Spokewrench Cycles

Project 2011 Pivot Firebird Built

Our 2011 Firebird is built and ready to go! Here are some pics of the bike. It's a sweet looking bike. We have a new reviewer for this bike and Paul is going to be putting it through it's paces. Paul frequently rides Halton Hills where this bike is designed to go so we'll see what he thinks of it.

The built of this bike went very smoothly however installing the front derailleur is a bit tricky and requires the removal of the cranks (it's tight in there). The floating front derailleur plate is interesting and we'll see how it performs in the trails here. There are lots of spots to attach the full length housing cables too (woohoo) and the bike includes clips to attach to the frame that are brilliant. No more zip ties! Why didn't people think of this before? This is a big travel bike and so we wanted to use parts that would be aptly suitable for it. We really liked the Cromag parts we had on our previous Knolly project so we used the stem and saddle here. Cranks / bar are from Raceface. It's unfortunate they are not in business anymore. The disc brakes are Formula The One discs, 205mm up front and 180mm in the rear. Light but functional. The wheels have to take a beating and keep on trucking so we used a set of DT Swiss EX500 / Hope 20mm front hub / QR rear shod with Maxxis DH 2.35 Minion tires. These should do the trick. SRAM X.9 rear derailleur and shifters round out the package. The X.9s are really the work horse for SRAM. Works well, reliable and reasonably priced. Can't complain. The X0s are cool and sexy but if we have to smash up our rear derailleur against some rocks, we'd prefer having to replace a X.9 rather than a X0. So this is a meats and potatoes build that is fairly standard and would be a good built for this kind of bike. We could have gone with maybe lighter tires, perhaps lighter saddle but overall, we think this is pretty light package that will let you get into the trail but not have to walk out because of something mechanical.

A short note on setting the sag on this bike. For 2011, Pivot along with Fox has come up with a neat way of ensuring riders adjust the sag properly. There has been many many questions from people on setting the proper sag on a DW Link bike that makes such a difference on the suspension working properly that Pivot came out with a neat clip that goes around the rear shock. The clip has an indicator on it so that the rider simply has to get on the bike and see how much the rear shock compresses. If it reaches the mark, it's set properly. That's all there is to it. Simple and brilliant. Now we don't have to remember was it 30% of rear travel or 20mm and was that with gear on, without gear on. Just sit, adjust and go. Good job Pivot.

Build list

FSA Gravity Headset
Fox 36 Float Tapered FIT RLC 180mm travel (reduced to 170mm)
Race Face Atlus bars
Formula The One brakes (205mm front / 180mm rear)
Maxim CM39 seatpost
Cromag stem and saddle
XT E-Type front drailleur
SRAM x9 rear derailleur / shifters / cassette / chain
Raceface Deus cranks with bash guard
DT Swiss EX500 rims with DT spokes / Hope Pro II hubs
Maxxis 2.35 Minion DH tires
Lizard skin grips

Total Weight 30.9lbs - that is really good considering this is a large frame with almost 7" of travel front and back. I'm looking forward to what Paul thinks of the bike after he has more time riding it.

This bike is available as frame only which includes headset/front derailleur, frame with Fox 36 Float RLC or as a complete bike with XT kit. Email us at info@spokewrench.com for more information.

UPDATE:

We have an update on Paul's initial reaction on his first ride with the Firebird

Awesome.  Like I think I said - it's maybe going to be hard to give it back!  Fits me like a glove though the bars are a bit touch wider than ideal but not a big deal at all. - Paul Stone

Well, I have to say that's not a bad start.  Dave had a similar reaction to the Pivot Mach 5 he tested last year so this seems to be a trend.  So stay tuned for the full review in a few weeks so that Paul can have some more ride time with the bike trying it in different situations. 

 Team Spokewrench

Spring Project 2011

Spring is just around the corner and before you know it, it'll be summer and riding season again! (Although winter riding is absolutely amazing and I would recommend anyone to try it)

It's time for our annual project build and this year will be another Pivot since the Mach 5 was so favourably reviewed by Dave last year.  Our customer already has the 5.7 so we'll be hearing what he has to say about that.  He was sold on the Mach 5 so that's what prompted him to order the 5.7 for this year. 

We're in discussion now as to what the 2011 project will be and what parts to use, etc.  Once those details are finalized, we'll get one in and as usual pics will be posted and a review to follow!

Spokewrench

Project Spring 2010 and Review

Dave has finished the review of the Pivot Mach 5 and we think it's one of his most favourable yet.  

The bike comes to just slightly over 28lbs for a medium.  The frame comes with a Ritchey headset and XT front derailleur already installed.  It's a mix of XT and SRAM with Shimano XT wheels, brakes and cranks.  Thomson Elite post and SRAM x.9 shifters/rear derailleur round out the package.  Tires are Kenda Nevegals Dave switched to tubeless using Stan's so this is a package that would suit most riders looking for something that is durable, still relatively light weight and performing reliably and consistently.

Here is Dave's Final Review! 

This was my first extended ride on a VPP suspension design.  Previously, my brief ride on an Intense 6.6 left me unimpressed with how the VPP design handles.  While the design clearly minimized pedal-induced bobbing, I couldn’t get past the dead feeling, especially during out-of-the–saddle efforts and while negotiating technical terrain.  I was curious to see how Pivot’s take on the VPP design, utilizing Dave Weagle’s patented DW-link, compared.

I’ve been highly impressed with bike designs from Chris Cocalis’ previous company, Titus and I was eager to get my hands on the flagship trailbike from his new company:  a Pivot Mach 5.  I don’t usually go out on a limb before delving into all of the gory details, but I fell in love with this bike from day 1.  It took a couple of rides before the suspension fully broke in, but I could instantly tell that this bike had what I wanted from a trailbike. Its neutral, intuitive handling gave the illusion that bike was an extension of my body.  It carved corners, flew over obstacles, descended with conviction and climbed faster than I ever thought a 5” travel trailbike could.  The most outstanding feature, for me, was the bike’s uncanny ability to filter out rider input (ie. bob) while responding seamlessly to trail irregularities.  This was especially noticeable during out-of-the-saddle efforts where it didn’t matter how hard I mashed the pedals, the bike would shoot forward like it was a hardtail, yet it would follow the contours of the trail exceptionally well.  Several of my riding buddies even noticed that I was spending way more time riding out of the saddle than normal (and riding faster).  They were right, this bike is pure joy to just stand up and hammer.  It was with some reluctance that I returned this bike at the end of the test and hopped on my personal trailbike, an Ellsworth Epiphany.  Don’t get me wrong, the Epi is a fantastic bike.  It is super comfortable and a fantastic technical climber.  But it feels like I’m riding everything a gear slower.  It just doesn’t have the same get up and go.  As an aggressive rider who likes to ride hard and fast, the Mach 5 is a perfect match for my riding style. 

Project 2009!

We got our Endorphin...Whoohoo!!  This will be the bike we use for our Project 2009 .  It's black and will be using a Fox RP3 rear shock.  Last year we built up the Delirium and it was a hit so we wanted to bring in the Endorphin to see how it compares.  It should be lighter but definitely able to handle anything you can throw at it. 

Weight - medium frame / fork - 7.78lbs - noticeably lighter with the Fox RP3 air shock than the Delirium-T we build up last season.  This frame can optionally be ordered with the Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock that will add about 1lb to the overall weight which is still quite good for this type of bike.

As can be seen from the pictures, the quality of the frame and attention to detail, gusseted head tube, cable routing, paint quality, laser etching is very much what we'd come to expect from Knolly  and they did not disappoint.  There has been a lot of positive press and reviews of this bike from the general media so we're excited and looking forward to seeing how it is for ourselves.  We'll be building this bike up in the next little while and post more pictures and a final build list at the end.

Comments welcome!

Spokewrench

2007 Spring Project

Well, our winter project has turned nicely into a spring project just in time for the warmer weather we're getting.  The frame/fork has arrived and so have the majority of the parts.  We'll have pics up shortly.  The frame looks great with the carbon rear triangle contrasting the metallic green finish in the front.

All the parts went on very nicely.  I was very pleased at the way the X.9 shifters matted with the Avid Juicy 5 brake levers, like they were made for each other.  The Titec bars taper on the outside to become thinner (smaller diameter) so that smaller hands can use them.  Also, the Avid Juicy 5s allow the user to adjust the reach by a set screw again allowing people with smaller hands to use the brakes.  In the end, the rider is less tired having to constantly reach for levers that are too far. 

Terry has been making women specific parts for years and their saddles have been getting great reviews from riders all over.  The Thomson seatpost allows minute adjustments to get the perfect saddle position. 

All the other parts are sensible, reliable, high performance parts that are proven and provide seasons of worry free riding.  The only thing missing from the list below are the wheels.  There are so many choices with wheels on the market that it's such a personnel preference, from Mavic UST to Stan's to standard tubes, hubs from a multitude of manufacturers, rims, tires, and budget all come into play.  Our advice is to pick something that's as light as budget allows and still offer the reliability and performance you're looking for.  Don't underestimate the tires.  The Kenda Blue Groove tires are very lightweight and perform well so they can make a big difference in the end.

The total weight of the bike came to just shy of 27lbs with a set of Chris King disc hubs with light weight XC, tubes and tires.  That's a very respectable weight for 4-5" full suspension all terrain, ride anywhere kind of bike.  This bike would be perfect for a 24 Hour type race where you need the bike to be light enough for the hills but comfortable enough for all the laps.  For the course at Summer Soltice or a more XC oriented course I'd go with lightweight Kenda Blue Groove tires front and back and set the suspension for 4" in the back,  probably 120mm travel up front on the Fox Talax RLC and just have a lot of fun with it.  If the course is a bit more technical, I'd probably go with 5" in the rear and keep the front at 120mm but switch to larger knobbier tires like the Kenda Dual Compound Blue Groove and Nevegal combo. 

So this has turned out into a very nice project that we enjoyed putting together very much.  We're looking forward to the next one already!

Weight List

Titus ML2 - 6.15lb (medium)

2007 Fox Talas RLC (adjustable travel from 100mm to 140mm) - 4.07lb (uncut steerer)

Cane Creek Solo headset - 141g (tall)

Thomson post 330mm 27.2mm / Terry Firefly saddle - 1.03lb

Titec Hellcat bar - 250g

Thomson stem (120x10) - 160g

Shimano XT integrated BB crankset - 860g

SRAM X.9 Trigger shifters - 285g (front and rear)

SRAM X.9 Front derailleur - 165g

SRAM X.9 Rear derailleur - 240g

Avid Juicy 5 disc brakes - 650g (front and rear)

Avid Juicy 160mm rotors with bolts - 270g (front and rear)

Shimano 959 pedals - 345g / 50g (cleats)

Deore 11-34T cassette - 440g

SRAM 9spd chain - 290g

Total - 20.3903lb

Total with Chris King wheelset / Salsa skewers / Kenda Blue Groove front and Nevegal rear tires / cables and housing - 26.96lb

2007 Winter Project

Every year we like to work on a project over the winter and this year we've decided to help a customer build up a bike for his wife.  There are a lot of women specific bikes out there today compared to years past where it was simply getting a smaller frame.  There are women specific parts and accessories from clothes to saddles to grips so the biking industry has certainly come a long way.  While there are a lot of choices from different manufacturers for pre-built bikes, what about standard build kits?  From what we can tell, there are no specific women build kits available if someone wanted to buy a frame and a kit separately.   The kits are typically Groupo based, so it's either an LX, XT, XTR or SRAM equivalent.  There are no women tailored kits available. 

So we've decided to work with our customer to come up with a build kit that is suitable for his wife tailored for the female rider in mind.  We're going to use a Titus for a lightweight full suspension frame and will pick out parts along the way that are practical, fit well for the rider and offer the performance that she demands.  We have some parts in mind already but it'll be changing as we go along until we get to the final build.   We've had experience before with Titus before regarding women specific builds and they've been championing the cause long before it became "fashionable" so we're very comfortable with Titus and the frames they offer.

As always, we'll be posting weights of the parts along with lots of pictures along the way as we progress through the process.  The goal in the end is to help other female riders pick out parts and an example so to save them time and money when they go looking for a new bike.  We strongly feel that a person will ride more and better if they're on a well fitting bike with parts that perform reliably and comfortably. 

Update:  Frame/fork has been ordered and the parts list is coming along nicely.  Will provide updates as parts arrive.  We'll provide a final build kit as well as our thoughts during the build

Team Spokewrench

Project Complete!!

After much tinkering, hacking and wrenching, our project bike is complete!  Just in time for the Summer Soltice.  Some things changed a bit during the course of the build.  We didn't get our Moots Ti post in time so we went with a straight generic post and saddle until we get those items in.  We went with heavier tires simply because we sold out our stock of Kenda Blue Groove Stick-E tires so we're getting more in due to the demand.  The weight of the bike came to 29.49 lbs which is pretty close to what we initially estimated.  We figure with the new seatpost and saddle, we should be able to knock off 1/2lb and with lighter tires, possible another 1/2lb there. 

Project Trans Rockies

This year, we're participating in the Trans Rockies so we're going to be building up an all mountain full suspension bike for the race.  First, it'll give us a test bed to try new parts and we have something that we think will work extremely well for the Trans Rockies and all around for that matter.  We're in the process of picking out our frame and our drivetrain so stay tuned and we'll reveal more information as the time comes.  The goal of this project bike is something that'll be at home for both all day back woods type riding to a 24 Hour Enduro race.  Lightweight will not be the number one priority because a XC race frame will easily fit that bill nor will it be a DH 10" ski lift bike either.  It'll be something that can still be pedaled up the hill and handle the downhill afterwards.  Reliability and all weather performance will be key. 

Update: April 12, 2006

We've received our custom Moots Cinco and we couldn't be happier.  This will be the frame we build specifically for the Trans Rockies race and we are very excited.  The different pieces are coming together nicely.  We'll be building it up slowly for the next week to two weeks as we await more parts to come in.  We'll be weighing the bike/parts as we get them and you will see a build up of the bike as we progress.  We estimate the bike to be ~27-28lb when complete.

Initial Reaction - We've seen our fair share of beautiful frame from Seven, Merlin, Moots and Titus.  Well we're glad to say this one doesn't disappoint.  The frame is as nice as they come.  The welds are clean and has that distinct Moots weld quality found on all their frames and components.  Moots being a small company, you can literally call them and talk directly to the guy who will design and weld the frame for you.  The frame comes with a work tag that has the initials of all the people at Moots that worked on your frame during its making.  The frame is a nice brushed satin finished so someone can tell it's a Ti frame but not "look at me" loud kind of way.  The rear swingarm from Ventana looks great on the Cinco and proven to work well in the field.  This looks to be a very promising bike.

Drivetrain - Our goal for this project was to build something that will suitable for the Trans Rockies.  It'll have to be reliable, durable, minimal maintenance and all weather performance.  Weight wasn't as high on the priority list as the other points.  Build the bike for its intended purpose is the way we regard projects.  Mike our resident tester has done the Trans Rockies and Marc has done the Trans Alps so we have some experience in terms of what to expect.  Mike said to expect to replace the drivetrain (derailleur, cassette, chain, chainrings) at the end of the event.  The year he did it in 2004, it got muddy with waist high stream crossings in the mix.  So keeping this in mind, we wanted to go with something different.  The derailleur system is for all intends and purposes ideal for cycling.  It's efficient, reliable, lightweight, versatile, excellent performance, cost effective and relatively low maintenance.  Its performance however drops when conditions worsen and efficiency drops with wear and tear.  Enter the Rohloff Disc Speedhub.  We've always been facinated with this hub and have built up a few for our customers.  We've always wanted to review one but never found an event long or challenging enough to give it a good honest test.  What better to test it then a 6 day bike race across the Rocky Mountains with varying weather and trail conditions.  We'll look at the benefits and drawbacks of the Rohloff hub.

