QuoteInstead I just installed the correctly sized FOX bushings which are a Teflon/Delrin material that seems to be very low friction.  Although the RWC needle bearing would be lowest friction overall.

Bike shop sized and put my bushings in, but I'll bet they're the same as Carbon dude's.  Would love to see a comparison of stock bolt/bushing with the RWC bearings if there was a way to quantify the friction.

QuoteGiven I didn't have a front derailleur, I ran the brake cable internal, just thought it would be cleaner that way and with no cables on the down tube, they don't get in the way of my bike rack.

Tried external too, just to start with.  But then ran internal, much cleaner.  Trimmed the cable while I was at it, get syringe and shimano funnel too (for shimano brakes) if you do, with those tools, its easy.

QuoteMaybe add some of those clear vinyl letters on that matte black paint for some accents.

anyone know where these letters could be ordered online?

waiting to hear how that one up conversion performs!

Quotewhat do you think of the wheels? and the RCT3? and could you tell me how to set it up, having a really hard time doing it to mine

You mean to say your having a hard time with the RCT3 not the whole bike right?  I don't know squat about setting them up, and my rear shock is, apparently, crazy adjustable too... so there's a education in suspension coming up for me.
Guys I've been out of real biking for 3 or 4 years so I just don't much reference points to identify where the improvements are coming from.   Everything about this ride is so vastly superior to my Homegrown 26"..

35mm OD wheels are stiff and seem super strong.  In final analysis, I'm glad I did the 35mm vs the 30mm wheels (tire contact/volume etc.).   The 29" wheels benefit from wider bars imo, like 700-750mm.  (just ordered Chromag Fubars OSX Handlebar).   
This bike simply flys.  It eats up the terrain.  The RS Revelations were a fairly expensive part , but the RS Rev seems very supple now that its been ridden a few times and when dialed in I think its going to perform really well.  They do add some weight over the SIDs others are using, but this XC wants to moonlight as a all mountain.  But I can tell you the Cane Creek DB inline and the RS Revelation RCT just make this bike supple.         

QuoteWhat was your final build cost?  Always good to post up your final cost for anyone else looking to build a a similar bike.

Don't take my build cost to seriously, I had some help with some bike shop connections (didn't get wholesale, but definitely less than retail on about 2/3rds of my parts.   The other third I got at online outlets in CA and England.
630   frame   XMIPlay  ip 036
500   Fork   RockShox Revelation RCT3 Fork, 29", 120mm, Solo Air, ML 15, MoCo DNA 3- Pos, Crown Adj, Tapered, 51mm Off-Set, Dif Black
285   Rear Susp   Cane Creek Double Barrel InLine Rear Shock, 165x38mm (6.5 x 1.5")
65   HandleBars   Chromag  780mm
   Headset   Neco XMIPlay
      
58   Stem   Thomson Elite X4 Mountain Stem 70mm 90 Degrees 31.8 1-1/8" Threadless Black
22   Grips   Ergon GS1-L Racing Grips: Large Black
38   Saddle   WTB Laser V Pro Saddle Black NiCro Rail
180   Dropper   KS LEV DX Dropper Seatpost, 31.6, 125mm Travel, Black
      
      
20   Bash Guard   Race Face Light Bash Guard, 32t x 104mm Black
22   1x10 single chain ring   RaceFace Narrow-Wide Single Ring 32t x 104 Black
6   Allow 180mm on 160mm setup   Shimano F180P/P2 Disc Brake Adaptor
39   Front Rotor   Shimano XT RT86M 180mm 6-Bolt IceTech Disc Brake Rotor
35   Rear Rotor   Shimano XT RT86S 160mm 6-Bolt IceTech Disc Brake Rotor
100   Rear Brakes   Shimano XT M785B Pre-Bled Rear Disc Brake Kit Metal Pad 1700mm Hose
100   Front Brakes   Shimano XT M785B Pre-Bled Front Disc Brake Kit Metal Pad 1000mm Hose
      
      
32   Pedals   MSW CP-200 Platform/Clipless Pedal Sealed Bearings Black/Silver
8   Cleat   Wellgo WPD-98A Cleats, SPD Compatible
      
580   Wheelset/Hubs/spokes   XMI Play 35mm Carbon hookless, Novatec, Sapim
      
      
42   Cassette   Shimano XT M771 10 Speed MTB Cassette
80   Tires   Maxxis Ardent Tire 29X2.25 LUST/UST Folding Black
      
25   Chain   Shimano XT HG95 SIL-TEC 10 Speed Chain
0   Front Derailur   
62   Rear Deraillur    Shimano XT M786 Shadow+ 10 Speed Rear Mech
76   Trigger shifters   Shimano XT M780 10 Speed Trigger Shifter  I-Spec B
140   Cranks & BB   Shimano XT M780 10 Speed Triple Chainset

3,145    TOTAL

Quote

Have you considered doing the one up rear derailleur cage and sprocket mod to get a little extra gear range for the climbs?

I crammed so much junk in my brain while researching for this bike, I know I saw that one up mod somewhere, but can't remember exactly what/where it was.   Please give link if its not much trouble for one up mod.  Adding a gear would be great!



