Two 29ers and a full suspension 26er walk into a bar....

Ok, so there is really no joke behind the title but it does describe my current bike stable. I mentioned several weeks ago that I was gathering parts for a winter bike building project. Well, here we are at the end of January and said project is now complete. So much for the remaining 8 weeks of winter. Since we’re in the winter doldrums and no one wants to hear about my daily commute (highlight being I saw a rabbit one morning last week), I figured I would do a reveal of the new to me bike.

(warning, show and tell ahead)

Anyway, my goal with this bike was to try full suspension riding. I have two 29er hard tails (3x9 speed and a single speed) and had never tried full suspension. Also, I had my first bike, a 26 inch hard tail, hanging in the garage after my attempt to modify it for my wife to use. This modification failed, but the bike still had plenty of parts (inckuding its wheel seta) that I could use for another project.

My first goal was to find an affordable full suspension frame. I found this on ebay in the form of a 2010 Motobecane Fantom Team frame, size large, with a Rock Shox Monarch 4.2.  It was the right size, and with only cosmetic wear to the decals. Check off the frame from the to get list. A few other parts, such as the derailleurs, shifters, etc., came from ebay and local sellers.

Unfortunately, my goal to stick to use as many parts as possible from the old bike didn’t quite hold. I did use the brakes, grips, bars, saddle, and wheels. However, I deviated in two big areas.

First, was the crankset. The old bike had a basic Shimano Acera three ring crankset. It actually has had very little use and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. However, during my snooping for deals, I spotted a Shimano SLX M665 double crankset (36-22 chain rings) for an unbeatable price. I have the SLX triple on another bike and have been very happy with its performance and I really like the look.  Between the price, the model, and my desire to try a double crankset, the decision was made.

 

Still not sure about the bash guard. It might come off at some point. (purposefully, not by “bashing” into a rock) I also already had a long cage rear derailleur when I bought the SLX. Technically I think a medium cage rear derailleur would have been best, but it seems the long cage works well enough when the bike is on the workstand. Whether there is any impact on performance on the trial remains to be seen.

Second was the fork. The first bike came with a Rock Shox Dart, a nice little entry level fork with 28 mm stanchions and 100 mm of travel. It worked fine when I first started riding in 2008, and saw me through many of trails located around the state. But, I wanted something more substantial. The 28 mm stanchions were the big thing. They are just so thin, and when compared to my other forks (RS Reba) the Dart looks tiny. But, ebay came calling and I spotted a Rock Shox XCTK32 on sale for a decent "buy it now" price. While still mostly low end, it is above the Dart on the quality scale.

So, all parts in hand, I slapped everything together and here it is:

 

 

Nothing spectacular, but for a mostly budget, winter project, I think it will do just fine. Interesting thing should be the 26 in wheels. I haven’t ridden on those in a few years.

Here is the part list:

Frame: 2010 Motobecane Fantom Team
Wheels: No name set from first bike. J
Fork: Rock Shox TCK32 100mm
Rear Shock: Rock Shox Monarch 4.2
Crankset: Shimano SLX M665 36-22
FD: Shimano XT
RD: Sram X-5 (long cage)
Chain: Sram PG-950
Shifters: Sram X-5
Brakes: Avid BB7 (from old bike)
Handlebar: Niner Alumium, no rise
Grips: Ergon GP1 
Seat Post: Sette
Seat: No name from first bike
Tires: Kenda Klaw (from the old bike but still have plenty of life left)
Pedals: Eventually Shimano SPD (from one of my other bikes)

Now I know this bike would not be up to par for many people, but I never intended to build a top of the line racing/recreational machine. I wanted something that was affordable, that would allow me to snoop around for good deals on parts (which I love) and provide some entertainment during the dark days of winter. I’d say mission was accomplished on all those points. Now I just need to ride it! A ride report will be forthcoming.