ed 

I made a 21" work for me for a season...I'm 6'1.5" and 34" inseam. I was stretched out a bit, but it worked.

I prefer a 19" for trails and 18" for "fun riding". I rode my wife's 17.5" and thought it felt pretty good. My 18.5" Komodo feels pretty roomy right now...and that's with a 35mm stem. If you're starting from scratch Sam...I'd go 17-18, but go to a shop and ride a few to see what fits ya.

mtnbiker66

Thats the poing right there. One of the funniest things on the forum is how people know what size bike feels right to to someone else.

Lamabb

What's the car for?

samburger

Damn, didn't see that in the reviews I found. I'll take your word for it though. I'd rather spend a little more on something good than get 3 weeks of blissful riding out of a FS & then be out of a frame with no warranty. I forgot all about that KHS frame, & I'll check out some of the other links you posted. Thanks for the heads up.

I won't go into debt over this. If I was really being irresponsible, I'd do what I really want to do & just drop $1k on a used FS. But I just got a promotion after working at my job for one month. 15% pay raise, guaranteed 35+hrs/week (coming from 25-30 to begin with), & the potential for full time in a year when I turn 21. This is how I'm rewarding myself. I'll probably get a nice wheelset for Christmas & save up for a decent fork before spring time. Everything else I'll just piece together whenever I get the money.

samburger

Bit the bullet & ordered the KHS frame from wheelworld. Just too good to pass up. It'll set me back on how soon I'll be able to start gathering components, but it'll be worth it when I get everything put together & actually have a frame I can count on. Can't wait to see it in the flesh!

trx1

build as u can afford to i say! no matter what it is....as long as your happy with the results. forget what the rich say!

Mike Gager

if you are looking to finance a bicycle you have way more problems then can be addressed here. just go to a garage sale and get a $20 bike

samburger

...says the new guy with 12 posts who is either incredibly stupid or has difficulties being sarcastic online. I just bought a frame alone that was on closeout for $300. What makes you think I'm interested in a Schwinn?

OC Noob Rider

Touche...

samburger

The frame is in! Can't find my mom's camera so I'll have to make due with my phone for now. Better pictures before too long. So far all I can say is I'm in love. This thing looks & feels plenty burly to withstand the abuse my Wahoo can't. A little on the heavy side, but weight isn't a major concern to me.



More here:
https://s846.photobucket.com/albums/a...er077/bicycle/

Yeah, not the greatest pictures ever. This bike will be an amazing lesson in patience, because I want to slap some parts on this thing & take it to the trails NOW! I'm ecstatic though. My goal is to get this bike put together without the assistance of my LBS. I've got a MTBing friend who does all his own maintenance & assembly, & has the tool necessary to help me out with everything from basic assembly to cutting the steerer tube. If anyone has any quality components they're looking to sell, let me know. I've still got a little left on my budget--$50 or so--before I have to call it quits until Christmas.n I just want to get something on this bike so I can call it more than just a frame.

dminor 

And a Horst link too . . . very nice. I took the liberty of embedding one of the pics in the post above - - hope you don't mind.

I can see where it gained a bit of weight: that's are some pretty serious gusseting for an XC frame - - something that you'll not regret, though, as you start doing things on it you shouldn't .

mtnbiker66

Cool beans.....

ed 

Yah man...I was like...WHAT THE FLIPPIN HORST?! That'll be a fun project, Samwise.

I have a Marz 55 I'd sell ya for your budget. (plus a few)

BurnNotice

Great Sam! I have the KHS XC204 frame I did on my build and love it. Those KHS bikes are great rides and I too bought my frame at WW for $299 back this past summer. Enjoy!

cryptid01

What size seatpost do you need?

victim

Good job picking out the frame. That's gonna be a sweet bike.

samburger

Glad it's got the approval of a true DHer on burliness . The reviews I read on it described it as an XC bike thatpushes all-mountain rideability. I wanted to steer clear of anything 'flexy' so this frame seemed to be a good fit. And as for the weight, more weight just means I'll have to be in better shape to climb at a respectable speed. No harm in that.

I've been looking a lot at the Marz TST2 series, but how do you think the 55 would affect handling with its long travel? The complete XCT535 has a 120mm travel fork, so that's the standard I'm giving the bike. I heard from someone that it's best to stay within 20mm of the frame's intended fork travel. But I don't remember who I heard that from & how knowledgeable they were, so what do you think? Weight is also a concern with the 55, being almost 1lb heavier than the 44, but I'd have to weigh out the pros & cons of that extra lb when given more info on the impact the fork would have on handling & posture of the bike.

