tomac eli beginner bike biuld thread, here we go!

Glad my Pigeon made it ok. Did you give him some birdseed and water for the trip back?

 

wow, what is vchip?

edit* seems to be some feature that is mainly for v brakes... i think it is based on short throw, for better sensativity...

build update!!!!!! 7:15PM - THE PATH JUST CALLED RIGHT NOW!!!!! MY FORK IS REBUILT AND READY!!!! HOHOHO... IT IS SOOOOOOO ON FOR A CRUISE THIS WEEKEND!!! EVEN IF I HAVE TO RIDE WITH NO CRANK!

got so excited, looked around for more info on my shocks...

front:

-marzocchi z1 mcr

Travel: 130mm/5"NEW Extension Control Cartridge [left leg]Adjustable Rebound Cartridge [right leg]New Polished MAG Powerwrap M-Arch30mm EA70 StanchionsForged disk brake hanger [Intl. Stnd.]Weight: 4.3lbs-standard 4.5lbs-QR20PLUS [incl. Easton steertube]

rear:

-Manitou Swinger Air 4-Way SPV Shock

Damping: SPV 4-Way
Adjustments: Air, Rebound, SPV Platform Pressure, SPV Volume
Damper Shaft: Steel
Bushings: Steel/Teflon
Negative Spring: Auto Air
Air Canister: Piggy Back 3D forged & CNC'd
Package: Piggy Back reservoir

 

ARG!!! wanted to start building tonight... so i started with somethign i thought was easy... the tires and tubes...

soooooooooooo... popped a tube already... i think i pinched it while i was putting the tire on... omg! what a great start... okay... time to move onto the toher things... i don't want to pop another tube...

 

SLOW DOWN!!! :wave: Make sure everything's done right. Good luck with the build.

 

okay... just want to cover the bottom bracket problem i had the last 24 hours...

when buying a bottom bracket, you need to measure the bottom of your frame. on my frame it was 73mm from right to left. this ment i needed a 73mm bottom bracket body... with availability, i ended up with a 113mm finaly length... that is what the second number on the bottom bracket is. this worked out great.



i tried to install a 68mm bottom bracket and it fit. but when i put on the crank arms, the arms bottomed out on the bracket body and it didnt' turn.

now, to the tools you need. you will need (1) something to pull off the arms, as they are on very tight. some can be gently knocked out. some have a tool like mine.



also, you will need (2) something to unscrew the bottom bracket. the bottom bracket is made in 2 pieces and will be going into the frame from both sides and threads are opposite so they come together. grease is your friend. i was told to actually put it in and remove it a few times so the grease can spread well.



now once installed it is ready for the arms. remember, some bottom brackets will be made with one side of nylon plastic. caution at over tightening needs be taken. if you strip it... you are game over!



usually the crank arm will have a piece that holds it onto the bottom bracket. this screw, is also what is used to put the crank arms on. so there is no need to knock the arms on.



as a beginner, i opted to go with basic pedals. they were on sale for 14 bucks at performance. and they do have a buckle attachment incase i feel like i am slipping too much. good start in my case to get the bike up and running so i am not held back in choosing a good shoe and clip pedal. you can use a wrench or a simple pedal tool from the store.



i forgot to mention, dont' forget to put on the seal for the screw that is attachted to the crank arm screw. this will keep out debris between the screw and the crank arm hole.



preparing the wheels is a simple job. i used a damp cloth and wiped down the inside of the rim. for my rim, it was made for tubless setup. but because i am not confident in my skills and experience with tubless, i will be running tubes. it was recommened to run alittle velox inside the rim. so cleaning it will give the velox a nice clean spot to hold onto. velox is a stick fabric tape that helps the tube from pinching and getting caught int he cracks above against the rim. also i think it is there to protect against the rivet in the regular rims. i mainly used it cause there is a bumpy section where the tubless nipple goes, so i used it so the tube wouldn't get a weardown point there.



next i attached the front brake caliper and tightened it down. most brakes will let you know which way is up. so that is pretty easy. you can see mine, the arrows are white.



rear deraileur is simple also. you have to make sure that the set screw on the back inside is clear. so just spin the deraileur until you can get the screw to go in. then you will be able to adjust the screw later. there are a few things you have to remember when adjusting it... but i will go into that later. *remember my bike is upside down in these pics





with the front and rear wheel on, you can see everything comes together nicely. if somethign ever doesn't go in easy, just double check it, cause it is an expensive mistake if you force it and break it. even worse if it gets stuck.