I have a friend with a 25lb XX1 Pivot, hoping to swap with him and gauge some comparisons/impressions soon.

Thx guys. 
Ya, I went riding in Sedona a couple days ago..  fortunately the engineers I rode with quickly spotted a bunch of things that weren't tightened up (didn't have the right tools).   Cables are all internal now and cleaned up.  Looks much better, and I'll never cut through the palm of my hand with a zip tie, by grabbing the down tube again! 

I'll work on total build cost and post soon.   

If you're buying Shimano brakes, order the funnel cup tool, 6$ and makes bleeding brakes much much easier.  (Shimano, you should include this with brake sets.)
I'm 6'1" and would definitely get bars wider than 680mm.    The 1x10 setup (or 1xwhatever you want) is money!~

Some quick observations, and finally.. pictures

iplay handlebars would not allow my Ergon GS1 grips on (too fat), and the bars don't feel wide enough.. so going back to my old bars.
there's play in my front hub, don't know if its an adjustment or just the way it is, (Novatec came with the built up carbon wheelset)
Bike climbs like a goat!  Revelation RS with 120mm travel feel really good on it.   

ok, I must be overthinking this, no one else is having issues,   how do you post pictures!!?

Rode the IP036 Revelation, CC DBinline, XT today..   this is a very light, smooth, stiff bike even in the XL frame size.  It felt the same as the Santa Cruz TallBoy I took out a while back...


my pictures were showing up on this post, but just disappeared, don't know why

they like to communicate back and forth with Skype messaging, if you have skype

Peter's revised ETA for the frame came through, actually it arrived a day or 2 before he said it would and he sent the tracking code to me.   Thanks Peter!

Not sure if this is on all 3K weave frames, but some of my joints are in UD carbon.  Not a big deal as the 3k fade to solid black at the bottom bracket actually looks pretty cool.  Matte finish 3K frame, bars, rims looks rad and I'm sure won't come through in pics very well.  Started building last night and couldn't stop, it was so much fun to be a 5 yr old at Christmas building a good bike. The only think better than this bike, is a wife who encourages me to buy/build it.  (Guess she might get a more fit husband out of it..)   Fotos tomorrow when the sun comes up.   It was a middle/upper end build and came in at 28lbs.

"Please don't worry, Peter told me last week his wife is pregnant and he need to take care of his wife and that takes time and got higher priority. Please understand that. But you can also contact Jason or Bert if you can't wait. They're also available on skype. "

Oh, just saw this post from above..  Definitely going to extend some grace for that, just had my third in Oct.   Congrats Peter!

He let confirmed a couple days ago on skype, its going to ship by Jan 15!

Not going to pretend to be all that experienced here, but I would add $110 to your budget and get the carbon wheels from Iplay or similar on Novatech hubs for $560.  I just got the 30 millimeter id rims, & I will be darned if these are not Roval rims, (which with DT hubs cost $1500).   these are going to be an awesome upgrade to ride on, but beyond that, the thing I'm most excited about is not having to true wheels as frequently, or likely at all! These wheels are Beefy, strong, and light.

Just a public service announcement..   In talking to Peter the last couple days, he let me know that they are able to send out UD carbon frames (which is what most of their frames are done in) much faster than 3K carbon frames (which I ordered).   I stuck with 3K and Peter is committed to getting the frame shipped by Jan. 15th will be a few days shy of 3 months after payment.  I'm frustrated by the delay, but Peter has been fairly responsive.

So if you need the bike within a month or two, go UD. 

I stuck with 3K because my wheels/handle bar were done in 3K.  My vanity/OCD, whatever you want to call it, has secured me some bonus lessons in patience!

I did get contact with Peter, we're working on seeing if/when I can still get the bike i ordered back in October.

"upwards of $10k from any of the big name brands.  My build was under $4k an"          I stand corrected. I had a few hookups on parts, so I'm somewhere between $3200 to $3500 and feel I'll have a bike that rides 95% as good as any big name 8 to 10K$ bike.  Add to that that I got to spec/design the bike, its an all out win.  I'm sure some big name bike companies are taking notice.  I did feel bad not getting this at a local shop where the guys have been flat out awesome, I'll find other ways to support them.  In the end, I need the best bike I can put together for the money and this was it by a long shot.

CD, thanks for putting the tips together for building the bikes, it'll come in real handy when building this up.

Thanks CD,   I guess thats another reason I got concerned.. I always got responses from him so fast, but I havn't been able to get contact from him in over a month..

I think this bike is set up like a lot of the ones I see here, people trying to get 90% of the way towards a top of the line bike, but at 50-60% of the cost of a XX1 or XTR bike.   It seems that shaving the last few grams is what nukes the budget.   Also a goal on this one is to have a fairly light bike but also rugged, thus 35mm wheels (probably overkill) and revelation fork.  I'm really excited about not truing wheels!

CD's bike and this one below were inspiration.   Everything is 3K Matt finish, easy to match for a bike being pieced together, and possibly doesn't scream "hey, I'm an expensive bike" to any thieves.  Anyone got any 'Huffy' or 'Murray' stickers?   Otherwise, I really like the idea of flaunting some red chinese dragon's or something: