Yet Another Cube - Bubble & Squeak Build

Hi All
I'm by no means a serial poster (I'm very shy you see, lol) but I thought I would show you my first forray into the world of custom builds. As the title suggest, this build will be a mix of old & new, mish & mash and most importantly on a budget (married with 3 kids and all). Oh, one more thing, sorry for the phone pics!!
So I wanted to build a hardtail to replace my 2010 Mongoose Tyax Super, which I will be donating to the wife. I also wanted to go for a new frame rather than second hand, but due to budget constraints we would have to see.
Having spent forever looking at frames, I came across bike-discount.de and after a few days, a large box turned up from Zee Germanz.

Inside I found this beauty
2012 Cube Ltd Race 20" Frame - £120.00 (New)

Right thats the frame sorted, now for the bits. As I said before, this build will be a mixture of old and new, so please bear this in mind before hurting my feelings, lol. I already had most of the drivetrain, controls & brakes I wanted to use from the goose, so just had to fill in the gaps with some new stuff.
Shimano Deore Hollowtech II Crankset - £0.00 (Old)

I wasn't happy to find a tooth missing from the big ring, but that shouldn't effect performance
Shimano Deore 9sp Top Swing Front Mech - £15.00 (New)

Sram X7 Rear Mech - £0.00 (Old)

Sram PG 970 9sp Cassette - £0.00 (Old)

Shimano Deore M596 Brake Set - £40.00 (New/Old)

I have to confess that the calipers are really M535 with M596 levers, but I wont tell anyone if you wont.
I bought the M535 brake set of a mate years ago, but wanted the M596 levers as an upgrade for the new build. Made my own bleed kit for £5.00 and used some LHM Plus mineral oil and hey presto, new brakes!!!
And to complete the drivetrain & controls
Sram X7 Shifters - £0.00 (Old)
Sram PC-971 9sp Chain - £0.00 (Old)
VP Components Semi-Intergrated Headset - £30.00 (New)
Ghost 680mm Riser Bars - £0.00 (Old)
Ghost 100mm Stem - £0.00 (Old)
Jensen Engineering Twin Bolt Seat Post - £0.00 (Old)
SDG Bel Air Saddle - £0.00 (Old)
Ok, hope you all are still with me. Next thing on the agenda was a set of forks, which I knew the choice would be limited because of my budget. So I set about scouring the web to find the best deal. Ideally, I wanted a set of Rebas, but buying new was out of my price range and second hand is always a lottery in terms of getting someting in good nick. Having read numerous threads on here about budget forks, Rockshox Recons always got a good review, so I pretty much decided it was going to be one of those.
I also wanted to get all white forks, so the 2013 Rockshox Recon TK Silver 100mm (Coil) from Merlin (£120 I think) was at the top of the list. Unfortunately, at the time there were no stock of 2013 Recons anywhere in the country, so that left me very frustrated. Trust me when I say, its not often I have the money and nothing to spend it on. Luckily for me, having read another thread, I was made aware of these from JeJames Cycles.
2011 Rockshox Recon TK Silver 100mm Forks (Solo Air) - £120.00 (New)


Now I know the decals are red but getting a brand new solo air fork for that money was too good to pass up. Depending on how the forks look on the bike, I may decide to try and source some blue decals.
Ok thats all for now, next up the build starts!!!
I'm by no means a serial poster (I'm very shy you see, lol) but I thought I would show you my first forray into the world of custom builds. As the title suggest, this build will be a mix of old & new, mish & mash and most importantly on a budget (married with 3 kids and all). Oh, one more thing, sorry for the phone pics!!
So I wanted to build a hardtail to replace my 2010 Mongoose Tyax Super, which I will be donating to the wife. I also wanted to go for a new frame rather than second hand, but due to budget constraints we would have to see.
Having spent forever looking at frames, I came across bike-discount.de and after a few days, a large box turned up from Zee Germanz.

