M06 27.5+ build April 2019 (updated with pics)

[ChinaCruz]

I ordered one of these frames off the bay during one of those sales. It's still being put together. Observations so far:

The recommended fork is 500mm axle to crown. For the 19" with a 105mm head tube, this is seems way too short. I may put on a 120mm fork with a 520-530mm atc.

The bearings were well greased and fit tightly in the frame. Overall build quality seems fine.

Cable routing is terrible. They put the rear shifter and rear brake cables through different sides of the head tube which is stupid. There's no versatility on how to run the cables. The dropper and shock lockout are on different sides of the frame. This makes no sense. I ended up stuffing the rear brake and rear shifter housings through the same hole. But I want to convert an XTR front shifter to shock lockout duty and the lockout routing is on the left side of the frame, causing a tight bend. I can't route through the other side because the housing run has a closed path. If I like the frame a lot (and decide to never sell) the drill will come out, gents!

I put a Mcleod shock on it with RWC bearing kit. The lower (rear) mount measured 22.8mm on my calipers but took a 21.85 RWS kit with no modification required. I have some shims but it seems pretty tight.

[emu26]

I'm not surprised to hear that cable routing isn't what you expected. I am assuming you are in the US.
I'm in Australia and we generally run front bake right, rear brake left, front shift left, rear shift right.  This means the controls that are used most, front brake and rear shifter are on the dominate hand for the majority, the right hand.  It then also means that the rear brake hose and rear shifter cable do come from different sides of the bars and therefore enter different sides of the frame.  I believe, but could be wrong, that Europe does the same but America tends to be rear brake right.

Hope that makes sense and helps you understand why it has been done the way it has.  I believe it is actually a better way to set up your controls but I guess it is what you are use to that matters.

[emu26]

BTW, got a link to the frame?

Edit: Just saw the frame. I must admit I have never liked the "exposed under BB" cable routing and I see that the cable entry points are specific. The BXT frame I bought for my boy has cable entry points that have are generic but the frame comes with a swag of different types of "ports" that clip into the frame opening. The ports have different diameter holes to allow for cables, hose, or cables with inner liners like Alligator.  It allows you to move things around to however you want.

[ChinaCruz]

Yes, in USA we are rear brake on the right for bicycles but not usually for motorcycles.

What I am looking for mainly is that cables coming from one side of the bar enter the frame 1. on the same side of the frame and 2. preferably on the opposite side to reduce the bend. This allows me to shrink wrap the cables together and makes for a very clean look with no rattling.

After running the cables through the chainstays and getting some good looks inside there, the EPS molding or whatever didn't help them in that area. The carbon insides look like something from the movie Alien Prometheus.

[emu26]

I suspect the EPS moulding would only be on the main frame as the moulds need to be removed somehow.  Just a thought though as I have never seen cf being moulded

[ChinaCruz]

Emu, that makes sense. As long as it stays together I shouldn't complain!

Got it together and went for a ride. It came out to 24lb with pedals. I could lose a pound with weenie tires and another pound with better crank/cassette/saddle/pedals.

I'm 6' and got the 19", which is a perfect fit. I have 125 psi in the Mcleod for about 28% sag.

It worked well and was fun to ride.



Syntace hubs, don't see that every day. 



The RWC bearings feel smooth. Buuuuut, I have a standard Rockshox mount kit on the other end. When I unbolt the RWC end and move the shock, it feels just as smooth as when I do the same action on the RWC bearings. So was it worth $44? No idea.



Build list, kind of a mix of Shimano 11 speed.



It would be better with a 120mm fork. With this 100mm fork, I have a taller dust cover and a -6 degree stem. I usually slam the stem and use a -17. When a good deal comes along I will get one, but it will have to be a Fox 34 SC I think. I do not like the stiction of the Rockshox forks. I know a Reba is under $300 but I'll pass.

