GT Chucker XS1 - Updated 11/07/16 - PG 12

gt-arrowhead

Just before anything else, i just want to say that the fork is temporary. Its the only one ive got that fits. And if i happen to finish the build before i get a new fork ill just ride it on very light offroad stuff until i get a proper fork. But i still think this fork looks the bollox...

A massive thank you to PashleyRider for the cranks+pedals+bb+chainring, fork, and some other bits. Was a massive help and saved me alot of money. Very grateful! Thanks also to anyone who helped me out with questions i had about the bike. :P

Well ive always wanted a Chucker, ever since i saw a picture of one on the internet. I just love the shape of the frame. The only chucker that i have ever seen in the flesh actually happens to be this one. lol. After only about a week of searching on eBay for a frame, i found one that was on sale about a 5 minute walk away from my house :shock: I think i am very very luck in that sense. The frame actually turned out to be in mint condition, looks almost brand new and i was genuinely shocked at the weight of it, because judging by the tube sizes i expected it to weigh quite a bit.

Since i bought it it was just sitting in my room up until a couple of days ago, when i gathered enough bits to throw it together. Its still half missing, but i was really eager to get it together to see what it would look like. Plus my mum was getting fed up of it being in my room

I actually went out on it as it is in the photos. stuck in highest gear and no brakes at all. Was scary, couldnt slow down before the high street and putting my foot on the rear tyre just made shit loads of racket and didnt slow me down at all. Ended up having to go bail around the corner on the pavement at a speed higher than what i felt comfortable at. It feels good though after the 5-10 minutes of riding it as is.

So the current spec is this: (Now updated, ive added the new stuff in red)

Frame: Aluminium GT Chucker XS1
Fork: Zoom 650 RST Deuce 100mm or Rigid Marin Aluminium Superlight
Stem: Raceface Evolve DH (Thanks to ste_t!)
Handlebars: Raceface Ride 2012
Bar grips: Crank Candy in Red - Black ones with red lockrings
Headset: AEST Semi Integrated, sealed bearings. Windspeed Semi Integrtaed, replaceable sealed bearing units.
Front Wheel: Alex Rims DM22 ZTR Olympic rims, Shimano Deore 525 hubs with ACI stainless steel double butted spokes
Rear Wheel: Alex Rims DM22 ZTR Olympic rims, Shimano Deore 525 hubs with ACI stainless steel double butted spokes
Front Tyre: Maxxis Aspen 2.1 or Maxxis Beaver 2.0 or Schwalbe City jet 1.95
Rear Tyre: Maxxis Aspen 2.1 or Maxxis Beaver 2.0 or Schwalbe City jet 1.95
Bottom Bracket: VP Components Square Taper Shimano Hollowtech II
Cranks: Shimano Alivio, with the Alivio 32t ring Shimano Deore with Alivio 32t ring
Pedals: Wellgo V8 Wellgo B087U
Seatpost: (I think its a GT one?)
Seat: Selcof Black Arrow Charge Spoon in red
Seatpost Clamp: GT AEST Red Anodized Aluminium
Chain: Shimano HG40
Cassette: Shimano HG41 8 speed
Rear mech: Deore XT
Rear disc: Baradine 180mm rotor + Baradine red ano bolts
Front disc: Baradine 230mm rotor + Baradine red ano bolts
Rear Caliper: Clarks mechanical (dont know model) Tektro Auriga Comp
Front Caliper: Tektro Auriga Comp










And this is what it looks like now: Chuffed!!!

*AJ*

Actually looks like quite a nice bike!

gt-arrowhead

Cheers

The Rookie

Not looking bad at all there.....

pesky_jones

Take it down tottenham pump track it will be good fun there. Cant wait to get my hardtail running for the pump track

rockmonkeysc

Why the aweful dual crowns? The rest is pretty good but bin those forks and fit some proper ones, they make it look like one of those Argos specials, weigh a ton and just don't work.

step83

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Why the aweful dual crowns? The rest is pretty good but bin those forks and fit some proper ones, they make it look like one of those Argos specials, weigh a ton and just don't work.

He said the forks only temporary.

