martin profile

Nice review, thanks Andrew! Frame-only reviews are a rarity but I think it's really good to see for people like me who buy a frameset. It's easier to check the construction quality and alignment when you get to build the bike yourself, and things that are important for longevity and long term trouble-free ownership in my opinion.

The Banshee Titan would have been on my short list if it didn't have a Trunnion mount as I have two 230x60/65 shocks. Maybe Cascade will come up with a non trunnion link at some point 😅 (not a chance haha).       Anyway this would almost bump the price of the Titan to what I could get a new shock for. If the alignment is good like the one you have, then maybe trunnion would be a non issue. They seem to have got this right with the one piece bb junction/ shock mount!

My current Meta AM has a 76.5 STA and I have my saddle slammed forward so probably closer to 77-77.5. It seems to work perfectly for me so I guess it depends of one's body proportions. With slacker STA I get knee pain and I've never felt that since riding 75-76.5 STA. For me this is good but I can see how it would not work for others. I don't know how much would be too much, but I think that I have found my sweet spot at 77-77.5.

Thanks! I've been running a weird 11/12 mix this summer with good results, but I think that the 12 spd chain didn't like the 11 speed cassette that much. It didn't help that it was an 11-46 cassette with the big jump between the biggest gears. (I had an 11 speed XT cassette + shifter with a 12 spd SLX derailleur + XT 8120 12 spd crank + SLX 12 spd chain and 12 spd chainring). 

To be able to enjoy the shifting under load, I just got the (steel!) Microspline freehub body for my DT 350 hub and the Deore 10-51 cassette so I'll wait for the steel RF Shimano12 spd rings before installing the Aeffect R crankset, or use it on another bike! Thanks again for the info!

@Andrew Major 

Have you tried the complete Deore 12 spd groupset (or chain)  with a "standard" 12 speed Race Face cinch chainring ? I have the opportunity to get a RF crank for a good price and I'd prefer to run it with the cheaper more durable steel RF rings but they don't make a Shimano 12 spd version yet. Wondering if the "regular" 12spd version would still work well with the 12 spd Shimano chain ? Cheers!

Awesome, thanks! Just bought the Base stem! I contacted them for product questions last year and they were super helpful and replied quickly. They seem to have really good customer service these days!

Hi Cam, it might seem like an insignificant question on that bike review, but I'm wondering if you had any issue with the E13 stem ? I like the Base model's design (and price!) and haven't found much info on them. Cheers!

Andrew, love those off-the-beaten-path ideas that you bring out! Reading every bike news site every day, I can get a bit unimpressed by the awesome 13K$ bikes that come out. When I was a bike mechanic, after having built and fixed many cool high-end bikes, the thing that we loved the most were the old 80's/90's bikes or weird things that would come in the shop. Nothing was more satisfying than giving a tune-up and fixing up an old abandoned-in-the-shed steel Rocky Mountain from the 90's to get it back working like a new one.

Trying new old things like that friction shifter or riding rigid bikes keeps things interesting in this era where bikes work so well and are so "easy" to ride. I brought out the old hardtail for a few rides with a friend this summer and he asked "Why are you riding this instead of your shiny new bike?!". Riding it feels so different, but at the same time, it reminds me that I have just as much fun riding a low-end hardtail as when riding my new high-end custom full-suspension bike built exactly like I wanted. Plus it's always satisfying to pass people on 8K$ Yetis with that old hardtail haha!

As a side note to this, WTB's warranty has been awesome with me. One of my Asym rims had a bump at the weld and I sent them a picture to ask if it was normal. Without me asking, they told me they'd send me a new rim and that I could keep the old one as a spare or finish the season with it. 

If you haven't disposed of the rim already, you could always ask them about the nipples pulling through and see what they say. I've been really impressed with my warranty experience, and even if I was already sold on their rims, this is the kind of service that keeps me as a loyal customer for a long time!

Since the KOM Tough doesn't have eyelets, I used Sapim polyax nipple washers on my build. First I used Whisky stainless washers but their sharp edges dug through the nipples so I replaced the nipples (Sapim brass) and used the Sapim washers. I thought it was overkill since the spoke bed is pretty thick but now it seems like it was a good idea.

I haven't heard of anyone having this issue though. At what spoke tension have you built your wheel?

Thanks for the review! I was curious about the difference between the Tough and Light and this review nicely covers that.

