# Dream frame just landed.......



## Cubist (16 Oct 2013)

Cubester wanted a full suss frame for his upcoming birthday, and over the summer really took to my Canyon Nerve AM. That prompted me to start looking for a decent frame for myself, and set about raising funds. Cubester sold his hardtail frame, fork, brakes and seatpost, bought himself a set of SLX brakes from ze Germans, and I sold him my frame, Revelation fork and Reverb seatpost at fair market price, plus a reasonably generous allowance for his birthday. At the same time I sold my C2W roadbike from 2 years ago and therefore ended up with a decent pot to buy a frame and fork. I happened to mention to the LBS owner that I was looking for a quality trail/enduro frame to which he said "you might like to take a look at this then" and produced a bike he'd treated himself to for a trip to the Alps last year which was now surplus to requirements. It needed a clean and the scruffy heli tape removing, but appeared to be sound enough. Oh, and I had had a secret ambition to treat myself to one of these when I retired in a few years time. Now I found myself with a good wedge in my pocket and this looking at me (I've since cut the paint and removed the helitape) More helitape on order, a new fork sitting at a parcel depot awaiting collection and here it is:


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## Cubist (16 Oct 2013)

Build will be 
Fork X Fusion Slant 160
Wheels Hope Proll Evo with Stans Arch Ex for the time being. I'll swap my Flow rims over if I need to 
Bars Answer ProTaper carbon 720
Brakes Shimano XT M785
Chainset XT M785 2x10
11-36 cassette
Reverb 125x420mm
Charge Spoon

Start building it tomorrow, can't wait!


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## fossyant (16 Oct 2013)

Hubba Hubba


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## dan_bo (17 Oct 2013)

Nah mate wrong colour sorry-saw one in argos t'other day and it just didn't look right.

EDIT: Just seen it on a propor computer. Crikey!


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## Crackle (17 Oct 2013)

What's the black thing on the BB?


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## GrumpyGregry (17 Oct 2013)

Crackle said:


> What's the black thing on the BB?


Chain guide. As beloved by 2x9-ers 2x10-ers and their 1xN cousins. Stops the chain coming off and includes a spot of bash so then Cubist rocks into some logs at speed his chain ring teeth don't get mashed nor his legs chewed when he fall off.
@Cubist please can we have step-by-step photo reportage of the build like last time?


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## VamP (17 Oct 2013)

Likey.


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## Cubist (17 Oct 2013)

GrumpyGregry said:


> Chain guide. As beloved by 2x9-ers 2x10-ers and their 1xN cousins. Stops the chain coming off and includes a spot of bash so then Cubist rocks into some logs at speed his chain ring teeth don't get mashed nor his legs chewed when he fall off.
> @Cubist please can we have step-by-step photo reportage of the build like last time?


Really? I've missed getting the new fork out of the box, taking it to have the steerer cut and ramming home the crown race. I'm in the middle of sorting out the wheels too....do you really want to see me swapping the front 20mm Maxle adapters for 15s, and the rear QR endcaps for 12x142s? If you can do without that I'll chronicle it from here.


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## GrumpyGregry (17 Oct 2013)

Cubist said:


> Really? I've missed getting the new fork out of the box, taking it to have the steerer cut and ramming home the crown race. I'm in the middle of sorting out the wheels too....do you really want to see me swapping the front 20mm Maxle adapters for 15s, and the rear QR endcaps for 12x142s? If you can do without that I'll chronicle it from here.


yes. Really.


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## Cubist (17 Oct 2013)

OK, so while the photos are loading here's how I got to where I am with the build. The frame is an Ibis Mojo HD140. It's made of carbon fibre and has a fox RP23 Kashima shock. That's activated by a DW link rear suspension pivot, which you can google if you're interested, but basically this patented 4-bar link system reduces pedal induced bob without having to interfere with low speed compression damping, so the rear wheel tracks better under active suspension even when the rider pedals hard. At the same time the setup means that the rear doesn't squat under braking force, and so the suspension again can remain active, giving better tracking and grip. 

