As usual, I was on MTBR forums and found myself browsing through a photo thread in the "all-mountain" section. Specifically, it was members posting pics of their AM hard-tail rigs. In the past, I've always associated AM with a full-suspension bike and would never think of riding a hard-tail for anything more than cross-country riding. I was wrong. Turns out, there are quite a few people running HT bikes pretty aggressively and several manufacturers producing slacker HT frames meant for longer travel forks and abusive riding.
Looking through the pages of bikes photos that were posted, one particular bike caught my eye due to the frame itself as well as the name...Yelli Screamy. Lets face it...most hard-tail frames look pretty much the same. It's a generic metal tube frame consisting of triangles, a seat post, and a fork. But there was something different about this frame...the bend in the top tube, the short chainstays, it just stood out among the rest of the bikes I was looking at. So, from there I of course had to look into the bike and see what it was all about. The Yelli Screamy is made by a company consisting of two brothers....the Canfield Brothers. They produce a range of frames from downhill to trail and have begun producing other components including cranks, pedals, and wheelsets. Most of the articles I could find on the Yelli Screamy produced glowing reviews and quite the following as a great handling trail/all-mountain hard-tail. It boasts one of the shortest chainstays (16.7") on a hard-tail frame, and is advertised as a "29er that handles like a 26er". Back when 29er's first started appearing, many critiqued their handling as less precise and awkward. The Canfield Brother's have claimed to change this with a more playful frame geometry. From all that I have read online, this claim seems to be true.
So is this the bike I've been looking for? Well it's not full-suspension, but it is also much cheaper than a full-suspension frame. The big question is...do I really want a full-suspension bike? In general, a HT is lighter, cheaper, stiffer, and simpler than a full squish bike. What does this mean? Well, it's all subjective, but less maintenance and service as well as less to go wrong when your on the trail is a big plus to me. Better climbing is a plus also. I've always heard that a HT makes you a better rider...
Needless to say, I bit the bullet and decided to buy the frame and try my hand at building it up!
To be continued.....
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
The case for building a frame...
I've tossed around the idea of building up a frame instead of buying a complete bike. What are the advantages? disadvantages? How involved is it? So I set out to do some research (as always) and try to find some answers.
So my initial thought was building a frame up must me cheaper than buying a complete bike. Right? Well, not really. In most cases, it ends up being more expensive. There are exceptions, such as some people take their time and scour the internet for clearance/sale items and other deals on new and used parts in order to keep the overall cost down. Other people use bike components from bikes they already own. Swapping/transferring parts between bikes can make a lot of sense if you own several mountain bikes. In most cases, your going to build a frame the way you want it built and with the parts you want, not just what comes on a bike you see in the store. This usually ends up being higher priced components.
My next question was what tools/specialty items would I need as I don't fix/assemble bikes regularly. Turns out, most of the bike can be build with common hand tools. There are a few specialty tools that make life a lot easier, but not always necessary. I've found some cases where local bike shops are willing to help you out with certain steps for a small fee as they already have most of the tools. There are several "tools" that you can actually build yourself using parts found at the local hardware store. The internet is your friend here, many DIY pages and videos explaining a lot of useful information.
Is there a lot of research/knowledge involved?? I have found that as long as you have a basic idea of what you want out of the bike and are willing to ask/receive advice from forums, manufacturers, etc. you should be fine. As I found, if you don't know something, look it up! Frames will usually list out all the specs for what you need to build it up. Just be patient if it's your first time and make sure your buying the correct parts.
**If you want the short version, scroll down to my bullet list below**
So my initial thought was building a frame up must me cheaper than buying a complete bike. Right? Well, not really. In most cases, it ends up being more expensive. There are exceptions, such as some people take their time and scour the internet for clearance/sale items and other deals on new and used parts in order to keep the overall cost down. Other people use bike components from bikes they already own. Swapping/transferring parts between bikes can make a lot of sense if you own several mountain bikes. In most cases, your going to build a frame the way you want it built and with the parts you want, not just what comes on a bike you see in the store. This usually ends up being higher priced components.
My next question was what tools/specialty items would I need as I don't fix/assemble bikes regularly. Turns out, most of the bike can be build with common hand tools. There are a few specialty tools that make life a lot easier, but not always necessary. I've found some cases where local bike shops are willing to help you out with certain steps for a small fee as they already have most of the tools. There are several "tools" that you can actually build yourself using parts found at the local hardware store. The internet is your friend here, many DIY pages and videos explaining a lot of useful information.
