Ragley Bagger Build Project

kinggareth

After weeks of browsing the forum I thought i'd finally start to contribute something.

After some thieving twunts stole my beloved (and not properly insured) Cove Stiffee i was left with no bike and just £250 to start a new project.

I've always been a hardtail fan but also love to point them down whatever slope/hill/mountain i can find so I've been naturally drawn towards the latest crop of Ragleys, and with them being such a good price it seemed a bit of a no-brainer to me. I hovered over the 'buy' button for a sqwoosh Blue Pig a number of times but kept being drawn towards the Bagger - mainly because I fancied the slightly longer travel and slacker head angle so I could experiment with chucking it down some really steep stuff!

So about 3 weeks ago a lovely big box was delivered to me at work containing this beauty



This isn't going to be the quickest build as the frame alone used up more than my insurance company paid out for my stolen stiffee, but i've made a start with the following;

Fox Van 36R's in tapered steerer variety


Ragley Spike Seat Post, Hope clamp and Charge Spoon saddle




It's not much, but it's a start


I'd also ordered a Nukeproof headset as they seemed to be the only choice for a 44mm head tube with tapered steerer, but they're out of stock everywhere until the middle of August. I thought this'd put a stop to my build plans for a while, until i realised that Superstar had a headset that would fit the bill perfectly.
So i've now got a Superstar headset and spacers in lairy orange on their way and a Ragley stubbing stem in black. I've also just bought a secondhand Saint rear deraillier for a good price which should be with me soon.

I'm trying to decide on a handlebar now. The Renthal fatbar has a good reputation and is the right sort of width that i'm looking for but I don't think the gold colour will suit so i may go for a Deity dirty30 in Ano Black - decisions decisions!

I'll keep you updated as an when anything new happens

ilovedirt

Superstar bars? Nice and wide, sensible rise on them, good range of colours and most importantly - cheap!

Looking forward to seeing this build progress, I like a good hardcore hardtail build. I keep thinking about getting rid of the Slayer and buying another (quite like the look of the Ragley Troof), but then I ride my Slayer and remember that I love it!

kinggareth

I looked at Superstar bars, but I'm already going to have orange Superstar headset, spacers, pedals and hubs, and didn't want too much orange - or too much Superstar!

I'm having trouble with wheel colour choice though - I considered orange hubs with orange rims but decided that really would be too orange. But I now can't decide between orange hubs with black rims or orange hubs with white rims?

kinggareth

The frame is now at my LBS getting the headset fitted - I considered attempting it myself with a hammer and a block of wood but thought better of it.
Unbelievably it's going to take them until Monday to fit it - surely it's a 2 minute job with the right tools???

My lovely shiny Saint deraillier turned up today - it's 2nd hand but i was well chuffed with the condition, boxed with original instructions too.

70\ʹspenguin

Ive just realised this is a Bagger and not a Badger. I so wanted it to be a Badger!

Gazlar

kinggareth wrote:

I looked at Superstar bars, but I'm already going to have orange Superstar headset, spacers, pedals and hubs, and didn't want too much orange - or too much Superstar!

I'm having trouble with wheel colour choice though - I considered orange hubs with orange rims but decided that really would be too orange. But I now can't decide between orange hubs with black rims or orange hubs with white rims?

You can never have enough superstar......the bars are top notch and you don't have to have them in orange

The Northern Monkey

Will be nice when done, HC HT's are much fun!!

Can't say I like the braces on the headtube and seatstays though... they're fugly as hell!

kinggareth

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Will be nice when done, HC HT's are much fun!!

Can't say I like the braces on the headtube and seatstays though... they're fugly as hell!

They're not the prettiest, but i have to admit that i like things a bit industrial, I think it goes well with the steel hardcore image.

Gazlar wrote:

You can never have enough superstar......the bars are top notch and you don't have to have them in orange

So many products from Superstar are really tempting because they look great and are comparatively good value. The parts I've had from them so far seem good quality and the delivery has been really fast.

kinggareth

I love visits from the delivery man!

These arrived over the last couple of days:



which made the front end look a little more like this...




The bars are super wide, I may need to trim them down a little but i'll ride them for a bit to see.

My cat seemed desperate to get in these pics, he's like some sort of photo whore!

leythervegas

Thats looking really nice so far. Gorgeous bars! Where are you getting your orange bits from? Need some for my scandal build.

kinggareth

Today brought more visits from Ivan my delivery man.

Superstar had sent me some more Haribo, yay! I took advantage of their special offer, buy 2 bags of haribo and get a pair of wheels free!

kinggareth

leythervegas wrote:

Thats looking really nice so far. Gorgeous bars! Where are you getting your orange bits from? Need some for my scandal build.

All of the orangeness has come from Superstar, and it's all been spot on so far (plus you get haribo with every order)

kinggareth

These also arrived today



Which means I've got a rolling chassis that I can push around the flat now





The rear wheels just being held in by a QR that i found lying around for now, the hub is for a 12mm axle, but i can't fit that until I get the right DMR swapout dropout which seems to be out of stock everywhere.

The forks feel less plush now that they're mounted in the frame and make some noises I'm not used to (i've always had air forks before), i'm considering getting them serviced before i do any proper riding. It's just that a service costs about £110 which seems ridiculous!!

Anonymous

Looking good buddy build coming along, what group set and brakes ya thinking of getting

ThanksBye

Looking good, why did you choose differnt coloured hubs?

kinggareth

raceface gt wrote:

Looking good buddy build coming along, what group set and brakes ya thinking of getting

I've got a Saint rear derailleur and Saint cranks both second hand off eBay. The derailleur looks great, sadly the cranks look less good but they should do the job.
I'm on the lookout for some Saint shifters for a good price and i'll probably get an SLX front derailleur and an XT cassette.
When next payday comes i'll treat myself to a Hope Tech M4 front brake and prob an X2 rear brake and some solid discs as the floating discs seem unnesessary and expensive.

kinggareth

ThanksBye wrote:

Looking good, why did you choose differnt coloured hubs?