so now that i put the wheels on... the bike actually looks like a bike. not just a frame with some accesories on it... still upside down. i didn't have money to get a bike holder... just cause my budget was running very low, and thought i can get away with it. but... if you got the extra money, look into it... it is like having a third arm...



i popped a tube while i was mounting the front, so i didn't put on the tube and tire on the rear. as i was may be too tired? i didn't want to risk it tonight, so i will try it tomorrow. i chose to run slime tubes as i want to minimize the chances of a flat. i got mine for 5 something at performance bike. they are having a sale right now.

so for the front, i will be running this tread from specialized. single constant tread for good turning traction. that and it was cheap... so i will use it for now...



for the rear, i will use same specialized but in an all block pattern. also this tire has a reflective ring around the sides. as my bike has no reflectors, i thought it was a good feature, on top of i got this tire at a low cost also. so in my terms, good first time tires to use on city and light trail.



i also opted for simple handle bar grips. although i wanted a budget set just to get going, i did want to get a locking set. there are mainly 2 types of grips. just a regular friction grip, and one that actually uses a set screw and holds on to the handle bar. i got these for 4 soemthing? clean and simple...



one item i did get done, but not by myself. i did get the headset pressed in and installed. i paid 20 bucks and got it done right the first time around. i bought the headset spacers for 4 bucks? i think the aluminum spacers are like 1.70 at performance right now. man, i love carbon fiber on white! basically, you need to make sure the headset gets pushed in nice and straight. also, the headset race (ball bearings in a ring) need to be pressed onto the steer tube. when putting on the cap to the on top of the steer tube. it is good to make sure your spacer or stem is about 2mm above the steer tube. this will give the cap enough room to compress and not bottom out on the steer tube. if it bottoms out, your handle bars may slide and cause a dangerous situation. also, tighten the whole assembly in order from top to bottom, meaning cap first then stem.



okay, final thoughts as i finish this update. i kinda don't like the blue crank arms. i think i may have to switch to xt arms when i get more money. also, i may "vacuum metalize" my handle bar and stuff to match my front shock. looks like a nice bronze titanium color to me. that way i have a nice color scheme through out the bike.

i am going to start butting the lines for the shifter and brakes tonight. and hopefully get it into one gear by tomorrow morning. i am very determined to get this bike rolling for this weekend! if i can get atleast 1 gear... i will take my girlfriend to aliso on sunday i think.

i sat on the bike and i think i have to cut the seat post more. one thing that sucks on this bike is that the seat post has to be very short. which means, i can't adjust alot, like if i want to have it really low one day and really high another. after ridign a bit, i am sure it will be okay. you can see in the picture, the seat post pops out of the bottom, and when the bike is under compression... the seat post can possibly hit the rear shock. also the shocks are great! front and rear are very stiff. i will have to may be do some sleep time reading on my front shock and rear shock... so i can learn how to adjust them.



for night time riding, i picked up a 1w led kit from performance bike for 30 bucks. they are on sale right now usually 50+? anyways, should be bright like a 5w halogen but with longer battery life. it came with rechargable batteries and a charger... can't go wrong with that! it also takes 4xAAA batteries on emergencies... all internally, so no battery pouches! it has a nice wide beam pattern. it has a slight hot spot kinda off center to the right... may be for illuminating the sidewalk and not directed to cars? or just error in mounting precision. other then that... great value and performance for 30 bucks.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=24797&subcategory_ID=4320

so, by tomorrow, i will have the bike up and running with atleast 1 gear.

*special thanks to chris (schecky) for dropping by to check out the bike and also give me a bottom bracket that fits. hope to see you on the trails soon.

 

Hey Jason,

Good job so far for your first bike. Especially since you are building it yourself. :clap: I think I see your problem with the bottom bracket and the incorrect tools from The Path. Looks like whoever sold you the bb gave you the Shimano bb which uses the standard internally splined tool and a non-drive side cup from a Truvativ bb. #-o ](*,) Truvativ bb and cups use a different tool. Hopefully the internal fit between the Shimano bb and the Truvativ cup will be close enough to not cause an issue. [-o-]

If you need any help with your bike let me know. I've got all the tools and am not too far from you. I can show you how to remove and install a tire/tube without tools so you won't pinch flat and ruin it during the install. Much faster too!