Is there a lot of research/knowledge involved?? I have found that as long as you have a basic idea of what you want out of the bike and are willing to ask/receive advice from forums, manufacturers, etc. you should be fine. As I found, if you don't know something, look it up! Frames will usually list out all the specs for what you need to build it up. Just be patient if it's your first time and make sure your buying the correct parts.
SHORT VERSION
Advantages:- Exclusivity of bikes that are only offered as frames, not complete bikes
- You build it exactly how you want it / specific combination of components not offered
- It can be pieced together over time as funds allow
- Take advantage of online sale/clearances / Ebay used parts
- Can use parts from existing bikes (provided you have other bikes)
- More expensive (usually) than buying a complete bike
- Requires that you know what parts work together and what you need/want
- Can require certain specialty tools that are not always cheap
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Give me some slack!
I love my Seeker...don't get me wrong. But, purchasing an XC hard-tail bike was mostly about $ or lack there of at the time. I've always wanted an All-Mountain rig that would serve me better as an all around bike to get me just about anywhere I wanted to go. The more I researched, the more I learned how frame geometry plays into a bike's handling characteristics. Putting the marketing hype aside for a minute, basic categories include: XC > AM > DH
As you move away from cross-country bikes and towards all-mountain, the basic differences are beefier frames and slacker head-tube angles. You sacrifice the lightweight, agile handling of the XC bike but what you gain is a more robust design that descends as well as it climbs. This is what I wanted.
As it turns out...I'm not the only one dreaming of a slacker HT bike and Airborne has been listening. They had been developing a more trail-oriented version of their Goblin XC bike. Just recently they started selling this new bike called the Goblin Evo. I could go into all the specs, but your better off just checking it out on their site. As with all of Airborne's bikes, after looking at the components on the Evo, it is easy to see what a great deal the bike is. If I hadn't just purchased the Seeker a few months ago, I would most definitely save up to buy the Goblin Evo. I know it sounds like I work for Airborne, but seriously, compare any of their bikes to the competition...actually even easier, they do it for you! On their site, they provide a quick component comparison between their model and the leading brands.
There are a ton of great brands out there...Trek, Giant, Specialized, Kona, Santa Cruz....all make awesome bikes, but for those of us who don't have $2,000+ to spend right now, Airborne has many affordable options.
Until next time...
Over and Out!
As you move away from cross-country bikes and towards all-mountain, the basic differences are beefier frames and slacker head-tube angles. You sacrifice the lightweight, agile handling of the XC bike but what you gain is a more robust design that descends as well as it climbs. This is what I wanted.
As it turns out...I'm not the only one dreaming of a slacker HT bike and Airborne has been listening. They had been developing a more trail-oriented version of their Goblin XC bike. Just recently they started selling this new bike called the Goblin Evo. I could go into all the specs, but your better off just checking it out on their site. As with all of Airborne's bikes, after looking at the components on the Evo, it is easy to see what a great deal the bike is. If I hadn't just purchased the Seeker a few months ago, I would most definitely save up to buy the Goblin Evo. I know it sounds like I work for Airborne, but seriously, compare any of their bikes to the competition...actually even easier, they do it for you! On their site, they provide a quick component comparison between their model and the leading brands.
There are a ton of great brands out there...Trek, Giant, Specialized, Kona, Santa Cruz....all make awesome bikes, but for those of us who don't have $2,000+ to spend right now, Airborne has many affordable options.
Until next time...
Over and Out!
Friday, March 21, 2014
Airborne Seeker 29er - Initial Thoughts
Just to recap from my previous post...my initial impressions are
that this is a phenomenal bike at an even better price. I was about to
purchase a Trek X-cal 8 and after a ton of research, it was clear that
the Seeker was a much better buy. If you look at them side by side, they
are really very similar (same goes for Giant, Specialized, etc in the
same price range). Right off the bat, the Seeker comes equipped with a RockShox Recon Gold air fork and Avid Elixir 1 hydraulic disc brake set. It is actually similarly equipped to the top
of the line X-caliber that is $1700msrp. In addition, it comes with a
tapered head tube, 2x10 drive-train and hydro-formed frame (not so with
X-cal 8). Some may not care about these features but they are what
everyone else is now equipping their bikes with, however at a much
higher price point. As far as I
can tell, the Seeker/Goblin frame is pretty damn close if not equivalent
to the big name brand HT frames. All that for $930! (+75 shipping)
As far as assembly, all you need is a basic Allen-wrench set (metric). The bike is probably 80% assembled on arrival in the box. Basically, you insert the wheels into the dropouts, thread the quick-release skewers through the hubs and clamp. Wheels done. Next, spin the stem 180 degrees and clamp the handlebar down in the stem. Lastly, tighten everything and adjust/fine tune the derailleurs and disc brakes. This is all really basic and there are a ton of videos on YouTube that can walk you through any of this if need be. The whole process should only take a couple hours (including the tuning).