Does look very good though, what size front rotor are you after? I may have one spare

Chunkers1980

Your phone's still shite.

gt-arrowhead

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Why the aweful dual crowns? The rest is pretty good but bin those forks and fit some proper ones, they make it look like one of those Argos specials, weigh a ton and just don't work.

As mentioned in the first post they are the only ones ive got at the moment that fit, and are temporary. The fork does weigh a ton. When i try and pick it up with one hand the front tyre stays glued to the ground and the rear comes up. And im picking it up from not too far away from the headtube.

Looks wise i think it looks nice, i love the look of forks like that. But yeah it definitely needs to be changed.

gt-arrowhead

Step83 wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Why the aweful dual crowns? The rest is pretty good but bin those forks and fit some proper ones, they make it look like one of those Argos specials, weigh a ton and just don't work.

He said the forks only temporary.

Does look very good though, what size front rotor are you after? I may have one spare

Ill be after either a 180mm or 203mm. If you have one, PM me a price

gt-arrowhead

The Beginner wrote:

Not looking bad at all there.....

Thanks

Pesky Jones wrote:

Take it down tottenham pump track it will be good fun there. Cant wait to get my hardtail running for the pump track

I will do, ill give it a go when its all complete.

Chunkers1980 wrote:

Your phone's still shite.

Cheers

gt-arrowhead

So i had my first ride today. Finally got the gears and brakes fitted today, but still having some slight problems. The brakes arent all that strong (probably needs to be bed in because the rotor and pads are both brand new) and the chain jumps off on the front if i try and use gears 5,6,7 or 8. None the less, i had a ride on it today and its all good! Really chuffed with the way it looks and rides. Just need to find a solution to the chain jumping off on the front.

Parts added since last time:

Lizard Skin chainstay protector
Crank Candy bar grips
Clarks outer with Windspeed ferrules
Clarks CMD-8 caliper with new clarks pads
Avid brake lever (Sorry Arrowhead!)
Altus 8 speed shifter - Quote from my dad: "what is this plastic shit". But its brilliant, very well put together and shifting is perfect with the Deore XT mech

Just need a better fork, eventhough it does actually ride surprisingly well with this one...on gravel paths and a front brake. Both of which i have sorted out.

I shall be getting a few more better pics later on when i have the time!

tarbot18

nice looking bike the frame looks mint

Chunkers1980

What part of mint do those forks look?

Picture of his mum would look mint.

gt-arrowhead

tarbot18 wrote:

nice looking bike the frame looks mint

Thanks, i polished it for a couple of hours a while back...but now its all dusty and dirty!

Chunkers1980 wrote:

What part of mint do those forks look?

Picture of his mum would look mint.

He said frame, not fork And no worries, im getting Toras for it. Or an RST Deuce. Whichever one i prefer. The one that i dont prefer on here is going on the Arrowhead. Probably going to be the Deuce.

My mum is in her late 40s, shes far from mint!

tarbot18

Chunkers1980 wrote:

What part of mint do those forks look?

Picture of his mum would look mint.

yawn still spouting same old crap ......

oh and i said frame numnuts

rockmonkeysc

Once those forks are in a skip this will be a decent build.

mcnultycop

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Once those forks are in a skip this will be a decent build.

Very much this.

gt-arrowhead

Shouldnt be too long now. This fork is a massive let down. Its worked itself slightly loose yet again, it did that on another bike with a another headset several times aswell. The fork weighs almost as much as my frame aswell...huge let down!

The Rookie

I would think the forks weigh a lot more than the frame, even an XCM single crown weighs 2.25kg while an alloy frame is unlikley to top 2.1Kg.

The clamps can be made to work, a little drop of threadlock and do up the clamps tights, a friend uses home made rigid forks using those clamps on his 36er (forks fro 36" wheels not being common off the shelf!)

Lewis A

Xc28s weigh 2400-ish, can't even imagine what those weigh... If you're replacing them though it doesn't really matter.

gt-arrowhead

The Rookie wrote:

I would think the forks weigh a lot more than the frame, even an XCM single crown weighs 2.25kg while an alloy frame is unlikley to top 2.1Kg.