The frame has swappable "Limbo Chips" which are the anchor points for the upper eye of the rear shock. The frame can be run with a 140mm travel shock, or a 160mm travel shock, and the limbo chips ensure the geometry remains the same with either. So you can run up to a 180mm fork with the 160 shock and the chip keeps the geometry the same as if you were running a 140 shock and 150mm forks. The two standards are based on trail riding like we in the UK know and love, and more aggressive Enduro riding like those foreign johnnies enjoy in the Alps etc. 

I'm going to be running the 140 setup but have treated it to a 160mm fork. This will effectively raise the BB height and slacken the head angle by about a degree compared with a 150, although I'll need to compare axle to crown heights with say a 150 Revelation to be certain. The bridleways and bits of technical stuff round here tend to be rocky and steep, so the slightly raised BB height will ensure fewer strikes. The slacker head angle will help with descending. That's the theory anyway. 

The frame is burly. It may be carbon, but it's noticeably heavier than my Canyon AM frame. The fork has a tapered steerer and a Syntace 15mm axle. It has 34 mm stanchions and coupled with the tapered steerer and 15mm will mean it's pretty stiff up front. The frame design itself is pretty stiff, and it has a 142mmx12mm through-axle at the back. Basically it ain't gonna flex or deflect in a hurry on that rocky stuff, and it'll take pretty big hits if you ask it to. 

Basically it's to be run on technical stuff and trail centres. Mrs C has hinted at an Alps trip as a 50th birthday treat, so this will be ideal. The hardtail Soul is so versatile it'll do more or less everything the 140 trail bike could do, so this is a departure for me into more aggressive stuff. 

I have all that I need to build it, and I'll be dismantling my AM bike to transfer drivetrain, brakes, Reverb and bars. I'm going to leave the carbon bar on the Soul and use a 750mm Fat Boy as it's going to need wide bars. The Soul currently has a Hope Proll evo wheelset on Stans Arch Ex rims, and I need to steal them as the wheels on the Canyon won't convert to 12mm axle. 

Those pics have finished loading, so here goes.


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

X Fusion Slant 160 RL2 fork. Rebound and lockout adjustable air fork.



Cut to 200mm, star fangled nut and crown race fitted.




The front hub on this Hope Proll evo wheelset has a 20mm Maxle adapter fitted, which needs swapping for a 15mm one to suit the Syntace axle on the fork



Lever out the metal circlip and it lifts out







The replacement 15mm adapter is a simple push fit







The rear hub currently has standard 135mm QR dropouts. Hope Proll Evo hubs have a 12mm axle so it's just a case of pulling out the old QR endcaps and replacing them with 142x12 endcaps.


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

Next, I needed to remove the SLX 10 speed 11-36 cassette from the Superleggera freehub to transfer onto theProll. 
The old chainwhip and lockring tool big hand squeeze (save knuckles.....)







Needs a clean:



Cleaned and ready to fit on the freehub









Torqued up to "F Tight" (40 n)


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

Now it's just a case of stripping the rest of the bits off the Canyon. Chainset (needs a clean!) 



Hope Stainless BB



I seem to own a few wheels...



QUick tidy then I'm stopping for tonight. 

The Helitape should be here tomorrow, so I'll fit it in the evening, and can then crack on with the build.


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## RWright (18 Oct 2013)

Helitape is something I had not considered for my bike. I did a search and found recommendations to use 3M as well as a couple of others. Looks like something I will be ordering before I start thrashing my bike. Glad I saw you mention it. 

In the opening post I did not understand exactly what the phrase "cut the paint" means.

I like this thread, nice stuff for an MTB newbie to see. Thanks for taking the time to do it.


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## Crackle (18 Oct 2013)

Very interesting. I'm now wondering whether I should get Helitape for my FF29, I'd previously dismissed the thought.

Surprised the Carbon frame is heavier as well.


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

RWright said:


> Helitape is something I had not considered for my bike. I did a search and found recommendations to use 3M as well as a couple of others. Looks like something I will be ordering before I start thrashing my bike. Glad I saw you mention it.
> 
> In the opening post I did not understand exactly what the phrase "cut the paint" means.
> 
> I like this thread, nice stuff for an MTB newbie to see. Thanks for taking the time to do it.


 Helitape is a must to stop any bike looking scruffy especially around cable rub points. The paint was polished with t cut to remove surface scratches from the lacquer. If ir helps I'll do a step by step guide to how to make it smooth and lift free.


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

Crackle said:


> Very interesting. I'm now wondering whether I should get Helitape for my FF29, I'd previously dismissed the thought.
> 
> Surprised the Carbon frame is heavier as well.


 it's just short of 3kg with shock. There are lighter carbon frames but this should build up to about 30lb. As an enduro frame the emphasis is on descending fast, with climbing ability considered as a break between descents. It's no XC whippet, that's for sure, but at this sort of weight it weighs the same as an entry level hardtail.


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## RWright (18 Oct 2013)

Cubist said:


> Helitape is a must to stop any bike looking scruffy especially around cable rub points. The paint was polished with t cut to remove surface scratches from the lacquer. If ir helps I'll do a step by step guide to how to make it smooth and lift free.


 I wasn't sure but thought you may have been talking about polish or rubbing compound. My bike being flat black I don't think I will do that to it. I will probably just give it a quick polish. I am going to buy some helitape for the chain stay and cable contact points for all my bikes. My road bikes already have it. The mountain bike's chain stay protector looks pretty fresh, only a few nicks in it. My road bikes could use replacing, getting a little old looking on both of them. I guess I will maybe do the down tube on the MTB, at least part of it. Looking at all this brought a chain tensioner to mind. I will start reading and see what I can find out about those and if I think I need one. It never ends, always something else I want for my bikes.


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

Knickers! Just got home and no helitape.


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## Cubist (18 Oct 2013)

RWright said:


> I wasn't sure but thought you may have been talking about polish or rubbing compound. My bike being flat black I don't think I will do that to it. I will probably just give it a quick polish. I am going to buy some helitape for the chain stay and cable contact points for all my bikes. My road bikes already have it. The mountain bike's chain stay protector looks pretty fresh, only a few nicks in it. My road bikes could use replacing, getting a little old looking on both of them. I guess I will maybe do the down tube on the MTB, at least part of it. Looking at all this brought a chain tensioner to mind. I will start reading and see what I can find out about those and if I think I need one. It never ends, always something else I want for my bikes.


Chain tensioners are a boon if you tend to run clattering descents, as they stop the chain smacking the chainstay, and keep it on the chainrings. They are a real must on a single front ring, where you don't have the benefit of a mech to stop the chain unshipping. 

The one on the Mojo is Mojo specific and made by MRP. They cost a whopping £120 apparently. I'm therefore glad it was thrown in with the frame. If you run a double up front you'll benefit from a chain tensioner, which is mounted either on the bottom bracket or on ISCG tabs around the bracket. Blackspire do a particularly simple and popular one called the Stinger. 

With current compact doubl;e chainsets for MTB like the XT 785, and don't need a tensioner but do need a bit of bash protection MRP do a BB mounted bashguard which again mounts on the BB shell. I have one on the Canyon, which a year or two ago could only be sourced in the USA, but cost a far more reasonable £32.00!


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## 02GF74 (18 Oct 2013)

welcome to the Mojo club. the frame gives a wonderful ride removing lumpiness from the ground and is surprsingly light.

here is mine. (11.01 kg)


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## Cubist (19 Oct 2013)

Very nice.... is that an SL?


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## Cubist (19 Oct 2013)

Still no helitape by the way.... this is getting frustrating. I have enough left over from the last job to do the cable rub points, so I'm going to do that impatient thing and crack on.


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## Cubist (20 Oct 2013)

Helitape is great stuff, but you need to get it right. It turns out all I have left is a few square inches, but it's enough to start. I'll do the larger contact areas when it arrives in next week. 
You have to do it indoors away from draughts to stop grit getting under the tape. It's stretchy and compliant when it's warm, so use a hairdryer to warm the frame and the tape as you smooth it on. I always use Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to completely degrease the paint before applying it. You get this stuff in pump bottles off eBay. Check that it's 99%..... any less and it'll leave an oily residue. 











Always cut helitape with a sharp pair of scissors or a fresh Stanley blade, and leave rounded edges so that it's less likely to lift at the corners where dirt can get under it. Cut to suit where the cables contact the paintwork, especially head tubes.







