Seems like it would be somewhat difficult to build a bike vs buying a complete one today. The deals are too good. Even if you replaced some specific components like brakes you'd still might end up ahead buying complete.
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Seems like it would be somewhat difficult to build a bike vs buying a complete one today. The deals are too good. Even if you replaced some specific components like brakes you'd still might end up ahead buying complete.
I supose some people think its cool to buy a bunch of parts and bolt them togetehr but i would rather buy a bike already built and if it isnt done the way I want it i don't buy it , YMMV
I’ve built a couple of bikes over the years and I do enjoy the process. I have a lot of parts leftover which is mainly why I’m leaning this way.
But yes there are some great deals to be had out there for bikes.
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Yeah, I built one myself and had my shop build my replacement Bronson frame. I enjoy it too. My Bronson had everything I wanted...except the shock because it was during the COVID supply chain shitshow. But I just got that changed over now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandbox
" I have a lot of parts leftover which is mainly why I’m leaning this way. "
I am pretty sure you ^^ end up with a lot of leftover parts some of which may fit your next build which works great if you are a shop bro cuz its a great palce to flog parts to th end losers you talk to
but more likely you you gota wank around buying/ selling/ shipping/ storing parts if you build your own bikes from scratch, which is cheaper I am not sure
IME " Buying off the rack " like a cheap suit I don't accumulate a lot of leftover parts just worn out parts, I DO still buy consumables for the coming season like the drive train I needed/ replaced last season, for this coming season I got tires/ brake pads/ chains/ seat post rebuild kit
I think the Hightower 2 ran through 2021 model year and HT3 came out in 2022?Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandbox
I don’t know if shock stroke and size changed from HT2 to HT3, but the link and suspension curve changed. So just keep in mind the subtle differences. My understanding of the HT2 is that the Cascade Components link was a pretty big deal for that frame. I’m not positive at all on this, but when the HT3 reviews first came out, it certainly made it sound as if Santa Cruz adopted some of the CC link’s characteristics into the HT3 link?
I’ve only ever ridden the HT3 (and HT1).
The HT4 came out at the start of this winter, which could bring down the price of new old stock complete bikes more than used bikes … The HT4 moved the downtube shock mount into the downtube (I’m not sure but I would assume this change prevents items placed in the glovebox from slipping all the way to the bottom bracket) and tweaked the suspension a bit, adding 5mm of rear travel.
I’ve long been a Santa Cruz fan … I still have my 9 year old B1, wife has a B4. That said when it comes to riding characteristics, I spent time on the HT3 and Smuggler (3? whatever the current model is) and where the HT3 is more comfortable and feels like driving an Audi, the Smuggler feels more like a Lotus that is optimized for absolutely tearing up corners and blasting off of every small lip. It’s more tiring to ride than the HT3 because the riding position is a little different and you have to put a bit more into the bike, but I think my next bike will likely be a long-stroked Smuggler. I know on paper the Sentinel is a little more comparable to the HT, though the Sentinel never really felt quite as well rounded for me as the HT did … I found the Sentinel that I demoed to have more front wheel wander and worse climbing traction than the HT3. Minute differences so suspension tuning could make a difference there. Santa Cruz also doesn’t come with the frame alignment baggage of Transition …
Yes, it does lead to a lot of wheeling and dealing and all that crap there is no doubt. I’ve found a Hightower I like with some parts I don’t. I’m thinking I’ll maybe grab it and just swap what I don’t, brakes are included in that.Quote:
Originally Posted by XXX-er
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yeah I really can't think of any spare parts i own that are of any worth to sell used
my buddy the part time bartender/ teacher/ trail builder/ basement mechanic tells me the SC product are nice to work on and we gota alot of SC up here
So I wonder does sticking with the SC product makes it easier TO swap parts to the next build is a good question ?
The Bullit is my first SC and I'm a Fanboi
I noted shop bro was buying and selling all brands of high-end bikes for his personel rides which he would trade away often after only half a season ( its only 7 months up here ) and the bike he ended up with the most was an SC and the bike he quit shop bro-ing with was an SC
or maybe the SC rep gave him the best deals
I’ve had [emoji638] SC and I’ve really liked them. They fit me well and have been durable and I find they ride well for where I ride most. I do think there are not a lot of bad bikes out there anymore.
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That is some great insight, appreciate the write up.Quote:
Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio
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Kid at the shop said he's not as big of a fan of the new Bronson 5 vs Bronson 4. I haven't looked at the difference, but he said it's geared more for flying down dh and not quite at playful.
So I do wonder how much the other bikes have changed also. I have a HT 1 and haven't ridden a newer version, but I'd like to.
The short version: I'd take the maguras for shorter, less demanding downhills (better modulation), I'd take the Hayes for longer, steeper downhills (more power, less fade). I like the maguras, but I'm transitioning all bikes in my garage to Hayes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandbox
Both are great brakes. Maguras (with the HC3 lever) are more adjustable, definitely have better modulation, and mineral oil is a little more pleasant to work with. Their bleed procedure is more annoying and the plastic lever requires some non-ham-handedness when bleeding.