Oh, one last thing...pedals are not included. You will find this common with higher end bikes as most riders are very specific on what pedals they want or need and most times swap pedals from one bike to another. Most manufacturers don't bother including cheap pedals that will most likely get tossed...
As far as assembly, all you need is a basic Allen-wrench set (metric). The bike is probably 80% assembled on arrival in the box. Basically, you insert the wheels into the dropouts, thread the quick-release skewers through the hubs and clamp. Wheels done. Next, spin the stem 180 degrees and clamp the handlebar down in the stem. Lastly, tighten everything and adjust/fine tune the derailleurs and disc brakes. This is all really basic and there are a ton of videos on YouTube that can walk you through any of this if need be. The whole process should only take a couple hours (including the tuning).
Oh, one last thing...pedals are not included. You will find this common with higher end bikes as most riders are very specific on what pedals they want or need and most times swap pedals from one bike to another. Most manufacturers don't bother including cheap pedals that will most likely get tossed...
New Ride!
So...I had my heart set on a Trek bike. I had always associated high quality mountain bikes with the Trek name and knew they came with higher end components, but you tend to pay more for it. Naturally, I started my search with Trek's website. Now I went into this knowing I had a limited budget (around $500 or so), but still wanted to see what I could get for my money. I quickly learned that most entry level mountain bikes start around the $1000 price point...and most decently equipped bikes go up quickly from there. Luckily, Trek took their XC hard-tail model the "X-Caliber" and broke it down into 7 trims ranging from their full-fledged model ($1700) down to the "X-Cal 4" which comes in at a modest $550.
As I spent time glossing over the specs of each model and comparing them, it became clear that the more bike I could afford now, would lead to less of a need to upgrade the "barely trail capable" components of the lower end models. This landed me on the X-Cal 8 model for $730. It would get me close to what I wanted without blowing my budget and leaving room for upgrades in the future. I pretty much had my mind made up until I did some research on the MTBR forums...
I ended up running across a newer bike manufacturer called Airborne Bicycles. They make and sell bikes that cut out the "middleman" (local bike shops) by only offering their bikes through their website and mailing them directly to you. This means a few things....
1. Your purchasing a bike sight-unseen. You can't take it for a spin around the parking lot at your local shop and see how it feels or contemplate frame sizes.
2. There is some assembly required. To be honest, it's really minimal and pretty much requires you to be able to turn an Allen wrench...but I know there are people out there who cringe and gasp at the idea of doing a tune-up on their bike.
3. There is no "authorized" retailer if you have an issue. Since it is online based only, you will have to deal directly with Airborne through email and their website. Again, to some people this may or may not be a deal breaker.
Ok, so now that that's out of the way...what caught my attention? Airborne has their own section on MTBR forums and they are constantly being talked about in the "beginners corner" as well. I read a ton of great reviews, info, and excitement about Airborne's bikes...so I went to their site to look. At the time, they made a handful of XC bikes, but what was astounding was the value! The prices were great, and the components they were including for those prices was even better! I jotted down some of the specs and prices and compared them to the Trek models I was looking at...the Airborne models were shaping up to be even better deals that I had thought.
Taking the Trek X-Cal 8 model I had wanted and putting all the specs in a spreadsheet side-by-side to Airborne's Seeker model really opened my eyes. The Seeker was roughly $200 more than the trek, but the components were a definite upgrade. To be honest, many of the features/specs of the Seeker were found on Trek's full-fledged model X-Caliber that retails for $1700!!! The Seeker...$929 (plus shipping).
Needless to say...I bought the Seeker. More info to come. Stay tuned.
