Rock Lobster Team Tig SL *NEW PICS*

adb1006

My custom-built Rock Lobster Team Tig SL 8)
































Frame: Rock Lobster Team Tig SL (2008)
Forks: Rockshox Reba Team Dual Air (2008)
Bars: Ritchey WCS Carbon flat
Stem: Thomson Elite X4 90mm 0deg rise (ti bolts)
Headset: Hope XC (and carbon spacer)
Tensioner: Exotic Superlight wedge and Carbon top-cap
Grips: Bontrager X-Lite Foam

Brake-set: Hayes Stroker Carbon (alu & ti bolts)
Pads: Superstar Gold Sintered
Front Rotor: Alligator Cirrus/Aries 180mm
Rear Rotor: Alligator Cirrus/Aries 160mm

Shifters: SRAM X0 Gripshift (alu bolts)
Front Mech: Shimano XT M770 (limit bolts removed)
Rear Mech: SRAM X0 carbon medium cage
Cables: Alligator i-link sealed

Seat: Selle Italia SLR
Seat Post: Thompson Elite 7deg layback (ti bolt kit)
Seat Post Clamp: KCNC SC11 Ultralight

Cranks/Bottom Bracket: Shimano Deore XT Hollowtech II
Chainrings: TA Specialites Chinook 40/28
Chainring bolts: Brand X Alu shortened
Chain: KMC X10 SL
Cassette: Shimano XTR 11-32
Pedals: Shimano M520s

Skewers: KCNC ti QR
Wheelset (front & rear): Shimano Deore XT M775, UST, 24 spoke
Tyres: Front = Specialized The Captain S-Works 2bliss 26x2.0 / Rear = Specialized Renegade S-Works 2bliss 26x1.9 (both with Stan's No Tubes sealant)

Weight: 21.91 lbs

Other info:
DT Swiss 6-bolt to centre-lock adapters to run the 6-bolt rotors on M775 hubs.

Future plans:
Lighter wheels and lighter shocks/carbon rigids...

Should see it nearer the 20lbs mark

Stoo61

Beauty....love those things.

pdid

Nice, will get round to posting mine one day. Fantastic bike

adb1006

Stoo61 wrote:

Beauty....love those things.

Cheers, me too

pdid wrote:

Nice, will get round to posting mine one day. Fantastic bike

Thanks. Glad i took your advice and went for the Lobster! What length stem are you running on yours?

pdid

Yeah, still got the standard 90mm that Merlin supplied with it. It can feel slightly cramped on longer rides, but not significantly enough to warrant buying a longer stem.

Glad you bought one, enjoy it

adb1006

It feels OK when i'm in the saddle, but i feel like i'm over the front wheel too far when i'm out of the saddle. It's wierd as i'm sure it has a longer top tube than the Hardrock it replaced when i looked at the geometry.

pdid

One other thing, i`m running the same forks as you and lost the rebound adjuster after a couple of rides. Do up your front QR like Nick in his tip here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/forums/vie ... t=12608892

adb1006

Good tip, thanks. I've been using these forks for about 4 or 5 months - the rebound adj is pretty much welded on - but i'll head the advice just in case!

adb1006

Updated initial post with some more pics 8)

The Northern Monkey

adb1006 wrote:

Updated initial post with some more pics 8)

Grrr I wish you wouldn't!!! that bike is one of my fav's on here, and everytime I see it I want one!!
I'm very impulsive too

how much did it set you back?

Andy B

Nice bike 8)

Front mech looks like it's set up too high though, should be a 2-3mm gap between it & the outer chainring.

adb1006

Andy_B wrote:

Nice bike 8)

Front mech looks like it's set up too high though, should be a 2-3mm gap between it & the outer chainring.

Cheers

I thought the same thing when i looked at that pic - doesn't look that high "in the flesh" - maybe the angle of the pic, not sure. It changes fine though, no problems, nice and smooth - and is the first front mech i've ever set up that doesn't rub, so i'm well chuffed!

adb1006

bigbenj_08 wrote:

adb1006 wrote:

Updated initial post with some more pics 8)

Grrr I wish you wouldn't!!! that bike is one of my fav's on here, and everytime I see it I want one!!
I'm very impulsive too

how much did it set you back?

He he - sorry mate 8)

It came in at about £1300 (or just over ), but that was buying bits as and when they were on offer!

adrianb

Nice bike, what do you think of the Shimano M775 wheels?

