After some deliberation, and being dead set on the Trek EX8, I fell in love with and bought a Pace RC405 frame and DT 130 forks reduced. The problem is I really need to try and get the rest of the build as close to the Trek price as possible, although I am most certainly looking at £2k now.

I’ve already bought some wheels and should just about be able to get mostly X9 (shifters/mechs) and Race Face finishing kit.

The biggest problem is brakes and chainset. I’ve got around £100 for a chainset and this would mean to me an SLX chainset, but are there any other options? I’ve run a square taper Middleburn on my only other bike for ~10 years now so don’t have any experience of newer bottom bracket types (and don’t mind a square taper again, but are there any good chainsets?).

As for brakes (around £150 budget) – the hubs are centrelock, so for anything other than Shimano i’d have to spend about £20 on rotors. The 3 favourites are Hayes Stroker Ryde, Julie HPs or possibly LX calipers with SLX levers.

Does anyone have any advice on the above? I’d prefer not to go second hand as I need all the receipts to be able to insure the bike, except if someone has a Middleburn chainset going cheap?

SLX all the way seems to be the sensible option.

Strokers are the best Hayes brakes ive used in a long while, but are you so sure you need receipts for insurance? A lad i know only needed an email from me (i sold him them) for a pair of forks that got pinched. Or cant you get agreed value with a spec list and pics?

Also, always run Shim HT2 cranksets now, but recently got a deore one, and its not got the hollow arms, but still really nice, if money is that much of an issue, id downgrade from SLX.

shortcut – Member
SLX all the way seems to be the sensible option.

*Nods*

i would get slx brakes and crankset, but i am a shimano man

Having just tried to peice together a budget build and failed, (not that yours is budget) do Merlin still do complete groupset’s? you will struggle to beat buying it all as one bundle..

edit.. yep they do and it will be hard to beat.

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/shimano-groupsets/shimano-s-l-x-groupset.html

SLX all the way.

Crikey SLX is popular on here! I did look at the groupset option, but started looking at other brakes as a friend of mine said he didn’t really like his XT servowaves.

I may revisit this option…

Oh, and my home insurance said they’d want original receipts – I don’t think they usually insure anything over £500.

I’ve just got an SLX crank and it’s stunning..

Had Hayes Stroker Trails on a demo bike I borrowed last year – thought they were the worst brakes I had ever used – horribly grabby.

You should be able to get a more expensive bike on the home insurance by paying a small premium as a named item

I put SLX mechs on the wifes budget build, they seem fine, dont know about all the other bits but the price fits..
Maybe Merlin would do you a different set of brakes if you dont fancy the SLX’s, it will definately come in cheaper buying it all in one place.

I would get the full SLX kitfrom merlin. Its great value if they still do it! Shimano H2 crank are hard to better IMO. I mwould go as far as saying you will not get a better crank than the SLX. As for brakes I Have always gone for Shimano. Never used the newer servowave though. I think they are harder to bleed than older models.

Looking at the prices I’ve got the SLX groupset doesn’t actually come out much cheaper (£40) than the X9 set up. If I stayed with this spec are there any other brakes considering for £150? How do Elixir R’s fare?

“mostly X9 (shifters/mechs) and Race Face finishing kit”
They’re both way to pricey. Shimano XT ought to a cheaper equivalent. SLX is similar but slightly heavier (but more robust)
Raceface is all pretty pricey for the weight of the bits
Look around at each component spec (to see if the weight is alarming) and try to find them all cheap through Easton, FSA, Bontrager etc.. Hope/Thomson will be a fair bit more

“around £100 for a chainset and this would mean to me an SLX chainset”
SLX triple is 889g. XT triple is 853g (and about £40 more)

“brakes (around £150 budget) – the hubs are centrelock”
SLX are a little over £150, but should be far better than hayes stroker ryde or magura julies. Phone up merlin and ask them how much they’d do SLX brakes with centrelock rotors for? They’ve got a pair for £170 with 6-bolt ones

Elixir Rs seem to getting very good press too. Supposed to be more powerful than juicys but lighter than the 3,5 and 7