Not sure yet--the manual that came with the bike is just a generic KHS manual & doesn't give me the tech specs, nor does wheelworld. I'll have to take the frame to my friend's car shop so he can check with his dial caliper. Would the accurate measurement be with the quick-release open or closed?

BurnNotice

Can't recall exactly but the seat post are all the same on those KHS' in that model range and I believe it is the 34.9 maybe.

Johnny Law

Should have got the Power X, whatever, you can't win them all..

ed 

I was being sarcastic, Sam...though you could snag one of the Marz 55 R's for $249 b/c they're capped at 140mm.

that's a bit much fork for that frame. You'd never push the fork to it's potential...therefore just dead weight.

Go with a 44, Fox 32, RS Tora/Recon/RVL...I think you can find a budget Tora for $150 nowdays...it's a killah fork for the dough!


https://wheelworld.com/product/rocksh...l-oem-6829.htm

samburger

I've been trying to find a 44 for a good price--I was only considering the 55 because it's on closeout at WW for $270, & figured that if it was worth the money I'd see if I could get my grandma to snag it up for me for Christmas But the Tora was next in line.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...r+Fork+Oe.aspx

Any comments on this Tora? From what I can find on the intranetz, it's over 3/4 lbs lighter for only $60 more. Just wondering if there's anything wrong with it that my untrained eye won't catch.

ed 

Nah...man...that's a nice fork. The Tora is like the Blue Collar Hero for suspension. It's not excessively heavy or light...tough or weak. It will get the job done for a good price.

samburger

Awesome, I'll probably snag that one up in a paycheck or two. After that it'll be a ground-up build, starting with the wheels. Any suggestions on light XC wheels on sale or closeout? I know about those Rhyno Lite wheels on jenson that everyone always recommends, but I'm willing to spend a little more (~$150) for a nicer set. I don't know **** about wheels/hubs, & honestly don't even know what's considered lightweight, what materials to look for, etc.

ed 

If there's one place you don't wanna cheap out...it's wheels. Check out BWW. The Jenson wheels are machine built and loosen up all the time. I had XT/Rhynolites from Jenson and I finally had to have my LBS re-do them so they'd stop coming loose.

I was going to do some cheap Halo's on my Kona...but after reading reviews...I'm going to save up for something better. My Hope Pro 2 / EX5.1d's are the best wheels I've ever had. I spend shy of 5 bills on them...and they've moved with me from bike to bike.

It's hard to build a super light wheelset to be sturdy on a budget, but if you save up a bit more, you can snag a decent wheelset at a fair price that will last a long time. You will feel the weight difference in wheels and tires before dead weight on the bike b/c rotating weight exaggerates the sensation. Hubs aren't quite as crucial as rims and tires as far as the rotating weight is concerned, b/c they're proximal. XT hubs are decent...but heavy compared to Hope or King, etc... One thing I really like about the pricier hubs like Hope, King, Hadley, Hugi, (enter bling hub name here)...is that they have sealed bearings. No cone adjustment to muck around with. No tearing down when you submerge them.

If you're not terribly heavy...a decent budget wheelset would be the Mavic Crossland. Kinda like the Tora...not gonna break the bank, not light or heavy...not tough or weak. As long as youre not like me (200lbs and jumping stuff) then they'll last a while. Get the mp3 warranty and get free crash replacement for 2yrs.

You can find them occasionally for $170-$180.

samburger

Hm, decisions decisions...

Let me think out loud here for a minute. On one hand, I "don't do any crazy drops or jumps" (I believe I'm the millionth person to say that ) & I want to have this bike complete by spring. If I can get the most expensive single components out of the way (frame, fork, wheels, crank) before 2011 then I should be able to buy a few components with each pay check & be on a smooth track to having this bike finished by the time the weather warms up. But on the other hand, I want a nice wheelset for just the reasons you mentioned--rotating the wheels exaggerates any extra weight. And I certainly don't want to skimp out on durability because I've spent over a bill just getting my LBS to re-true my cheap wheels on my Wahoo.

Oh well, I've got time to think about it. Thanks for all the info. At least now I have a vague idea of brands & keywords to look for when buying wheels. Who'da thunk that there would be so much to a bicycle?