So, first it'll need a seatpost fitting to clamp in the stand. The Reverb has been fitted using Carbon assembly paste, and only torqued up enough to stop it slipping. 



In the stand ready to build up


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## Cubist (20 Oct 2013)

I'll fit the fork first, as I need the bars on to add brakes. This stainless steel Acros headset is of unknown history. It feels smooth, but we can check teh grease and the bearings if we carefully lift the seal from the upper race using a seal pick.



Looks like there was some good, clean grease in there already. I'lll add a touch more so we know it's properly packed.







A decent layer of grease around the crown race will mean a decent seal and prevent ingress of shite. This is a tapered steerer by the way.



You can wipe the excess once you've pushed the steerer up into the headset.



Slide the compression ring down onto the upper head race and it snugs the steerer against the bearing race.



Spacers on. (I've left off teh top seal cover , this is just to get everything measured up. These are two 10mm spacers. The total stack will be two x10mm, a 40mm stem, a 5mm spacer then topcap.







Steerer and bars on



Coppaslip on the topcap bolt




Then tightened enough to just eliminate play in the headset.



Which you can check by wiggling the fork crown.



Then tighten the steerer clamp bolts, alternating, evenly and with just enough torque to stop the bars turning unless they take a big whack. You want them to break free in a crash to save the steerer and head from damage.




SO, that's the fork on. I've got to go to work now, but I'll put some more on later!


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## Cubist (20 Oct 2013)

Brakes next. These are Shimano XT M785, powerful brakes which I set up to run "one-fingered". This one needs a bit of a clean and teh pads resetting before i FIT IT.




Cleaned with IPA and using a screwdriver blade to prise the pads apart, pushing the pistons back into the caliper. You can do this gently to stop damaging the pad surface, although I will probably fit kevlar pads to this when I've done. 




Clamp on the bar and nipped up roughly where it will sit so I can measure the hose properly. This hose is about 150cm long, and I'm hoping it will fit this frame. If not I have a contingency plan of a brand new set of SLX I'll swap with Cubester. 



Natty little carbon hose clamp under the downtube



Through the hose guide/clamp 



and down into the polycarbonate hose cover/guard



Out of teh guard and up past the hose clamp base which I'll clip on with hose clips



Another hose clip attaches it to the top of the swingarm (can't really call this a seatstay!) 



and bolted onto the Post Mount lugs. The rotor is 180mm so I've used two 10mm spacers to ensure the caliper fits. I needed to fine tune the fit with washers/shims. 



Routing past teh BB with enough slack to deal with the swingarm movement up and down


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## Cubist (20 Oct 2013)

Front brake next. Much simpler this



Bolts into PM lugs on fork leg. Again, will need fine-tuning with shims. This fork has a fixed rotor size of 203mm. Big rotor, but it saves on adapters



Hose guide on the fork crown 



There, that's fitted and working now


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Bottom bracket and cranks next. 
This Hope Stainless Steel BB has just been treated to some new grease in the bearings, and the grey seal replaced. The black outer plastic shield next to it clips on and forms a seal to keep shite off teh bearings. 



The BB shell on the bike is 68mm. This is the driveside BB cup, and we've got a BB mounted bashguard/chaindevice fitted which takes up 2.5mm so we only need one 2.5mm spacer to add to it drive side. 



Clean and greased threads means the BB cup spins on by hand nearly all the way. Left hand thread on the drive side remember!



BB Socket tool with 1/2 inch drive is an absolute boon for this job. Snugs on and less likely to damage the cups . 1/2 inch drive means it's robust when you want to remove a stubborn one as well! 










Non drive side, and the plastic connecting tube, with greased O rings for a good seal. This screws on conventional right hand thread. 



and a 2.5mm spacer to complete the width



That's teh BB fitted


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Cranks on now. This is a Shimano XT M785 compact double. It has 38T outer ring and was originally fitted with a 26t inner, but I swapped it to 24 'cos of the hills round here. The front mech is a direct mount SRAM XO by the way, double specific and single bolt fitting on a frame mounted lug. The now cleaned crank can be pushed through from the drive side 




and driven home all the way through with the heel of your hand. 




