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I’m going to be building a bike from a frame up for the first time next week.
It’s a Ragley Marley, with internal dropper post routing.
I’ll be stripping parts off my old bike.
I’m presuming that it’s worth getting the dropper cable routing sorted before putting the bottom bracket in?
Any other tips on building up a frame please?
Is there a particular order that it’s best to follow?
You probably have the wrong bottom bracket, the wrong headset, your steerer is too short and you definitely have all the wrong brake caliper mounts.
Apart from that it's easy.
You probably have the wrong bottom bracket
I’m already on number 2….
What can I say, I know how these things go!
I've never built a Ragley Marley but does the dropper cable go into the BB shell? On most hardtails it exits the downtube somewhere and re-enters the seat tube.
If that's the case, it doesn't matter which you do first.
I prefer cooking from scratch
Word of advice from experience, if you get to a point where you’ve not got the right tool, try not to bodge it. I’ve made previous builds take twice as long and equally frustrating by trying to get by. There’s a few jobs you can probably get away (headset cups for example) but don’t be tempted to make do.
I do enjoy building a bike up from a frame though.
Do your research; make sure you've got the right bb and headset, and the tools you need to fit them, before you start. Then just have a great time building up a bike!
Any other tips on building up a frame please?
Grease things like the BB as if it is going to be stored at the bottom of the sea. Threadlock everything small(rotor bolts etc)
If you dont already have a torque wrench - buy one.
Do any heli tape before you start with test loops of hose or cable (invisiframe may be overkill but it's always worth protecting any rub points).
Your brake hoses are probably too short, have replacements ready.
Clean everything on the way.
and the tools you need to fit them
Definitely this - particularly for bottom brackets, cranks and brakes.
Your brake hoses are probably too short, have replacements ready.
With a new build I typically leave my brake hoses deliberately too long initially until I’m happy with the fit, then trim them. If you get them just right initially then change the angle of your brake levers you can find them too short. It’s also useful to have spare bits to hand if/when you need to shorten your cable (e.g. for a SRAM code, have a spare barb).
Don't be tempted to take a rolling chassis for "a quick run up & down the street" before you've fitted the brakes/disc rotors 😬
Double check any external cable clamps aren’t torq bolts in case you use a hex and ruin them.
Anti-seize on the BB, pedals and ALL the brake bolts especially the ones that hold the pads in place.
If there’s non guided internal routing, buy something to dampen/quiet the cables on the inside of the tube otherwise it’ll sound like a tin/plastic bottle with a coin inside it.
Torque your BB and Cassette to the right values - they need more force than you’d imagine.
The forks go in with the dropouts at the bottom (i.e. where the bottom bracket goes, not where the seatpost goes.)
@thols2 is it possible to put tapered headtube forks in upside down?
is it possible to put tapered headtube forks in upside down?
Many bikes have straight headtubes with different bearings top and bottom. It's possible to fit those upside down. But, yeah, straight steerer forks make it really easy to fit forks upside down, or so I've heard.
Torque your BB and Cassette to the right values – they need more force than you’d imagine.<br /><br />
Torque your brake levers and shifters to the right values – they need less force than you’d imagine.
See also - stem bolts.