Thoughts on the frame -

Bad:

cable routing,
Rear axle nut is smooth. Frame carbon is smooth. Rear axle nut spins when you try to tighten axle.
Lack of a front derailleur mount. This is laziness because a 2x system will fit.
Bottle cage mounts too high. There is no excuse for this really.

Good:

Geo is pretty good if you like an aggressive riding position. They messed up on some parts of the geo chart but nothing bad.
Tire clearance is very good. I have plenty of space around the 2.6" Barzo tires, which are 2.6" measured.
The BB92 had a good interference fit. I used Loctite 609 on a Wheels Manuf thread together bb unit. This worked really well.
All linkage bearings fit tightly, were well lubed, well sealed, and torqued properly. Of course I took it all apart to come by this information, but if I had left it alone it would have been ok.
The flex stay design appears well executed.
Shock mounts were almost perfect. I had to use a 0.5mm shim on the rear mount but that was cheap from RWC.
Headset and seatpost clamp all took standard sized components without a problem.
Rear axle fit (I mean the dimensions of the nds hole relative to the axle outer diameter) was perfect.
One of the brake mount threads was tight, but I didnt clean it. Probably should blast some air in there before building.
Dropper routing is pretty good.
Frame and shock were $800 total. Good price.

Neutral:

BB is a bit low with the 2.6" tires, even with 170mm cranks. Perhaps this could benefit from one of those off center shock mounts. I calculated a single offset bushing would raise the rear axle 4.3mm. With a 120mm fork it will also be higher. The issue here is that a lot of nice 120mm forks are coming out this year so I'm going to hold off buying for now.

Overall, am I satisfied with this frame? Mostly, yes.

[emu26]

Rear axle nut is smooth. Frame carbon is smooth. Rear axle nut spins when you try to tighten axle.

I have the same problem with my son's BXT hardtail. The nut has four small holes in it that look like you might be able to hold it with a tool while you tighten the axle, I have yet to find the tool.

[ChinaCruz]

I have a Shimano SM-AX76-B axle but it is just slightly too long for the nut to tighten down. I will get a washer for it. Then I can use the cam action of the lever to tighten. These axles are pretty cheap to buy.

The more I ride it, the more I am convinced this was a good choice. Also the geo chart should for certain say the fork atc should be 520mm not 500mm - both for reasons of pedal clearance and the short head tube.

[Carbon_Dude]

Nice build!

[ChinaCruz]

Thanks!

I took of the 32SC and put on a 34 130mm. It added exactly 1 lb to the bike. Yowza. But it's wet here and I won't be able to ride it for a while.

[emu26]

Nice, it will be interesting how it handles in comparison and how much BB is lifted.

[ChinaCruz]

The 130mm fork and single offset bushing raised the bb by 12.5mm. I can't feel a change in handling but pedal strikes have been reduced significantly. The bars are also in a better position so I don't need to use stem spacers.

For 27.5 2.6 tires, I think it is safe to say that 525mm is a good fork atc, making this a 110/130 bike.

Other pertinent info: Tires are 65mm width, 170mm cranks, 25% sag fork and shock.

[ChinaCruz]

Going on two months of riding and loving this bike.

I don't need the offset bushing with 2.6" tires, but I do use it with 2.3" tires, which are Vittoria Morsa. As for handling, it seems that tire profile is the major factor here.

The final thing it needs is a remote for the shock lever. Antisquat isn't too high, I'd estimate around 90%, so for long climbs I put it on setting 2 of four, if setting 1 is locked out and 4 is open. I'm thinking of adapting my 2x shifter for this and using a cable splitter to do both the fork and shock at the same time.

If anyone has the antisquat and leverage ratio charts for this bike, I'm interested in seeing them.

Final build price came in at $2700USD. Obviously I got some deals. On some other things I paid almost retail, like the rotors and tires. $1200 for the frame, shock, and fork seems like a pretty good bang for the buck.

What do you guys think?