Frame & Wheel advice?

lucafour

Hi I am looking to build up a "reasonably" lightweight Xc hardtail
I am looking for a couple of suggestions for a good value second hand frame to base it on

what do i look out for on ebay???
I am looking for vale so a big bang for my buck!!

I am also looking a wheels, what would be the weight range for a lightweight XC wheel, and where do the laws of diminishing returns kick in hardest?? Above £250???

Cheers in advance

supersonic

What is the total budget and for what parts?

lucafour

Hi SS
no real budget to be honest, its just a budget build if you like??

i am just looking for something to build up over the winter months

Just looking at frame and wheels to start with
Alu frame to suit 80-100m forks and some reasonably light wheels
Other parts can be changed as and when
I come from a road background and have inherited a GT with Stock wheels, Deore drivetrain and LX disc/shifters. It currently weighs about 28lbs not terminal for a large framed budget bike i guess

I am just really looking for some pointers in the right direction to get me started.

The current wheels are Jalco rims and unbranded hubs. What kind of weight would they come in at as standard??? 2kg+ i guess without stripping them down
I have found it hard to get some idea of weight on all the wheels i have looked at but found some WCS wheels at £220ish at 1.6kg, is that a respectable figure???

And the same for the frame its a 20" GT 6016 Alu frame, looks like a budget model Aggressor?? maybe, what kind of weight is it( i know thats a piece of string question!!) and wheres the best bang for my buck with a replacement???
Cheers in advance

supersonic

While custom building is a great way of getting tthe bike you want, it never works out that cheap - when you have done you'l probably find an off the peg sale bike for half the price which is lighter! Takes a lot of planning, but if you are ready for it, go for it!

The Aggressors can be quite heavy - a few years a go the basic version was 5.3lbs for an 18inch.

That is a good price and weight for that wheelset. In comparison, Mavic Crossrides are 1850g, and XT hubs on 717 about the same.

Frame wise, th GT Zaskar is worth a look. Often found for less than 250 quid, and weighs about 3.6lbs.

I am selling a BeOne XC Pro frame, 19 inches, for a 80-100mm fork - 3.55lbs with headset cups and fittings. brand new!

lucafour

Hi SS
Thanks for the info, it would definately be a small adds/forum/ebay project
I am well aware of the pitfalls of tinkering, my shed has two road bikes (wet and dry!)and a TT/tri bike and box loads of bits that have come off/on most of them.

I appreciate that the sum of the parts will almost always be greater than the value of the end product, but its the finding and putting together thats the fun!!!!

So if i am right with my guestimations and maths the wheels could be a saving of about 1lb and the frame another 2lbs getting it down to about 25ish.
Obviously over time other bits and bobs would be changed as they came to the end of their useful life!!

That wouldnt be too shabby would it??

Thanks for the advice, PM me some details on the frame??

Cheers

lucafour

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/L-K-NOW-NOS-GT-ZA ... 286.c0.m14

This the kind of thing you mean??

wheels are Ritchey WCS discs @ 1.66kg and £207 you think they are a good deal??? They wont be getting heaps of abuse!!!


Any idea how the Zaskars size up? I am about 6ft 1 and ride a 58cm road bike???

supersonic

Yeah, nice Zaskar! Wiggle and CRC used to do them for about 200 quid - full geo there too.

The wheels are a good weight for the price, but don't know much about the hubs or rims.

I'll PM you about the frame.

Splasher

These are good frames for £220 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=3780

lucafour

Cheers Splasher!!

Any suggestions on the wheel front then?
Hope Pro 2s at 1.8kg and £220?

anything in the middle?

supersonic

XTR hubs will knock some weight off. Certain spokes can have significant savings.