Hill-Pumper

I'm not sure why I have not done this before, but I decided to build a bike for myself for my 50th birthday present. I have done most of the maintenance on all the various bike that I have had over the years, and I wanted to take it to the next level with a build project. I'll have to say it has been a very rewarding project. I got to pick out every component, and learned a lot about aspects of bikes that I never thought about before. Thanks to a lot of online guides, and youtube, I think anybody with reasonable mechanical skills could do it. For my first build, I did choose a somewhat simpler project, but I think next time, I'll would not be afraid to tackle something more complex. So. here is my NS Bikes Eccentric hard tail mountain bike.

freedomrider1

Good job, i like it.

qcpmsame 

Nice build, I have heard many good reports about the SRAM X1, 11-speed, single chain ring set up. Road Bike Action tested the CX1 cyclocross version and is doing a build of a road specific bicycle using this drive-line. I'll be interested in how that works out, I feel it needs a better selection of larger tooth count chain rings, for road applications. Maybe you can let us know how your mtb riding seems, with that single ring set up, as you put more miles on your rig.

Well done build, very nicely done, sir.

Bill

HAMMER MAN

looks awesome. Nice to see some different colors

BluesDawg

Looks nice! Now give us the details. What's on it?

John E

Building (or rebuilding) a bike from the frame up is indeed a rewarding experience -- been there, done that several times. Congrats, and enjoy the personalized ride!

Biker395 

Awesome paint scheme!

I was in the same boat a couple of years ago. I did all my own maintenance, but had never built a bike from scratch. And it WAS a rewarding experience.

NOS88

It's a great feeling, isn't it? Nice build. Enjoy your labors.

Hill-Pumper

Thanks, I can address the 1x10 discussion even after one ride. Simply, 1x10 or 1x11 will never be used for normal road bikes. Your assumption that there is not enough gear selection is correct in my opinion. It may however find limited use in certain race situations where full gear selection is not needed. The real advantage of 1x set ups is their bomb proof nature. There is simply less things to go wrong with fewer mechanical parts involved. That is why I picked it for this bike, since it is my winter/muddy conditions bike. It is also why I went with a hard tail, so that I would not be getting crud in the moving parts of my full suspension bike.

Here you go:

- Frame: NS Bikes Eccentric, Size medium
- Fork: Rock Shox Pike RTC Solo Air 150mm travel
- Headset:Cane Creek Cane Creek 40 ZS44/EC44/40 Conversion Headset
- Stem:Spank Industries Oozy Stem 50mm
- Handlebar: Spank Industries Oozy Bar 740mm
- Grips: Easton Lock-On 33mm
- Brakes: Shimano XT 160mm rear / 180mm front
- Shifters: Shimano XT
- Derailleur: Shimano XT with Oneup Rad Cage
- Crank: Shimano SLX with Oneup 30 tooth narrow wide chainring
- Chain: KMC X10.93 10-Speed
- Cassette: Shimano XT 11-36 with Oneup 42 tooth
- Wheelset: Sun Ringle Charger Pro
- Tires: Continental Trail King ProTection 27.5 2.4
- Seatpost:Thomson Elite Dropper 30.9 x 400mm
- Saddle: Prologo Scratch X14
- Pedals: Shimano PD-M785 XT Trail

BluesDawg

^ Very nice build!
Good move adding the RAD cage. I have the One Up 42 tooth conversion on my Crave with XT RD. I did it before they came up with the RAD cage and had some shifting glitches. I added the RAD cage (also had to change the other plate to make my long cage a med cage) and the shifting became great.

Jarrett2

Awesome. I'm jealous. I want to build a bike. Granted, I don't need another bike, but still I want to build one

OldsCOOL

Nice job! I'd do a build every winter if I could.

Steve Sawyer

NICE bike!! I think bikes are just beautiful as pieces of kinetic scupture...and with those colors - really nice!!

just finished my first build too (a light touring road bike), and it is fun. However, it sure is a shockingly expensive way to get a bike, isn't it?

Rick@OCRR

Great job on the build and yes, it is fun .

Instead of just accepting what some product manager decided was the best spec for the bike, you get to build it spot on to your personal spec and make all your own decisions. I've only built up one mountain bike from a frame (GT Zaskar back in '98) whereas all of my road bikes have been build-ups.

Yes, it is a bit more expensive but overall (I think, anyway) it's certanly worth it. Plus, added bonus, if something does go wrong, you know exactly where to look for the fix.

My latest build-up was for my commute bike, basically a cro-mo Performance brand frame set that someone was throwing away. I had to buy a new headset (short stack Tange Levin) but almost everything else was from my spare (read used) parts boxes.

Rick / OCRR

d1961

Congratulations.
Nice list of components and the paint is an eye catcher.
Should provide you with many smiles in the coming months & years.

BluesDawg

Wait until you guys see what I have coming up.

Hill-Pumper

One problem with factory builds is that they often focus on price points, verses what really works best. In my case, the factory bikes were noted for the poor fork performance, and tall stack height of the head set. I was able to address both, and have a bike that actually exceeded my expectations. Also, I have preference for Shimano over SRAM, but that is just me. Yes it cost more, but the extra was worth it to have a bike that worked well right off and did not any need other upgrades.