build a mountain bike

[aewynn0915]

Hi I am new to these so forgive me if i do something wrong. I am thinking about building a hardtail mountain bike.

First is this even a good idea
I have a price range of 1200 what are some components, forks, wheel sets and frames i should consider
how many tools will i need that are not regularly owned

I would like to get most of the stuff from my local shop which caries fuji, breezer, jamis and i could get norco but it would be hard

and i am 5’8" and still growing so what would be a good frame size

[Matthew Bonner]

A good frame size if you’re still growing would be 20 in. or 21 in.

[Matthew Bonner]

Also if you ride XC and get good components is a great idea. But once you venture into All-mountain riding it gets a little iffy, take it from me I ride a hardtail. But I’m building a Full-suspension bike.

[aewynn0915]

so i live in florida and ride mostly down here but 6-8 times a year we go to georia or north carolina where we will ride much more advanced trails designed for full suspention but there is only one trail here that would justify full suspention is it worth it to save up more

i am wanting a trail bike just because when i ride i like to jump stuff and try to hit everything i can but they mostly come in full suspension or expensive hardtail which are both out of my price range of a max of 1200 dollars which is pretty hard to do but it is all i got

[Matthew Bonner]

What I do is I buy older full suspension bike frame and used nice parts. That way you can get a Great full suspension bike for $1000

[Devin_P]

Aewynn, what trails do you usually ride? I would build for what you spend most of your time riding. Also, are you wanting to build a bike just for the experience of building a custom bike or are you not wanting to just buy a bike? I live down in Florida also and find that I don’t "need" a full suspension. So I bought the Trek Stache 8 hard tail. Love it. There are still good HT bikes made especially if you go over $1000.

[aewynn0915]

I as well am in florida but like to ride the more technical parts of trails so i am wondering if i should go full suspension

[aewynn0915]

where do you get your old frames

[fleming442]

Maybe I’m hard-headed, but i love my hard tail. I can’t see the need for full suspension in FL. I’m in the mid Atlantic, and prefer single track, semi-technical trails. Go as light and strong with components as you can. Pricepoint.com usually has some good clearance deals. I firmly believe that a ton of energy gets wasted in suspension "squish " if you’re not just doing downhill.

[Devin_P]

I’ve rode my HT all over the southeast (TN, GA, NC, AR etc.). I haven’t found anything that the bike couldn’t handle including the technical sections and black diamond rated sections (which doesn’t mean its not there… just that I wasn’t). Im sure you could find decent parts and put together a suitable bike with the money you have in mind but I caution that you may be losing out on warranties and the like. You also need to make sure that everything you have is compatible before purchasing. That shouldn’t be too difficult but something to keep in my mind with all of the proprietary stuff manufacturers are doing. Before committing to building your own I recommend that you check out what is available in your price range from various companies. Trek, Specialized, Kona, and even Airborne (online purchase only but good bikes for good prices) have HT bikes that are designed for the trail/am style riders. At least look into what’s available and then see what you could build yourself and decide whether its worth the effort.

[aewynn0915]

is carbon a good idea

[macr88 ✓ supporter]

I was always of the thought that building a bike ends up being more costly? Is that not the case anymore? I built my ElGuapo but if I built anything else it would’ve been way too pricey.

I think a demo bike from a shop if you can find one would be the best bang for your buck, the shops usually give you a warranty and they’re kept in great condition because they’re using them as a way to help make a sale.

Be careful with buying used from private party if you go that route.

[Matthew Bonner]

I get my old frames off of ebay mostly.

[rsb201]

You mentioned your LBS carries Jamis, I would pull the trigger on a dragon. Those are a sick HT with a nice aggressive head angle. I believe you can run up to a 130mm fork on that frame. Just don’t skimp on a fork. Watch eBay or your local craigslist for a nice gently used fork. The cheaper forks are typically coil and weigh a ton. You can buy a quality used for what you would pay for a cheap new one. When I built mine up this past spring I was able to score some nice used stuff from riding buddies that had parts just laying around. Good luck and enjoy.

[aewynn0915]

I think I will go with the Fuji tahoe 1.5 27.5 it has a air fork xt and hollowtech for 1200

[Devin_P]

Sounds sweet

[aewynn0915]

Just an update i did end up buying the tahoe and i LOVE IT. the air fork (manitou) is such a big difference from the coil one i used to have (sr suntour). handling is great and it feels snappy and solid but i can still easily control it. i love this bike and im about to go get some new rims and tires and go tubeless. anyone with a nearby fuji dealer in the market for a nice hardtail well i fully endorse this bike as one of my favorites (iv ridden a lot of bikes including yetis, treks, specailized, salsas, more fujis, breezers, santa cruzes, giants, and scotts and i LOVE MY BIKE)

[gar29]

Glad you’re enjoying it! Fuji does make some good bikes. You don’t see many on the trail though. My wife and son both have Fuji road bikes, they are both very nice and very competitively priced.

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