Having had a great demo on the Kinesis Sync last weekend, Im close to buying a frame and building one up. It’ll be my first build.

I want the bike for weekend blasts around Swinley, the Chilterns and the Surrey Hills. I also want to use if for some longer weekend rides (South Downs Way. Isle of Purbeck loops for example). I have a Yeti SB66 so I don’t think it will be required for Trail Centre duty. I want it to be quite light but also fairly tough.

I could do with some advice on component choices. Please let me have your thoughts.

Forks. I have Pikes on my Yeti and like Rock Shox. Revelations and SIDS seem to be popular choices. I saw someone comment that SIDS will be great unless you like to get air. I don’t tend to get the wheels off the ground much so Im thinking that the SIDS might be the right choice.

Will I need to buy a head set and spacers? If so, what do people recommend

Im thinking that Im going to go SRAM 1 x 11, so what wheels do people recommend? I don’t really want to spend more than £400 in this area if I can help it. Would Crest Hope Hoops be the best choice?

Finally, given the SRAM group set, what bottom bracket should I go for? Someone mentioned that Hope do a Bottom Bracket that works well. Which one would I need?

Any other thoughts or tips would be appreciated.

Thanks for your help.

X fusion slide? Forks if you want performance at less £ than SIDS.

Rims wise I’d go crest front and arch ex rear on pro 2 evo if you can mix n match for that bit more durability but depends on your weight and where/what you like to ride.

Is Sync Bb press fit?
If so then hope ones are very good but require specific tool to fit which costs around £40, I’d get Lbs to fit if you can.

Do you really want to splash out £xxx on 11 speed when the only real benefit is a 10t?
10 speed with a one up 42t and rad cage will give you almost same range of gears and you’re down south where you don’t really have hills 😉

Hi Haydn,

I went for Revs rather than Sids or Rebas as it gave me the option of running them at 120, 130 or 140 with little faff. Can’t do that so easily with the new ones though, so I’d probably go for Sids at 120 if building again.

I think the bottom bracket you’re after is the Hope PF46 as I think I mentioned before. Still working well for me.

If I was buying wheels I’d probably go for DT350 hubs and Chinese wideish carbon rims, but that might stretch your budget a bit. Hope would be groovy too though.

Headset wise, Hope if that’s what you’re going for elsewhere. I’ve got Cane Creek which has been good too.

Post up some pics when you’re done and we can all have another Sync love-in.

Hi I built up a sync recently. XO1, kinesis own wheels, Thompson seat post, bars and stem and SIDs. Built it really light at 22 lbs for xc and race duty it’s awesome but due to the kind of riding I do and my back troubles I’m thinking of changing the forks for more of a trail type as I don’t think I’m getting the most out of the bike with them on. For pics find my thread on my sync. Ps if you want some nearly new Sids let me know although they are 650b and you probably want 29er I guess!

Thanks Myti – Yes I will be looking for 29s. Sorry to hear about your back.

Interesting to hear your’e running X01 and Kinesis wheels. i thought you needed a special XD hub to run X01.

Is anyone running a Reverb on their Sync. If so what length and drop? Also I assume this is the standard Reverb rather than the stealth?

Forks SID’s if you want minimal weight, Reba if you want something a bit cheaper that doesn’t give much away. I’ve got SID RCT3’s on my FF29 and they’re great when they work (nothing to do with the bike, just temperamental forks..) but i’d really like a lockout. Personally I think Pike is too much fork and Rev’s spaced down would be a good call if you’re a larger rider or want a stiffer fork.

Rims would be down to weight and use, Crests wouldn’t last 2 minutes with me at 85kg. The maxlight wheels are really good, almost flow width and strength for arch weight. I’ve got the maxlight wheels and i’m impressed with them. Yes you can run X01 on them, you just need the XD driver which you can get from upgrade or anybody who can sell you the wheelset. It’s £70 though….