The clamps can be made to work, a little drop of threadlock and do up the clamps tights, a friend uses home made rigid forks using those clamps on his 36er (forks fro 36" wheels not being common off the shelf!)

You are probably right. Ill give them a weigh once they come off. I tried undoing the stem and clamps and tightening the headset, then doing it all back up to no avail. But this was when they were on the other GT. Ill have a go on this aswell... it probably will just loosen up again but its worth a try.

36er? :shock:

The Rookie

36er, yes, as in wheel and tyre combination with a diamter of circa 36", bigger than a 29er!

midgehulluk

changing your forks will make a massive difference in weight. good looking bike you got there.

gt-arrowhead

It will do, and thanks!

I had a somewhat catastrophic failure today...i was cycling along normally, and i went up a pile of dirt that was literally no more than 2 feet high. Then on the way down again i put my left foot down to pedal and there was nothing there...so i thought id missed it and i tried to put my foot down again...still nothing. I look down and i was shocked to find that the whole left crank arm had fallen off! I layed the bike down on the floor and went back to the pile of dirt to get my crank and bolt back. I had a look at the bolt and the last two threads were pulled. I then returned to my bike and picked it up, and the bloody rear wheel just fell off! I really do not know how either of those two things happened...

I walked the bike to halfords and luckily they gave me a spare crank bolt and lent me an allen key to tighten it back up again. The drive side bolt was completely tight, and wasnt loosened at all.

So after i left halfords i cycled for about a mile and i looked down to find the left crank arm barely hanging on. Another couple of meters and it would have fallen off again...i have no clue why this is happening. The BB threads seem to be okay but both the old bolt and the new bolt have slight play when they are scewed into the BB (i tried it without the crank arm to have a look)

The left side cranks bush where the pedal screws into is quite loose also, and i can feel it when i pedal...i think it is time for a new crankset and BB...more money! Very dissapointed.

After i walked it home i tried to get the squealing to stop on the brakes. I found that both the caliper bolts and the adaptor mount bolts were both loosened considerably, probably by the vibration (probably was also the cause for the wheel coming off) and i could undo the caliper mounting bolts by hand...i tightened everything up again and went out for a quick ride up and down the road as a test, and the squealing and vibration had been dampened but were still there. It mostly only happens when i am either squeezing very softly or very hard just before locking...

And one last problem that i have encountered today...the fork has yet again worked itself loose after being tightened and checked last night. It was all fine yesterday with no wobbling, and today it is wobbling again....

*AJ*

There's a pattern emerging here right?.....

Maybe you should buy some locktite and a torque wrench.....

gt-arrowhead

*AJ* wrote:

There's a pattern emerging here right?.....

Maybe you should buy some locktite

Yeah i know, everything is falling apart essentially...i tighten everything hard enough before i ride though, the caliper bolts and the wheel falling off is more than likely because my brakes vibrate very violently...i have no clue how to stop it! :oops: Is it because of the drilling pattern on the disc?

*AJ* wrote:

Maybe you should buy some locktite

and Superglue?...

Ouija

I bet your using open cam skewers. Those things always work themselves loose, requiring a second tightening. Shimano closed cam designs work perfectly.

anj132

Don't bother with a front brake and get a short travel fork or rigid and find the nearest jump area/pump track

gt-arrowhead

Finally got a proper fork, RST Deuce 100mm. Its a huge improvement over the old zoom ones. I think the RSTs are lighter even with the front wheel on it! :shock: You can definitely feel the weight difference uphill and the bike feels much more nimble altogether. The compression adjustment is really useful, i can just lock it while on the road and essentially turn it rigid, really good! I dont know what "preload" is yet though, so i havent touched that adjustment. The suspension just feels altogether much smoother.

The other part ive added is the superstar chainguide, but i had to then take it off because my chainring is slightly bent and it rubs the guard quite badly...i will refit it when i get a new chainring. Im happy with 32t so ill get another 32t ring.

Pictures of how it looks now, excuse the puncture in some pictures...:





What the chainguide would have looked like:


Thanks to gjt for the fork and free Tektro Aurigas for the front, and mcnultycop for the chainguide!

mcnultycop

Nice, glad that has got some use.

Looks good with a proper fork on.