New build for a newbie

TomTheHairyBiker

Hi all,

i thought i would save my first post on the forum until i had a good idea of what i wanted from my bike, so after plenty of research (all done on the forum) and a bit of patience, today i managed to pick up a brand new cotic soul for £300 from my LBS as it was the last one in stock with a straight head tube and non dropper compatible, i thought it was an absolute steal!

I have so far decided that i am going to go with the shimano SLX groupset that merlic cycles have in for £350 as it seems to fit my criteria and from what i can understand it is very good kit for the money!

Now, this is where i would like some advice, i understand that the finishing kit is just a personal touch, so i really need to know what fork and wheel set that people would recommend for me? I have no real idea what to look for in wheels, but i am leaning towards something along the lines of rockshox reba RLT with 120mm travel for the forks?

So you know i will mainly be riding at my local trail centre and occasionally doing a bit of XC. So really any advice would be welcome.

All the best,

Tom

coulddobetter

Merlin have the fork at £ 269 good option . Note axle is 15mm maxle so need compatible hub . Note cotic rolling chassis comes with hope wheels on Stans arch rims useful for going down the tubeless route.

The Northern Monkey

Get the 2012 dual air version, the 2013 solo air is crrraaaaaappppp.

Also, it you can get the RL cheaper, get it! The RLT is the same apart from having an adjustable threshold on the lockout. If you don't really use the lockout, there is no point in the threshold.

coulddobetter

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/f ... forks.html Agree re 2012 here is the merlin one I would go for

TomTheHairyBiker

Coulddobetter- Those are the exact forks i was looking at, they should fit my standard 1 1/8head tube shouldn't they? If so, what headset should i look at to fix the for to? Also, would you recommend the wheel set that the rolling chassis comes with?

Northern monkey- It is the 2012 version i have looked at, but out of interest what makes the 2013 so bad? I have also been told to fork out for the RLT version as the fact its tuneable can come in handy?

Regards, Tom

The Northern Monkey

I've had both the 2013 RL and 2012 RL back to back (I cut the steerer too short on the 2013 so bought a 2012).

In a nutshell, I found the 2012 was much plusher and had a lot more small bump sensitivity. Plus, with dual air, you get to tune the fork exactly how you want. It may take a bit longer than a solo aor to dial in, but once its there its superb.

The solo air is much like a fox ctd in that it takes away tuning options from the rider with a "middle of the park" setting that can't be adjusted.

The only thing the threshold affects is how mucb pressure needs to be applied before the lock out un-locks.
The RL also has the feature but can't tuned. If you dont use the lock out much, then I really dont see the point in being able to tune it.
If the RL and RLT are the same/similar price then get the RLT, if the RL is significantly cheaper then get the RL

coulddobetter

Agree re dual air , have 2012 rockshox sid . Going to a single air fork means positive and negative pressures are equal . I run 10 psi higher in negative which makes fork really plush. ( the sid and reba internals seem identical to me )

Those wheels are very well rated . Yes there are loads out there and to be honest I am not that knowledgable I run a fairly basic mavic set that came on the bike , finances permitting the hopes would be on my list .

Headset wise again cotic list a couple cheapest being a hope ( have a look on their site for recommended parts (quote from cotic in Hope speak, it's a 1H headset you need for the Soul. If you're a direct sale customer, we can supply this headset for £65 (£75 with the 1 1/8" adaptor) or if you're happy to keep your existing headset top cup, we can put just the bottom cup in for £35.)
Found this really useful and it would apply to the reba
http://faqload.com/faqs/bicycle-compone ... setup-tips]

rockmonkeysc

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Get the 2012 dual air version, the 2013 solo air is crrraaaaaappppp.

I have the 2012 dual air and would rather have the more simple and reliable solo air. Dual air is just pointless and unreliable.

brucie45

Wheels wise I would go for the deal at Superstar, very good buy as long as you like white rims.

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_ ... cts_id=496

Stans Crest wheels on Switch Evo hubs for £180 although limited coulors left. Crest rims are more xc orientated. However, they will cope easily with general trail use imo.

I run Stans flows rims/switch evo hubs on a very similar bike (see my sig), the flows are a fair bit tougher but I am a heavy rider and do hit things hard, not had any issues with these wheels to date

TomTheHairyBiker

I like the look of the stans crest wheels in the link you showed me, white wouldn't be too much of a problem either as i was planning an orange/white build anyway.

I am quite a big guy, 15 stone and also tend to go through things rather than over them lol so do you think that these wheels should stand up to most trails?

brucie45

I think that flows would be better suited, although I have never ridden crests so I cant give you an honest opinion on them. I think with a hardtail your better off getting a stronger wheel, with no suspension to help on the big hits (or mistakes in my case) tha back wheel will take a battering.

See below as I understand it

Crests - Lightweight
Arch - Fairly light & fairly tough
Flows - not so light & very strong

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 6-11-44372

TomTheHairyBiker

After having a flick through that article i saw a link to this:

http://www.moonglu.com/shop/pro-2-evo-stans-flow-black/

They are a little bit over my budget, but they do have the rims you suggested and they also come with a 15mm axel on the hub which somebody mentioned was necessary earlier.

brucie45

Yeah those hoops would be the ideal set up if you are not bothered about weight, just remember though the crest wheels are certainly not weak as its says in the review I posted above "light & tough". Looking at reviews on Stans 2014 wheels it appears the flows rims are being pushed more towards DH Racing which says alot for rim strength.

Most hanbuilt wheelsets will come with options on axle sizes, you will have to select the correct one at the time of ordering. 15mm front & Qr rear, I am guessing? You will be able to get this option from most places.

Look around for a better price than that retailer, my LBS could do the same set up for £300.00

TomTheHairyBiker

To be honest, weight isn't an issue, if i want to save weight il go on a diet as i certainly have a lot more weight to shed than i would by buying a super expensive XC hub! Aftter having a look around i think I'm going to go with the hope hoops on the crests as it seem about right for me, nothing too rocky or heavy!

Il have a shop around for prices, but do you have any recommendations on where might be cheapest to look?

brucie45

Try Merlin or CRC or Wiggle. My LBS is a full Hope dealer and managed to price some Crests on Pro 2 for £300. Maybe even the link you posted above