Finished up my new mountain bike!

Upstatemax

Started buying up the parts late the past fall and finally got around to finishing up my new cross country bike build!

Went with a Niner Air 9 RDO frame and Fox Factory Float 32 100mm fork (both last years models), full XT M8000 1x11 drivetrain and XT M8000 hydro's with "ice tech" rotors. Decided to have a set of Stan's Arch MK3 wheels built up using XT M8000 hubs. It's not the "normal" way to do these wheels, but I LOVE the durability and serviceability of Shimano hubs...

Decided on Schwalbe "Racing Ralph" tires (29x2.25 front and rear) that I'm still not sure that I like. These things do not seem to want to seal up in a tubeless setup to save their lives...

Schwalbe has already sent me a new set of tires as the originals were like swiss cheese. These seem to be better, but the front is still not holding consistent pressures to my satisfaction. Hopefully they just need a bit more time, and probably more sealant.

Once the 22" of snow melts I might be able to actually get a real ride in on this thing.

This is my first carbon framed bike, so I anticipate riding like a grandmother on my first few rides...

Mikey081057

Man that sure is sweet....I will venture into a mtn bike soon but have been road biking it down here for now... Just got a trek Domane ALR 4 which is aluminum frame and I can lift it with my pinkie finger. it is very fast and handles like a dream. The frame flexes and seat post is isolated so it is very comfortable and stable... I have even graduated to shoes with shimano clips... which took a little "learnin" only fell once which was on my lawn ... no broken bones...just looked like that guy from Benny Hill on the tricycle.

Upstatemax

Mikey081057 wrote: »

Man that sure is sweet....I will venture into a mtn bike soon but have been road biking it down here for now... Just got a trek Domane ALR 4 which is aluminum frame and I can lift it with my pinkie finger. it is very fast and handles like a dream. The frame flexes and seat post is isolated so it is very comfortable and stable... I have even graduated to shoes with shimano clips... which took a little "learnin" only fell once which was on my lawn ... no broken bones...just looked like that guy from Benny Hill on the tricycle.

That Domane is a nice bike. I looked at them when I was deciding what new bike I wanted.

I briefly thought about a road or gravel bike, but decided I did not want to give up the versatility of my cross country rig.

As for the Benny Hill out-take, we have all been there! haha

treitz3

What is the top speed on that thing? Looking at the gears, I would estimate 35MPH-38MPH with your legs spinning so fast, you wouldn't be able to keep them on the pedal! Great climbing gears though, I see.

Very nice bike man. My old Cannondale Delta Killer V (1st one sold in NC) must be nearing 20-25 years old by now. Nothing is original but the frame and the water bottle holder screws. Everything else has been custom added to fit my exacting needs, down to the very last cog.

Tom

Upstatemax

treitz3 wrote: »

What is the top speed on that thing? Looking at the gears, I would estimate 35MPH-38MPH with your legs spinning so fast, you wouldn't be able to keep them on the pedal! Great climbing gears though, I see.

Very nice bike man. My old Cannondale Delta Killer V (1st one sold in NC) must be nearing 20-25 years old by now. Nothing is original but the frame and the water bottle holder screws. Everything else has been custom added to fit my exacting needs, down to the very last cog.

Tom

Have not tested speed on it yet. But It should be plenty quick for what I'm looking for.

I did switch to the 1x11 system last year on my old Specialized and I was worried I would miss some of the old "top speed" capability, did not miss it a bit. For where I spend 99% of my pedaling time, the 1x11 system was far more efficient and ended up being much faster than my old 3x9 drivetrain.

My gearing selection was a bit of an educated guess as I have not ridden this system on a 29" wheeled bike before. I figure I will get some miles under my belt on the bike as it sits and adjust as needed.

Having said that, if I was a road cyclist I would never look at a 1x drivetrain. Having a wider gear range is far more important on the road than on a trail.

You're just not going to hit sustained high speeds on the trail like you can on the road...

msg

Beautiful! Always loved the Niner stuff.
Bikes are another obsession of mine, though, for the past several years, I've been content to just ride. How to translate that to audio, I wish I knew.

Mikey081057 wrote: »

I have even graduated to shoes with shimano clips... which took a little "learnin" only fell once which was on my lawn ... no broken bones...just looked like that guy from Benny Hill on the tricycle.

Haha, funny - yeah, when moving to clipless, I think everyone forgets they're clipped in. Just once Mine happened down at the Oceanfront, in front of a bunch of people. I was riding with a friend, and we were slowing to a stop near an intersection. You can connect the dots from here on out. I managed to get one foot out when I realized what was happening, but of course, I go over on the side I can't release. That's what I get for laughing at Aaron S. from the neighborhood when we were kids. His shoelace got wound around his pedal, and he went down in the street, with a car approaching. It was exactly like this. Except his screaming wasn't silent. And neither was my laughter.

msg

PS - building one's own bike just seems to add an extra layer of enjoyment to the ride, knowing you've chosen and installed every component yourself.

Upstatemax

msg wrote: »

PS - building one's own bike just seems to add an extra layer of enjoyment to the ride, knowing you've chosen and installed every component yourself.

It's fantastic knowing that I hand picked everything that went into this bike.

Right down to exactly how I wanted my wheels.

I also got to enjoy the pure "joy" of learning internal cable routing...

The PURE terror of cutting your first steerer tube on your fork! I must have measured 50 times before I made that cut!

haha

msg

Hahaha, I know, man, no amount of measuring takes that anxiety away!
The only thing that does is when it's for someone else's bike.

Mikey081057

Upstatemax

Mikey081057 wrote: »

Complete with all reflectors and the dork disc!

