First time lacing a wheel. Man, this is a pita! You really need to be perfect with the amount of turns you make all around. Gunna take the first one apart and do over, tension is all over the place. I gotta say though it’s really nice having the Park Tools to do it.

I would HIGHLY recommend this book on wheel building. For the tiny investment it is worth it: https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

I printed the lacing / build procedure chapter years ago and use it was a step-by-step guide so I get everything right whenever I build a wheel. I have built dozens of wheels, and still find this really helpful. Last used a week ago when building new wheels for my Miracle FS822 build (240 front / XTR rear on Dartmoor Tomcat with Sapim Lasers and alloy nipples) - and I'm very happy with my work!

My Miracle FS822 arrived this week. I'm excited - it has taken me 6 months to choose, order, cancel, re-choose and re-order the frame for this next build! Interested to know if anyone is using or considering this frame - there's very little about them on the forum here.

It is size L of this frame painted gloss black: http://mira-factory.com/Product/detail/id/43.html.

Frame was chosen because Miracle have been around for a long time, good geometry, good price, good communication. It's also nice to try something a little different. I think this new breed of 120mm cross country frames is one of the most interesting MTB developments at the moment, and I can't wait to try it out.

This is my third Chinese frame build. Others are Airwolf YFM026 hardtail (2.5 years old, no problems); and a Carbonda 1001 (my son's. 18 months old. Gets hammered. Parts frequently break but no problems with frame).

There are a few reasons for this build:
1. A reward to myself for hitting 3.5w/kg when training for this season (although racing didn't happen because of life!).
2. To take over from my old Kona Hei Hei race bike that I really miss!
3. Something that I can use on less extreme trails, but that can handle them when needed. This should be great for marathon races in BC, Canada and for all day rides up in the alpine!
4. To potentially take over from the Airwolf, which I will either sell or convert to singlespeed and fully rigid.
5. I love selecting and building these bikes.

I'm not quite ready to build the FS822 yet - it arrived quicker than expected! This week I have unpacked it, designed decals and ordered wrap.

Build will use:
- Fox 34 Performance Elite 120. Removed from Airwolf and fully serviced with new decals from Slik
- Fox Float SL
- Dartmoor Tomcat rims. DT240 front hub and Shimano XTR rear with Sapim Laser spokes. Not yet built
- Bontrager Raceshop Limited carbon bar/stem combo, TransX 150mm dropper
- Magura MT5s
- Drivetrain from the Airwolf: Deore 12sp with XT shifter and X0 carbon crank / chinese power meter.

Impressions so far:
- Seller was Sally. She has been excellent at answering my detailed and sometimes stupid questions and always responded quickly on Whatsapp. Recommended.
- Frame was in stock. Paint took just over a week. Frame was shipped immediately by UPS and arrived in Canada in 5 days. Frame very well packed.
- I have not checked frame bearings etc yet but first impressions are that this is my best frame yet. Very clean inside the frame. Paint is excellent (1 small blemish that has been touched up on ICSG mount). Seatpost fitted very smoothly.

I have high hopes for this frame from on experience so far. I'll update the thread as I progress and if / when I run into any problems.

Poor pics taken so far are attached!

So many options to consider but the Shimano hub / WTB rim deals on Bike 24 are pretty good, e.g. https://www.bike24.com/p2415009.html

I bought something similar when building my son's bike. It worked out cheaper that anything I could find locally even with shipping and duty added. I would trust the hubs on these more than some of the Chiner options.

  I epoxied in a 3cm piece of carbon fishing rod to route the cable through. 

That is a great idea! That or a piece of old v-brake noodle will address a similar routing issue on my Airwolf (that has been bugging me but not caused a problem yet)

I pre-ordered this frame but ended up cancelling due to delays. I would recommend anyone considering it check stock before ordering.

Interesting (i.e. good!) that they are doing tests and sharing the videos before they list it / put it on pre-sale... unlike some other frames recently mentioned on this forum ;p

I would recommend the 1002. It's almost exactly a year since we built a 1002 with a 170mm Fox 36 for my son. He has been absolutely hammering it and no problems at all with the frame. He rides everything from big day rides to Whistler park on it. I've ridden it a couple of times just to get a feel for it and really like it.

I would recommend having a careful think about size through. I am 178cm and would be right on the line between medium and large. Personally I'd be tempted to go medium because I think the reach on some bikes is now too long, but it really just depends on what you prefer.

See if you can negotiate a discount. When I looked at Carbonda recently for another build they were a little more expensive than some other options.