As I spent time glossing over the specs of each model and comparing them, it became clear that the more bike I could afford now, would lead to less of a need to upgrade the "barely trail capable" components of the lower end models. This landed me on the X-Cal 8 model for $730. It would get me close to what I wanted without blowing my budget and leaving room for upgrades in the future. I pretty much had my mind made up until I did some research on the MTBR forums...
I ended up running across a newer bike manufacturer called Airborne Bicycles. They make and sell bikes that cut out the "middleman" (local bike shops) by only offering their bikes through their website and mailing them directly to you. This means a few things....
1. Your purchasing a bike sight-unseen. You can't take it for a spin around the parking lot at your local shop and see how it feels or contemplate frame sizes.
2. There is some assembly required. To be honest, it's really minimal and pretty much requires you to be able to turn an Allen wrench...but I know there are people out there who cringe and gasp at the idea of doing a tune-up on their bike.
3. There is no "authorized" retailer if you have an issue. Since it is online based only, you will have to deal directly with Airborne through email and their website. Again, to some people this may or may not be a deal breaker.
Ok, so now that that's out of the way...what caught my attention? Airborne has their own section on MTBR forums and they are constantly being talked about in the "beginners corner" as well. I read a ton of great reviews, info, and excitement about Airborne's bikes...so I went to their site to look. At the time, they made a handful of XC bikes, but what was astounding was the value! The prices were great, and the components they were including for those prices was even better! I jotted down some of the specs and prices and compared them to the Trek models I was looking at...the Airborne models were shaping up to be even better deals that I had thought.
Taking the Trek X-Cal 8 model I had wanted and putting all the specs in a spreadsheet side-by-side to Airborne's Seeker model really opened my eyes. The Seeker was roughly $200 more than the trek, but the components were a definite upgrade. To be honest, many of the features/specs of the Seeker were found on Trek's full-fledged model X-Caliber that retails for $1700!!! The Seeker...$929 (plus shipping).
Needless to say...I bought the Seeker. More info to come. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Getting started...
This blog is being created to follow my progress as I get back into mountain-biking and plan on building up a frame. A little on my background...the last bike I purchased was many years ago....1999 or so. I ended up purchasing a 1998 Iron Horse G-out. It was a full suspension bike with mostly bottom-end components but for the price ($400?) it was a decent bike to get me around and play around on the local trails.
Some years later, I was in college and decided to bring my bike out with me to ride around. I decided to do a few upgrades including clip-less pedals, and a new suspension fork. Both upgrades were used parts, but still much better than the coil fork and cheap pedals that came on the bike originally.
...Fast forward to about a year ago....I started looking into newer bikes...it didn't take long to realize how much things have changed since I bought my Iron Horse. Frame designs are better, alloys are better, suspension is much improved. Wheel sizes...last I knew there was the 26" wheel.....then came the 29" (or 29er as its referred to), and now 27.5" to split the difference. Tapered head tubes are becoming more common, carbon frames are trickling down to the more "affordable" price ranges. Oh and gearing has changed quite a bit as well. My old Iron horse from the 90's had a 3x7 (21 speed) drive-train...since then, bikes have progressed from 7 speed to 8, 9, and now more commonly 2x10. Even more recently, SRAM has created the 1x11 drive-train. As always, these technologies start out on the higher end bikes and slowly trickle down over time.
This left a lot for me to think about when looking for a new bike...As you will see in future posts, several things led me to my new purchases.
Some years later, I was in college and decided to bring my bike out with me to ride around. I decided to do a few upgrades including clip-less pedals, and a new suspension fork. Both upgrades were used parts, but still much better than the coil fork and cheap pedals that came on the bike originally.
...Fast forward to about a year ago....I started looking into newer bikes...it didn't take long to realize how much things have changed since I bought my Iron Horse. Frame designs are better, alloys are better, suspension is much improved. Wheel sizes...last I knew there was the 26" wheel.....then came the 29" (or 29er as its referred to), and now 27.5" to split the difference. Tapered head tubes are becoming more common, carbon frames are trickling down to the more "affordable" price ranges. Oh and gearing has changed quite a bit as well. My old Iron horse from the 90's had a 3x7 (21 speed) drive-train...since then, bikes have progressed from 7 speed to 8, 9, and now more commonly 2x10. Even more recently, SRAM has created the 1x11 drive-train. As always, these technologies start out on the higher end bikes and slowly trickle down over time.
This left a lot for me to think about when looking for a new bike...As you will see in future posts, several things led me to my new purchases.
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