I'm running an i29 KOM Tough on the front (they didn't have the Light rim in stock when I needed one) without insert, and an Asym i29 in the rear (because that's what I had last year) with a Cushcore Pro (both 29"). The Asym(etric) rim builds a wheel with more even tension on each side but I still prefer the traditional centered spoke holes and the KOM's shape. I haven't had to touch either wheels' tension this season and both stayed true in the 500km I've done so far. On the Asym, one side is taller than the other and it seems to pick up rocks more often. Maybe it's just coincidence, but this doesn't happen with the KOM it seems so that's another plus for the KOM.

I've had an older Laserdisc FR rim from WTB which had a center rib reinforcing similar to those on the KOM Tough and used it for 5 seasons on the front without ever truing it I think. That's why as soon as they had the KOM Tough I went for that. I don't mind the weight penalty if it lasts, and all WTB rims I've had convinced me that they make great rims!

I love my Lezyne lights from a few years ago, back when they had "Infinite light" (replaceable batteries). The 1200 lumens Mega Drive came with two battery packs (which were two 18650 packed together) and the SuperDrives were 600/800 lumens with one 18650 battery. I've got many batteries but now they're not holding much anymore. 

It's so convenient to just bring along a few replacement batteries in my backpack. I'll look into finding good reliable rechargeables 18650 for the SuperDrives. The lights are still as new!

Posted by: Poz

I found it challenging at times building my bike this fall and winter. Definitely didn’t get as many off season deals as I normally would expect and I ended up with a few items that weren’t my first choice. 

I’ll be stocking up on brake pads and tires now.

Same thing for me! Last spring I couldn't find the shock I wanted in stock anywhere for my build (DVO Jade) so I had to pay quite a bit more for the only one Jade X I could find. Seeing the parts shortage situation, when the Jade came back in stock I bought one right away to have a backup.

E13 were supposed to have a new tire out and when I asked recently they said "They're ready but we don't even know when the factory will be able to make them so we can't give any date!"

I made sure I had spares (tires, chain, brake pads, grips) for next season before the new year and I am quite happy now that I see what's going on. I even had some "back in stock" alerts for some items at JensonUSA and for those that came back in stock, they were gone before I went to order!

Same thing for my suspension and frame, I made sure everything was sorted before winter and now I'll be able to rebuild what needs it since I have the parts on hand.

I have put for sale a bunch of parts that I could have never found use for, and they're selling surprisingly quick! Now is the time to unload the things you don't need.

So glad I built up my first fat bike before they closed the stores here as we have perfect snow conditions for riding in the East right now.

I love reading those stories!

Mine was a brown 2004 Kona Shred that I bought 400$ from a pawn shop in 2005 when I was in university. It still had the little hairs on the tires so basically new, I couldn't resist. I used that bike for 3 years, went everywhere from Quebec to Alberta, Moab, Northwest Territories and the Yukon. Commuting to work or even riding the Kicking Horse bike park, I always had so much fun everywhere with it and met so many biking friends all over the place.

I sold it (still on stock parts!) for 350$ after three seasons and the only single part that I replaced during that time was the chain (once!). Best deal ever!

As a last resort, if you bought it with your credit card, read carefully your extended purchase "guarantee" and you might be able to reclaim the frame through that. I've had a shop screw up an expensive headset while installing it, never wanted to replace it, and I called the CC company to see what was possible. Since a bad "installation" was not covered, they didn't want to do a thing, but they said that if I had accidentally dropped it on the ground for example, it would have been covered.

Read everything in the fine print before calling them and ask them like if it was a hypothetical situation to see if they'd cover that before making a formal claim, because from memory there were very few situations where the insurance would cover. If "accidental damage" is a cause, you might be lucky.

Which generation of the TRS are you using? I used a pair of the TRS (Gen1, Plus compound)  last summer and they were by far the tires with the most rolling resistance I've ever used. I am back on Magic Marys (Addix soft, around the same weight but with a Cushcore pro) and they feel much quicker rolling even with the insert. I remember my first few rides on the TRS and I couldn't believe it! 

I also ride DHR IIs on another bike and they feel like they have much less rolling resistance than the TRS. 

Maybe the Gen2 were faster than the Gen1 but I haven't tried them as they seemed too square for my liking. Curious about the Gen3 version though, it seems like they addressed the rolling resistance and squareness issues.