Mikey081057

and with the optional smart phone holder!

Upstatemax

Mikey081057 wrote: »

and with the optional smart phone holder!

I hold mine in my teeth...

But seriously, I'm considering a hydration pack this season. One, I want to start taking some longer trips and two, I in no way want to mount a water bottle cage to my frame.

One of the most common carbon frame failures that I've seen happen there...

treitz3

Wouldn't that be covered under warranty?

Mikey081057

This'll work

Upstatemax

treitz3 wrote: »

Wouldn't that be covered under warranty?

It technically could be. But I would have to jump through a ton of hoops and they will probably tell me it's somehow my fault anyway...

probably read something like this; "Thank you for contacting Niner Bikes! We appreciate your business and interest in Niner Bikes. Unfortunately, your warranty claim cannot be completed because we are just going to say that you must have over torqued that bolt. Should you say that you did not and always used a proper torque wrench, we will follow up with how it's your torque wrenches fault. It's clearly out of spec and I should contact the wrenches manufacturer..."

I'm sure it will end with how they are willing to sell me a new frame for a great price though!

I'll just skip all of that and not use a bottle cage.

Mikey081057

meh just use a little duct tape

Upstatemax

Meh, I already ordered an Osprey Raptor 10 pack.

Two bourbons in, my ability to not hit the "complete order" button is pretty weak...

motorhead43026

This how the average Joe torques stuff. "Tighten until it turns freely, then tighten an additional 1/2 turn".....Lol.

Upstatemax

motorhead43026 wrote: »

This how the average Joe torques stuff. "Tighten until it turns freely, then tighten an additional 1/2 turn".....Lol.

That's how I used to torque stuff.

Now that I have a carbon bike, not really willing to risk it. Lol

stangman67

Very nice looking bike. This is my trail rig. Don't get to ride it much much its a great machine

treitz3

Hmmmm, I understand where you at. Aluminum frames never had the same issue but they had an issue with splitting upon hard impact and severing.......whatever......(VERY important). That would most likely be on the human body itself depending on the weld and failure point.

So long as we all know the ramifications beforehand...

Tom

gudnoyez

Sweet ride Max, and all XT components real nice. I hope all that snow melts soon so you can get it all full of mud. Enjoy your new ride

Upstatemax

stangman67 wrote: »

Very nice looking bike. This is my trail rig. Don't get to ride it much much its a great machine

Nice!

Specialized Enduro?

Upstatemax

gudnoyez wrote: »

Sweet ride Max, and all XT components real nice. I hope all that snow melts soon so you can get it all full of mud. Enjoy your new ride

I legit might be a few weeks out...

Weather is supposed to get into mid 40's during the day a few times this week, but it's COLD overnight.

Not only am I dying to get out on it, but I NEED to get back into some kind of shape as my annual hiking/camping trip is fast approaching.

stangman67

Upstatemax wrote: »

Nice!

Specialized Enduro?

Indeed, 2016 Enduro 650b. A much more capable bike than I am a rider but its nice to have something that can handle pretty much anything

Upstatemax

stangman67 wrote: »

Indeed, 2016 Enduro 650b. A much more capable bike than I am a rider but its nice to have something that can handle pretty much anything

I don't like finding the limits of my stuff either.

I honestly did not plan on having a frame of this caliber. I just came across them right after they released the 2017 version of the frame and could not pass on the price.

If I would have paid full price for the frame, it would have officially cost as much as my old, complete Specialized Stumpjumper.

The old Stumpjumper was tough to move on from. I love that bike, it served me VERY well for 10 years. About the only thing left on it from Specialized was the Fox fork.

I still think the old Specialized M4/M5 hardtail frames are some of the best hardtail frames ever produced. I wish I could have afforded a carbon version of them at the time...

But once I decided it was time to move on to a 29er, I really liked what Niner was doing with their frames. After all, it's what they do!

I clearly need to get some more saddle time, but already this thing feels like a rocket. You push on the pedal and it just takes off.

Upstatemax

Went for the first ride today!

Trail was a flooded mess...

Nothing brings you back to reality on your current physical conditioning like a leg sapping, soft, wet trail!

Either way, it was GREAT to back out and on the bike!

This bike is a ROCKET compared to the old alloy Stumpjumper. It's a bit awkward in slow turns since I made the move to 29" wheels, but it's MUCH more nimble and connected than I expected it to be.

The new Osprey Raptor 10 hydration pack is awesome. plenty of space for tools and accessories and holds a ton of water for me. I'm not a "tiny" guy (5' 11", 175 pounds) but I still wish it could tighten down more with the straps. I would like to be able to adjust it up to ride a bit higher on the back.



Somehow she still looks clean, but the trail was a mess!

Upstatemax

Oh, I forgot!

As soon as I got home, I jumped onto backcountry.com and ordered a set of Shimano XT M8000 pedals...

I AM FINISHED with these Crank Brothers Candy 3 pedals...

You have an ounce of mud on your cleats, forget about clipping in quickly. When they are perfectly clean and lubricated, they clip in pretty good. But a mile or two into a ride, I can feel them getting worse and worse.

One good thing about them, getting out of the pedal in a hurry is perfect. Never had them accidentally unclip, yet they unclip in an emergency bail out without even trying.

overall, I was happier with a Shimano SPD system and I'm ready to go back.

Mikey081057

SPD's are great... SBD's stink




I took the road bike out today and it was about 89* ...25 miles and I was done...

11tsteve

Juzt put Race Face Chesters on my Stache 7.... amazing flat pedal grip.
That's a Rock Shox fork?