Trek Fuel 90 2004 - Update: 24/05, Nearly complete!

mfereborn

I was going to send you a message to say my parcel arrived mate! :P

Cheers for your contribution to this man, its really helped and the items are excellent quality!

mfereborn

Today I did do Summertime-Christmas:

SPUD shoes! Shimano basic model spd trainers, used but very good condition:



Rock Shox pump - which has already revealed my forks were slightly stuck down



Headset spacer



A pair of Discs



Oh okay i'll stop teasing, i got these too!

Avid Juicy 3 SL's



Sram X-7 shifters and Juicy 3 Sl's



The bar set-up (mock)



Mock build - With Dart 2's filling in for the other rockshox that're in transit!








It was a good day!

however i cant build anything much without the forks i'll be putting on, and theyre attached to the wheels, which are also in transit...

Hopefully tomorrow we could be seeing a rolling chassis however excuse me if im slow as i have exams!

Cheers,

Thom[/b]

paul.skibum

Does the Sram shifter work with shimano rear mech? I thought they had different pull ratios?

Good build though - I hope I am wrong about the above!

cgarossi

I'm pretty sure the SRAM shifter will not work with the deore mech.

joshtp

Sram shifters will absolutely not work with a shimano R.mech, it will work on the front though.


nice build. but what happened to the Rst's? those RST first's are suposed to be very,very good. WAY better than any Darts could ever hope to be!

mfereborn

Ah buggar, really? i was told the srams would work with shimano kit...

Thats a pain

Josh, the darts arnt staying on, just for the mock up but neither are the rst's, i've gotten hold of some rock shox air forks (possibly tora?) and they have a similar spec but nicer colours - assuming theyre as good/better condition they'll go on!

mfereborn

After this little glitch above i have won some SLX 9/3 shifters in mint condition to replace the already sold X-7's.

Thank god you lot are here to keep me straight eh?

Wheels and forks should be here any day now!

max丨mo

Glad you got some other forks to go on your build, because from experience those Dart2's are shocking (get it?).

El Capitano

mfereborn wrote:

Ah buggar, really? i was told the srams would work with shimano kit...

The only Sram shifters that will work with Shimano rear mechs are the Rocket or Attack ones (they are specifically designed to). The ones you've got won't work with the rear, but will with the front.

mfereborn

cheers well i bought some shimano SLX shifters in mint condition so no worries now, just need to wait for them to arrive!

mfereborn

I'z gotz me'z some treats! And god they look good.

May I introduce Mavic Crossrides (Disc Only), Rock Shox Recon Race (2009) and I've got some hope skewers too but i wont make a fuss about them.

And they look like this....

mfereborn

Sorry about some of the picture quality!

May i just add, i'm not impressed by the rockshox recon race forks.

Obviously (if youve followed this thread) ive had a pair of RST f1RST air forks. They retail at about £150 new, the rock shox for over £250 i believe.

The RST has all metal adjusters, the rock shox are mostly painted plastic, the rst's feel so much more tight in every aspect, everything feels precision engineered right down to the shrader valve cap, the rock shox although not bad feel of poorer build quality, in defense of the rock shox however they do feel marginally lighter.

If it wasnt for the RST forks being white and the fact i got the rock shox for a reasonable price i'd put the RST's on the bike.

Furthermore they are exceptionally similar, other than difference structural pieces which have been cast differently i dare say the internals will be almost identical.

I also prefer the RST F1RST post mount rather than the Rock shox Is mount.

If i can get myself a pair of RST F1RST Plantinums in black i'll be changing over to them.

Discuss? :P

Finally a new spec sheet considering a couple of things have changed slightly:

Frame: Trek Fuel 90 17.5"
Forks: Rockshox Recon Race Solo Air 2009
Shock: Fox Float R
Bars: Easton EA70 Flats
Stem: Easton EA70 100mm, 6 degree rise
Headset: FSA Orbit XLII
Grips: Kona Mooseknuckle
Bar Ends:

Front Brake Lever assy: Avid Juicy 3 SL
Front Caliper: Avid Juicy 3 SL
Front disc: Avid Rotor 203mm
Rear Brake Lever assy: Avid Juicy 3 SL
Rear Caliper: Avid Juicy 3 SL
Rear Disc: Avid Rotor 185mm
Hoses: Avid Juicy hoses


Shifters: Shimano SLX M660 (I think!)
Cables: Shimano SLX cables
Front Mech: Shimano Deore XT
Rear Mech: Shimano Deore

