Returned that helmet.. Just couldn't do it. Too flashy and bulky for my tastes. Going to try an all matte black Bell Super next. As for my small brake lever issue.. it's just one of things that slightly annoy me but will certainly not affect performance. In fact, since I actually got to ride my bike today (!) I now know that by the time I squeezed that right lever enough to feel the "pop" at the end of the lever travel, I would have flown over the front of my bars by then. Seriously, total non issue thankfully.
And man, these brakes are freaking sweet! The last brakes I had experience with were the Avid bb7s (which I bet a lot of you have used extensively) and while the Avids are nice brakes.. hydros are way better. I love the feel/modulation and power i get with just one finger because of these brakes.. and I only have the Deore M615 with XT rotors.. I can't really imagine the full XT set up could be all that much better, but as I've already pointed out.. this is my first foray into the realm of hydraulic brakes, so what do I know. Either way, these brakes are plenty awesome enough for me.
So is the bike. Seriously, I freaking love this thing. Fit is close to perfect. Might have to make some minor tweaks when I learn more what I prefer as far as cock pit set-up, but for now the fit seemed surprisingly perfect. Really happy about that as I definitely got a bit lucky. That said.. In 2 months I might feel the need to go for a longer stem, or set back post, or wider bars. We'll see.
As for the ride.. It is exactly what I was wanting. Which is a relief because in the 2-3 month process of deal shopping and slowly buying components and doing ridiculous amounts of research, you tend to change your mind about what it is you do want. Mainly, I was starting to wonder if I made a mistake going hardtail over a full suspension.
I have owned a full suspension 26er and really liked it, but the pedal bob really did annoy me. I had read so much about how 29 inch wheels smooth things out, and considering my local trails are mostly smooth dirt, and the fat tires, and the carbon.. I didn't really need the full suspension.. did I? After hitting the trail today, I'll say that I love the 29er hardtail platform really does roll over things better than my 26 full squish with smaller tubed tires, and the direct power transfer to the wheel from the pedals is exactly what I was wanting. I really like the stiffness of the whole bike, and I'm sure the carbon is coming into play there.
I never really understood when people talked about carbon's smoothness or dampening characteristics, but it really does just "vibrate" you less.. and combined with the stiffness, lightness, and now affordability.. I won't be going with allot frames anytime in the foreseeable future. I was a little worried that I was going to be disappointed with carbon fiber frames.. Like a movie that had been hyped up so much that when you finally saw it you were just kinda like "meh", but carbon fiber is obviously superior in every way to aluminum, and you can absolutely feel the difference.
Now that the bike is done and I've hit the trails... I couldn't be happier. Like I said.. this thing is awesome and tons of fun. A fully custom, high end carbon bike is significantly better than any bike I've owned or ridden, and it makes a huge difference out on the trails. Not only is the bike bad ass, but I learned an absolute TON and now I can actually work on and tweak my bike myself, which is a huge perk. In retrospect, MTB mechanics are dead simple and fun. I encourage anyone looking to but a bike to consider building your own from the ground up, even if it's not a Chiner.. it's just a more rewarding experience in my opinion.
I'll continue to update this thread with any issues I encounter or changes I try out, and plan on adding some more in depth how to guides though out the thread as well.
I'm in the process of making up some Chinertown stickers now and will post some more pics when I get one on my bike, but for now:
