B'Twin Rockrider 6.3/Giant Trance X and Pashley 26MHZ Builds
PashleyRider
Posts: 180
Hello, I thought I would post up the progress of my 6.3, and hopefully give a long term review of the frame. Yes its a budget bike, yes I know it's not as bitching as lots on here and yes I know it comes with pretty lame parts. I couldn't afford a better bike and since having a back operation in the summer, a hardtail wasn't really an option for me. Luckily I have my old bike to steal some parts off (the bits that werent knackered!) so it shoudl end up being fairly capable.
Bike when I got it:
Initial thoughts are that it's very well specced for the low price (I paid £280, but its rrp is £350), a bit heavy (16kg) but thats understandable, the tyres are USELESS, forks and shock are good for the price with enough rebound control to be ok for light use, everything runs very smoothly. Hayes MX5 cable discs were a welcome upgrade over the Tektros it should have come with. Handling is a bit sluggish and nervous with the short fork. Frame geo seems good, bb maybe a touch on the low side.
Straight away I knew there were a few things I couldnt live with, so upgraded:
Rubber Queen 2.2s F+R
Superstar lock on grips
Exotic Pedals
Saint 36T Bash
'06 Reba Teams 80-115mm with Lockout (from previous bike, done about 200miles since I got them...)
Shockworks rebound adjustable shock (kicking about at home from my old Marin)
Sram 8spd chain (brand new off my electronic gear shifting project for uni, thought I may as well slap it on)
The bike feels so much better now, it feels nice and stable in the air, and easy to pull up onto the back wheel when needed. Swapping the forks has made the bike so much more sprightly and slackened the HA slightly. The bike feels so much easier up the hills than it did before since losing some weight off it (that may also be down to me doing more exercise since getting the bike though). The 2.2 Rubber Queens seemed to grip nicely on the loose gravel and sticky dirt, even at 40psi. The MX5s, although far better than I thought, are still a touch weak for my weight and lack modulation so i'm looking forward to having 2x180mm SLXs on there to slow me down
I didnt notice any frame flex issues, although maybe I am still not powerful enough yet to really move it, I certainly tried though. Overall I am chuffed and impressed so far, the frame seems good enough for me for a while yet, and I can't wait to do some decent mileage
In the post:
Seatpost shim so I can use my FSA CF Post
36T SLX ring
Syncros 80mm 12degree Stem
Future upgrades:
SLX 180mm brakes F+R (from old bike)
XT 9spd setup (from old bike)
Truvativ Stylos (from old bike)
Blackspire Stinger
2 inch rise bars (undecided, will see how higher rise stem goes)
Bike when I got it:
Initial thoughts are that it's very well specced for the low price (I paid £280, but its rrp is £350), a bit heavy (16kg) but thats understandable, the tyres are USELESS, forks and shock are good for the price with enough rebound control to be ok for light use, everything runs very smoothly. Hayes MX5 cable discs were a welcome upgrade over the Tektros it should have come with. Handling is a bit sluggish and nervous with the short fork. Frame geo seems good, bb maybe a touch on the low side.
Straight away I knew there were a few things I couldnt live with, so upgraded:
Rubber Queen 2.2s F+R
Superstar lock on grips
Exotic Pedals
Saint 36T Bash
'06 Reba Teams 80-115mm with Lockout (from previous bike, done about 200miles since I got them...)