Benefits

• It's sealed from the elements (ie mud proof)  No more chain suck and mis-shifts.  Performance is not affected in varying weather and trail conditions.  Derailleur systems never performce the same as when it's new and everything is clean.
• Low maintenance - benefit of having a closed system vs an open derailleur system.  Lube and go. 5000kms or once a season.
• Durable and reliable from all accounts from other owners and customers.  We know of tandem teams doing the Trans Alps using a Rohloff.
• Versatility of a derailleur system offering 14 gears with no overlap providing the same gear ratios of a 27 speed system.  All 14 gears are evenly spaced out in 13.6% increases.
• Ease of setup.  Once initially setup, there are no more fine adjust screws, limit screws to mess around with, cables, etc.
• Dishless rear wheel - Symmetric or"dishless" wheels center the rim between the hub flanges. With equal spoke lengths, tensions and angles on both sides of the wheel, dishless wheels distribute the load equally instead of forcing half the spokes to carry a majority of the weight.  The result is a stronger, more reliable wheel. 

Drawbacks

• Cost - this is probably the #1 perceived drawback to the Rohloff.  However if you break it down and compare it to a comparable derailleur system; SRAM 9.0/X.0, Shimano XT/XTR with any aftermarket rear hub, it's be pretty close.  Don't forget derailleur system require comparable high performance chainrings, front derailleurs for it to perform as intended.  Often times, people look at just the cost of the rear derailleur hub and cassette.  For this particular race, we're looking at the cost of 2 derailleurs, cassettes, chain rings, chain so in the end it's not going to be that much different.  It's initial sticker shock but if you really think it through, it's not much different.
• Weight - We figure the Rohloff system will be 1.5-2lbs heavier than an XT/XTR system and that's something we've accepted for the added benefits of the system.  The weight is distributed more towards the end rather than a derailleur system.  We're not out to win the Trans Rockies so having the lightest bike at the race isn't critical.  If we wanted light, we would have gone with a Ti or aluminum hardtail and probably build it up to 22lbs.  It may even last the event although I don't know how much fun it'd be on the downhills.  If we were looking to claim the "King of the Moutains" title along with the Polka Dot Jersey, we may think differently.  At the end of all this, it will ultimately be our play bike and test platform so weight is not that important. 
• That's it.

So given all the added benefits compared to the drawbacks, it became clear that the Rohloff was the way to go.

Frame Moots Cinco Small (custom) 6.08lbs
Fork    2006 Fox RLC 4lbs (uncut steerer)
Headset Chris King 1 1/8" Threadless 125g
Stem Moots Ti Beam 185g (120x6)
Handlebars Moots Low Rise Ti bar 230g
Grips ODI Grips 100g
Brakes Magura Marta SL Front 350g (110g 160mm rotor, 30g mounting hardware)
Magura Marta SL Rear 370g (110g 160mm rotor, 30g mounting hardware)
Pedals Shimano PD-M959 345g
Skewers Salsa Flip-Offs 95g
Chain Rohloff S-L-T99 300g
Tires Kenda Blue Groove 26x2.0 L3R Pro 900g (front and back)
Seatpost Moots 27.2x340mm Layback 220g
Saddle Selle Italia SLR Ti 150g
Drivetrain Rohloff Speedhub Disc with external shifter, chain tensioner, cables 2470g
Tubes Generic 26"x1.75 175g x2 350g
Rim DT XR 4.1d 32h (rear rim) 425g
Spokes DT Competition BLACK 2.0/1.8/2.0 mm 238mm 32pcs 176g
Nipples Brass 32pcs 33g
Cranks FSA carbon with XTR Large 46T chainring 535g
Bottom Bracket XTR M952 112.5mm 215g

Total = 26.80lbs

Team Spokewrench

Project City Slicker

If you were asked to build a city, street, commuting bike, what would you  build?   Where would you start?  Most people would likely take their mountain bike and put on some slicks and maybe add some fenders.  While there is nothing wrong with this approach, we didn't want to go this route as you'll soon find out. 