Seat: WTB Laser V
Seat Post: FSA SL280
Seat Post Clamp: Pro-lite

Cranks: Deore XT Hollowtech II
Chainring(s): Deore XT Hollowtech II
Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed 7701
Cassette: Shimano XT
Pedals: Shimano M520 SPD
Bottom Bracket: Deore XT Hollowtech II

Wheelset: Mavic Crossride 2009
Skewers: Hope QR
Tubes:
Tyres: Panaracer Fire XC 2.1

Weight:

ride_whenever

don't the recons are a good fork to actually ride rather than have standing on your bed

mfereborn

I'll obviously ride them first however first impressions are dissapointing considering they should be superior to the 'budget' RST forks. I hope the ride makes up for it!

As for riding, that should be done in the near future, i have a couple of things to buy yet and im waiting on more pats to be delivered, but we're nearly there!

Still to come:
Shifters
Tyres
Tubes
Split Links
Gear cable outers
Bleed kit and fluid
Rear cassette

I'll also be wanting bar ends, a chain sleeve and a bottle cage but i dont need those to ride!

Should be no longer than another week with a little bit of luck!

mrfmilo

I have some Recon 351's (which are now on my dads bike though) which are great. You won't be disappointed with the performance Weirdly mine has all metal parts, nothing plastic (eg. rebound knob, compression adjust etc.)

But the bike the bike looking great :P

mfereborn

I might see about upgrading to metal parts, because i want to start being a tart :P

Cheers for the compliment milo - im really impressed with how its turned out, i feel it looks very racey as well!

mfereborn

We're getting there!

the bars are pretty much on the headset with the exception of one spacer, so the position is exceptionally racey - unfortunately i have no say in the matter as the steerer was cut pre-purchase to 200mm, on the up side, i don't mind this positioning, i do need to tweak the saddle height and similar, as well as adjust various bits and pieces (Suspension pressures) but we will leave that lot until its complete!

I'm only now waiting on the rear Xt cassette, a chain link, hydraulic olives, bleed kit, fluid and the chain sleeve before i can ride it.

One thing that is concerning me is the "all-mountain" stance the bike seems to have taken a liking to, it's quite aggressive for an XC bike and looks huge compared to what i remember of my last bikes!

Anyway here's a few pictures, not much to show really but you can certainly see progress since my first post at least!






Apologies for picture quality, the camera was losing battery life so i had to take some quick simple snaps!

mfereborn

The bike went on its 200yard maiden voyage today although i only had high gear on the back as i need a spacer for my mavic hub to take it down from 10 speed to 9 speed and i ddin't have brakes either!

Although the tyres were relatively soft, and the suspension needs setting up i can say now it's going to be quick, the seating position is a little strange and i didnt have the SPD shoes on but it's one hell of a bike for the money i've paid.

Still do do:

Fit cassette spacer
Fit headset lower seal
Index gears
Grease all moving parts
Bleed brakes
Buy brake house mounts for top-tube
Buy V-brake blanks
Set-up suspension
Inflate tyres fully
Ensure everythings tight
RIDE!

So basically, we're just doing final fittings and adjustments

Pictures to follow!

Tolk

How much has it cost you so far out of interest?

mfereborn

To date the exact cost is £802.42.

This was meant to be a budget build; i'm unsure if this is infact a very expensive old bike and i could have bought something far better for the same money...

Or if it is infact very good value for money; i really don't know.

I calculated the parts alone would have cost in excess of £1300 had they been new and assuming the frame cost new what i paid second hand.

What do you guys think?

Edit: i've just tried to find a bike with even a remotely similar spec as mine and the closest ive found is a 2010 cannondale running similar spec parts for about £1500.

