Budget Build

[davidd]

I'm not sure what you have or have not bought at this stage but if you're happy buying from Europe, and with the current dollar/euro situation you should be, can I suggest the following;

hibike.com
bike-discount.de
bike24.de
rczbikeshop.com

hibike and bikediscount are substantially cheaper than even chainreaction, where I used to buy all my stuff.  RCZ have absolutely incredible clearance and promotional deals.  They're not great if you want it NOW but if you subscribe to their newsletters you can pick up unreal bargains.

[carbonazza]

davidd,  since you put a list of online shops in Europe.
Here is www.r2-bike.com, from Germany too.
They have generally the special parts you will not find easily elsewhere.

bike-discount.de and bike24.com have huge stock and are generally cheaper than the UK shops.

[bdub]

Thanks guys. I will for sure check out these other sites.

I am a bit torn on getting the Fox fork. I can get a Reba for $100 less. Is the Fox worth it?

[Carbon_Dude]

I have a Rockshox Reba Dual Air on my IP-057 which is not in production anymore but works great.  On my FS 29er I have a Fox CTD remote and it is also nice because I can select from three different settings using the remote lever on the bar.  If it wasn't for the remote options, I'd say there is very little perceptible difference between an equivalently priced Rockshox or Fox Fork.  Unless you are going with a remote lock out, go for the fork that is the best value.

[JohnnyNT]

Great idea about the list of the shops, maybe make a sticky out of them in the "components deals&selection" subforum ?

[bdub]

I have a Rockshox Reba Dual Air on my IP-057 which is not in production anymore but works great.  On my FS 29er I have a Fox CTD remote and it is also nice because I can select from three different settings using the remote lever on the bar.  If it wasn't for the remote options, I'd say there is very little perceptible difference between an equivalently priced Rockshox or Fox Fork.  Unless you are going with a remote lock out, go for the fork that is the best value.

I was thinking the same. I like the CTD system but for a hard tail its not nearly as important.

[bdub]

I'm not sure what you have or have not bought at this stage but if you're happy buying from Europe, and with the current dollar/euro situation you should be, can I suggest the following;

hibike.com
bike-discount.de
bike24.de
rczbikeshop.com

hibike and bikediscount are substantially cheaper than even chainreaction, where I used to buy all my stuff.  RCZ have absolutely incredible clearance and promotional deals.  They're not great if you want it NOW but if you subscribe to their newsletters you can pick up unreal bargains.

Damn BikeDiscount has a SID for under $500 US. That's pretty damn impressive.

[Carbon_Dude]

I'm not sure what you have or have not bought at this stage but if you're happy buying from Europe, and with the current dollar/euro situation you should be, can I suggest the following;

hibike.com
bike-discount.de
bike24.de
rczbikeshop.com

hibike and bikediscount are substantially cheaper than even chainreaction, where I used to buy all my stuff.  RCZ have absolutely incredible clearance and promotional deals.  They're not great if you want it NOW but if you subscribe to their newsletters you can pick up unreal bargains.

Damn BikeDiscount has a SID for under $500 US. That's pretty damn impressive.

Grab it!  (As long as it's the right axle style and travel you need)

[bdub]

Just couldn't pull the trigger on the SID. Was just to much to spend on the relatively small advantage of the SID over the Reba. At least for my use it's a relatively small advantage. If I was going to race this bike or something I would have absolutely gone for the SID.

So.. I ordered this stuff.

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/rock-shox-reba-rl-29-solo-air-100-tapered-ml15-black-266499/wg_id-8720
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/dt-swiss-m-1900-spline-29-wheelset-100-15-x-142-12-139223/wg_id-8821

I hope that's a good wheel set.

[Carbon_Dude]

The Reba Sola Air and DT Swiss XR1900 wheels are a high value, solid choices for your build.  I particularly like the star ratchet in the DT Swiss hub, it's a mechanically simplistic design that works very well.  You should be quite happy with those components on your Chiner frame.

[JohnnyNT]

Unfortunately these wheels don't have star ratchet but normal pawl system, still really nice for the price though.

[bdub]

Well I know they are not the best wheels but I figure I will get some carbon hoops in a year or so.

[Carbon_Dude]

My mistake, I forgot that the budget DT Swiss wheels do not have the star ratchet system.  Either way, DT Swiss makes quality components, I'm sure you will be happy with them.

[bdub]

Can someone explain to me what I-Spec B Model mean on XT? From what I can tell the brake lever and shifter are combined?

[Carbon_Dude]

I believe it means you can use a special bracket/hardware kit to mount the shifter and the brake lever together.  It makes for a cleaner cockpit, possibly improved ergonomics.  SRAM makes something similar called Matchmaker.  Since I have a SRAM drivetrain and Shimano brakes, it's not something I bothered to look into on either of my builds.