The customer was retiring and wanted a bike for the bike paths and roads near his home.  He didn't want to tinker and adjust his gears, dealing with derailleurs, etc.  Derailleurs are wonderful things, they're reliable, consistent and work in pretty much all conditions.  However, you must be ready to fiddle, clean, adjust, deal with pulley wear, chain stretch, cassette wear, not to mention rear hub adjustment, maintenance, then you have to worry about 3 chainrings in the front plus yet another derailleur.  We're going to have to do better than the standard drivetrain. 

Enter the Shimano Nexus 7 speed internal geared hub with a hub mounted brake.   Internally geared hubs have been around since the turn of the century.  They were usually 3-geared and offered a practical, reliable option to the urban cyclist.  They're more reliable then derailleured systems and require much less maintenance.  Probably the best feature about them is that they can be shifted while stopped, something that an urban cyclist would appreciate while riding in stop-and-go traffic.  That's something I'm sure any XC trial rider would appreciate riding in twisty root invested, rock gardens also.  So by selecting the Nexus hub, we've replaced two derailleurs, cassette, 3 chainrings, two shifters, rear brake and 3 cables for one hub, one shifter and 2 cables.  Pretty easy decision on our part.

Now that the drivetrain was decided, we had to select a frame.  Because the internal geared hub doeesn't have a method of tensioning the chain like the derailleur system, the frame must allow for it by offering a horizontal dropout versus a standard frame.  While there are frames out there that come with horizontal dropouts, they're mostly kids bmx frames or low end run of the mill winter beaters.  At the Interbike show a couple of years ago, while visiting the Titus booth, we noticed they had a frame called the Riddler and it was called that because it had replaceable hangers for both horizontal and vertical dropouts.  This frame was designed for urban trials and freeriding so it was built to last.  Perfect. 

Now that the heart and soul of the bike has been selected, the rest is simple. 

• Headset - Chris King
• Seatpost - Thomson Elite
• Saddle - Terry Men's saddle
• Crankset - Cold forged XTR crankset with middle and small ring removed with an XT UN72 square taper bottom bracket.  These cranks are indestructible and the XT BBs are no brainers.
• Fork - Rigid Titanium fork.  No rust, no fuss.  We love suspension forks but by definition, suspension forks require maintenance, even the best ones is more than zero maintenance.   
• Wheels - Sun Rhyno Lite 32h built with black Sapim Race spokes.  The front was built with a DT Hugi hub that we had in stock.  The beauty is both wheels are built with zero dish so the wheels are stronger and stay true longer. 
• Front brake and levers - Shimano LX with Avid 2.0 levers.  Something simple and practical. 

So how did it ride?  The shifter/hub combination is so smooth and transparent.  We ended up looking down all the time for the missing derailleur.  There was no tweaking of the front derailleur to rid chain rub or cross chaining to worry about.  We were able to shift while standing or seated.  No hesitation or skipping whatsoever during shifts in either direction and we didn't have to let up on our pedal stroke.  The rear brake while not a disc brake was more than adequate for its intended purpose.   Steering was direct and the ride was surprisingly smooth due to the dampening characteristic of the Ti fork.   The frame's sloping top tube made getting off an on simple for our intended customer and while we don't expect him to lauch off any staircases anytime soon, we know the frame is going to last him a very long time.

So the end result?  Basically a simple, low maintenance city cruiser that's easy to ride, made to last and practical.  Sure it costs more than a converted mountain bike from Walmart but I bet it's at lot more fun and will need less maintenance.  After a full year of riding, the only thing he had to do was hose the bike down and change a flat.  He loves his bike and rides all the time now.  It was a blast building the City Slicker and it works beautifully.      

Let us know what you think of our project and leave us your comments.