Inside I found this beauty
2012 Cube Ltd Race 20" Frame - £120.00 (New)

Right thats the frame sorted, now for the bits. As I said before, this build will be a mixture of old and new, so please bear this in mind before hurting my feelings, lol. I already had most of the drivetrain, controls & brakes I wanted to use from the goose, so just had to fill in the gaps with some new stuff.
Shimano Deore Hollowtech II Crankset - £0.00 (Old)

I wasn't happy to find a tooth missing from the big ring, but that shouldn't effect performance
Shimano Deore 9sp Top Swing Front Mech - £15.00 (New)

Sram X7 Rear Mech - £0.00 (Old)

Sram PG 970 9sp Cassette - £0.00 (Old)

Shimano Deore M596 Brake Set - £40.00 (New/Old)

I have to confess that the calipers are really M535 with M596 levers, but I wont tell anyone if you wont.

I bought the M535 brake set of a mate years ago, but wanted the M596 levers as an upgrade for the new build. Made my own bleed kit for £5.00 and used some LHM Plus mineral oil and hey presto, new brakes!!!
And to complete the drivetrain & controls
Sram X7 Shifters - £0.00 (Old)
Sram PC-971 9sp Chain - £0.00 (Old)
VP Components Semi-Intergrated Headset - £30.00 (New)
Ghost 680mm Riser Bars - £0.00 (Old)
Ghost 100mm Stem - £0.00 (Old)
Jensen Engineering Twin Bolt Seat Post - £0.00 (Old)
SDG Bel Air Saddle - £0.00 (Old)
Ok, hope you all are still with me. Next thing on the agenda was a set of forks, which I knew the choice would be limited because of my budget. So I set about scouring the web to find the best deal. Ideally, I wanted a set of Rebas, but buying new was out of my price range and second hand is always a lottery in terms of getting someting in good nick. Having read numerous threads on here about budget forks, Rockshox Recons always got a good review, so I pretty much decided it was going to be one of those.
I also wanted to get all white forks, so the 2013 Rockshox Recon TK Silver 100mm (Coil) from Merlin (£120 I think) was at the top of the list. Unfortunately, at the time there were no stock of 2013 Recons anywhere in the country, so that left me very frustrated. Trust me when I say, its not often I have the money and nothing to spend it on. Luckily for me, having read another thread, I was made aware of these from JeJames Cycles.
2011 Rockshox Recon TK Silver 100mm Forks (Solo Air) - £120.00 (New)


