Holy crap, gman! You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. (this thread...not the build)

Pretty controversial subject asking for general brands of crap



Who are you? Are you the XC guy who's gonna be churning out lap times? Are you that guy who just wants to see the very end of the trail? Are you that one dude who launched that last step-down? Are you the rich yuppie that just wants the best crap available?



I highly suggest Shimano XT drivetrains with SRAM chains. XT cassette, XT Shadow rear derailleur, XT crankset, XT front derailleur, XT shifters.


If you wanna save some money at the cost of a tad-bit-o-weight...check out Shimano SLX stuff. It's all excellent.



SRAM X.9 is ~ XT level stuff...I've found XT to last a bit longer.
SRAM X.7 is ~ SLX level stuff...I've found it to be pretty-much as good as LX level Shimano stuff.


I've just become pretty-much a die-hard XT guy given the experience I've had with X.9.