My new Soul.

Built from a new frame and loads of bits from my old Mondraker.

Spec:
Cotic soul medium 2013 frame.
Fox RLC 120mm
Shimano Xt
KS Lev with Fizik Gobi XM
Easton Haven Stem and Haven Carbon Bars (and spare wheels)
Hope/Stans Flow/EX with Tubeless Racing Ralph
Hope everything else I think.

1×10 and weighs, 11.5kgs / 25.5 lbs

I’ve shortened the braided hoses already but may possibly actually measure them this time and do it properly.
I think I lined up the Valves, tyre branding and wheel stickers quite well and I’ve used blue anodised bits to make it go as fast as possible.

This is my first attempt at anything even remotely DIY, I’m feeling all proud but worried the chain is too short. Is it me or does the rear mech look just wrong? (Works perfectly BTW)

Only had a couple of minutes to do these photos so shoved it in a bit of a dirty / industrial setting so all you background nitpicking experts could party all night.

I’ll take some proper photos when I get a minute or two spare.

So, what’s Wrong/Right; Good/Bad?

soulman by ricdiggle, on Flickr

soul2 by ricdiggle, on Flickr

Love the Bore Caps in Blue:

BlueBore by ricdiggle, on Flickr

Brick work is a bit shabby.
🙂

So, what’s Wrong/Right; Good/Bad?

The wall could do with re-pointing, particularly the bit in the second shot.

Not a fan of the blue ‘highlights’ myself (purely personal).

Everything else looks about right…

…apart from that brickwork. Shabby!

Oh, and I rather quite like the ‘moody’ atmosphere in the photos 😀

Pure envy here!

Thats just a lovely bike. 🙂

Once I get my Heckler sold Ill be aquiring one – white forks on my build and no blue bits!

What height are you? Im 6 foot and planning on a medium.

Happy riding!

Thats Ace!

no bad, all good. Welcome to the Cotic club

Thanks everyone.
Brickwork is shabby indeed.

I’m in two minds about the blue stuff too. I tried it all in black and it looks a bit unloved really. The bore caps were team green and looked bad with the orange frame. It was done to try and tie in the top of the Fox legs which are both that blue. Might lose the seat clamp and the stem cap though. Might not.

I’m 5 foot 9 on a medium and it feels perfect. Very chuckable compared to my Blue Pig. Tubeless feels weird at the moment but I’m still playing with pressures.

Many thanks again for the comments. Will post better pics when I do them.

Just out of interest, what size was your pig? I have one that I haven’t built up yet and I’m pretty much your size. I’ve been considering selling it and picking up that Evil Sov in the classifieds atm.

My Blue Pig X is a Medium too IIRC. Love it but I’ve never touched what a 150mm fork can do really and it’s time to sell it on I think.
Fits me well but I struggled to keep the front wheel on the ground when it still had a granny ring and it was pointed up a hill. Used a 50mm stem – was awesome going down though and going 1×10 cured most everything else.

Build it up, they are great bikes.

Thanks, you have reassured me – mines a medium. I picked up a nice 50mm stem the other day in prep for it, but was getting cold feet.

Which XT mech?
Bigger pic of it? – difficult to see if it’s OK.

Nice looking (I’ve a black one).
Flow EX / Hope twin pots with Racing Ralphs is a bit of a mixed message isn’t it?
Or perhaps that’s just me.

Chain can’t be too short if it all works perfectly. By the very fact it “works perfectly”, the chain isn’t short enough to be “too short”. If anything, looking at the angle of the mech and the gear it’s in, I’d say there might even be scope for removing another link, but I’d measure it first of course… In a 1×10 setup with the chain as short as you can go, the rear mech will almost point horizontally forward in 1st gear, and in top the mech cage will be about vertical. If its angled back much, or anywhere near slack, you’ve got too long a chain.

Bike looks nice though. Get some grippy tyres on it instead of those RR’s and get out and shred the trails on it!

Are you a ‘larger gent’? Is that the reason for the twin pot brakes?

Very nice.

Thanks all. Will take pics of the chain in top and bottom and post up tomorrow. It is almost vertical but the chain just just has a curve in it over the jockey wheels.

I was 18 stone when I bought those brakes and whilst I’m only 13 stone now, I’m still over weight and under skilled enough to feel I need them.

Racing Ralph are a complete unknown to me (think I got them cheap) what would you all suggest for typical West Yorkshire mud, rock and tarmac. How about the Ralph on the back and a Nobby nic or rubber queen up front?

Very nice. A lovely bike.

I like the blue. But how on earth do you get a black and white pic with the blue bits, well, blue?

That’s quite easy to do in photoshop if you pen skills are up to it but in this case, everything else (save two specular highlights or Bokeh blobs) was just black or silver in real life. Makes the Blue stand out init?

I prefer the Chas and Dave version of ‘Soulman’ anyways

Glad to see the blue works with the orange (since my simple is that colour and I have blue bars to go on it!)

What chainguide are you using? Thinking of getting one for my as yet unfinished Soul.

Chainguide is the E13 XCX one. Ugly but functional so far. My XT cranks were a 2×10 set and I’ve had to space the new hope chainring to get it to fit the XCX as it has no adjustment in or out.

Looks lovely! Dropping off all my components with LBS tonight for them to start on my orange Soul! Will soon be part of the proud owners club!

Very nice I really want one or a Solaris but don’t need one 😀

I don’t think you’ve got the rear mech on properly. Undo the bolt and make sure the stop on the mech just behind the bolt is above the lug on the dropout/hanger. Ir’s easy done, I managed it too.

Very nice by the way, except anodised red bitz is quicker.

Will check the mech tomorrow. Worried now as I have no clue where that stop is you mention. Thank you for the tip.

Have a look at the diagram in the middle panel of this techdoc. For some reason the mech hanger on a Soul is shaped so it’s easy to miss the stop.

http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/RD/SI_5W70A_005/SI_5W70A_005_En_v1_m56577569830655487.pdf

I’m asuming your mech is an XT RD M770 or similar. Also bear in mind that the diagram shows the mounting position viewed from the non-drive side. 😀

Ricdiggle – I would agree with the above remarks vis- mech position, if it helps, try this;

Many thanks to Scapegoat / Chives. I owe you both a pint or 10.

Exactly as described – I’d missed the stop completely. I guess this is why I built one – to learn how it all works and goes together. All makes perfect sense now and seems really obvious.

Next, question – can I put links back in the chain?

Yes, just use the correct joining pins (9 speed & 10 speed are different) assuming it’s a Shimano chain..

I’d single-speeded the soul (tried different sprockets etc) so mine’s currently running with 4 joining pins in it. No worries. 🙂

That would look even more stunning’er’er in black.

Yes, you can put links back in, I had to! I used powerlinks to add another.

It a SRAM chain. A 1051.

Do I just undo the Powerlink and use my chain tool to add one back in or is there a special pin I need?

takisawa2 – I had to think long and hard about getting a green or an orange one. Don’t think Black is an option at the moment.

Black, it has to be black.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=wj84tfS7ag4#t=24s[/video]

You keep me in the cellar and feed me pins.

Build isnt complete yet.