My hardtail builds
dudemanchoo72
Posts: 28
I fancied building my own hardtail mtb for bombing down local canal tow paths and single track to keep my fitness up, so I purchased this cheap unloved Apollo Phaze as the basis of the project.
Although the bike was rideable, it became apparent that most of the components had seen their best days. The cables and gears were completely worn. The mechanical disc brakes barely had any stopping power and the horrid revo gear shifters took an unbelievable amount of effort before they would even attemp to change gear. So it was stripped back to frame only. I was amazed at how little the frame weighed after all the bits were taken off.
Then after trying a couple of useless paint stripping products, I attacked it with a grinder fitted with a wire brush.
Then it was sprayed with a couple of coats of zinc primer. Then three light coats of Ford Nordic Blue. Then finally a couple of thin coats of clear lacquer (all rattle cans)
Although the bike was rideable, it became apparent that most of the components had seen their best days. The cables and gears were completely worn. The mechanical disc brakes barely had any stopping power and the horrid revo gear shifters took an unbelievable amount of effort before they would even attemp to change gear. So it was stripped back to frame only. I was amazed at how little the frame weighed after all the bits were taken off.
Then after trying a couple of useless paint stripping products, I attacked it with a grinder fitted with a wire brush.
Then it was sprayed with a couple of coats of zinc primer. Then three light coats of Ford Nordic Blue. Then finally a couple of thin coats of clear lacquer (all rattle cans)
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I'll post a full spec list shortly
Is it wrong that I'm expecting your next post to be negative Bonzo?
I like the white saddle with white bars and fork.
Overall, good job - it looks really good.
Have you ridden it yet?
With the much shorter stem it looks like your weight would be much more over the back wheel than before. I'm genuinely curious as to whether that is at all noticeable when riding it.
Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
Honestly just curious and not a bike brand snob. I guess I can be a bit negative about Apollo bikes at Halfords, its their entry level range but no reason to think the frame isn't as good as many more expensive bikes and Halfords have a great reputation for solid frames on their bikes although I'm thinking more of Carrera there than Apollo I guess.
Yeah I’m quite pleased with it for now. Did think about the single set up long and hard but couldn’t find anything priced as low as this triple at the time and the cost was mounting up. Maybe a change I will make in the future if finances allow but it does seem like the way forward and the current trend.
Although you can never have too many bike parts.
Average cost of bikes bought from China is something like $50 or was back in 2014. Of course the majority are children's bikes and low end supermarket/entry level bikes but still its a very low price as an average. Average price paid for a bike sent to Africa was $30 and that was mainly adult bikes (again 2014). These are the factory door prices. Bikes like Bianchi that sell for £1000 over here could have the same frame as fuji-ta's own brand 'Battle' which sells for less than £100 in China with inferior components. No reason to think the same Apollo frame or a minor variation of it isn't used on a much more expensive hardtail bike.
I remember buying a £30 bike from sterling house new. It was £29.99 but £8 postage on top but also included a free cycle computer which was worth an easy £5 at the time. Low end components but a solid strong frame.
Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
Id say go for it. While I was doing mine I couldn’t wait to get it finished. Then after a couple of rides I was stopping after 10 or 15 miles and thinking. “I built this and it’s took me all this way without even a hiccup”. The buzz and feeling of pride it gave me I can’t explain. I couldn’t smile wide enough. Felt like I had a coat hangar in my mouth. That sounds like a good base for a build and that drivetrain sounds good too. You’ll have to post it up and let us know how you get on.
Yeah I will, thanks mate.
Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
That is a lot of bike for that money. Some really decent parts on there. I bet that’s gonna be brilliant to ride when you have finished your tinkering. Yeah the snow has been a pain. This wind too. Almost makes me want a fat bike. Now there’s an idea
It was a good learning curve and ultimately makes the maintenance aspect easier as you know how it all should work/fits together.
If you have the time and the inclination I would strongly recommend doing it!
I really like the bike you’ve put together here. Colour is great. I didn’t go down to that level of respraying the frame as I was happy with the colour already. Definitely worth going 1x if you can. I’ve already noticed a big difference!
Titus El Chulo 27.5 | 2017
Trek Slash 9 27.5 | 2015 (building)
Thanks for the nice comments. Yeah building a bike is definitely better as you can customise any way you want. Think I will go 1x within the next 6 months. Keep hearing so many good things about it. Plus gets rid of the front mech side of things. I’ve just found out they used this frame on a couple of Raleigh bikes aswell. I know they’re not the company they once were but it can’t be that bad a frame. Gonna start pricing a 1 x 11 then start filling the piggy bank
Could be one of these or a small variation of it as fuji-ta will alter dimensions and prototype frames for customers, most they sell are their own stock designs though. Same firm makes Bianchi, Cannondale and many other top brands as well as low end brands.
As you can see from the video they clearly state they make Raleigh bikes so if the Apollo shares the same frame your frame was made in one of the most advanced frame factories in the world with very high quality processes. Your unlikely to get anything too clever in the tubing, it may not be double or triple butted but still a damn fine frame.
http://www.fuji-ta.com/mountain-bikes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yn5kIpIrv0
That’s good to know. I always had it in the back of my mind that the the frame maybe junk and could fail at any time. But so far so good. I’ll get some more pictures up when I’m out on a ride soon.
Thanks, glad you like it. You could do that. Depends how hilly your commute is as you will be loosing a fair few climbing gears. Also it’s advisable to swap your rear derailleur for one with a clutch as your chain tension needs to be higher to stop your bike dropping the chain. I’m only just looking at going with a single chainring setup but these seem to be the common factors I keep seeing when reading up on it. I don’t think you will know until you try it. I don’t know if you could just swap your outer chainring for a larger one keeping the other two just to try it to see if it works well or not. I hope this helps, although I am by no means an expert. I’m still learning myself
Group set - Shimano Altus M370 3x9 27 speed
Shimano Altus M370 shifters, front mech, rear mech (cables included)
Shimano M371 crankset (22-32-44, 170mm)
Shimano HG200 - 9 speed cassette 11-32t
Shimano HG53 chain
VP-BC73 bottom bracket
Jag Wire cable housing
Brakes - Clarks hydraulic front and rear
Front End - SR Suntour XCR-LO disc 100mm travel 26” suspension fork with lockout
FSA TH-No18 headset
B’twin wide handlebar (already owned)
DMR lock on bike grip - green
Truativ Hussefelt short stem 0’ degrees 31.8 mm 1-1/8”
censored End. - Halfords quick release seat clamp collar 31.8 mm
System Ex suspension standard seatpost
Charge Spoon saddle (white)
Wheels. - 26” Sub Zero Quando disc 8/9 speed wheelset
Continental Mountain King 26 x 2.2
Seems a nice bike with some decent components although the fork seems quite basic. I guess that is always the case with forks same as most retail bikes they have to go basic to get to a certain retail price. If the fork seems good to you then no problem. Saving that I have some Rockshox Revelations which has the lower legs disintegrating due to a poor formulation of the magnesium/aluminium alloy which corrode too easily and have some suntour forks that still fit for purpose and are much older. Performance forks aren't always the most durable especially if they focus on being lightweight.
Bird Aeris 120 | Boardman Team 650b | Boardman Pro FS | Calibre Two.two
I love Kona. One of the reasons I did the bike. I missed the one I sold a couple of years back.
It did cross my mind but because I did this at work I didn’t have any means to do it. It felt feather lite when I’d stripped it down but then everything does when you work on HGVs for a living