I've gone full circle and am building up a XC race bike again 🙂

Build of mine (based around a boardman pro hardtail frame) starts this week…

Inspire me with yours!

these were mine
i would have kept the mountaincycle but it was too small

and this one was too big

yeah – I had a 20" inbred a few years ago (still do as pub/town bike) but was too big. so got an 18" 456 to replace it. which morphed into a Cotic Hemlock. and now going back further to become more XC racy again 🙂

imagine it without the drybag on the back 😉

very low 20s as it stands , carbon frame , sids , lots of XTR with Xt cranks and brakes

A little left-field but ….. Not yet raced in anger but hope to soon 🙂

sonik – do you not fall off that ?

Now with the stem upside down to give more front end grip, plus a red King headset.

GB

why you ask trail-rat?

Spec for "inspiration":

Salsa Ala Carte Ti 18"
DT XRC 100 WC Edition
XTR gears
TA 40/28 chainrings
PDM-540
Schwalbe tyres
Stans Olympics and tubeless system
DT Revolution spokes
Chris King hubs
Salsa Pro-Moto carbon low riser
Salsa Pro-Moto Ti bolt stem
Salsa Shaft post
Salsa Ti Flip-Offs
Specialized Toupe Ti 143
Hope Race X2 brakes
Foam grips

GB

saddles hellish nosed down , yet the bars are quite high relitively , so your tipped forward and holding up infront , nose down usually found on bikes with large saddle to bar drop

Kinesis XCPro3 🙂

looks good foxy rider – a far cry from the old red one ! my mate said it rode good (he had a reem of great results on his) but it looked AWFUL!

ah-haaa….trail_rat :photo was taken just after i slapped the saddle on. it got adjusted 2 minutes into the first ride due to what you've pointed out.
you have a keen eye my friend! 😀

Now I know I keep repeating myself, so sorry in advance, but the XCPro3 is FANTASTIC – I don't "race" but do ride as hard and fast as I can most of the time and compared with my old XC2 its great – I can't recommend it enough (and no I don't work for Kinesis UK in any shape or form 😉 ).

I got some F120's comming with remote – can't wait 🙂

I do like those xcpro3's, but the £££ is WAY too much for this project. £150 on a nearly new boardman frame, and mostly donations from t'other bikes is the making of this build…

gee – foam grips – what do you use. Am thinking foam for this.

are bar ends out of fashion even in the XC racing world??! Think mine will have flat bars (620mm wide bonty race's) and bar ends 🙂

I wasn't suggesting you got one CP 🙂 I am sure the Boardman will be spot on 🙂

spec at mo is going to be…

boardman frame
fox 32 TALAS (set at 100mm)
XT everything
M520 or 540 pedals
Hope XC on XC717 rims
Racing Ralphs 2.1
90mm Titec stem
Bonty 620 wide race bars
twelfty post
Spesh phenom seat
Juicy 7's with 160mm rotors front and back

am super looking forward to a 'super fast' mtb again 🙂

foxyrider – I almost had your old XC2 off you 🙂

Ahh I remember 🙂 Went to a good home 🙂

An old picture of my Seven. In fact the only things that still on there are the wheels and the seatpost. Everything else (including the frame) ís new.

After my first & only win, in 20 years.

Some of you have probably seen this before (Ti Airborne Lucky Strike), but I finally managed to get my first outing with a couple of rides at Peaslake this weekend.

My other bike is a Cube Fritzz, and although I new this would be quicker, I was suprised at how much faster I was on uphill sections (it's been a while since I have ridden a hardtail!) I think I will be using this quite a bit now!

** Lucky Strike Pics **

An old picture of my Seven. In fact the only things that still on there are the wheels and the seatpost. Everything else (including the frame) ís new.

errm, so you moved the wheels and seatpost to a new bike?

fashion smashion …. i have 580mm truvativ blackbox bars with ergon gx2s (i think its gx anyway) on a 120mm stem pointed down …..

sounds like it would ride pish but youd be surprised where it goes and how fast it can get there ….

got down the kilbo path with a few cross moments on the rockiest steps at the top. and jumped over all the drainage ditches at the bottom – ragdogair (greig) turned round at the bottom and said he didnt expect it to be me on his wheel (he was on a 5spot or the like)

My new toy, still way too fast for me

XT groupset with Mavic wheels, standard NN and RR rubber

The foam grips were KCNC ones from http://www.xcracer.com. Very good at shedding weight if you don't mind replacing them every so often – they wear pretty fast. I've got ODI Ruffian Loc-Ons on there now. Got fed up with them slipping round when it rained.

Risers are gaining popularity in the XC race arena – not a lot use them in Elite, though. Probably 20% of the riders, max. I just like the sweep/width/upsweep combo you get with a riser. As I run the stem upside down I could get a flat bar at the same height, but it wouldn't have the same dimensions. Plus, I got really fed up with crashing and ripping the end of the bar off when the bar end dug in the ground. I got through 3 or 4 bars like this last season. Also, I like not having the sides of my hands pressed up against the bar ends – it feels a lot nicer without them.

GB

good info on the grips. i might give them a whirl just as I have liked foam grips I've tried in the past. are they that bad in the wet? Even when hair-sprayed on?

Try the superstar lockons – thats what I got on mine and they seem pretty good and very reasonable price 🙂

I've seen those fr, but am put off by the sticky out logos and raised partial ridges. Or are you referring to the shroom ones?

NO the ones you mention – I had my reservations but I use FF gloves and they are good TBH 🙂

supagrippers

Some great looking bikes.

Mono, interesting hi light stuff. First I've seen of that — where did you buy it and how do you rate it?

Niner Air 9 on Stans 29er crest rims = 20.3lbs.
It's much faster than I'll ever be.

some really nice inspiration on here 🙂 Will post a pic on here once mine is built 🙂

Wouldn't say it's especially racy, but a bike i've loved building and riding fast. Sadly, breaking it up today to move to a full suss. The classic Kona Explosif, made for one year only in 853 steel.

105 champ – nice 🙂

Just come back from a week in the Alps and need flat pedals, too scary otherwise with huge drop offs and your feet clipped in. Back in Essex wouldn't have any other pedal!