Dashine Bike Carbon 29er Singlespeed Build

[maui400]

Hi Brett,
nice build! You were really quick in the end! And I'm beginning to like this frame. It definitely looks great, the weight is awesome for the price and the 70° HTA is what I would prefer over the 062 (which is still tempting).
Please keep us updated about you riding experiences. How does the frame feel? Does it bend easily, does it feel stiff?


Btw. Did you bend the spider of the crank? My heart suffers a little when looking at the picture.

[Vipassana]

That thing looks light just sitting there.  Enjoy.

[xcbarny]

Hi Brett,
nice build! You were really quick in the end! And I'm beginning to like this frame. It definitely looks great, the weight is awesome for the price and the 70° HTA is what I would prefer over the 062 (which is still tempting).
Please keep us updated about you riding experiences. How does the frame feel? Does it bend easily, does it feel stiff?


Btw. Did you bend the spider of the crank? My heart suffers a little when looking at the picture.

The Crank mod is generally known as the Jeff Jones XTR modification. Here's a better example:
http://www.mtnbikeriders.com/2011/03/12/diy-xtr-960-single-crankset/

except I slotted the bolt holes, so that I could fit a 104 BCD ring rather than the 102 BCD that this crank takes. It works, but I still have some work to do on it to get it finished. It actually comes in lighter than a Sram XX1 Crankset.

First ride out was nice. Bike felt predictable. Not too harsh, but I wasn't riding a rocky trail. I still have some tuning on the forks to do, as I bought these 2nd hand, so its hard to get a true impression of the bike, until I get them sorted.

[cmh]

The Crank mod is generally known as the Jeff Jones XTR modification. Here's a better example:
http://www.mtnbikeriders.com/2011/03/12/diy-xtr-960-single-crankset/

That crank mod looks great, but damn, you've gotta have some balls of iron to take a hacksaw to XTR cranks! I was nervous enough cutting ~3.5" off the steerer tube of the new fork for the wife's "A" bike this weekend.

[xcbarny]

I was lucky enough to have a friend CNC machine it - for a 6 pack of beer!

[cmh]

I was lucky enough to have a friend CNC machine it - for a 6 pack of beer!

Hah, nice! That definitely works. Only had to ovalize the chainring bolt holes 1mm to go from 102 to 104mm, as well, which kinda begs the question of why the hell Shimano decided to not use 102mm - a 1mm difference in the radius isn't going to make a big difference in the smallest gear that'll fit. Maybe it'll fit a 30t without mods, but since Wolftooth doesn't even make a 30 for that size, I'm guessing probably not.

[xcbarny]

I reckon the engineers have a running joke, to see how many different BCD sizes they can come out with. I think they introduce a new one every year.

I was recently looking for a 104 BCD XT chainset for another bike, and was amazed that the same crank also came in 96 BCD size (equal spacing) and now the new XT and XTR is 96 BCD (unequal spacing). Would it have killed them to use 94 like Sram if they needed to go smaller? (Yes, probably).

[maui400]

Hi,
did you have the opportunity to do more rides and impressions on your new bike?

[xcbarny]

Well, last week my son was born, so i haven't  ridden since then.

I did get a 2nd ride on it though, on my regular loop, before  he came along. There's a 3 1/2 minute dh on this loop that I've ridden many times. I got my second best time on it, and faster than my best time on my 4" travel duel suspension bike. There's  also a 15min gradual climb, which i also got my 2nd best time on, despite blowing up on the climb.

So all in all, im very happy with the bikes handling. I think i have more confidence in it than my deully, because the shorter  wheelbase allows the tires to hook up so much better. Once i get my singlespeed strength up, there'll  be no stopping  me on this bike.

[maui400]

Hey congrats to you and great your family seems well!
Small wonder you didn't have much opportunity to ride. It'll probably stay like that for some time. 

But still. Your description of your last ride sounds really good. I hope I can place an order soon.

[cmh]

Well, last week my son was born, so i haven't  ridden since then.

Congrats! So we'll hear more ride reports in a couple years, right?

[Vipassana]

The Crank mod is generally known as the Jeff Jones XTR modification. Here's a better example:
http://www.mtnbikeriders.com/2011/03/12/diy-xtr-960-single-crankset/

Good link, thanks.  That polished crankset looks fantastic.  Unfortunately, I can't polish anything on my bike; too much carbon.

[xcbarny]

So understandably, a few months have passed since I updated this thread, but after a period off the bike, and then a period of getting some fitness and strength back up on my geared bike, I am now getting back out on the Singlespeed.

And I'm loving it!

I've been riding mtb since the early '90s, and have owned a fair few bikes in my time. Often top of the range frames from the likes of Scott and Specialized. This frame is probaly the fastest bike I've owned (I've only owned XC bikes). And despite my lack of top fitness, I'm getting PRs everytime I head out on it.

So I've had a few niggles:
The EBB wasn't holding tight, so I applied silicone sealant to it - this seems to have done the trick.
One of my dropouts seems to be coming loose, despite me applying loctite to it - so I need to try something stonger.
I need to covert my rear hub to a thru axle, as I'm not overly happy with my current soluction, but I need to save up the $$$ for the Chris King conversion axle and a new 12qr Axle.

Also the conditions here are very dry and loose at the moment, so I think I need to try a new rear tire as the Thunder Burt isn't quite cutting it.

Everything else is great. On the weekend I was able to follow a freind down a 6+ minute downhill, at the same speed as him. He was riding a Rocky Mountain Element with 100mm travel.

Here's the Video of another run, where he followed me down:
https://vimeo.com/166692676

(note: I don't profess to be the best downhiller!)

For anyone looking for a good value frame, I can highly reccomend the Dashine. It's so good, I'd even consider getting another to swap with my geared hardtail (currently a Planet X Dirty Harry). My Duel sus bike isn't getting any use at the moment!