Shockworks rebound adjustable shock (kicking about at home from my old Marin)
Sram 8spd chain (brand new off my electronic gear shifting project for uni, thought I may as well slap it on)
The bike feels so much better now, it feels nice and stable in the air, and easy to pull up onto the back wheel when needed. Swapping the forks has made the bike so much more sprightly and slackened the HA slightly. The bike feels so much easier up the hills than it did before since losing some weight off it (that may also be down to me doing more exercise since getting the bike though). The 2.2 Rubber Queens seemed to grip nicely on the loose gravel and sticky dirt, even at 40psi. The MX5s, although far better than I thought, are still a touch weak for my weight and lack modulation so i'm looking forward to having 2x180mm SLXs on there to slow me down
I didnt notice any frame flex issues, although maybe I am still not powerful enough yet to really move it, I certainly tried though. Overall I am chuffed and impressed so far, the frame seems good enough for me for a while yet, and I can't wait to do some decent mileage In the post:
Seatpost shim so I can use my FSA CF Post
36T SLX ring
Syncros 80mm 12degree Stem
Future upgrades:
SLX 180mm brakes F+R (from old bike)
XT 9spd setup (from old bike)
Truvativ Stylos (from old bike)
Blackspire Stinger
2 inch rise bars (undecided, will see how higher rise stem goes)
0
Comments
-
Updated Bike has lost 2.5kg now, feels a billion times better! I just need to get my rear shock set up a little better, feels a little wallowy compared to when i had my coil setup. Shame I dislocated/broke/fractured my finger yesterday whilst riding, hands gotten proper swollen too!
Spec now:
B'twin wheels
Basic headset
Rubber Queen 2.2s F+R
Deore 9spd cassette
Superstar lock on grips
Exotic flat Pedals
Saint 36T Bash
'06 Reba Teams 80-115mm with Lockout
Manitou Swinger X3 air shock
Sram 9spd chain
Syncros 80mm 12degree Stem
SLX 180mm brakes F+R
XT rear mech
Altus front mech
Deore shifters
FSA CF post
Selle seat
Truvativ Stylo cranks
Blackspire Stinger
B'twin 1.5" rise bars
Ebay cheapy wireless computer
Next things are some 2" rise bars, spray the stem black, and find a non broken shifter to replace my RH deore that has all its guts exposed...0 -
The 6.3 got a decent review on here apart from some concerns over the frame flex, shedding 2.5Kg no doubt makes it feel a lot livelier, enjoy your ride!Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
-
So I have had this a few months now and it is treating me well! The upgrades I have made have improved it considerably with the bonus being that it just keeps losing weight! Others who have ridden it have thought it was a far more expensive bike than it was, nobody has noticed the 'flex' that the bikeradar review suggested it had. I have rebuilt the wheels with new hubs, which has been a blessing as the original wheel builds weren't too great (poor spoke tensioning). Front end feels more positive with the 9mm hub, and both wheels roll so much more smoothly over the old Formula units.
Changes:
Sunline V1 bars (£15 new)
SLX 36ep rear hub (£15 new)
Specialised front hub (£1.20, 4 rides old)
Superstar 9mm skewer
SLX 11-34 cassette (£4, few rides old)
SLX 36t ring (£4, looked like new)
Deore RH shifter (otherone was smashed)
XT front mech (£4)
Got to love cheap upgrades...Sunline 65mm stem should be coming through the post soon, as I feel the 80 is just a smidge too long+ I wanted a lower stack stem due to my steerer being a touch short (it only just meets the top bolt on my current stem)
Rebas have had thier first service ever (And they were perfect inside), I just need to pull out the damper unit as it has the common gate leak, which I totally forgot I needed to sort...luckily it appears to be an easy fix.
I also modified my budget roof racks to forks mount with 9mm QR axles+ I modified the arms so that they also secured the bike and offered a locking option. This was done because the original clamp arm setup would not reach my downtube unless the bike was really far forward and the bike moved too much. Rack works great now, the fork mount is so stiff!
Hopefully tomorrow I will get some photos of it muddy, I always forget my camera!0 -
Looks great, Nice upgrades at very nice prices!
How much has it cost so far?...0 -
Thanks! It's about £500 after selling off the parts it came with that I swapped straight away (like the forks and brakes). I had stuff like the brakes, forks and cranks already from my old Marin, but they aren't really worth much these days anyway as they are pretty old to most people but function brilliantly which is all that I care about!0
-
Had a good ride this morning at Bestwood, nice and slippery with plenty of puddles around.