Add the NDS crank arm onto the splined hollowtech axle




and use the finger tool to nip up the preload cap just enough to eliminate play in the crank arm. You can rock teh crank arm to feel for play, and as soon as you've dialled it out tighten the crank arm pinch bolts.


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Now for the gears. This is a Shimano XT M780 shadow. It's had a bit of use on the Canyon, so has some paint scrapes. Coppaslip on the hanger bolt



and bolted into the hanger.




Next we need to thread the chain through. I've checked that it fits by letting the air out of the rear shock and compressing the swingarm so the chain is at its longest. It fits with no overlap, so I'll order another chain in case this one proves to be too short. (not that it should, I tend to run doubles at this length) 




over the chain guide



through the rear mech and round the cassette. Not in this picture I've used a cable tie to lash the mech cage to the chainstay. This takes all the tension out of the chain and means I can work without fear of everythigg springing back 










Gold KMC Missing link joins the chain. 



and now I can remove the cable tie


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Adjusting the mech needs several variables checking. Firstly alignment. This is the "B" screw, and it adjusts vertical alignment of teh mech cage/jockeys



There needs to be clearance between teh bottom of the cog and the top of the jockey wheel with room for the chain to pass through without fouling. This takes a bit of trial and eror





But this looks about right. I'll recheck when it's on the big cog as well. 



Cables next. This is the front shifter, and needs to be cabled up whilst at granny ring setting, so click off the lever to remove indexing tension. I'm going to remove the old cable




Wind the adjuster barrel all the way in then out a turn or so. 





Remove eth rub screw from the cable entry 




and don't lose it!




Push the old cable out of the shifter housing and remove. 




3m of new outer to measure up and cut to length




When measuring cable outer make sure it's long enough to allow full bar rotation, but not too long to keep things neat and tidy




Outer cable throught the cable clamps on the top tube



through a cable tie on teh hose guide lug and measured to length in the cable stop on the front mech


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Cut to length with a decent pair of cable cutters




and make sure the ends are nice and round before fitting the inners





Add a ferrule




and choose a new inner cable. 1.2mm bulk buy from the Woollyhatshop IIRC, about 30p each. 




Feed the inner cable through the shifter







Now I always put a thin smear of grease on the cables as I fit them. This is plain old Castrol grease on a piece of kitchen roll. I pull the cable through the grease to leave a sparing coating






before feeding it though the outer cable





Push the ferrule into the shifter barrel... it's a click fit



and pass the other end through the cable stop on the mech


 before clicking the ferrule home at that end


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Route the cable through the actuator and through the clamp slot



before nipping up nice and tight. You should pull the cable to remove all of the slack, but no actual tension at this stage.




Check that it activates the front mech




It does, but this pic shows that the cage doesn't come far enough over and the chain is fouling the inside edge of the outer cage plate








I therefore use the limit adjust screw to allow teh cage to move so there is about 1mm of clearance between the chain and the cage on big/little.








A check to make sure the chain shifts down to the granny when the shifter is released, and I can trim teh excess tidy up the ends of the cable with an end crimp.















Final task is to trim the cable ties off with a stanley knife, experiences suggests if you don't get them flush with the clip the trimmed edge is razor sharp!


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## GrumpyGregry (21 Oct 2013)

great thread.


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## Crackle (21 Oct 2013)

You may not know this (and I'm not expecting you to take them back off and weigh them) but how heavy are the XT cranks, relative descriptions like light etc... are fine. I'm wondering because I went for plain Deore which I reckon is good for the money, XT being double the cost for, as far as I could tell, a few hundred grams of weight saving.


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## VamP (21 Oct 2013)

I agree. I admire your restraint in cataloguing each step. I'd be out there ripping up trails first, and doing the write up next week


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Crackle said:


> You may not know this (and I'm not expecting you to take them back off and weigh them) but how heavy are the XT cranks, relative descriptions like light etc... are fine. I'm wondering because I went for plain Deore which I reckon is good for the money, XT being double the cost for, as far as I could tell, a few hundred grams of weight saving.


They're 850 g. It's not just weight though (although " a few hundred grammes" soon adds up) but XT cranks are stiffer and of course prettier! Besides which I got these off eBay for £60, brand new just taken off a new bike. If I were buying new, for the performance vs weight argument, I'd split the difference and get SLX. It's all gorgeous and there's about 50g difference to XT.



