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Re: SVChucko's Seraph/TanTan FM10 build
Lots of progress tonight. I tapped out the factory-installed upper headset race without incident, and pressed in the race that came with my ZTTO headset. I installed a Cane Creek Helm II fork, temporarily using a 70mm stem and an old Titec Pluto riser bar. The stem may stay, but I will definitely need a wider bar. I got a set of take-off SRAM Code RSC take-offs for a good price off eBay, from a bike dealer in SoCal. I mounted the calipers, but the rear caliper bolts are too long for this frame. I need to find shorter bolts. I already had brake rotors (203mm front, 180mm rear). When I tried to install the front rotor, 2 of the 6 bolt holes in the Goldix GDX 370 front hub stripped before I could get them up to torque! I've complained to the vendor. We'll see how that works out. The rear hub didn't have that problem, fortunately. But now I need to replace the front hub and rebuild the wheel. I mounted the ZTTO 11-speed cassette and Sensah derailleur and shifter. Routing the shifter cable housing and the rear brake hose was a hassle, but nowhere near as bad as I'd feared. I won't cut either to length until I have a handlebar. I took an old seatpost and measured the insertion depth. I came up with 160mm (this is the 17.5" frame). Looks like my best bet is a OneUp Dropper V2 150mm. I may not be able to use all the travel, but I can shim it down to 140mm. That's more travel than I can get with any other post in this frame. After months of staring at a pile of parts, it's starting to look like a bike! Still a long ways to go, though. I have to buy and install some cockpit parts (bar, saddle, dropper post, pedals) and a chain, and rebuild the front wheel, before it'll be rideable. December 28, 2021, 03:01:18 AM |
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Re: Current transit times to the US?
To wrap this up, my frame left the vendor on Sept. 17, and was finally at my door on Dec. 21. That's 95 days in transit, give or take an International Date Line.
December 28, 2021, 08:29:45 PM |
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Re: SVChucko's Seraph/TanTan FM10 build
Not a lot to show, but progress has been made. The Hope hub, an SQLab 30X bar, a pair of Ergon grips, and a OneUp dropper post are now in my hands. I finished rebuilding the front wheel just a few minutes ago. The bearings in the suspension are all standard industry sizes. The trunnion bearings, the rocker pivot, and the rocker-to-seatstay bearings (that's 6 total) are all 10mm ID x 19mm OD x 5mm wide. The industry part number is 6800-2RS. The 2 swing arm bearings are 15x28x7mm, industry #6902-2RS. (The -2RS stands for "2 rubber seals".) The bearing locations all have room for wider bearings, but you'll probably need longer bolts. The 6800-2RS can be replaced with a 3800-2RS. This is a 10x19x7mm double row angular contact bearing which should withstand a substantial radial load. This bearing is not all that common, but it is available and not outrageously expensive. Real World Cycling (a.k.a. EnduroForkSeals dot com) has a 3800 bearing which is 8mm wide. As far as I can tell that is not a standard size - I think they advertise it as a replacement for a specific Trek model. The first photo shows the rocker pivot bearing - note the excess threadlocker compound that flaked off. I unscrewed several of the suspension bolts to get a better look at them. (This may have been a mistake.) The bolts are all aluminum. Given my recent experience with Chinese threads in aluminum, that makes me a little nervous. They all had threadlocker on them when I removed them. The rocker pivot and the rocker-to-seatstay bolts are the same size. The bolts are 10mm x 1.5 pitch, with a small 14mm diameter x 2mm high shoulder under the 19mm diameter head. The length under the shoulder is 19mm, of which only the last 11 mm are threaded. The bearing rides on the unthreaded shank, and on the shoulder. The second photo shows the rocker bolt removed from the first photo. The shock trunnion bolts are also 10mm diameter, but with the standard trunnion 1mm pitch (which is considered extra fine). The bolts also have a 19mm head and a 14x2mm shoulder, and 15mm under head length, of which the last 10mm are threaded. I cross-threaded this bolt trying to get it back in, which is why I said it may have been a mistake to take it all apart. I finally got it back in straight. I think it'll be OK. But I'm already looking for a replacement. The 3rd photo shows the trunnion bolt before I cross-threaded it. The swing arm bearings ride on an axle which extends through the front triangle. There's a bolt on the right end of the axle, it's a serious shoulder bolt. Threads are 12mm x 1.25mm pitch, 18mm long. The shoulder on which the ID of the bearing rides is 15mm diameter by 7mm long. There's a second shoulder, looks to be 19x1mm, directly under the 28mm diameter head. See the 4th photo. I hope to find time tomorrow to run the seatpost cable in the frame and install the post itself. Once that's in place, i can install the bottom bracket and crank, trim the cables and brake hoses, and go looking for a saddle and a chain. January 09, 2022, 02:43:02 AM |
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Multiple storefronts for the same vendor
Anyone who's been shopping for Chinese bikes and parts will start to recognize that the same companies own several storefronts under different names. As an aid to the newcomer to Chinertown, here are a few of the ones I've noticed. Additions and corrections welcomed.