Hayes have a super light lever pull and a fantastic, firm bite point. The power comes on quick, and is stronger than the maguras (but the maguras still make respectable power). Hayes can feel on-offy, especially at lower speeds. I've never had the Hayes noticeably fade on me, whereas the maguras have definitely faded on long (3k+ feet) sustained steep descents. Hayes have some nifty little features (dual bleed ports on calipers, horizontal position set screws on caliper mounting bolts). Hayes are DOT fluid, which doesn't bother me but is apparently a huge turn off to some.
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There are few joys that compare to hand picking every single component to be put on your new bike. Everything being exactly what you want, in the color scheme you want.
Granted, for transparency, I happen to have a side business doing just that; high end frame-up builds.
Good info, thanks for that. I really do like the magura’s but I’ve always found them difficult to bleed and yes that fucking plastic bar clamp I’ve snapped more than a few.Quote:
Originally Posted by toast2266
Bob leisure has a decent deal on the A4’s as well but Magura has an extra 20% off
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YMMV as they say, maybe cuz i carried a toolkit for too long,Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxtar
so customers would ask what do you like about this job and the answer was always " I'm leaving in 10 minutes, you gotta stay "
its not like my buddy creating something out of wood or my buddy who makes work boots completely from scratch its just bolting stuff together and i'd rather Santa Cruz did that and presented me with a product I wana buy usually for cheaper
If you read about the Maguras, the main issues you hear about are:
- dragging pads
- fragile lever bodies
I had MT7s for about 4 months and experienced both those issues. The brakes feel amazing when working well, but I gave up on them and breaking a lever body in a relatively inconsequential crash.
I could not resolve the dragging pads. There is very little pad retraction, which makes them sensitive to rotor trueness and piston imbalance.
The pads are also very expensive.
stumbled into this deal and being tempted...
https://www.fanatikbike.com/products...39520986267694
sj evo frame for 500 in s6 seems solid
think this could be built up on the cheaper side and be a better deal than used market?
been casually looking for something to replace my 09 sx trail and get back into the mtb scene but dont have a lot of disposable $$$ at the moment, i know how to wrench and dont mind finding used deals but my boxes of spare parts are all 26in/non boost/1x10 so not a lot of cross compatibility and would need to buy most parts
lots of deals out there, i dont mind waiting for the right one, but is this one to not let slip by?
^^^ that's a solid deal if the size is right.
Building it up with new, on sale parts, I bet you could come in somewhere between $2000 - $2500. Less if you can find a screaming deal on the big ticket items (mainly wheels).
That said, you can get a pretty decent used bike for $2500 these days. It'd likely have nicer parts than what you'd end up with building that thing yourself.
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same thoughts ive been having, size seems good as im 6'3'', i do have a 27.5 ex471 rim sitting in the garage could lace up for a mullet build but likely cheaper to buy a built set
im picky but not a parts princess, metal wheels, fork i can tune at home, decent brakes, any drivetrain will do these days
any used bike would likely get some $$ thrown at it as well so building from scratch always appeals but all the little shit adds up
will see how i feel after a few more beers this evening haha
I think that’s a solid deal for that frame. Could piece it together fairly inexpensive if you wanted
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Risk:
If you build up a Frankenstein bike with ancient parts (like 2018 era fork damper) or wildly mismatched parts it will have very little resale value as a complete bike if you don’t jive with the bike. Buyers won’t know how to price against OE build spec unless you strip it back to the frame.
So if you have parts that you want to use, great. But if you are gonna go out and buy parts, seems like the right move is to buy parts of the same general vintage as the frame.
I'm pretty sure you can score lots of hot deals on Pinkbike/CL right now for brand new takeoff parts from others who are snapping up sale bikes then upgrading parts to their taste.
^^ Being one of those, Hayes Dominion A4's are going on the down country rig. Looking at rotors, Hayes's copy describes some kind of proprietary coating that makes them work better with Hayes pads. Is this bullshit? It seems like bullshit and that rotors are rotors. But the part of me that's so happy with the feel and power is worried about losing something if I go with dumb-dumb rotors.
And re: the last rotor problem I had: Rotor was not warped, shop just didn't bother aligning calipers. Drag improved significantly with very, very fine caliper alignment (what a surprise).
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I use h2s with mine and they work as well with the Hayes pads as my friends I have tried with the Hayes rotors. That being said changing from centerlines to the thicker sram ones definitely helped, so I think that is a factor. I would be hesitant to use shimano or some of the thinner options out there.
I think you're missing the point. It isn't the joy in assembling the bike (although there is something to that), it's the joy of owning a bike that is 100% yours. Every component being there because YOU chose it.Quote:
Originally Posted by XXX-er
Ask Santa Cruz to send you a Hightower with XTR shifter, XT derailleur and cassette, Mezzer Pro, Ohlins TTX2, I9 system wheels, Hope T4V4 brakes, Chris King BB, OneUp carbon bars, 5Dev cranks, and Spesh Power saddle. All color matched to your choice.
In fact, ask them to supply ANY of these.
See what they say.
