Long term full bike build advice

retired_protegee

Hello, I'm looking at buying a new bike with a (nearly) money no object build. I'm sick of having to regularly replace parts on a bike, through warn dérailleurs, worn out hubs etc etc. So I've decided to build a bike around the idea of minimal servicing, ready to go whenever and that will last 10+ years.

I'm just looking for some buying advice for RELIABILITY as much as performance and what needs minimal servicing.

I want to build it to be compatible with the worst of British riding and built to be a 5" hardtail with an internal hub gearing system (sick of dérailleurs, cables, mud etc). I'll write down what parts I've got in mind at the moment and I'm open to any other suggestions that people have in mind.

FRAME: Whyte 19 Ti. Yet to test ride one, but its what I have in mind. Had a 46 and loved it and only heard great things about this bike. I'd prefer titanium as the frame material, but would be open to a really classy steel frame. I don't think aluminium or carbon fit with the build ethos.

FORK: Fox F120 RLT/ FOX F120 RL. Everything I've read about this fork screams that its the best in its category.

SEATPOST: Thomson.

STEM: Was thinking Thomson.

HANDLEBARS: Always loved Monkeylite's. Wondering whether anyone has had any troubles with them over a 10 year period or so? Or any other suggestions? I think carbon bars wouldn't be a bad choice, but if anyone would recommend aluminium that would be appreciated.

SEAT: Tempted to get a Brooks with long term in mind but never really heard of them used for mountain biking. Does anyone have any experience?

HEADSET: ChrisKing

REAR HUB: Shimano Alfine/ Rohloff. This is what I'm really confused about. Don't know which one to go for, will obviously try both before purchasing but really am not sure at the moment.

FRONT HUB: Chris King

RIMS: No idea what I'd like. Any suggestions?

SPOKES: Heard CX Rays are pretty much the best, but again, open to any suggestions from the more experienced.

BRAKES: Always had good experience with Hope and heard great things from Formula. I won't touch Magura, Hayes or Avid as I've had awful experiences with them all.

CRANK: Was thinking an XTR and taking off the other chainrings

BB: Hope ceramic

PEDALS: Shimano XTR, heard the bearings never die

Obviously tyres, chain and cables will all come and go, so I'm just looking for performance here really. Always loved FIRE XC's and had some Maxxis on an Epic recently that I loved but they punctured a fair few times.

Anyway, any help and advice would be much appreciated. I'll let you all know when it gets built as well!

Andy B

Ti frames can fail, they're not a surefire way of making a frame that lasts 10 years

Syntace offer a 10 year warranty on their bars, stems, seatposts....

Chris King stuff can fail, as can Hope and pretty much every manufacturer under the sun has suffered failures in under the time you specify

XTR pedals, well the pair I have have just failed, the whole pedal body came off the axle on the last ride (a gentle pootle round the woods as a shakedown ride), they were less than 5 years old, don't know if I can rebuild them yet, been to busy building up another bike.

Chainrings, if you're running a hub geared bike you'd be best off getting a proper singlespeed chainring, in steel, it'll last longer than an alloy one and the chain is less likely to drop off the ring if your chain tension isn't right.

Speaking of chain tension, how do you plan to tension your chain?

IIRC some hub gears need the frame to be made to suit the hub gear's specifications

dbmnk

yep, you should definitely consider a frame with split seat stays or ecc BB for chain tension.

With split seat stays you even could consider getting a belt drive in order to avoid the pfaff of changing worn/rusty chains.

Time pedals are good quality.

Shimano disc brakes are possibly the least cumbersome ones to maintain - just don't get the finned pads version since that will pack up mud.

Thomson seatposts can collect water in the the seat tube because of the barrel/open top -design - consider a forged closed head.

Plenty singlespeed and steel guys use Brooks saddles. I recently got a tip on just cutting the sides of a B17 to look like a Swallow.

Rims: Sun Singletrack with brass nipples.

Anonymous

retired_protegee wrote:

Hello, I'm looking at buying a new bike with a (nearly) money no object build. I'm sick of having to regularly replace parts on a bike, through warn dérailleurs, worn out hubs etc etc. So I've decided to build a bike around the idea of minimal servicing, ready to go whenever and that will last 10+ years.