I was considering upgrading my OEM Alex TD24 from Scott Scale to either those or a set of handbuilt Mavic 717s on either hope 2 or XT hubs....

adb1006

I really like them. I was going to go for Pro II's and Mavic XC717 at first. Then decided i wanted to go tubeless so it would have been XM819's. The XT's came in lighter and about £70 cheaper than those so it had to be done. For a "factory" build they're dead true and have remained tight so far!

Prices have gone up now though - i managed to get them for under £200 off Merlins.

adb1006

Updated at the bottom of my initial post with a couple of new pics from Dunwich Woods at the weekend 8)

RD_SMB

Thats a nice ride.

The Rockhopper looks pretty sweet to me

adb1006

RD_SMB wrote:

The Rockhopper looks pretty sweet to me

Nah, it's censored - my mate's an absolute gayer

never ready

Thats a sweet ride you got.

You two been having fun in the woods!

adb1006

never ready wrote:

Thats a sweet ride you got.

You two been having fun in the woods!

Yeah - we went out a while ago and this fat ginger lad fell off his bike and slid into a ditch

Chaz.Harding

Nice. Love the fact there are still hardtail riders around 8)

RD_SMB

adb1006 wrote:

never ready wrote:

Thats a sweet ride you got.

You two been having fun in the woods!

Yeah - we went out a while ago and this fat ginger lad fell off his bike and slid into a ditch

Wasn't he that American Kid on Vacation

jairaj

adb1006
What is the frame like to ride? Im looking for a new frame to go with my rigid carbon forks and the Rock Lobster is on my shortlist.

The problem I have is that the forks are designed to replace 80mm of suspension while the Rock Lobster is designed for 100m forks. Do you think I would upset the handling too much and make it too steep?

Chaz.Harding

I can't resist saying this - the stickers on the XT wheelsets make the wheels look all bent!!

I can't be the only one who thinks this, surely! But they look coooool when you're rolling 8)

adb1006

jairaj wrote:

adb1006
What is the frame like to ride? Im looking for a new frame to go with my rigid carbon forks and the Rock Lobster is on my shortlist.

The problem I have is that the forks are designed to replace 80mm of suspension while the Rock Lobster is designed for 100m forks. Do you think I would upset the handling too much and make it too steep?

I'm really not sure about the fork length mate - i would try emailing Merlin and asking them, they should be able to tell you.

The frame is nice to ride - i have no complaints with it. It's nice and light but well put together.

adb1006

bigchazrocks wrote:

I can't resist saying this - the stickers on the XT wheelsets make the wheels look all bent!!

I can't be the only one who thinks this, surely! But they look coooool when you're rolling 8)

They get a lot of comments - they're painted that way, not stickers though 8)

Not sure what they look like rolling - i have enough problems trying to stay on the thing without looking at my wheels on the go!

chorscroft

Yea, I put that XT wheelset on my bike too and as much as I try to convince myself that it's a great improvement over my old set, and I can run tubeless if i want, I know I bought them for the looks! 8)

adb1006

chorscroft wrote:

Yea, I put that XT wheelset on my bike too and as much as I try to convince myself that it's a great improvement over my old set, and I can run tubeless if i want, I know I bought them for the looks! 8)

I bought them because they were unbeatable value at the time - got them for £199 - and was set on going tubeless as i was a puncture magnet, getting at last one a ride. Had them for about 3-4 months now i think and haven't had a single puncture (touch wood). If you haven't gone tubeless yet, get yourself some UST tyres and go for it - you won't look back! It's a very straightforward process and i don't think i'd ever consider going back to tubes 8)

chorscroft

Yeah although the shimano prices have skyrocketed I managed to get the wheelset for £170 in near perfect condition.

I seem to be near immune to punctures although as the technicality of my riding increases I guess the likelihood of pinch flats and other punctures will increase...

Currently running a race king 2.2 out back and a speed king 2.1 up front with continental tubes but they're getting swapped for Flyweight's at 100g each.

I would consider tubeless in the future but I don't know an awful lot about it.

What tubeless tires are you using? Weight?

do you still need a rim strip with proper UST tires or just some sort of valve core and sealant?

Conor

adb1006

You need the tubeless valve that comes with the wheelset, no rim strip if you're using proper UST rims and tyres, and you don't need sealant apparently - although i wouldn't risk it without personally.

My tyres are Spesh 2bliss S-Works The Captains - not sure what they weigh but they're supposed to be pretty light for tubeless tyres - plus you're losing the weight of the tube.

chorscroft

I'm thinking of trying to convert my current tires into tubeless.

I don't have the original tubeless valves so can I just buy a couple of these:

http://www.freeborn.co.uk/shop/componen ... valve-stem

Some stans no tubes sealant, and then use a compressor to seat the bead.

This should work, right?