Couple question for guy that's been out of XC for about 10 years !

PB Forum :: Bikes, Parts, and Gear
Couple question for guy that's been out of XC for about 10 years !
  • Previous Page
Author Message
flag scyan
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 8:50 Quote
Ok guys, I just found this great site and I have a couple questions for you. I have been out of mtb xc for about 10 years now and I am in the process of rebuilding myself a nice XC bike from parts that I have found for very cheap Wink

This will ride mostly in the city with the occasional XC excursion, no downhill.

Here what i have in mind so far.

I have a Cannondale SuperV 700 frame in hand with a fox rear suspension and the original shok head. I'm in the process of getting a 1 1/8 adaptor to install a Marzocchi Super comp MZ on it.

First question, whats the deal with all these axles sizes !! 9mm, 10mm, 13mm, 20mm ?

I have the basic ones that came with my cannondale i guess, 9mm ?

Also, I really want to stay with v brakes, thinking of getting single digit 7s with speed dial 5 levers.

So, for wheels, everything seems to be disc brakes nowadays ! I need to find a wheelset that has what, rim brakes ? What should I be looking for, once again, im not doing competition anymore and what the best price performance ratio, will probably buy used if possible.

For stem and bar, what size bar do i need to fit the basic brake levers and shifters ? Is it 25.4, 31.8 ? Or does it matter not and the levers will fit no matter what ?

Seat tube I can deal with and same thing with derailleurs.

So I guess thats it for now, thanks in advance for you support !!

Scy
flag brian02rider
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 8:57 Quote
i can answer a few of ur questions:

for axel sizes, it just means the larger ones are stronger for example on my bike like many others require a 20mm axel on the front wheel for our forks.

some more special than others since i have an argyle it requires a maxel.

and it doesnt matter wat bar size you choose but the more common size is 25.4, it just depends how long your cable housing is.

while disc brakes are wayy more common, those who are weight weenies (people who do anything to take off weight on their bikes, prefer v brakes which are on a few bikes and bmx's.

EDIT: If you decide to get disc brakes to save confusion and what not, i would recommend getting mechanicals over hydraulic because it save alot of maintenence
flag scyan
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 9:03 Quote
Well, Hydraulic is fine I guess.. But im not sure that either my choice in fork or my bike supports it.. Frown

My rear pivot frame says disc brake compatible, but keep in mind its a 99 model.. so not sure if its ''really'' compatible.

Also, would the Marzocchi super comp support it as well ? I dont see anything where the caliper would attach.

Its not out of the question, I'm just not familiar with it.
flag brian02rider
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 9:06 Quote
lol sorry im not really familiar with models from 99,
basically you gotta check to see where the brake mounts on your frame are, and then see if it supports both v brakes and disc
flag anotherbikerguy
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 9:15 Quote
Axle sizes change all the time. But if you're running an older XC frame, then your axles are almost undoubtedly a standard 9mm quick-release.

If you want to continue using V-brakes, the ones you mentioned would be nice. Shimano also makes some very nice XTR v-brakes.

However, you should find out if your frame has disc brake mounts, because disc brake compatible wheelsets are becoming more common these days, and disc brakes are now the standard equipment.

As for the price-to-performance ratio you mentioned, I would again reccomend disc brakes if possible, because the technology has come a very long way in the last 10 years.

As to bars and stems, as long as your bar and your stem fit together, your brake levers should fit on any bar.

I hope this helped with your questions. If possible, you should post pictures of your bike and fork, so that people have a better idea of your situation.
flag scyan
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 9:24 Quote
I will definetly do that ! I'll take pics of the frame tonight. I think the Marzocchi Super comp MZ has the fitting for front disc brakes and my frame does in the rear as well, pretty sure anyways.

I was looking at probably the BB7 set from Avid if I decide to go disc mechanical. Probably the best price/performance ratio out there I think.
flag singlespeedtoday
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 9:39 Quote
The downhill and freeride bikes usually have bigger axles. You don't have to worry about that though. Yours are 9mm.

Anything Avid is a good brake. Also look into the Paul motolight if you want something nicer.

Check out the Mavic Crossride wheelset it looks pretty good for price and performance.

25.4 and 31.8 are stem clamp sizes. Mountain bars all have the same 22.2mm lever clamp diameter. 31.8 is used more now because it's stronger and lighter than 25.4.
flag pbuser102331
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 9:59 Quote
singlespeedtoday wrote:
The downhill and freeride bikes usually have bigger axles. You don't have to worry about that though. Yours are 9mm.

Anything Avid is a good brake. Also look into the Paul motolight if you want something nicer.

Check out the Mavic Crossride wheelset it looks pretty good for price and performance.

25.4 and 31.8 are stem clamp sizes. Mountain bars all have the same 22.2mm lever clamp diameter. 31.8 is used more now because it's stronger and lighter than 25.4.

31.8 is stiffer and stronger than the old 25.4 but not lighter.
flag scyan
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 11:11 Quote
singlespeedtoday wrote:
The downhill and freeride bikes usually have bigger axles. You don't have to worry about that though. Yours are 9mm.

Anything Avid is a good brake. Also look into the Paul motolight if you want something nicer.

Check out the Mavic Crossride wheelset it looks pretty good for price and performance.

25.4 and 31.8 are stem clamp sizes. Mountain bars all have the same 22.2mm lever clamp diameter. 31.8 is used more now because it's stronger and lighter than 25.4.

so If I get a 25.4 bar size and stem, am I gonna run in trouble with brake and shifter levers or its still going to fit fine ?
flag Hombre3000
O+
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 11:21 Quote
The only thing that changes with bar clamp width is the stem clamp area. Everything else stays the same.
flag scyan
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 11:40 Quote
ohh.. lol

so it's only where the stem grips the bar... The rest stays the same.

Wonderful, thanks !
flag
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 11:53 Quote
BB7's are great brakes. I run em on my Freeride bike and haven't had a prob with them yet. super powerful brakes!!
flag a-c-r-o-n-y-m
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 11:57 Quote
scyan wrote:

So, for wheels, everything seems to be disc brakes nowadays ! I need to find a wheelset that has what, rim brakes ? What should I be looking for, once again, im not doing competition anymore and what the best price performance ratio, will probably buy used if possible.

You need to find a RIM that has a brakeable surface. This will be listed in the wheel description as "brake compatibility". I would tell you to get a wheel set that has disc compatible hubs, and rims that are rated for v-brake usage. This way, if you ever upgrade to disc, you won't have to change out your hubs (unless you want to)Wink

Company to check out: Syncros
-They run the gamut, as far as components- wheels, tires, bars, stems, headsets, pedals, and discipline- DH, FR, XC, and AM...

Good Luck!
flag mikeyridesbikes
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 11:58 Quote
For the seat tube question, you need to find out the external diameter of the tube, then buy a derallieur that fits that diameter. All derallieurs should have a measurement of what they can clamp on to, if your tube size is between or equal to one of these figures then it will fit.

If you want to run Shimano derallieurs then run Shimano shifters too. If you want to run SRAM then run SRAM shifters. This is because they have different shifting ratios and will not work with each other. If you're interested, SRAM has a 1:1 ratio and Shimano uses 2:1.
flag scyan
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 at 12:30 Quote
got it.

So, do any of you have a good recommendation for a fork with about 100mm travel, 9mm dropouts, white (lol) for XR riding ?
  • Previous Page

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.009923
Mobile Version of Website