If you get your bike built up by Sunday and want to ride Aliso, give me a holler. I'll be out there with a few others on a beginner ride at 1:30.

Duc

 

duc, i think i can make it!!! i just need to work on lines now... i was thinking about my pinching issue... for some reason my tires were really hard to pull over the lip of the rim. i think i just wasn't paying attention to the tube inside. i think i will have to just pull it out and just try to patch it? i hope it isn't bad. hahaha, or pinched in like 5 spots...

i will have to learn that tire install tip from you for sure though... i never had these problems on my road bike. weird huh, i think most people say the road ones are harder?

as far as "the path" incident. i think he may be just communication? may be he thought i wanted to just pull off 1 item, not take apart the whole thing? not sure why he always gave me 1 tool? but, all said and done... i went back and returned all the things i didn't need and got the things i needed. there was a mechanic guy there i talked to, who helped me out alot. and gave me tips on the cabling of the shifter and brakes. also tips on basic care of the front shock. i also talked to the owner, tani... very nice guy! talked to be about the rest of the things i needed to do on the bike.

it seems as though i have a pretty rare bike? it makes me happy cause not many people will have my bike. when i first talk to gene, i liked how a good amount of people knew him by his bike. i think with this bike, i will be unique. and it will show my taste and feel.

i did come across 1 more problem last night. my front deraileur is missing the screw for the mounting bracket. so i am going to head over to switchback to see if i can get a replacement after my morning class.

 

looking good my friend its all coming together. you may want to consider some new tires right away. from looking at those you are going to dislike them pretty quick on some of the trails around here. doesnt appear you will get much if any traction and also i can see many pinch flats in your future. cant wait to see it all done!

 

I like the blue cranks. I wish mine were blue instead of silver or whatever.

 

jordan, i think i am going to alot of milage on the cemet for now. i think that is why i went with cheap for now. i still have to get my girlfriend acclimated to the bike some more. although we are making amazing progress!

she jumped off a curb (on accident, but didnt' fall) on the first night. second night we off roaded and went across a railroad track (there were no tracks as it was taken apart, was soft dirt on sides and gravel at the top) and man, she did it very nicely. i know she wants to go to the beach and stuff... so i figure i would just put what ever on the bike for now. i think when all is said and done... i will be running tomac tires for sure... so i can match the name! well that and i heard they were good also.

this is the helmet i was thinking about buying... looks very nice compared to the scheme of my bike. 2008 bell xc sweep. although i may get one with red accents. so that my GF can find me if i fall over the side and i am hard to see... : )

 

Don't worry about getting red accents on the helmet Jason. When you go over the side you may be getting enough free red accents all over if you know what I mean.

 

oh no... i think i might have to ride with a foam matress top wrapped around me!

i know i am going to have alot of stupid falls. like when you are just standing there on the bike... and not even moving... in general, i am a bit clumsy.

 

Just get a red jersey! Or, if you *really* want to stand out you can get a jersey similar to mine



:lol: Bright pink always stands out (Photo credit Dan).

 

I've found that falling is one of the best ways to learn. My balance really sucks, but it's improved ever since I got on the bike.

 

please wait for update...

 

Measure your tube. Should be a 34.9 derailleur you need. TOP SWING/TOP PULL. Bike is looking good Jason. Great job documenting it.

 

It looks very good in person. A screaming deal with the fork!
Super light too.

 

Nice looking build so far.

Though you might want to invest in a telescopic seatpost down the road if like to drop your seat for technical descents. Doesn't look like you have much room to drop the seatpost before hitting the shock.

Just a thought.



http://titec.com/

 

okay kiddies!

so today, i had a few technical dificulties... my deraileur was the wrong size, so i went back to the store and picked up an xt deraileur. other then that i picked up a sram chain also. i was told that the shimano chain is very hard to work on if you make a mistake. and i like how the sram chain is linked up.

so with that set, i started on the brake lines. i thought it would be the easiest. so the first item you need to get are... ZIP TIES!



so i started by measuring the outer shell of the lines. and made sure where i might want to route all the wires. the shimano kit i got... the full set, made my job very easy. everything in my case was perfect. i didn't have to mess with anything crazy. you can see in this picture, i just plugged the outer shell into the handle and just started to move back.



after doing the front brake, the rear was the same way. i just kinda layed it down to see how the length was. it was perfect!



