I've only been biking properly for about a year now and I want to have a go at building my own bike. Just for something to do and also I think it will be nice to have a bike I have built myself. For starters I just wondered if anyone knows if on-one will get any more 456 frames back in stock? Also I will probably buy things as I go and try and get a lot of second hand parts to make it cheaper, I've seen people who have built one for £500 with second hand parts so I know it can be done but just got to be lucky I guess. Also I wanted to know whether it would be good to spend extra and get some Rock Shox Revelations 150mm, or if there is something which is cheaper but just as good?
Thanks
Brad
Oh and are there any decent books I can read for it? A few people have given me a couple of websites to look at. If I got the parts that I was looking to get, it would cost like £1300 but I don't want to spend that much and hopefully if I can buy the majority of it second hand, I could get it for £500-£600?
Hey Brad, a real lover of the 456 here, you've chosen a great bike.
Firstly, keep asking here, STW knows everything! As to O-O getting more 456s in stock, I doubt it, it's all about the 456 EVO now, but that looks to be pretty similar. Of course a 2nd hand frame will come on here in due course.
Yeah, 2nd hand is a great idea, there's plenty of good stuff on the classifieds, check the seller has plenty of history.
150 Revs are a great fork, but for me a Fox TALAS is the fork for a 456, 100 for twisty singletrack, 140 or 150 for hooning down stuff. And if you're not going to hoon down stuff, maybe the Inbred is a better choice?
So, where are you going to be riding?
Anyway, enjoy the process, and good luck,
APF
So, where are you going to be riding?
Cheers, thanks for the reply 🙂 Well seeing as I live in like the worst possible place in the country, then I will be riding at Thetford/Brandon quite often. Seeing as I'm only 18 though, and don't really have much commitments, I will be able to travel a bit to places like cannock chase, sherwood pines and dalby. That's why I'm kind of unsure on which to get to be honest :S because obviously Thetford isn't really too harsh haha. Being in Norfolk and all :p
Brad
Hi if you can't get a 456 frame. Why not consider buying my Ragley Blue Pig frame? Awesome hard tail and advertised at £150.00 + postage.
Hmm would I really need a 456 or a blue pig though? Just actually thinking about it, like if I'm only riding at Thetford for most of the time :S Would something like the inbred or a piglet perhaps be better? I don't know 🙁 that's why I need help haha
if you hit stuff hard or if you're a graceless nerk like me or if the area that you ride is pretty mean to bikes then a 456 makes sense. i got a 456 after breaking a soul.
if you just want a steel ht for general trail duties then there are probably a lot of better options than a 456 imho.
I am about to build up a 456 with parts from another bike. I think the Revelations would be great at the price (circa 350 if you look hard) but think that being able to adjust the travel (U-Turn) would be really handy. Will also give you the extra travel when you need it on trips away.
The bike will be fine with 100mm forks and you'll be hard pressed to find anything much lighter without closing doors on the options to build something burlier in the future. If you want light XC look at aluminium frames from www.merlincycles.co.uk in their Merlin or Rock Lobster flavours. CRC may also have some deals.
I'm building mine up with XT groupset, REBA Race forks (120mm with a view to replacing with some longer travel air forks), Thomson stem / bars, Ec90 bars, Pro2 / arch wheels. I'm hoping this jey boy kit should make it quite nice to ride
I've just put my revs back to 150mm on my 456 and it's great fun, the front wanders a bit more on the really steep climbs but other than that I haven't really noticed a massive difference in handling other than it soaks up bumps a bit better.
In 130mm guise I've ridden it fully laden with bikepacking stuff over 50 miles in a day before now, great bike.
Ideal bike for "general trail duties".
Cheers guys for the feedback. Trailmonkey, erm well I have got a full suspension bike at the minute which I would probably use more if I go away to be honest. Would I perhaps be better off with an inbred or a piglet then instead of the 456? Or could I just get the 456 and then use that when I go away as well?
Pieface, was the other bike a bike you built before? And the rock lobster does look quite nice 🙂 I have been looking at steel because my college tutor thinks they are better :s also I kinda like them compared to ally, like I do have a GT hardtail ally but it's not a very expensive frame so possibly isn't that good?
Nick, would you say revs are better than these?
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=65147
Brad, that fork has a 1.5" steerer, so won't fit in a 456 headset.
Carefully selected parts can be bought new at great prices. Look at Rose bikes for shimano brakes. German website Actionsports does a great price on complete SLX drive trains.
