Gloss looks nice!

Your experience mirrors mine, so far. I did add RWC kit on the shock mount, front and rear, and notice a tiny bit of play when lifting the bike off the ground ... just a tiny little "click". I think I need to adjust the spacers. I also agree, the shock bolt looks very cheap.

Looking forward to the final build!

Bike looks great!

Re 170mm cranks. I put 165's on mine and did not notice one bit of difference other than fewer pedal strikes. There was a study done and linked to on MTBR forum that shows the loss of power is barely measurable. I've also read that shorter cranks are a little better for people with knee issues so there's that as well.

 

I'm gonna say no to the blues but that depends on your parks ... I think 100 rear is too short. Most parks around here (North Carolina, USA) say 150mm minimum.

Some pictures from last weekend ..

The color flip doesn't show as well in these photos but it goes from a deep blue to purple to red then gold ...

Bike gets lots of compliments on the trails and I might have sold a couple more frames for TanTan ...

A few updates:

Wheels ... had some 29's built and the should be here on Monday. The pedal strikes were happening too often for me. Even with the 165mm cranks ... I noticed on a recent ride while following someone that they were pedaling in a lot of places that I couldn't or didn't because of the possibility of a pedal strike.

BB ... it's creaking badly. I noticed on my first, longer ride that my crankset came loose ... this was after about 9 miles. A few rides after getting it tightened back it started creaking. I wasn't sure where it was coming from so I torqued and greased all the pivot points, checked rear axle tightness but still had the creak. Pretty sure it is coming from the BB. I hate press fit BB's. Reading up on it I see where some say to use carbon paste instead of grease on aluminum BB cups like I have.

Got a great deal on a remaining 2018 Hope Tech 3 V4 front brake in blue .. so grabbed that and got a E4 for the back. Using the Shimano rotors for now but plan on replacing them with Hope rotors.



Started the wrap on the bike this week. I chose Avery Roaring Thunder Gloss color flip. I really like the blue/red/gold flip on this and the Avery color films are much easier to work with compared to 3m. I don't plan on wrapping the entire frame but haven't decided on an exact design yet ...





Hopefully finish the wrap this weekend and get some pics with the new wheels next week.

Finished the initial build last night.

Overall, I am pleased with the frame construction and quality. I ran into a few snags but nothing major (hoping the BB imperfection doesn't haunt me later). The internal cable inserts were no big deal to drill out ... cut down the long screws that intruded into the head tube without issues. Dropper cable was a little bit of a pain but I got it in ... TIP - route all cables BEFORE installing forks. That makes it much easier to grab the cables as the come into the head tube area.

I would probably have it painted if I ordered it again today ... I did not realize the UD Matte was also a paintjob and thought I would get the frame sooner if I opted out of custom paint. The UD Matte shows everything and there are a few areas that look like mistakes or just look aesthetically bad. The front of the headtube, for instance (see pics). I am designing a vinyl wrap for the bike ... not sure which way I am going with that yet so not a big deal.

Still need to cut down the steerer once I get the cockpit fit nailed down. Also have 165mm crankset to go in place of the 175mm on it now. On the lookout for a nicer dropper with a little more travel.

I hope to hit the trail this evening .. will report back with ride report.


Build Sheet


TanTan FM08 Frame - UD Matte 29'r version
Fork - 2019 Pike 150mm Debonair Charger 2 Boost
Shock - Fox - Factory DPS EVOL (210x55 for 150mm rear travel)
RWC Needle bearing shock bushings on the way .. not yet installed.
Groupset - SRAM Eagle GX
Brakes - Shimano XT 8000 180mm rotors
Wheels - 27.5" Race Face ARC 35 with Bitex hubs built by SpeedGearBike
Minion DHF and DHRII 2.6 WT
Spoon bars and 35mm stem
ODI Troy Lee lock on grips
Dropper - KS Eten 100mm with Wolftooth lever
Seatpost Clamp - Amazon blue anodized no name
WTB seat

I took most components off my 2019 Motobecane HAL Eagle Boost.
I got the Fox shock on Pros Closet for $149 shipped .. it's a 2017 Yeti takeoff.
SpeedGearBike built the wheels and I had them on my MB HAL for a couple of months ... very happy with them but I may have a 29 set built as well.


Shock all mounted. Was a little tricky holding the flip chip parts while getting the shock in place.


Fitting the Fork and bars




Eagle GX


Had to adapt a few parts to get the BB in .. the press I bought would not clear the inner bearing race so I had to improvise. Got it in without issue though. Plenty of grease applied so let's hope no creaking.


Crank is in.


32 Chainring fits easily.


Those are some nice blue fookers ... lol (Fooker Pedals on Amazon)







These pics are from a couple of nights ago ... I will post some pics of the completely finished bike later.

I'd be happy to answer any questions about the build or if there are any measurements you need or want ...

Started the build last night ... ran into a few snags.

Forgot to order 2 rear shock mounting kits .... for some reason I only ordered 1.

Frame issues:

1) When trying to insert my fork ... it was binding for some reason .... well when I took it out and looked down into the head-tube ... this is what I saw ..



Nice.. right? Yeah. The inserts for the internal cable routing have these screws that hold them in ... and they extend right into the head tube. Scratched up my fork stem nicely.

2) Rear triangle cable inserts. Again an issue with the cable routing inserts. The brake side has way too small of a hole in it for a brake line, while the drive side has a much larger hole.

I did put my 27.5 back wheel on it ... did not take pictures of clearance - rim was a 35mm with a Minion DHR II 2.6WT  - looks like you might get a 2.8 on there.

3) My donor bike frame has XT brakes with the adaptor for 180mm rotors. This frame take 180mm without adapter so my caliper bolts are too long.


I will get some pictures tonight.


Question on frame protection ... What is everyone using and what areas of the frame do I need to protect?

I will take some pics tonight.

And it begins!