Building a cheap Hybrid

ROCKYNI

Hello all...looking for a bit of advice on my first bike rebuild/refurbish.

Newbie rebuild on Carrera Subway LTD frame and fork.

To be used for general messing/to shops/occasional light trail/odd weekend tour with tent...generally out with kids and getting back in saddle after 8 years off. Just really jack of all trades.

Want a new crankset but a bit unsure. I have been told to go for one of these....

Suntour XCM 22/32/44T Square Taper

Shimano SLX M552 10 Speed 42.32.24 Hollowtech

Suntour XCT 22/32/42 Square Taper

Any recommendations out of these??? Liked the appearance of the Suntours (bike will be black and white) and they are cheap. Never ridden on anything other than square taper BB's before so dont know if any huge gain going Hollowtech route or not. The XCM and SLX weigh similar BB's included but XCT heavier.

Some say Suntours crap others say fine for my uses...whats your take???

The Rookie

Nothing wrong with Suntour cranksets, either of those you'd need to source a BB for, the SLX is a much better crankset and will cost you a lot more (if you're going HT2 then Deore offers good bang for the buck, you'll also need the frame faced (coat about £10-15) at your LBS.

I'd be looking at buying good used stuff to be honest, not new, it will cost you more to build than you could buy a new bike for.

ROCKYNI

Thanks, so you reckon the suntours are ok for the money???

TBH the SLX crankset is not the flashy new one and it will only work out about £5 more than the suntours once BB's are added to them. But Ive since read about having to face something for the Hollowtech???? This I know nowt about but Im rebuilding the entire bike for £200 max...£70 already spent on frame and fork powder coating (£20 preppped myself) brakes (£45 full system) and headset (£5!!!!). So the thought of paying a bike shop to do whatever this is is not so appealling.

But if the Hollowtech system is miles better then may stretch to it...but if not really noticeable difference under average user conditions then would rather not...unless weight saving is massive but dont think it is. The SLX in question is 990 gms and the suntours are approx 660-680 gms without BB so add close to 300 for BB and ends up about the same?

What do you reckon guys???

Good news is will have shaved over kilo of the weight once complete...and thats with keeping the heavy wheels (will upgrade for my birthday).

I know it may seem a lot of hassle on a Subway frame but the frame is actually a very good fit for me and the components will make it a very good bike for the money as buying everything old stock/discounted etc so actually all far superior stuff than what was on it.

jonnyboy77

Square taper is absolutely fine, and you can fit the bottom bracket & crankset without paying someone (assuming you have access to the right tools).

I built up my hybrid from parts, and used a set of Driveline track cranks & Surly single chainring to make a simple 1x8 setup. At the rear I used a cheap 8 speed cassette and Shimano mech.

- Jon

The Rookie

If you use an external BB like Hollowtech2 then you need the BB shell facing (if you don't and it's not true, the bearings die in no time) which will cost £10-15.

Square taper is fine for commuting, the bearings last forever.

ROCKYNI

Yes...whats involved in this facing??? You see I have just had the frame and fork powder coated (£20 stripped myself...why bother painting at this money) so dont like the idea of somebody grinding at the frame etc.

The Rookie

facing means screwing a tool into the BB threads (cleans them up at the same time) and then using that as a guide for the machining of the end faces of the BB shell back to make sure they are square to the threads, it's hidden behind the bearings when they are fitted and has to be carried out after paint/coating as the paint/coating itself can cause issues, normally very little metal is removed.