Mountain Biking - She's done and she's beautiful!

Turned out better than I thought it would. Final weight ended up at around 25.6 pounds. I was expecting 27 lbs. considering the fork and frame are very heavy. The XT stuff must be REALLY light. Great call on the Eggbeater SS pedals. I've only pedaled around the neighborhood a few times but they are FAR easier to clip into than any clipless I've ridden, including my Speedplays I had on my tri bike.

The bike feels much lighter than my previous MTB. Maybe that's because I haven't ridden in 10 years but even with that many years off the bike, I could throw an 8" bunny hop effortlessly.

The disks haven't been broken in yet and it shows :) Can't lock up the rear wheel yet but it hasn't had a real stop yet. I'm running the fork as an air fork instead of a coil and it seems surprisingly plush with less static friction than I expected. Enough babbling for a bike that hasn't even seen a road ride, let alone dirt, yet.

Pics:

http://bellsouthpwp.net/c/r/croakhall/Bike1.jpg

http://bellsouthpwp.net/c/r/croakhall/bike2.jpg

Wow! that things a little beast! its amazing the changes that can be noticed between a 10 year old bike and a new bike....

Congrats on the new rig, when you planning on starting to race with it?

Thanks! I can't wait to put some winter miles on it.

There is an 11 race series here in Georgia that I'm hoping to ride some/most of. I haven't seen the schedule for this year but it started in late March and went to early November in 2004. I'm horribly out of shape right now but I tend (ed) to get bike fitness back relatively quickly. I'd love to be ready to race in April.

Very nice! A work of art. HT simplicity at its finest!

Very nice...

Nice!:)

needs to be single speed

looks great!
how about a full spec list?

jeff

Nice bike indeed! I cant quite tell but are those EC70 handlebars? I've got those and im quite happy with them. You've got yourself a nice looking steed.

They are EA70 handlebars I think.

Oh yea, they are. I didnt see the logo on the second picture. Well im fond of easton handlebars anyway

Glad you asked :)

Full spec list:
Frame: Fetish Discipline 16"
Fork: Marzocchi MX Comp 2004
Drivetrain: All Shimano XT 9 speed
Hubs: Shimano XT
Wheels: Mavic 717 Disk with DT spokes (DB)
Tires: Maxxis Minotaur Full Knob
Seatpost: Thomson Elite
Saddle: Generic old Specialized
Pedals: Crank Bros. Eggbeater SS
Headset: Race Face Deus
Stem: Race Face Deus 120mm
Handlebar: Easton EC70
Brake levers: Avid Speed Dial 7
Brakes: Avid BB Mechs
Grips: Lizard Skins

Only thing I'm thinking about changing out is the seatpost. I may switch to the setback version and sell the straight one. Anyone in the market for a slightly used Thompson Elite :)

wow man, very nice work, not only does it have very funstional components, but she looks sweet....incredulas man, truly a work of art

If you don't mind me askin'...what was the total tally $ ?

Damn sweet if you ask me...

Only thing I would have liked was a riser bar rather than a straight bar...I have wide shoulders and the straight bars tweak my wrists a bit...

Looks nice. It will be good to hear what you think of the frame once you get some miles on it.

Cool looking bike :)

Very Nice.

nice what was total cost?

I like it a lot... and that's a really nice weight for not even using the lightest of everything out there. Still clocked in under 26 lbs even with XT hubs and nothing carbon or titanium. Let us know how it rides, Akak :)

Total price, including shipping on parts I ordered and the build-up charge was a bit under $1700.

A similarly spec'd Specialized, which would obviously have a superior frame and fork but inferior headset, pedals, bar, stem, etc. runs $2800. And I guarantee I had more fun spec'ing and building this bike than I would have if I gone into a shop and pulled one off the rack!

...And I guarantee I had more fun spec'ing and building this bike than I would have if I gone into a shop and pulled one off the rack!


Well said! Looks like you need to change your signature. :p :)

What racing series are you talking about in GA (I'm in Macon)? I'm getting back into the MTB thing myself after hit-and-miss riding for 7 or so years. Unlike you, though, I'm not getting a new bike. Of course, there's nothing wrong with mine really, so I just have to get into shape. :o

Georgia Mountain Bike Series 2004 (http://www.georgiamountainbikeseries.org/)

I'm assuming there will be a 2005 series. I found it on the Sorba (http://www.sorba.org) page. If you're ever up in the north Atlanta area, give me a shout!

krachall@yahoo.com

Looks great.

Georgia Mountain Bike Series 2004 (http://www.georgiamountainbikeseries.org/)

I'm assuming there will be a 2005 series. I found it on the Sorba (http://www.sorba.org) page. If you're ever up in the north Atlanta area, give me a shout!

krachall@yahoo.com

Thanks for the info! Actually my brother and his wife bought a house in the Woodstock area just a couple/few weeks ago.

What are your first impressions of that frame? What makes you say the specialized would be better? I'm just curious cause i'm looking at one of the fetish road frames.

And that IS one sweet looking ride, congrats.

looks sweet
i love hardtails
someday ill build me one just like that

What are your first impressions of that frame? What makes you say the specialized would be better? I'm just curious cause i'm looking at one of the fetish road frames.

And that IS one sweet looking ride, congrats.

Ya know...I'm really not sure why I assume a Specialized would be a better frame. Maybe it's just that the thing was only $99. For all I know, it was made in the same shop in Taiwan as a Specialized or Trek.

The welds aren't perfect. There's a tiny gap between the head tube bead and the gusset bead. I also don't like the way the bottle cage bosses don't lie flush with the frame but it's an ovalized down tube and someone here mentioned that it's common for the beads not to match.

I'll take some closeups of some of the "flaws" tonight and post them. They may be purely cosmetic for all Know.