Nearly there - Frame, Forks, Brakes, Wheelset !!

GT Destroyer

After much searching and digging I am nearly ready to take the plunge and make some purchases.

This is possibly the final time I come on and get the opinions of you guys, as its time to buy - Thanks for your help in the past weeks leading up to this.

Frame - Orange P7, this is £380 brand new, it takes up to a 140mm fork, it has great write-ups and its available in my size, and I can choose the colour!!
On-one inbred - too small
Cove stiffee - Too expensive
Orange crush - I'm not sure about this, I just think the P7 would be better suited to 20+ mile rides around Dalby red?

Forks - Pike 454 air/coil, now I think air would be better for the long rides but its more expensive. So the question here is air or coil, also considering the cost? I want the maxle for added strength. These go up to 140mm travel so are ideal for the P7 frame.

Brakes - I have decided on Avid 5's but depending on the cost I might try and go up the scale for 7's. I think I'll go to Merlin and go for one of the wheelset and brake combos, they seem like very good prices!
I think the hubs will be Hope Pro 2 or 3, the rims will be one of the Mavic XM range.

Am I completely missing something with a build like this, are there any other thoughts/ideas I need to be made aware of before I start to get the bits?

Thanks for your help - I'll get a pic of the bits and pieces as I buy them and then the finished product when its done!

Andy B

The Inbred comes in frame sizes upto 20", how can that be too small?

Unless you're taller than 6'4"....

So it's out of stock at the mo, but it could be worth waiting for one, it's a bargain!

The Crush is quite heavy, but will take loads of abuse.

The P7 is a classic.

I'd (imho) get the air Pikes, more adjustability.

I'd not bother with the Juicy's either get Hope Mono Mini's or Formula Oro's, or if on a budget go for Deore hydraulics, very good stoppers for the money.

Hope hubs on Mavic XM 7.. series rims (choose your own width, depending on your riding)

GT Destroyer

I'll have another look at the brakes, why not the Avids?

I'm 6 foot 7 inches !

tommywmb

No wonder you destroy GT's!

Andy B

GT Destroyer wrote:

I'll have another look at the brakes, why not the Avids?

Do a search on the forum, a lot of folks are having trouble with them.

Splasher

Oro K18s would be my brake of choice http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Kits ... elID=18987. Note that between the front and the back they have 21 reviews on CRC and only one is less than 5 stars.

What extra strength are you looking for with the Maxle? The reason I ask is that there is a perception that a QR axle is dangerously weak in some way which is not the case - look how many 4X riders use QR forks.

The benefit of a bolt through increases as the fork gets longer and it's marginal on a 140mm fork. I'm not saying the Pike's a bad fork, because it's not. However, it adds weight and 140mm puts your P7 at the slackest of the recommended geometry. A Revelation by comparison, will climb better, weigh less, cost less and will ride the same as the Pike. The only differences will be 10mm less travel and a barely noticeable reduction in steering stiffness. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=21984

GT Destroyer

Splasher - Thats exactly the kind of advice I need! The most important bit is that the Revelation is far cheaper than the Pike.

I see there are 2 models 409 and 426, the 426 has an external floodgate as the upgrade over the 409, what exactly is this and do I really need it for stuff like Dalby red?

Splasher

You don't need external floodgate, but it's no bad thing to have. When you lock the fork out, there is a force that will move it if you hit a large enough obstacle. The floodgate adjustment allows you to adjust the size of that force. By setting the force to be quite small, people use the lock-out not as a lock-out but as a "platform" which prevents the fork from bobbing under rider input but still allows it to compress against square edges etc. Since this is particularly useful for climbing, it would be no bad thing to have for Dalby.

GT Destroyer

So the Rev 426 coil should do exactly the job I need. It has the external floodgate thing, it has adjustable travel, it can be locked out. It is only 0.2 pounds heavier than the air fork, which to be frank I am willing to accept, Plus I have found a brand new pair for £240, which is a world away from the £360 or the £450 for the pikes.

supersonic

The Rev coil for 08 has gained a bit of weight, up to 4.5lbs. The Uturn Air is 4.0 lbs, the dual air 3.75lbs.

artillerydave

I have the 426 130mm travel dual air, great fork and light as a feather but strong as an ox, i would recommend them (merlin doing these cheap as well i think.

GT Destroyer

I'm starting to think these make the most sense (REV 426) with a Kenisis XC 120 frame, its designed for 100-130 travel and so are the Revs. The XC120 is over £100 cheaper than the P7 too.