January 15, 2022, 06:20:27 PM |
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Re: DT 240EXP hub clones Goldix, Venfort
Lots of buyers of the star ratchet clones have had success substituting actual DT Swiss parts for knockoff ratchets that failed. Presumably you could go the other way, but why? I don't know if the pawl freehubs are close enough to swap. March 13, 2022, 02:28:05 PM |
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Re: My new LCFS958 - StefanB
Another beautiful build, StefanB! I'm envious that you get to build so many nice bikes!
March 13, 2022, 02:43:44 PM |
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Re: SVChucko's Seraph/TanTan FM10 build - it lives!
I finally set up the cockpit yesterday. It was no surprise that I had to shim the OneUp dropper post. The FM10 design has a shallow seat tube, and at the full 150mm extension, the saddle was just a tad too high. But I picked the OneUp because it had the shortest insertion depth at 150mm, and because they claimed you could adjust the travel in a couple of minutes without tools. They weren't lying. I only needed to shorten it by 10mm - one set of shims - so I still have plenty of room to drop the saddle in the rough stuff. I set up the handlebar angle and the controls much like my old bike. I was a little disappointed to see that the saddle-to-bar distance was actually shorter than my old bike. I had a bike fit done last summer, and the fitter thought the bar was too close on the old bike. OTOH, the old bike was designed around a 100mm stem. The new bike has a 70mm stem at present, which I thought would be too long. The grips on the 16° SQLabs 30X bar are in line with the steerer. I might try moving the saddle back on its rails. It's a gorgeous day here in Silicon Valley today, so I took the new bike to a popular local preserve for a shakedown ride. And had a blast! Only a couple of minor issues came up during the shakedown ride. The seatpost creaks pretty badly in the frame. The headset developed a little bit of play, no surprise, and no big deal. Some of the helicopter tape I put on the chainstay had come loose and was buzzing against the tire. And (oops) I put the rear tire on backwards.  I wish I could blame the bike for my (lack of) fitness, but I didn't really notice the weight of the fatter tires.The ZTTO 11 speed cassette, Sensah CRX shifter and derailleur, and low-end SRAM 12-speed chain combination worked great. I had no issues with shifting. We'll see how that changes as it wears. No issues today with the Goldix rear hub either, thankfully. I'm still leery after the rotor bolt threads stripped in the front hub, and after all the reports of Chinese star ratchets breaking down much sooner than expected. The 16° bar seems to suit my hands. The Ergon saddle seems kind of firm, but then I haven't done much riding lately, and I know I won't notice it after a few weeks. Overall it rides a lot like my 2007 vintage 26er. This is both good (no major adjustments to riding style) and bad (expecting the spouse to say "You spent $$$$ for a bike that rides just like the old one?!)"  It did seem a little easier to control on downhills.I'll want to go over everything with a fine toothed comb before taking it for another ride. And I'll cut down the steerer tube by about 20mm. I'd left it long just in case, but the Cane Creek Helm II fork seems to work fine. I may build a set of 29" wheels and trade off to see if the extra width of the 27.5" tires makes up for the lower bottom bracket. The trails I rode today had been groomed recently, so there wasn't a lot of rough stuff to provoke pedal strikes. Pictures attached as promised. I went with a stealth matte black theme because I'm lazy, and I suck at painting. (I was the kid who always had glue thumbprints on any model kit I built.)
March 13, 2022, 08:03:07 PM |
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Re: SVChucko's Seraph/TanTan FM10 build
Confirmed, the MRP Race axle, 172mm long, 1.5mm thread pitch, is a perfect fit in the FM10. It doesn't bottom out when torqued to spec (10 n-m). Looking forward to taking this bad boy for another ride tomorrow or the next day. May 13, 2022, 09:05:31 PM |
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Re: Lexon "Riot 10"
@Caseven, how do you like the Manitou Mara? I've got one on a TanTan FM10, still getting it dialed in.
June 30, 2022, 10:10:42 PM |
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Re: Sensah CRX Pro 11-Speed
I still only have a few rides on the setup, but I got the Sensah CRX shifter and derailleur with a ZTTO 11-50 cassette. So far so good. I really need to get more miles on it.
November 27, 2022, 03:41:16 PM |
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