Check out wolftooth for single chainrings that fit the XTR 960. I had a mate who machined the bolt holes in my cranks, so they would take standard chainrings .Worked fine until I broke the axle doing a small jump.

Thanks for the info RB.I have not yet tried a gearbox.So was interested to find out what the consensus on them was.I have just checked Olsen Cycles site ,looking at prices.I was very surprised to find all mention of vat on the prices was not mentioned .Until clicking the buy button.Suddenly the price went up by £800 ! So I think the project will have to be abandoned.

Thanks for all the replies.
RB – On your hardtail. Is the often mentioned drag from the gearbox noticeable when peddling & does having all the weight centred make any difference to the handling on a hardtail.?

Thanks SR,so they are not as indestructible as I had imagined.I wonder what the testers had done to it.They certainly never mentioned any problems in their test reports.I thought the days when we took STW reviews with a pinch of salt were long passed,but it seems not.
R.B. I did not know anyone else but Olsen Bikes were building frames with Pinion g.b’s.In the UK I mean.Thanks for the heads up.

Thomson are the only 27.2 droppers with 120 mm drop.Unfortunately they are very expensive.

I am using dow corning silicone grease. Best to check with Hope first though.

Yes the fork will take a 29 x 3.00 XR4 tire on a 35 int rim with ease.
Built up weight,with rigid forks , 1 x 10, 22.2 lbs.
The only problem I encountered in the build was the carbon steerer bung required for the fork.Both Hope & RS ones are too large in diameter.O-O recommend these. Selcof Carbon Steerer Fork Bung MK 2 1 18 inch
FSSEFBUMK2-118
1 @ £4.99
Best ordered with the fork. I am still waiting for mine.The Selcof headset fits nicely,although the bearings fit straight onto the carbon. Only time will tell if this is a weak point.
I got a medium orange one.It looks superb.I could not believe how light it felt.

Love the Barzos.Used them f&r. 29 x 2.25,2.35 & 2.6. Bought mine from Lordgun. Good prices.

On-One DeeDar,£249.

Nordest BritangoTR. https://nordestcycles.com/en/product/britango-tr-frame
By A happy coincidence , I am selling my 2 month old frame (LOL) on pinkbike
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/2707380/ They are definitely worth taking a look at.I think the geometry would suit your purpose,if you are happy with steel frames.

Yes,done this on my winter bike ,including xo rear mech.Works well.Ratios are not as close,but soon got used to that.Shifting is fine once the b screw is set (screwed in all the way).N/W rings hold a 9 speed chain.It will sometimes jump off on very rattly trails as I am using an old type mech without the extra spring tension.However this is rare. Probably leaving the front mech on to act as a chain retention device would cure this,but I prefer the clean look without it.

Cheers Lardman,11 speed rear mech now on order.

Thanks Slugabed,I will order the rear mech tonight.

I have two pairs.1 set 27.5,for 3 years & just bought a pair of 29er wheels.Highly recommenced.Nevr had to touch the 3 year old set.Great company to deal with.

If comparing 853 to Ti,it is virtually impossible to answer.Just about every so called 853 frame will at the very least have cheaper tubing on the seat & chainstays.Having said that,I have a 2Souls QuarterHorse which I am told is a fully 853 frame.I do not know for certain if this is true.However it is the nicest steel frame I have ever ridden.Not quite as comfortable as a Ti Cove (now sold) but with a spring to it that the Ti frame lacked.The difference in comfort had to be looked for.

Buy 2 shims & after careful measuring cut one short & glue/loctite it to the bottom of the post,after sliding the other one on.Also turn the shims so the split is sideways.

If you are OK with carbon rims,contact Stuart at Blue Flow.I have been really pleased with mine over the past 3 years.

Front or back brake ?

The great thing about buying Hope is :- we are not alone. Contact them for help/advise.

If it is any help,I bought a 9 speed Sunrace 11 – 36 cassette from Merlin a couple of weeks ago.All the cogs were separate & held together by one bolt.My guess is the 10 speed would be the same.

Yes.cable actuation. Tweeks are taking pre orders for delivery in April – £285.

Had a look on the U.S.E. web site.The Helix is listed as available soon.Shows prices , but only two dia. no 27.2.

SJS do stock these.Or if you are handy with a hacksaw & file,just take one of the pins out of a 3 pin electrical plug & modify  it to suit.When I needed some thing similar I bought a (hope this is the correct name) electrical chocolate box connector from B&Q.

Hi Legbacon , I see you are Travis Bickle in another life (MTBR).Just wanted to say thanks for all your thoughts & contributions on the Knolly thread.I found them very helpful. Regarding the Moxie.Where is every one setting the rear wheel axle.I am still building mine.Coming from a 2Souls QH I was thinking short as possible.Also does any one any thing about the USE dropper post.

Mine arrived this morning.I had no delivery notification,so just lucky I was in.Batman11,the colour was my first impression too.will take a couple of weeks to build.

Thanks again for the reply batman11.I think you are correct.I think I will wait until I have tried the frame as a 29er before embarking on expensive 27.5+ wheels.

Thanks for the reply batman11.I realise the frame will take a 2.8 tires.What I need to to know is , are rims with 30 mm internal width, wide enough for 2.8 tires.Or are 2.6 the widest tire I can use?

I will be building my Moxie as a 29er.However I have a pair of 27.5 wheels with 30 mm internal rims.What is the max tire size I can use? I was hoping to try 2.8.

If you have any at home,sprinkle some talcum powder in the tire.It acts like tiny ball bearings & allows the innertube & tire to move freely relative to each other.

If you use mudguards on the front,get boost for the extra mud clearance.

I have not read the other suggestions,but definitely look at the Pipedream moxie.

If Ti floats your boat ,check out On – One Titus Ti Fireline Evo 29er Frame. Lovely frame going for £610 at the moment.

Take a look at 2Souls & Pipedream cycles.Both make very nice steel hard tails.

Pipedream moxie would suit your needs,but they do not land until Jan 2018.I would not have thought changing the travel would be too much of a problem,as a few months use in winter slop should mean the fork needs a service any way.Just a thought,good luck.

batman11 – I can recommend the Blue flow rims.I have been using a pair of their 35mm 27.5 carbon kevlar wheels for over 3.5 years with no problems at all.The finish on the rims comes up like new,& I have yet to see another set on any other bike.

I will be using 29er rims,30mm internal width.I will be interested to hear what you think of the plus option .As I could always get a second set of wheels.

I do not know what is sensible to you,however I bought a used Pike & fitted a TF Tuned coil conversion,which seems to work well.Have not had many rides on it yet.(it only fits the pike).

If you need a 32 tooth n/w chainring for the XTR 960 C/S try these guys.
https://r2-bike.com/WOLFTOOTH-Chainring-BCD-102-32-Teeth-for-XTR-M960

The 2Souls QuarterHorse is a brilliant HT ,but probably a bit pricey.Made in 853 tubes through out,stainless steel BB shell & SS lined seat tube.Hand made in Germany.Also check out Pipe Dream frames.The Moxie looks great but will not arrive until 1/18.
Good luck ,it’s a great problem to have.

So inspired by being a riding god,I went for the pink!
Re the forks,think I will play safe & go for a Pike.
Thanks for the comments.Any one got a set (29ers) for sale?Or know the cheapest dealer.