I've spent almost a whole year looking at other people's fancy bikes and wishing they were mine, so it's about time for a dream-build update for 2012.
Keep in mind that this is all stuff that I would actually buy and use. No Tune, no AX-lightness, nothing hand-polished by blind Germans with organic q-tips. I like light stuff, I like strong stuff, and I like American-made, gosh darn it.
Without further ado:
Frame: WW custom hardtail (for FS frames, add $900)
Fork: Fox F29 taper steerer, 15mm axle (travel is up to you)
Headset: King taper
Stem: Thomson X4, or for the weight weenies, Ritchey WCS 4-axis
Bar: Easton EC70 or Haven Carbon
Shifters: X-9 trigger (or gripshift, hopefully, if the darn things are ever released!)
Front derailleur: XT or X-9 2x direct mount
Rear derailleur: XX medium cage
Chain: PC1091
Cassette: XX 11-32 or 11-36
Cranks: XTR 2x and XTR BB
Seatpost: Thomson Masterpiece
Brakes: Magura MT-6 w/Storm SL rotors
Skewers: Front included, rear 10mm DT through-bolt
Wheels: Enve XC or AM tubeless rims laced to DT 240 or King hubs
Tubes: None, 1 qt of Stan's goop, baby!
Tires: Maxxis Ikon, Ardent, Ignitor, or any combo you like
Grips: Ritchey WCS foam
Saddle: WTB Speed V ti
The good news? That's a ~21# bike (or less, if it's a 650b or 26er - this assumes 29" wheels) that will actually handle most anything you can throw at it. The bad? It'll set you back a cool $5600 (or $6500 for the full suspension version).
I'll do the SS, smart-money, and dirtbag 2012 builds over the next week or so, so stay tuned if you're looking for something configured a little more affordably.
9 comments:
I know it's a dream build, but swap the Enve rims for something much more reasonable (Stans or Bontrager) would save around $1500* and only gain about 1/2 lb. And you would still have a sweet-ass build.
-Mike.
*retail, I'm sure you get them for less than their website shows.
Mike -
Replacing the Enves with a DT240/Stan's wheelset would save about exactly $1000, as it happens. So yeah, obviously you can reduce the price a lot - nobody said this is the "practical" build. We'll get to that one later this week!
I have to assume that the tubing on the frame of this dream build would be curved! :)
I love these build posts!
Mike - Yes, of course. This is exclusively the build kit for my "Jeff Jones Spaghetti Special" frame.
Aaron - it makes me want to geek out and build myself another bike. Must... resist... baby... coming soon... aargh...
Walt et al; I am riding the new XTR group on my new Walt HT- save yourself the hassle of creating a tuti fruiti build-up and just put XTR all over. It simply doesn't get any better. See you in ten years with this stuff still going strong is my bet.
Dream build? Surely with all that SRAM its a nightmare build?? I'm getting hives just tying SRAM.
I agree with anon...
XTR XTR XTR XTR XTR XTR XTR XTR XTR XTR
Or if you live somewhere where you ride in mud a lot, LX or XT
Only SRAM worth having has rockshox on it.
Loves these 3 posts, great stuff, thanks for putting it out there. But gotta go full XTR on the Dream Build.
I enjoy the blog, keep it coming.
Agreed on the XTR over Spam (Sram) comment.
Also, if this is a dream built, you need to step it up with a nice Ti seatpost, a al Erikson Sweetpost. It don't get any better or lighter, like riding on a cloud...
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