Want to build an urban/beater bike

freerider215 · Jan 27, 2004

well dv8 has a Revell 450 (cromo HT) for $300. it's a great frame and a good price. Um, cranks. well the truvativs are good and cheap. Fsa also makes some pretty good affordable cranks in the v-drive extremes. why can't you use v's? they are pretty good for street and djing since you don't need all that stopping power. the rhyno lites are ok, but beware of the pre-fab wheelsets, sometimes the spoke tension sucks and the wheels just bend up.
as far as a stem any DH type stem will work, this is a good place to save money, instead of buying a $50-$70 stem, buy a generic one like Powertools etc. for like $20, just pick the right length for you. bars, again go with a generic brand like Powertools etc. they'll save you some coin. i would usually say get at least a 1.5" rise, but i know people who ride with 1" rise and like it. i would think if you are just starting to ride urban and what not that your wheels are going to take some abuse, it might be worth it to spend a bit more on a strong wheelset instead of going to buy a new set every few months. i know that the mtbstore.com offers build kits that might work for you. oh, and about the fork. i'm actually riding a psylo xc on my rhythm. i have the tullio version and have no complaints on stiffness. i need a stiffer spring rate though. it's not bad, not great, but it works and yes it's light and the travel adjustment is nice to have too. hope this helps. it's really early so if none of this makes sense it's because i'm still sorta sleeping.

skinny · Jan 27, 2004

I know I'll probably be flogged for this, but if youw ant to keep cost down there's good ways to do it using a SS drivetrain:

1) Rip apart an old cassette you have lying around and use the cog and spacers from that. You'll need more spacers than the ones that are on there, but those are cheap. However, ONLY do this if you:

2) Buy a 1/8" BMX chain. A really nice BMX chain (KMC 410H) costs half of what a SRAM PC48 does. The reason I say that using a BMX chain is the only way to use the "rip-and-recycle" method I mentioned above (and the omission of this information is what got me flogged last time) is that MTB chains are meant to help shifting and therefore will jump off the cog or chainring MUCH easier than a BMX chain which is meant to stay on the same cog and ring all the time.

skinny · Jan 27, 2004

As for a completely different part of the bike, I ride a 2003 DJ3 on my hardtail, and I couldn't be happier.

crashedupderby · Jan 28, 2004

get a p-1...

RITFreeRider · Jan 28, 2004

Originally posted by xbluethunderx
Oooh, Pricepoint has Azonic DS-1 frames for 200 bucks...good deal?

I had a DS-1 for a little bit and it was a great frame. It was light and yet resonably strong. For 200 bucks new I think it's a good deal.

biggins · Jan 28, 2004

buy a P1.

Changleen · Jan 29, 2004

Get the Revell. Revells rule so much. DV8 is a good guy, you can trust him. It's a great price for that frame too.

(just built a Revell 250R - Still grinning)

BoyBoy · Jan 30, 2004

look, i am not trying to start a steel/aluminum war, but unless you are going to drop a big coin on a frame stay with steel....

affordable aluminum "all mountain" catalog frames really ride like uncooked pasta.

get a .243 or a gimp or one of the many affordable steel frames out there.

Revell is a great frame...
cranks, i don't know.. i ride FSA.

RITFreeRider · Jan 30, 2004

Originally posted by BoyBoy
look, i am not trying to start a steel/aluminum war, but unless you are going to drop a big coin on a frame stay with steel....

affordable aluminum "all mountain" catalog frames really ride like uncooked pasta.

get a .243 or a gimp or one of the many affordable steel frames out there.

Revell is a great frame...
cranks, i don't know.. i ride FSA.

I'm curious why everyone says the .243 racing frame is the best for everything, the damn thing weighs a ton.

For a beater bike you're not really lookin for great frame characteristics, just something that you can beat on hence the beater bike. An aluminum frame will work just as well as a steel frame. I'd look into the kona and norco frames.

BoyBoy · Jan 31, 2004

because it really is great for everything. the seat tube is steep enough to make a stable, quick bike in the saddle... the head tube is dead on the sweet spot for almost everything. it can handle any fork with ease, and the perfect geometry settles in nicely... beyond that, they are pretty affordable, and have been shown to handle abuse from the worst. they have horizontal dropouts which have built in tensioners that work with your deraileur, and have v-brake mounts which adjust for 24" and 26". Last, you can get it in any color you want.... "as long as it's black"

if you care about an extra pound or so for sturdy 35 lb hardtail, i think you are sick.

RITFreeRider · Jan 31, 2004

Originally posted by BoyBoy
because it really is great for everything. the seat tube is steep enough to make a stable, quick bike in the saddle... the head tube is dead on the sweet spot for almost everything. it can handle any fork with ease, and the perfect geometry settles in nicely... beyond that, they are pretty affordable, and have been shown to handle abuse from the worst. they have horizontal dropouts which have built in tensioners that work with your deraileur, and have v-brake mounts which adjust for 24" and 26". Last, you can get it in any color you want.... "as long as it's black"

if you care about an extra pound or so for sturdy 35 lb hardtail, i think you are sick.

Unrealcycles weighs that frame in at 8 lbs. An 8 lb I must say isn't perfect for everything. Maybe for the eastcoast dh hardtail it works great, but for a street bike or a park bike that you want to be light and nimble that frame def isn't goin to be on the top of my list. Frames like the Kona Cowan, the norco 125, azonic ds-1, specialized p-series, fill that roll much better. I'm not baggin on the .243 at all it's a great frame, it just isn't the answer to every question of what hardtail frame to get. For a dh hardtail it's great, but it's too heavy and overbuilt for street tech stuff and park.

The Mad Haderer · Feb 1, 2004

planet X has a bunch of frames that are suited for what ur lookin at...u may also want to look into the on-one gimp which is just what ur describing.

BoyBoy · Feb 1, 2004

the frame is not eight pounds. Ben must be crazy... it's closer to 7.

and... i am not talking about comfort....a 7.5 lb steel frame is not going to be very forgiving.

all i am saying is that in my experience, lighter weight catalog frames made from aluminum ride like ****. they are flexy in the BB shell area, and really don't feel very confident.

anyway, if you don;t like the .243 because of weight, then fine. it's a valid reason. However, ride quality is also a valid reason to consider. on that note, i suggest you look to burly aluminum, or at another steel bike, like the GImp.

anyway heres the .243 product page, just for kicks: http://www.243racing.com/products.html

monkeyboy424 · Feb 2, 2004

wheel world has 02 Kona scabs for 170 bucks. ive ridden my 01 scab to death and its still good. i also weigh 20 more pounds then you. i would consider it....

nicklin · Feb 4, 2004

If it were a few years earlier I would recommend a Bruiser, but too bad they ain't got it no more, so yeah, scab is up there.

bigjumper820 · Feb 4, 2004

Well...I think that any fork in the Marzocchi Dirt Jumping series would do you quite well...all I know is that I love mine!

mcA896 · Feb 8, 2004

if i was you...and it was just an urban bike not really for wet weather/trails get the kona scab and a psylo. who cares if the psylo has no v mounts? u dont need front brakes for urban anyways. i think they get in the way but thats jus IMO. also, i ride the scab from wheelworld and it is def. a great urban bike, a lil on the heavy side but its cromo an it feels lighter than it is. great geometry with a 5 inch fork.

thefrogman · Feb 14, 2004

p-1..........

had no problems with the frame on mine
(160pounds, 11 ft. drops (measured), BIG cases)

Want to build an urban/beater bike

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