Now I know the decals are red but getting a brand new solo air fork for that money was too good to pass up. Depending on how the forks look on the bike, I may decide to try and source some blue decals.
Ok thats all for now, next up the build starts!!!
0
Posts
Also what does the frame weigh?
Scott Aspect 10
Schwinn Fastback Comp
Cube Reaction GTC SL
Regarding the wheels, all I can say at the moment is budget!!!
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Cranks fitted
Front Mech fitted
Rear Mech fitted (Forks are just pushed in to see what they look like with the frame)
Time to think about wheels. For a long time, my intention was to get a set of wheels from Superstar Components, but having a lack of disposable income reared its ugly head again, so had to look for a uber cheap wheelset. Again, Bike Radar was my friend and I found lots of people who recommended the Sun Ringle set from Merlin.
Sun Ringle Equalizer 25 / Shimano 495 Hubs Wheelset - £63.50 (New)
Wheelset has centrelock hubs, so I needed new rotors. On-One are selling 160mm centrelock rotors for £3.00 each, so that was a no brainer!!!
Rotors & Cassette fitted
Next was the rubber for the wheelset. Another visit to Zee Germanz and these arrived shortly afterwards. I also decided to splash out on a new stem.
Schwalbe 2.25" Folding Nobby Nic - £19.00 (New) / Schwalbe 2.25" Folding Racing Ralph - £16.00 (New) / Easton EA30 90mm Stem - £8.00 (New)
Now a custom build isn't a custom build without a bit of bling, so.
Superstar Excel Grips - £11.00 (New) / Superstar Load Balance Seat Post Clamp - £6.00 (New)
Exotic Alloy Flat Pedals - £34.00 (New)
Pedals are supposed to be blue, but my censored phone camera can't deal with the indoor light
Just needed one more thing before it could all go together. A new saddle. I had a SDG Bel Air on the Mongoose, which I was intending the use, however i thought it looked a bit bulky for the Cube. So I invested in this.
Maddison Flux Saddle - £18.00 (New)
With everything acquired I could now complete the build. Pics coming soon!!!
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Ok, enough of the waffle, here she is.
I went for a test ride to my mates house yesterday and first impressions are good fit, comfy, light and very fast. The ride was only about a mile, so not much to really gain from that. Planning to go for a proper blast later in the week, so will see how it performs.
Any comments are welcome, but remember I'm fragile
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Scott Aspect 10
Schwinn Fastback Comp
Cube Reaction GTC SL
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Scandal
Felt Roadie
for decals try Slikgraphics, I got a lime green set for my Fox's from there and they do Rockshox too, drop them an e-mail and they should be able to do some for you
Reference the saddle, it's the camera angle thats making the saddle look like that. in reality the saddle angle is nowhere that bad.
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Sporting-Good ... con+decals
cubes always manage a good paint job, bight and eye cathing, Like the build fella.
After all, I am Cornish!
http://cornwallmtb.kk5.org/
Cotic Soul, The bike of Legends!
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... 1#16297481
Added some stuff from the garage, drivetrain, brakes, wheels etc. and bought some cheap Sid Worldcups for the front. Total build cost (if you ignore my 2nd hand bits) about £400. Happy days.
+ some other bikes.
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
retired 9.6kg Carrera Kraken
The Carrera Hardtail combined thread - come on all you Carrera's!
The Sons Scott Genius RC20 build
2011 Rockshox Recon Decals (Blue) - £4.00
Once I get the new decals fitted, I will post a load of photos of the finished (for now) bike.
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Details/link please, I want some!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/110957228842; ... 26_rdc%3D1
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super
Spec
Frame: 2012 Cube LTD Race Grey Metal Blue (20")
Forks: 2011 Rock Shox Recon Silver TK Solo Air
Bars: Ghost 680mm Riser Bars
Stem: Easton E30 Stem - 90mm
Headset: VP Components Semi Integrated
Grips: Superstar Excel Grips - Blue Lock Rings
Front Brake Lever: Shimano Deore M596
Front Caliper: Shimao Deore M535
Front Disc: Shimano Deore RT52 Centrelock
Rear Brake Lever: Shimano Deore M596
Rear Caliper: Shimao Deore M535
Rear Disc: Shimano Deore RT52 Centrelock
Shifters: Sram X7
Front Mech: Shimano Deore M590 Top Swing 9sp
Rear Mech: Sram X7
Seat: Maddison Flux Saddle - Black
Seat Post: Jensen Engineering Twin Bolt Seat Post
Seat Post Clamp: Superstar Load Balance - Blue
Cranks: Shimano Deore Hollowtech II
Chain: SRAM PC971 9 Speed
Cassette: SRAM PG970 9 Speed
Pedals: Exotic Alloy Flat Pedals - Blue
Front Wheel
Rim: Sun Ringle Equalizer 25
Hub: Shimano 495 Disc Hub
Tyre: Nobby Nic Performance DC 2,25" (Folding)
Rear Wheel
Rim: Sun Ringle Equalizer 25
Hub: Shimano 495 Disc Hub
Tyre: Racing Ralph Performance ORC 2,25" (Folding)
Well I have to say that I'm more than pleased with how it's turned out.
Any comments are welcome.
Bubble & Squeak Cube Build
2010 Mongoose Tyax Super