Hey everyone...

I just introduced myself on the appropriate board, now here's my beloved bike. I completely built it myself based on a 2011er Salsa Ala Carte frame (which was the last Ala Carte series, Salsa discontinued it for some odd reason, seems they focus on 29ers now).

Here are the quick specs:
- Salsa Ala Carte 2011 frame
- DT Swiss XRM 100 Twinshot fork
- Syncros DS28 AM wheels (9mm bolt on front), DT Swiss ratchet skewers
- Race Face Diabolus crankset with Syncros Meathook pedals
- Handlebar, stem, grips, saddle, seatpost all Ritchey WCS
- Shimano XT 2012 brakes 180/160 with IceTech rotors
- Triggers (gear indicator removed), chain, cassette, front/rear derailleur all Shimano XT with Gore low friction sealed cables
- Tires Maxxis Holy Roller 2.5"

Some people will surely find the combination of parts a bit odd, like "lightweight XC race fork but heavy DH crankset", but I wasn't following any kind of doctrine when picking the parts (like "I want a lightweight XC racer!"), I simply picked the parts I liked with focus on quality and the ability to take a beating without getting TOO heavy.
I ride pretty much every day, also in winter, and I would describe my "style" as "backcountry exploration"....some concrete, some forest paths, some technical terrain.


(The last pic is with Veltec V-Two wheels, killed the rear hub some weeks ago and so replaced them with the Syncros ones).

Cool, I have the same frame built up 650b SS. I still kick myself for not getting the matching rigid fork.

When I ordered the frame I also thought about getting the matching rigid fork first, but it wouldn't have fit to my riding preferences.
I am not really 100% positive about this, but I THINK I saw one in an online shop lately...sadly I don't remember which one. But it's just a matter of time until I get hot for new parts and start browsing again, in case I stumble over the fork again I can let you know.
But well, the frame alone is already awesome too, the only thing that kinda sucks is the fact you can get no color code...and a spectral analysis for just a small can of paint to fix eventual small chipped spots is simply too expensive.

Nice to see another Ritchey/Syncros-laden build

That's a good looking and well spec'd bike. I'm a fan of DT and syncros stuff.

Thanks guys!
I always liked Ritchey parts because they looks really nice, especially in the "wet" paintjob, and I liked the company even more after I saw what a nice guy Tom Ritchey seems to be when watching the (absolutely great) "Klunkerz" movie.

But the latest new parts I got that I recommend the most are the DT Swiss RWS. Skewers never really last long for me, I killed 4 of them in the last 2 years (Shimano XT, Hope, Veltec, Crank Brothers split ones)...I guess it's because I open/close them pretty often to take out the rear wheel to clean the cassette. But the DT ones are definitely build to last, simply because of the brilliant mechanism which can not wear out like the one of regular skewers.