I wanted orange hubs to go with the theme, but the trizoid rear only came in black, gold or red so i went with black.
I'm pleased i stuck with the orange hub on the front though, i just like the little splashes of colour.

leaflite

Forks are difficult to gauge until you actually ride the bike. The spring may be the wrong one for your weight, however.

You can service forks yourself for much less than £110 if there is something wrong.

kinggareth

Sorry for no updates for a while, but I've just not had a chance with one thing or another.

Bits and bobs have been arriving pretty much everyday for the last couple of weeks - and now I'm pleased to say that my Bagger is finally built.
it was going to be a slightly longer build while I saved for parts but I just got impatient.

I've had a short ride, just along the river and some lumps and bumps in some nearby woodland - bit of a shakedown to make sure nothing will suddenly fall off. It feels great to ride, and it's immediately noticably comfier than the Stiffee it replaces. For a slack angled bike it reacts much quicker to steering inputs than i expected, but i reckon it's gonna inspire loads of confidence on the downhills and put a massive smile on my face. i can't wait to get it out on the trails now.

I hope you like (pictures in a slightly more natural habitat than my dining room!)

kinggareth

A list of components in case anyones interested:

Frame: Ragley Bagger 288 size 16"
Forks: Fox 36 Van R 160mm tapered steerer
Wheel F: Superstar Switch EVO Orange Hub with Superstar AM-490 Rim (Black)
Wheel R: Superstar Trizoid 12mm axle hub with Superstar AM-490 Rim
Cranks: Shimano Saint
Pedals: Superstar Nano Tech Flats (Orange)
Derailleur F: Shimano SLX
Derailleur R: Shimano Saint
Shifters: Shimano SLX 2x9
Brakes F&R: Hope Tech M4 with braided hoses
Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF
Seatpost: Ragley Spike
Saddle: Charge Spoon (Black/Orange)
Stem: Ragley Stubbing 50mm
Bars; Superstar Descent 780 (Orange)

ilovedirt

Very nice, I like your build, though I'd probably change a few things (forks and get rid of the front mech). My own bagger just turned up a few days ago, frame seems very nicely put together.

ellsbells1973

Gazlar wrote:

kinggareth wrote:

I looked at Superstar bars, but I'm already going to have orange Superstar headset, spacers, pedals and hubs, and didn't want too much orange - or too much Superstar!

I'm having trouble with wheel colour choice though - I considered orange hubs with orange rims but decided that really would be too orange. But I now can't decide between orange hubs with black rims or orange hubs with white rims?

You can never have enough superstar......the bars are top notch and you don't have to have them in orange

+1 for superstar kit
yah can never have to much orange either, tiz the future, just check my 456 evo, orange wheels rock

kinggareth

ilovedirt wrote:

Very nice, I like your build, though I'd probably change a few things (forks and get rid of the front mech). My own bagger just turned up a few days ago, frame seems very nicely put together.

What would you change the forks for? i looked at Lyrics but i prefer Fox and i've no need for travel adjust, plus i really wanted coil sprung, for the consistency and reliability. They're plush as anything and suit the character of the bike perfectly.

Getting rid of the front mech would make changing gear REALLY difficult!

ilovedirt

I've just never been a fan of fox, more a rockshox person, more bang for your buck. I've got some coil 170 lyriks for mine.
You don't need front gears! :P I've not used a granny ring in ages, but again it's personal preference

allthegearnoidea

is it wrong to post this for every badger build????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIyixC9NsLI

nice bike btw. ;-)

kinggareth

ilovedirt wrote:

You don't need front gears! :P I've not used a granny ring in ages, but again it's personal preference

I toyed with the idea of going single chainring, but this is my only (mountain) bike and i know i'd soon get fed up with pushing up hills (although to be honest i get fed up with trying to cycle up hills too!).

ilovedirt

To be fair, I've only ever had a problem getting up steep/slippy natural climbs, to the point where most folk with a granny ring will be pushing anyway. You tend to develop a fair amount of power in your legs once you've been riding like that for a while. I tend to ride more on the gravity based side of things anyway, so single ring is perfect for me

BlueAdvocate

kinggareth wrote:

A list of components in case anyones interested:

Frame: Ragley Bagger 288 size 16"
Forks: Fox 36 Van R 160mm tapered steerer
Wheel F: Superstar Switch EVO Orange Hub with Superstar AM-490 Rim (Black)
Wheel R: Superstar Trizoid 12mm axle hub with Superstar AM-490 Rim
Cranks: Shimano Saint
Pedals: Superstar Nano Tech Flats (Orange)
Derailleur F: Shimano SLX
Derailleur R: Shimano Saint
Shifters: Shimano SLX 2x9
Brakes F&R: Hope Tech M4 with braided hoses
Tyres: Maxxis Minion DHF
Seatpost: Ragley Spike
Saddle: Charge Spoon (Black/Orange)
Stem: Ragley Stubbing 50mm
Bars; Superstar Descent 780 (Orange)

Been thinking of a long travel HT for a while and these are a bargain on CRC at the mo. I notice you have a 16" frame; how tall are you, inside leg etc; I'm trying to work out what size to get?

Scion1

Stunning bike mate

cezrok

Hi awesome bike - ive got a bagger frame sitting in a box ready to build - i want to put some 12mm bolt through wheels - your wheels are the 135mm x 12mm or 150mm x 12mm

thanks for the reply

ilovedirt

they're 135x12