VamP said:


> I agree. I admire your restraint in cataloguing each step. I'd be out there ripping up trails first, and doing the write up next week



I've been working over the weekend, and had to go out to friends for dinner last night, so this is pretty much real time. I've just done the last few bits of faffage this morning , and I've just had a "bedding in ride" but it's arsing it down. As soon as it eases off I've got a little loop lined up!


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Rear mech cables next,



Ferruled cabl;e end in the cable stop, again this will be a single run of outer for weatherproofing.



Miore cable ties in the hose guides under the top of the rear triangle





Routes behind the front mech cable and over the pivot



another cable tie before routing under the polycarbonate hose guard on the downtube











and under teh carbon guide behind the head tube




Cut to length after checkig it doesn't foul when the bars are turned




fresh cable through the shifter , lightly greased and fed into the outer

[URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/emilysdad/media/Mojo%20Build/098.jpg.html]






[/URL]

and into the rear mech via the cable stop


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Through the cable clamp, keeping a bit of tension on the cable, 



and nipped up tight




Remember I said we'd check the B limit once we got the chain onto the biggest cog..... well, this isn't enough clearance, it'll foul when you change down, so turn the B screw and watch the jockey move down away from the cog 







Neaten the cable ends with a crimp




The jockey and cage should be in line with the biggest cog, luckily this was already bang on, but it's a simple task to line it up using the limit screw. 




Now we need to check chain clearance at the front mech when the chain's on the biggest cog, so shift to granny, then to the 36t cog and ensure there's a mm between the chain and the inside of the cage plate nearest the frame




If there isn't, use the limit screw to wind the cage towards the frame until there's the right clearance




It takes both hands, but I then finely adjusted the cable tension to ensure one click per shift up and down the cassette, smooth and trouble free. It took about two minutes.


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Last few bits to do now, tidying up all the hose clamps, witht eh Reverb hose clamped on the left side







Now to fit the reverb remote to the bars



Loosen up the brake and gear clamps to snug the remote in the right place. The brakes are inboard of the shifter, and the remote (which is a right hand lever upside down on the left to protect it) between the shifter and the grip collar. 














Last check to see that teh remote works without fouling the shift lever, and vice versa




before tightening the Torx clamp bolt







Checking reach to the brake lever.... perfect!




Grips on the right hand bar



and checked to make sure the shift lever falls to hand (thumb!) and the brakes are one finger position.




Tightened again so they will break free in a crash instead of taking big hits and breaking.


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## Crackle (21 Oct 2013)

Cubist said:


> They're 850 g. It's not just weight though (although " a few hundred grammes" soon adds up) but XT cranks are stiffer and of course prettier! Besides which I got these off eBay for £60, brand new just taken off a new bike. If I were buying new, for the performance vs weight argument, I'd split the difference and get SLX. It's all gorgeous and there's about 50g difference to XT.



All true: I've gone for trying to save weight elsewhere, like rear cassette, bars and stuff and maybe tyres and tubes, prettiness is the next budget up too.

How come I never see these damn bargains on ebay when I'm looking.


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Saddle onto the clamps and lined up




two bolt system means tilt adjust is a doddle







Air into the fork according to manuf recommendation. Hmm, feels a bit firm, but need bedding in.




Remember I guessed it would be about 30lb? well





or for the metricians amongst us:




even the scales are smiling!


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

So, here it is. 














I've been up the road on it and boy is it slack! First impressions are "Wow", but I won't really know until I've taken it out for a decent thrashing. It seems to pedal very lightly for its heft.


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## Crackle (21 Oct 2013)

Looks great


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Crackle said:


> All true: I've gone for trying to save weight elsewhere, like rear cassette, bars and stuff and maybe tyres and tubes, prettiness is the next budget up too.
> 
> How come I never see these damn bargains on ebay when I'm looking.



Wheels and tyres are the biggest gains. That front wheel weighs 1500 grammes with tyre and rotor fitted. I run tubeless which saves some rim weight.