Bike stayed remarkably clean, regardless of the muddy sections:
And my modified roof bike rack works superbly, very happy with it:
Shame I had to come home to do coursework this afternoon...0 -
These are such good frames for the money - hard to believe you can get the whole bikes so cheap!
Put an Orange sticker on it and they'd charge you 5 times as much.0 -
Really tempted to go for something like this for my first full susser...0
-
Have a look at this:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-65 ... 08678.html
£480! 120mm of hydraulic travel either end, 27 speed, hydro discs - and get this - the frame is lighter than an Orange 5!0 -
I'm liking the Giants and the Cannondales's on PaulsCycles...0
-
Since getting back into mountain biking again after my back operation, I have been gradually wanting to have a play bike again but lack of funds wasn't allowing it. One day I popped onto another forum I frequent and saw a thread for a free Pashley frame and forks that needed some love, a few PMs later and it was mine
Now this will never be a super slick awesome build due to minimal funds, just a simple reliable street bike that is built from cheap but reliable parts. I am fortunate to have a few parts leftover from my old GHZ (from a few years back) as well as parts removed from both mine and my girlfriends mountain bikes as they have been upgraded, giving me plenty of parts to get started with. Some kind people have donated me parts too
I gathered some of my parts together:
Built it up to see what it was like:
Repaired and resprayed the frame:
Spec:
Pashley 26 MHZ
Pashley forks
Xt rear brake
Btwin QR skewers
Tektro front brake
Specialized front wheel/Mavic F519 on Deore
Hope Bulb ti rear on Sun Big Mammoth
FSA Maximum bars
Fly Reuben grips
Proper linear slick cable
FSA Orbit Extreme headset
2xstandard tubes
Panaracer Fire XC 2.1
Schwalbe Big Betty 2.5
Premium lite 3 piece cranks with 5 arm spider and bash
Wellgo B38 flat pedals
Spanish fly pads
Heatsink pads
Superstar singlespeed kit
Pauls V booster
XTR levers
Eclat padded seat/post combo
Syncros 80x17mm stem
KMC Kool chain
Cost so far is £50, I am hoping to keep it under £100 in total.
And now I have to wait until I return back to Nottingham to reassemble it
0 -
Old school - nice.
n+1 is about to strike, I always wanted to give trials a go.0 -
It is great fun, I have had several trials bikes in my time (including my own frame that I made) and really miss how much it improved my bike handling skills and the way you can just play for hours on whatever terrain is nearby doing creative lines0
-
Well it is built up! Weight isn't too bad considering the steel frame/forks/cranks...
I havent been able to ride it yet due to having some sort of virus that has knocked me out for the past few days, however it did feel like I need a longer/higher front end for me to feel comfortable on it (hence the bars being forward to see what difference it made)0 -
Like that a lot! Did you manage to keep on budget?
This was the thread that helped me identify mine, I only clicked to see the Rockrider so it was a happy accident! I was going to sell my Pashley frame but I'm finding myself tempted to build it up on a budget much as you have with yours, even though I've no idea what I'd do with it once it's done...0 -
Yes it has cost me a smidge over £50 in total which is great! I have been ill this week so unfortunately not been able to play going to try and spin about tomorrow! They are worth building up, learning some basic trials moves will vastly improve your bike handling skills on the trail, it'll give you confidence on more technical sections where you may need to do lots of slow rolling stuff. You can always stuff on some shorter travel forks and make a streety hybrid, I have some 80mm Blacks that may find their way on it later 0
-
Not bad at all. Paint job looks great too, for that budget I assume it was a DIY job? Still torn with mine, I'll probably just leave it in the garage for a bit until I finally make a decision...0
-
Pashley has seen a few upgrades, on a budget of course [;)]
Swapped some forks with Sharn for some Octane Chemical bars with 2.5" rise
Got a Thompson stem for £10 off ebay, bit of a luxury (and blooming hefty!) but I like the look of them
Got an XT V brake free off a guy as there were v bosses seized into them (soon sorted that!)