after lining up the outer shell it is now time to installt he main tension lines. when you buy it, you take the ball mounted end and start from there. this is the part that hooks up with the lever.



just plug that sucker in there and push the wire throught he lever. there is ususlaly a slot cut out on the bottom of the lever so you don't have to "thread" it through. you can see how the ball end goes right into the lever.



now after putting the outter shell you need to cap off the ends so it makes a nice end clean stop.



now that you have the lines and shell all in place, it is now time to zip tie them on to the frame.



you can do the same to both the front and rear lines. they are pretty easy. just remember your suspension goes up and down, so you need to give it some slack or a place for it to give. her is how i routed my front line.



now it is time to start on the shifter. same idea, but these lines use thinner cables. putting the outer shell on first, check to make sure you have the right length. also remember, when cutting the shell, you need to make sure that the ends are round again.





after getting the lengths, i just went step by step and installed the cable through the shell and put on the intermediate ends on. my kit came with boots to keep the dirt out of the outer shell lines.



here you can see how i attached the gromets. i think i may have done it backwards in retro spect, but they still work! so no worries.



so this is how my intermetite lines look like. this is the part where the lines are on a traight path and son't need the outershell as a guide.



keep threading the lines and putting ont he end caps on until you get the the deraileur. i left it alone from there, cause i wanted to mount it later when i got outside.



also on long straights, you need to have slap bumps, my term, to stop the cable from hitting the frame. it is not like i had a long length, but i just got them so i used them!



so keep in mind that you want to give a clear "as straight as possible" route for all yoru cables. this will help relieve some of the friction as it clears a corner.



here is the new deraileur i got that fit my frame diameter. there are a few different designs, so check to make sure you got the right one that fits your bike.



the deraileur need to be at a certain distance formt he chain ring. you can see from the picture, the sticker shows where the rings are supposed to be at.



after the deraileur was on i attached the end caps to the lines. all you have to do is crimp them on and they will stop the lines from fraying. which is a very bad thing.



so now that you have that done, it is time to move onto the chain! this part was super easy. i think over all the line routing is the hardest. but easy as you do it. the chain itself is easy to hang, but the main point here it to make sure the deraileur is at the right position. i was told that the deraileur ring has to be semi close to the cogs. this helps with stability and slack handling.



the sram chain is very easy to install. the power link basically just sandwiches together and combines to mate the 2 ends. i think it was a good idea to go with sram



okay, i didn't get to have lunch today cause i was busy building the bike and stuff... so now it is time to eat, and i post more after i get some food in my tummy...

 

okay, so the bike is now all working and in 1 piece. the only thing left is to mount all the cables, 2 x brakes and 2 x shifters. i just put the shifters all in lowest gear and put all the brakes in lowest position. i then mounted the cables with minimal tension, so there is no slack.

okay, there are a few things i want to mention first before i go into the next few steps. i had a problem with my headset. when you buy your shock you need also make sure it will clear the bottom of the frame. from the next picture, if i were to turn my handle all the way, it woudl have hit the bottom of the frame. when you fall off the bike you will not be able to control how and when the handle bar stops. so in my case, i would have tore off the valve and broken my shock if i were to turn the handle all the way. as you can see, i left a mark there cause i hit it lightly and that is when i noticed it...



i marked the height you need to be cautious about. when i found this problem, i went to buy another headset. you need to make sure that the headset lifts the bike high enough to clear the shock parts. there are headsets that have different offsets. so be informed and make sure the headset you got works... and you won't have to buy another like me...

as you can see, the bottom one is black because it is off the new headset. and i wanted to save on labor, so i left my top one there.



so now, i can crank the handle bar with out worrying about knocking off the adjustment valve needle. expecially when i crash... hopefully i won't...

here is a picture of the front of my bike. make sure to have the wires neat, to where you can turn with out too much tangling and stuff. usually the bike mount points for the cables will help you make the right choice.



here are some detailed pics of the shock area and now i routed the cables.





here is a picture of the full bike. i think, if i got rid of the blue pedals, then i think it will look alot better. i saw this bronze handle bar, wow, i think ti would make my bike look nice also. well, for now... this is it. it is time to get my endurance up and have some fun with all you guys...



as is right now, everythign works. i think all i have to do now is just break in the bike and also adjust all the gear train. i think i will try to god for a shirt ride tonight. in hopes i can get it all adjusted by this weeknd. i want to make a trip to aliso...