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## Crackle (21 Oct 2013)

Cubist said:


> Wheels and tyres are the biggest gains. That front wheel weighs 1500 grammes with tyre and rotor fitted. I run tubeless which saves some rim weight.


What are the wheels and hubs again. That is exceptionally light, I doubt it could go much lighter could it?


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

It's a Hope Proll with a Stans Arch EX rim. Built with DB spokes and run with a 2.25 Nobby Nic tubeless. The rotor is a Superstar Components rotor. It weighs a scant 146g. Crest rims are a bit lighter again, but would only be suitable on an XC bike with a lighter rider.


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

Just got back from its maidden voyage. It feels great, up to speed on one downhill facing track and it pops off every lip and bump, landing solidly and hardly wavering. Initial thoughts are that this is the dog's danglies!


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## Cubist (21 Oct 2013)

That Heli tape still isn't here.


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## zizou (21 Oct 2013)

Looks good and a nice series of build photos too


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## Cubist (24 Oct 2013)

Just come back from a day at Llandegla. Needless to say it performed every bit as well as I would have hoped. It just blatted over everything on the red route, but as I was on my own I decided I'd do the black next time, and went and played in the skills area instead.

I was concerned that it's slack front end would be compromised on twisty stuff, but it steered impeccably. It has a tendency to "tip in" at very low speed, so it's a good job you can rail stuff at higher speeds. It carried speed through berms particularly well. Chattery bumpy rocky stuff was an eye opener. The RP23 shock is renowned for its manners on that kind of stuff, but I'd been worried the high speed compression of the fork (which isn't adjustable) would lead to loss of fillings. However, the fork was far better than I could have expected, holding up without diving on flat terrain, even when pedalling hard, yet reacting to all the little bumps with great poise. On bigger hits I never even got near its limits.

The bike loves air. Until; recently I was a bit "wheels on the ground" yet recently I've learnt to get up off little bumps, lips, rocks and jumps, and this thing loved it. On the smaller tabletops it left the ground easily, and absorbed every landing with ease. No doubt as I get braver I'll get to try bigger jumps. I may go to Philips Park and session the jumps there in the next couple of days.


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## 02GF74 (24 Oct 2013)

^^^ see. I told you ti'll be good.

you're right, mine is SL.


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## lukesdad (25 Oct 2013)

Them sure is wide bars Mister C !


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## fossyant (25 Oct 2013)

Looks a cracker.


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## Cubist (25 Oct 2013)

lukesdad said:


> Them sure is wide bars Mister C !


750mm. Coupled with a 65mm stem they make the thing steer nicely on twisty stuff. Another advantage is that with it's big forks this needs some control on steep climbs. Wide bars mean I can simply open my shoulders, bend my elbows and get my chin over the stem to get weight over the front. They also have an effect of lengthening the cockpit, so I can run a medium frame despite being on the cusp of large in most sizes. The Mojo is a large with a 19 inch seat tube. The Canyon, which has similar geometry, is medium at 18.5, so effective top tube length is part of the consideration for me.


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## Crackle (25 Oct 2013)

What made you go for the x-fusion by the way. They seem to be gaining more of a following now?


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## Cubist (25 Oct 2013)

Crackle said:


> What made you go for the x-fusion by the way. They seem to be gaining more of a following now?


I read a couple of reviews, and liked what I heard. I wanted a fork that was stiffer than a Revelation. I have become an ardent fan of RS, having tried a Fox 32 140 in the Canyon and finding it flexible (it also packed down riding a rocky section because the positioning of the rebound setting meant you caught it with your gloves when locking and unlocking your fork.) The frame needs a burly fork, so that left Pikes (although with my budget they'd have been secondhand, and heavy) or Fox Talas, again, overweight in a 36 format, and hard to find what I wanted for the money I had. I was offered a Bos Deville 160, but again that was secondhand, and I don't know much about them. I had read a discussion about the Slant and went and did a bit of research. One reviewer on a long term test swore that in order to get a Fox to perform this well you'd need to have them tuned. I then asked the question on a forum and all that had Slants reported that the man told the truth. So, a combination of light weight, stiffer 34mm stanchions, simple air spring (no messing about with compression settings) and a selling price of £399 and I was convinced I ought to give them a try. They haven't diasppointed in any way.


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