Yeah, exactly. Even if you tend to choose mostly mainstream components, the odds of getting the exact combination on ANY OEM build kit are essentially zero. I've done frame-up builds and it's definitely really exciting to do (accumulating a literal mountain of parts boxes on the workbench in anticipation of the build), but honestly the most rational way for me now is to buy a complete new bike at a "GX" level build kit, transfer all the brand new parts to my old frame to sell it as a complete, and then hang exactly what I want on the new bike.
At the very least, almost every rider replaces all the touch points on their bike. Taller guys are going to want a longer dropper. Everyone's got their own preference on saddle, grips, bars, and stem. Crank lengths are also a hot topic for personalization now too. Even tires (tread pattern, casing, rubber) are pretty highly rider and terrain dependent.
Exactly what I did for my wife's last build since you can't give away a used frameset.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andeh
A good used frameset with a brand new GX build? Easy to sell.
You boys are all about bling.
I move a lot of old parts forward to new builds.
I’ve got Shim brakes, Vibrocore bars, Syntace stems, hub sets that are [emoji639] bikes deep and in it for the long haul.
My bikes work, but nobody is jerking off to them.
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If you look at that list you'll find a lot more than bling. Every part is chosen strictly for the quality.Quote:
Originally Posted by jm2e
The bling is always a secondary consideration.
I also often move parts forward. They're just really nice parts.
It's like your own private version of those "Dream Build" videos. (minus the zen-ish soundtrack)Quote:
Originally Posted by Andeh
A lot of my pickiness comes from wanting to re-use (or duplicate) component specs that are more reliable than what you get from catalog builds. When I got my Heckler SL ebike, if you get one of high end kits that come with Reserve carbon wheels they come with Hydra hubs which I have owned and don't like. But you can buy a retail set of Reserves with DT 350s which have never done me wrong. I also moved over a 170 AXS Reverb that I bought used off PB super cheap because it had a scratch in it that I repaired - even if I'd gotten the top end SC build, it would have stuck me with a 150mm version for size medium frame. I'm comfortable rebuilding my shocks and forks, so I was able to swap damper tunes around to move the new suspension over to the bike I sold - again, to get the high end "Ultimate" suspension build kit I would have had to spend $3,000 more just to get LSC/HSC adjust on the shock.Quote:
You boys are all about bling.
I move a lot of old parts forward to new builds.
I’ve got Shim brakes, Vibrocore bars, Syntace stems, hub sets that are [emoji639] bikes deep and in it for the long haul.
My bikes work, but nobody is jerking off to them.
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" I think you're missing the point. It isn't the joy in assembling the bike (although there is something to that), it's the joy of owning a bike that is 100% yours. Every component being there because YOU chose it."</p>
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I don't need to assemble the bike cuz I am willing to let some guy in Taiwan do it for MUCH less money, I've had XTR I know i don't need XTR, I know its costs twice as much for not twice as much perofrmance</p>
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I don't need matchy color, I never fell for purple ano either,</p>
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I usually have just bought a mid spec XT/ X9/ NX whatever and its definaltey mine cuz I got the recipet for it ( less) for it and if wasn't good enough I wouldn't have bought it,</p>
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for the Bullit E-bike it was even easier just buy the lowest spec cuz there will be 85NM of assist to cure all sins and the spec was pretty good/ good enough/ like the color but if you can convince some one to pay for it piece by piece thats good for you</p>
Bikes are already works of art, but to make them your own work of art is quite awesome. I love making it something that I feel the need to stare at when I walk by it in the house, then you're enjoying it even while not on it!
Wow, this site is so fucked up.
Anyway, XXX, custom builds aren't for everyone. Neither are Ferraris, '59 Sunburst Les Pauls, Gulfstream G500s, Sage flyrods, or Atlas Artemis.
However, as with all the above mentioned products, if something is your jam and you have the means to buy the best, they're pretty nice to own.
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I bought a custom built slightly used doctor bike back in the day nothing wrong with it except buddy put a divot in the top tube and wnated to move on </p>
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so I know the difference in price is not reflected in the perfomance and 2 weeks after I buy any piece of HW its old news</p>
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IME the bike I get the most compliments on almost daily out on the trail is my low spec lavender Bullit ... women LOVE that color</p>
Thoughts on this Strega/Nomad frame for my kid? https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3969244/
He already has this exact frame in XS, but he's grown like a weed and will need a bigger bike come spring. Pro's include price, I know he likes how it rides, and his entire build will swap over. Geometry is pretty modern other than a slack STA, but that's fixable with one of those new offset saddle clamps. It has its share of scratches and the paint is a bit faded, but I can live with that. He's gotten super into football and that will occupy most of his summer, so I don't even expect him to ride much and would prefer to get him into a new bike as cheap as possible.
I sold my GG frame for that without a shock a couple years ago, so seems like a great deal to me considering how much better quality the SC is.
I pulled the trigger, too good of a deal. Decent odds I'll at least break even selling his XS.
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Pop Quiz: Tax error in your favor, and you are considering adding a big bike to the stable for bike park/desert/canada riding (160-170mm). Budget is $4K. What are you buying? GX Spires and V2 Megatowers are on sale. Anything else?</p>
previous gen trek slashes are on a pretty good sale.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...Code=greendark