BigBlueToe

Yeah. I'm building another bike. The best part is, I told my wife and she didn't question my judgement. She was even supportive. She's the best!

I've been toying with the idea of doing a summer tour on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail. Of course, that means deciding on what bike and rig to do it on. I think it has to be a mountain bike, but should it be rigid, hardtail, dual suspension? V-brakes, mechanical discs, or hydraulic? Should it be 26" wheels or a 29er? Should I carry my stuff with panniers on racks, or pull my Bob trailer?

My choice (as of this month....) is a 29er with mechanical disc brakes, a suspension fork but rigid rear, racks and panniers. I was checking a forum about 29ers and heard that Performance had a frame on sale for $99. I checked into it. They did, in my size (23") and 21". I read a bunch of reviews on it and everyone said they loved it.

I love building up bikes so I did it. I entered my credit card number and bought the thing! It came Saturday and it's very pretty and very light.

The reasons I like to build bikes up from a frame are:

1. I can pick and choose the components and get exactly what I want - be a little extravagent here, save a little there, etc. I can choose parts for the type of riding I intend to do.
2. I get to put the thing together myself, which is fun. It also makes me more confident when I have to work on it, knowing I installed everything myself.
3. The biggest reason is that I don't have to take the whole cost out of the family budget at once. I can spend what I can afford this month, some more next month, etc., until it's finished. It doesn't seem so extravagent that way.

The bad thing about doing it this way is that I inevitably end up spending much more in the long run than if I'd just bought a whole bike in the first place. But I get exactly the bike I want, so it's worth it to me.

With the money from this month that I'm "allowed" to spend I bought the frame, a fork, hubs, and brakes.

I have no pictures yet, but I know it doesn't exist without pictures so I'll try and get some up soon.

BigAura

I guess that means your bride gets to spend $*2

Daspydyr 

I'm looking forward to you posting your build pictures. Sounds great.

BluesDawg

Fun times!

BigBlueToe

Here's the frame. I got it for $99. A week later they cost $199. I guess that justifies the purchase, right?



When I was considering buying the frame I read a bunch of reviews by owners. They were all positive. One thing they praised was the quality of the welds. I don't know much about that but I thought I'd show this for the weld connoisseurs. As long as it's sturdy that's good enough for me.



Nice headbadge, I guess. It's made in China. For $99 I guess it would have to be?

BigBlueToe

The fittings are not what I'm used to. Is it to accomodate hydraulic lines? I don't know. I'm going to use mechanical discs for the Great Divide ride. Maybe someday I'll replace them with hydros. I'd like to try both.



It's a unistay connecting to seatstays. More interesting fittings.



Some reviewers talked about needing to have the bottom bracket thingy (I'm forgetting terms) chased and faced (are those the right terms?) I'm going to take it to my local mechanic and see what he thinks.

BigBlueToe

Interesting dropouts. This will be my first bike with disc brakes.



Replaceable derailleur hanger. It came with two. The reviewers said that Tektro derailleur hangers will fit. Good to know if two turns out not to be enough.



Here's the fork I bought. It's not a very good picture. I'll post more when it's mounted. I just brought the bike and fork to my local guy today. He's going to pick out a good headset for me and install it. It came with a headset but most of the reviewers said it was really funky and pretty suspect. I'd rather go with a good one - something reliable.



Here's the rear hub I bought. It's an XT with 36 spokes. I also bought a front hub, but my mechanic says it won't fit. The shock has a through axle, and the hub isn't suited for it. It's the only good 36 hole disc hub I could find, but he says he thinks they make one that will work with this shock. I'm dealing with all sorts of new stuff on this build. Fun! I love learning new things.

If anyone has any advice on this project at any time, feel free to chime in.

My guy is going to look for a crankset and see if the frame needs any reworking before he installs it. I think I'm going to lace my own wheels. I bought Avid BB7 brakes and Avid levers. I'll try and install them myself. If it doesn't work, I'll go back to my guy. (Mark at Baywood Cyclery, Los Osos, CA. "The happiest little bike shop on Earth!")