Monkey?

Jamis Dragon 29, Reynolds 853 steel. I built one up, and am really enjoying it. There are still '09 frames available thru Jamis dealers-

I'm partial to Gary Fishers (obviously due to me owning one) but you can get the Rig as a frameset with a msrp of like $989. I am pretty sure you could probably end up getting it for around $700-800 if check your local trek/fisher shops. I love my Rig, but those Niner frames are sexy too!

Its like you read my mind. for that price it comes with the fox fork right? I also thought about buying it as a complete and putting 9spds in the back if i can find a deal. the rear hub is compatible with a cassette isnt it?

As far as the karate monkey goes I know its a proven workhorse but I dont think its what Im lookin for

The Rig is a sweet bike. It's a pretty great deal too, especially considering the suspended fork for < $1000

So im very interested in the rig now and maybe even man up and keep it a single speed

i've made my decision. Went to my trek store to order a rig and they just happen to have an 09 paragon frame with the fox fork and a single speed crank(Bontrager) and a headset for $500. Holy sh*t i feel like I robbed them. They did try to convince me that I need some bontrager race X lites but $900 for a wheelset is out of my league right now. Any good wheelset recommendations?

Paul Components hubs and Stans rims. I have the Arch on my singlespeed and it's been a great wheel. I weigh just under 200 lbs. If I were 20-30 lbs heavier I'd go with the Flows.

I looked into building stans/pauls wheels and it will set me back about $685(thats with the dt swiss competition whit spokes at $3/spoke) from prowheelbuilder.com, has anyone ever used this company before?

They can also build me stans 355 rims with xt hubs and dt swiss competition spokes for $418 and they weigh 1885.9g

I have XT hubs on my single speed. They're OK. Kind of heavy. The rear had a problem when I first got it - something inside the hub was loose, which caused the hub to seize on me during a ride. My friend and LBS mechanic was able to repair it. It's been solid since then, only needing minor adjustment.

That is an amazing deal! That F29 fork alone is worth that money. Great job. I built up an '07 paragon 29er frame and sure could have used a deal like that. Hope you enjoy the fork...I think it's the greatest 29er component available.