I don't understand why you're having problems with wearing out derailleurs or hubs. Rear mechs generalyl last until they've been smacked good and proper on a rock. Hubs, you can reblace the bearings or freehub.

Are you, by any chance, over-maintaining your bike? Cleaning it too much can cause issues, as you clean the greases away.

retired_protegee

Cheers everyone for the input

Andy B: Seen as nothing will last guaranteed for 10 years, what would you recommend as a long term 5" hardtail? cheers for the tip on the syntace stuff, didnt know about that. do you have any experience with either? in relation to the other comment on thomson seatposts letting water in to the frame, do the syntace?

I understand Chris King and other stuff can fail, but I've always had good experiences/heard good experiences and the warranty can't be faulted and covers a good period of time.

interesting to hear about the xtr pedals. not heard about that before. have you had any other problems with them?

Any suggestions for a chainring?

Not sure about chain tension. I thought i could run the horizontal drop outs with the whyte and that would nearly be enough. if not just a simple chain tensioning device.

Dbmnk: I dont understand what split seat stays would do to help chain tension?

I had considered belt drive but have a few concerns. how long do they last? do they eventually go slack? dont you have to cut the frame to fit one? would this jeopardise strength, or even the warranty? id rather not worry about it and just go with changing the chain once a year/6 months.

My mate had a pair of times. always heard good things. any experience with them you'd like to share? i assumed xtr was the standard for decent pedals without going in to stupid crank bros prices.

I've always heard of someone having complaints with something to do with Shimano, either power, going through pads to quick, level feel etc. but I'll have a look now.

any other options for seatposts? is there no way of sealing the barrel with some tape or anything?

cheers for the b17 tip, not heard of that done before.

Any reason for the sun rims standing out above everything else?

yeehaamcgee: sorry, i wasnt too clear. i meant to say i always break derailleurs on rocks and get annoyed with all of the breaking points of a conventional drivetrain. im far from a compulsive cleaner with bikes, thats exactly why im doing this project!

Anonymous

Well, if you're not a compulsive cleaner, I still don't understand why you're struggling so much to get a reliable bike.

dbmnk

retired_protegee wrote:

I thought i could run the horizontal drop outs with the whyte and that would nearly be enough.

Dbmnk: I dont understand what split seat stays would do to help chain tension?

Your totally right - it doesn't do anything. But you'd never find a split bike without horizontal drops or ecc BB.

It also seems like you can have horizontals on the Whyte - will be sufficient.

I had considered belt drive but have a few concerns. how long do they last? do they eventually go slack? dont you have to cut the frame to fit one? would this jeopardise strength, or even the warranty? id rather not worry about it and just go with changing the chain once a year/6 months.

I don't have experience, but a belt is on the wish list for next SS bike. Shouldn't go slack, and should last for ages. Don't cut the frame yourself - I'm sure you can order a split with Whyte or Lynskey (who produces Whyte's ti) for a small extra.

My mate had a pair of times. always heard good things. any experience with them you'd like to share?

I use S-Roc Atac, and after 3-4 years of trail abuse i wet and rocky conditions, they're perfectly fine, smooth running. Never did any maintenance. The quality just feels right.

I've always heard of someone having complaints with something to do with Shimano, either power, going through pads to quick, level feel etc. but I'll have a look now.

The newish Shimano stuff is more failproof than any other brand to my knowledge.

any other options for seatposts? is there no way of sealing the barrel with some tape or anything?

Forged setback posts are normally sealed-top, e.g. Titec. You could seal the Thomson yourself, but it not even sure you'd experience it a problem unless you're in really wet conditions. It depends on how well the rotating baseplate fits to the barrel, and that varies from post to post, even within Thomson's tolerances. You could tighten a badly fitting baseplate up watertight, but possibly violating recommended torque.

Any reason for the sun rims standing out above everything else?

welded joint, good width for taking abuse. not too heavy. looks cool.

lawman

might be wprth considering the ibis tranny, very good frame, incredibly versatile, and alot cheaper than a 19ti, as well as comfier imo. it takes 120mm fork no problem, and has a clever rear triangle for singlespeeding and the like, and can be used with most hub gear systems, ibis are also a fantastic company to deal with, fantastic warrenty, very helpful too. if you want more info, check this site out :

http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=125