http://www.wheelbase.co.uk/products/can ... ne20_3.htm

mfereborn

Frame Trek Fuel 90 £220.00
Shock Fox Float R £0.00
Seatpost FSA SL280 £0.00
Headset FSA Orbit XLII and FSA headset £21.98
Chain Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed 7701 £0.00
Chainset Shimano Deore XT Hollowtech II £15.00
Seatpost Clamp Pro-lite £0.00
Bottom Bracket Shimano Deore XT Hollowtech II £0.00
Front Derallieur Shimano Deore XT £0.00
Forks Rockshox Recon Race 2009, RST F1RST and Rock shox Dart 2 £212.49
Rear Derallieur Shimano Deore £13.19
Stem Easton EA70 100mm 6 degree rise £13.19
Spacers FSA £0.00
Starnut FSA £0.00
Wheels Mavic Crossride Wheelset 2009 £69.52
Skewers Hope QR Steel Skewers & Mavic £23.00
Brakes Avid Juicy 3 F/R, Discs, etc £70.00
Bars Easton EA70 Bars £13.19
Tyres Panaracer Fire XC 2.1 tyres £0.00
Pedals Shimano M520 SPD and Cleats £8.20
Saddle WTB Laser V saddle £7.52
Grips Kona mooseknuckle £0.00
Brake Fluid £0.00
Gear Shifters Shimano SLX £19.35
Gear Cables £0.00
Shoes Shimano SPD Shoes £20.00
Shock Pump Rockshox Shock Pump £17.15
Innertubes Dr Sludge Self Sealing Inner Tube - 26 x 1.75-2.125 x 0.6mm Schrader £9.98
Split Links 2x KMC 9 Speed Links £2.95
Gear Cable Outer Shimano XT Gear Cable Outer Only - Black Long 600mm £9.95
Bleed Kit Avid Rip-off Ebay £14.98
Brake Fluid
Brake olives £7.00
Chain Splitter £9.99
Cassette Spacer £2.49
Headset Seal £1.30

mfereborn

Wow! What a bike! It had its first real voyage last night of an 18mile round trip through town and country (mostly disused railways as i was going to the lasses!) and it's quite quick! average speed of 12mph with an incline of 300metres, top speed 28mph, flat cruising speed a steady 17-19mph. I understand these will depend on my own fitness but hopefully those stats will provide an idea :P

Anyway, pro's of the bike, its very light to me coming from what im used to (DH bikes and cheap xc bikes)

It weighs in at 27lbs which i can easily hack down bit by bit.

The suspension setup is amazing, the front end glides over anything youre likely to encounter and when locked out it feels like a rigid. The rear end has no pedal bob at all, although it is set quite firm.

Downsides - well i was running at 40psi on the rear and that didnt seem to be quite enough as it felt flattish and rolling speed was down.

The saddle is rock hard but that may be because i havent cycled in a long time.

The 'racey' feel of the bike makes it very sharp to turn in, but very uncomfortable on the lower back and wrists. i cant increase the bar height at all due to a 200mm steerer, however im going to replace my easton flats for a riser style bar to add at least a little extra height. I could reduce the seat height a fraction but then that will detract from the speed of the bike.

It's looking very tasty i must admit, and i think sub 24lb would be realistic. the wheels alone must weigh a few pound each because they are tubed and running slime-filled tubes. The drivetrain is a mish-mash of shimano parts, the pedals are anything but light (m520 spd's, i think egg beaters would easily thrash them from a weight point of view) and there could be a lot of carbon put in place of various parts such as seat post, bars, stem.

I'll get some action shots of the bike in the near future hopefully, but for now she is done, but a work in progress she will remain.

dot1

I'd look up the maximum rotor size recommended for the Recon's, as I think a 203mm rotor may be too big for them as they're an XC fork, with a DH sized brake on it!

mfereborn

cheers dot, ill do that, i bought them as a set so just bunged them on as were.

I'm now going down the weight shaving route so i'll be going 160 front and 140 rear if i can, the 203 is just too big and i dont think its offering any advantage over a smaller rotor.

Rotor size on the recon race is said to be 210mm max

Edit: corrected a typo

njee20

You're not going down the weight saving route, so you're going 160/140...?

I'm not sure I'd bother with a 140 on the back if I wasn't racing/the bike hadn't come like that, the 160 does give you more power, and the weight saving is pretty negligible.

mfereborn

I plan to be racing the bike and the rear brake barely gets used so its a case of every little helps, i did consider completely removing the rear brake to cut down on weight as i really do use it that little. Also a 140 is still easy to lock on any xc route for me and if its locking youve got adequate power.

Torres

Very nicely done sir
Smaller rotors would be my reccomendation if you're not a "sizeable gent," also, have you thought about i higher rise stem if you need to lift the front end a bit? The easton one looks quite low.

mfereborn

Tell me about it, it's very low.

I will get some new forks at some point, when i have a budget for some, but for now i'm looking at an 80mm stem with a slightly higher angle and some riser bars.

Weight shaving will mostly focus around the wheels and drivetrain for now so new suspension will have to wait

Torres

Wheels and drive don't look to bad to me, you'll have to spend a fair wedge more to notice any difference. Looks like a very capable bike to me.

mfereborn

cheers, im rather pleased with it for £800ish, i dare say its a 1.5k build so its certainly worth the money!