I’ve got a reverb on my FF29 which is 420/125 but If I was doing it again i’d get the 100/380 and save a bit of weight as that would be plenty on a large frame with 32″ inseam. MMX right version as then it drops under the bars on the left and mounts up with their brakes if you go SRAM/Avid.

Thanks Nick. The demo bike had the Maxlight wheels and I liked them but didn’t think you could run X01 on them.

I’m thinking about Guide brakes so the MMX reverb would work. What rotor sizes are you running?

180/160 xo trail

I’ve got a reverb. Standard version with 125 drop, with right hand mmx lever run upside down on left.

180/160 brakes here, on XT’s. Just had to put new pads and discs on and was very close to going for hope race evo, X2 rear, E4 front – the whole drive and brakes are XT on mine and they came from a donor bike. It would be hopes and XX1 if I’d bought it all from scratch.

XT and rad cage 1×10 is so good for the money though compared to the wallet destroyer the hope/sram combo would be.

Oh, and doesn’t the sync come with the right FSA headset in the box?

I’ve got 160/160 on mine and I need to up the front to a 180, the way it makes me ride 160 isn’t really enough to slow it down in some situations.

I’ve got manitou tower forks, but I find them too flexy, the X Fusions I had before were way better to be honest. I was just trying to shed a few grams and it was a mistake.

Wheel wise I have crest rims, I find them a little too flexy and will probably go for arch’s when I change them next time.

I have the SRAM press fit BB adaptor and XTR BB and crank in it.

Thanks for all the input guys, really useful.

If i went with a 380 length reverb would it be long enough in a size medium frame?

Also with the 180/160 rotors do you need to run brake adapters?

On the fork yes back no.

Hi Nick,

Would a 380/100 Reverb be long enough on a medium frame? The seat tube looks pretty low. It looks like a pretty long seat post is required.

Couldn’t tell you – you’d have to measure up yourself. Build up with a regular post and try it out before deciding on length. I’m on a large with 32″ inseam.

Can’t take my post out to check but assuming the rockshox length measurement is saddle rails to base of post, I’ve got a 420mm seatpost which is 200mm into the frame. 380 would see me with 160mm into the frame which would still be ok and the 100mm drop would just give me a bit more of the lower out of the frame as I can’t hang my light off it as it is.

If you’re long legs short torso on a medium you could well need 420. I’d want minimum 150mm in the frame. Personally I don’t see any need for going 125mm travel on that bike, I’d prefer 100 on mine but too late now!

The Sync is a pretty compact frame, in the Cotic mould, which means more seatpost showing than on many bikes. I’d play it safe and go longer unless you already have the post – but as Nick says, best to build it first.

Thanks for all of your input and advice guys. The bits and pieces have all been ordered now (apart from the Reverb, I will wait until the frame arrives and measure up for that).

I will keep you updated on the build…

Its been a busy week and a half for the post man but I am now in possession of the following:
– Sync Frame – Size Medium – Praxxis GXP Bottom Bracket Fitted.
– FSA Headset.
– X01 Drive train (with X1 shifter)
– 380mm / 125 drop Reverb (thanks to Paddy at Upgrade for the advice)
– Rockshox SID Forks
– Thomson Carbon Bars and 80mm Stem
– SRAM Guide RS Brakes (180mm front/160mm Rear Rotor)
– Hope Enduro Hoops with Blue Hubs
– Specialized Butcher / Purgatory Tyres
– DMR Vault Pedals
– ODI Ruffian Grips and Hope Seat Clamp (both in Blue)
– Fizik Gobi Saddle (off my old HT)
– Miscellaneous other bits and pieces.

I have a friend who is a Cytech qualified Mechanic who had kindly offered to talk me through the build so we just need to find a date in January and I will get it all built up.

I will post pics of the build and post when I can.

Cant wait 8)

Awesome, enjoy it, it’s a great bike 🙂

Finished.

Incredible looking bike, Congratulations

Love it, hubs, clamp and grips are nice detail.

Thanks Ross. First proper test ride tomorrow around Swinley. Will try and take it easy at first to make sure nothing falls off it!

Will post some more pictures of the build soon.