Saddles/stems/bars can be found on the classifieds or bought secondhand from flat out cycles very cheaply.
Merlin cycles have some great prices on forks.
I am also building up a 456 at the moment. Can't wait to finish it!!
Oh thanks 🙂 and yeah I realised after I posted it but still wasn't sure what steerer I needed anyway :p but thanks 🙂
Previous bike was a Soul, can't afford to replace it ATM.
I have a 16" Summer Season frame in raw for sale if your interested?
A chap I go biking with has an Inbred that he hammers round the Lakes and its fine and does everything.
I built Mrs T up a Genesis Core and it rides really well - much nicer than the Ragley mmmBop which was an unyielding instrument of torture. Bought frame and tora fork off here for £110 and it came with headeset and seat post. It has surprised me how well it rides and made me reconsider aluminium for a hard tail.
Plenty of decent frames come up on here and Pink Bike - keep your eyes open.
Building bikes can cost more than you anticipated or planned, but it is satisfying. Sometimes its cheaper to just buy a secondhand bike that is complete and swap/upgrade parts as you go along.
You'd struggle to build this for less than the £255 it sold for
[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genesis-Core-40-/230773637412?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item35bb2e4124#ht_500wt_1158 ]fleabay genesis core[/url]
Inbred for £360
[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/one-inbred-mountain-bike-/251033744524?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a72c6f48c#ht_500wt_1169 ]flebay inbred[/url]
triballegs - Member
Hi if you can't get a 456 frame. Why not consider buying my Ragley Blue Pig frame? Awesome hard tail and advertised at £150.00 + postage.
Certainly worth considering this if you can get some adjustable travel forks for it as it's slack up front. I just finished building my Blue Pig and it'll do anything with the Pikes on it. Comfy riding position for xc at 120mm and amazing fun downhill wound out to 140mm.
Yeah I have been checking on here daily and also on pink bike. For a 456 what frame would you suggest? I'm 5ft9 and inside leg is 31.5 inches. Duno whether 16 or 18 is better :s
And GiantJaunt, what forks could you suggest for it that aren't really expensive?
Probably get a set of recon solo air 130mm for about £80-100 second hand.
Hi I am asked Brant from Ragley , what size he recommended and he suggested the 16 inch frame and I am the same height as you.
Blue pig frame details from b_r at live dot co dot uk
The thing that's nice about Revs is that they are fairly easy to adjust the travel on (not while riding..!), even a fule like me can do it, albeit after three attempts!
http://iwillbebacksoon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/will-i-ever-learn.html
Never owned any Fox forks, but I imagine they are of at least as good quality as Rock Shox.
I built my inbred from the classifieds and it ended up costing about £450.
I could have bought a decent spec inbred for that already built with hindsight......learnt a lot building it though and acquired most of the tools needed to maintain it.
I run it with some old but good 130mm z1 freeride forks at the moment and it rides well over all terrain.
@brad - at your age/budget does it really make sense to have two bikes ? What is the full suss and would it make sense to consolidate into a single bike, either full suss (upgrading yours or replacing) or hardtail. It seems you are at risk of having two ok bikes when you cold have one good one ?
Trailmonkey, erm well I have got a full suspension bike at the minute which I would probably use more if I go away to be honest. Would I perhaps be better off with an inbred or a piglet then instead of the 456? Or could I just get the 456 and then use that when I go away as well?
i think that you've probably hit the nail on the head there. i tend to ride my 456 like i would my full suss as it's a big thug of a thing that will let you blunder through stuff.i snapped a soul so i figured that i needed something a bit more robust.
in truth i never ride the 456 because i always just think that i could be doing the same thing with more comfort and more speed on my fs.
imho a completely different sort of bike to my soul which was light and comfortable and far easier to move around on.
having said that if i only had one bike i'd choose a 456 over a soul because i don't think i could break it.
@jambalaya Well I have a mongoose teocali comp 09 but I just wanted to have a go at building a bike to be honest, just to learn more and for fun haha.
@trailmonkey oh right well thanks for the feedback 🙂 I just want to build a bike to learn about how to do stuff that's all really. Also I duno why but I would like to have a hardtail and a full suspension bike
hey brad, you can never have enough bikes, don't let me stop you.
i'd have a good scout around though before settling on one.
Yeah, hmm I will just have to think about it haha. Jamba said about just having one and upgrading it but i'm not sure now haha