Got some wellgo MG1s free with an XC frame I bought
Had an old Mavix XC rim kicking around and built it onto some spare spokes with an 'Axis' hub that I got for £4 off ebay
Superstar size zero grips £12...feel a little guilty about buying these and i'm not sure I like them yet....
Sprayed the Fred Salmon booster black as the red looked a bit nasty. Bikes lost some heft and rides really nicely, very happy with it!
I'm going to make a half bash ring for my Truvativ Stylo/Shimano Deore cranks and run those instead of the 3 pieces to save some weight, bike should be pretty much spot on for me then!
0 -
Nice build! Bet thats a load of fun! I wish i could hop around on things too...lol. Having something like that is a million times better than a BMX i bet, and all the BMXers would be jealous!
0 -
It's nothing like a BMX to ride! It does spin and hop well though, it's a real streety setup. It is certainly an ace spec for well under £100 and caters for my needs well.
Been on 2D design and drawn up some disc mounts to lasercut out of acrylic and test fit ready for cutting and welding on some proper steel disc mounts+horizontal dropouts. Fed up with loud honking XT V brakes!0 -
For well under a £100 thats brilliant! Is it hard to hop on that?
Good luck with your disc mounts, sounds like a good idea to me! And theres nothing worse than squeaking/honking brakes. But i would have thought you would have no such troubles with XT V brakes. I use crappy Promax ones and they are perfect.0 -
Bi=oth bikes look really good, love what you have done to them. The Rockrider looks so good for the money.0
-
Xts have that silly parallel push linkage and the tolerances aren't that great, and that causes a squeal when used, especially with the spanish fly pads I have! The tektro I had before was better but had such a nasty heavy feel in comparison.
The bikes very easy to hop, it sits on the backwheel comfortably and even feels good on 2 wheels unlike most trials bikes haha
The 6.3 is a wicked bike for the money, I have a Giant Trance X5 that I may swap over with it but i'm offput by the lack of mud/tyre clearance although I may just build it as a second bike... I have it built up with some spares to see if it fits me a little better than the 6.3, just need to whack some pedals on and roll about outside to see if it feels right
0 -
Apparently that parallel push linkage is what makes them "the best". If it helps, i usually have the toe on my pads with a ridiculous amount of angle, with the front facing up. That stopped the squealing for me. Usually just putting new pads on (or different used ones) eliminates the squeal too. Might be an option for you if you dont like your current pads.
This is how much toe i was running. And the brakes were absolutely perfect. There was a lot of play with the lever so i could brake with as much as force as i wanted to (i guess that comes from the pad touching the rim then making more and more contact as i squeeze the lever) and it was properly strong if i needed it to be.
PashleyRider wrote:even feels good on 2 wheels unlike most trials bikes haha
Haha 0 -
I found parallel push to be a bit of nonsense, the power is not noticeably better at all. I found that my Avid Ultimates were far superior but free XTs vs expensive Ultimates...
I''m aware of toe to reduce vibration (and therefore noise) but on a trials bike brake power is everything, so I set mine up properly and just deal with it. Alot of the issue is the pads are so grippy, they exacerbate the noise further. I have a set of standard pads upfront now, so I use that brake mainly when rolling about places to avoid annoying people with the trials bike brake honk!0 -
Ok so the 6.3 became a trance X5
0 -
Got a shim so I could run my CF post, now my post goes down loads so gives me plenty of clearance for when I head downhill
Next job...Respray, I don't like the red0 -
Respray? That looks lovely!
What colour are you going for?0 -
It'll be either all black or perhaps a lime green front (with the forks sprayed to match) with a black back end. The current paint is chipped and its immediately obvious its a budget Trance cos of the red/silver theme!0
-
Rebas were too short I felt so I got some Pikes for £45 to see what 140mm was like. I also added a new 20mm hub upfront
Feels a ton better, enjoying the bike even more now0
