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Morning all. I am currently waiting for my new Bird Aether 9a frame to arrive today. The APC tracking website says that I am scheduled for stop 39 - the van is currently at stop 23. I think I got lucky when I ordered 3 weeks ago that stock was due in shortly.
This bike build will be organised. In my head it will be like one of those dream bike builds on YouTube. Not at all like the usual sh#t show that I manage - all swearing and not being able to find the tool that I had in my hand 2 minutes ago. At least that's the theory. If I can figure out how to post photos on this here web site I will post photos of the organised and tranquil bike build.
Well come on then, had it arrived yet?!
all swearing and not being able to find the tool that I had in my hand 2 minutes ago.
You are not alone ☺️
Or the "what? i need yet another specialist tool? but it's just a bottom bracket and i have numerous tools for one of those already?" moment
Yes! It has arrived and Mrs Stigheed was out when both the frame and the new forks (bargain Lyrik RCs from CRC) were delivered. She'll be none the wiser as long as I can keep her out of the garage for a while. I'll have to volunteer to do the laundry - that might make her suspicious. I'll say I found a dead rat in their or something. Anyway, The build starts tomorrow, first things first, tidy up all the crud that is lying around.
Whats wrong with you man? Tidying up when theres a new frame to build? Get on it!
Was wasn't it tidy anyway?
The relief of new bike gear arriving when the house is empty, meaning that awkward explanations aren’t required. Having said that the kids are now pretty good at spotting new stuff, however I seem to have got away with my new road wheels without needing an explanation!
🙄need pics
The relief of new bike gear arriving when the house is empty, meaning that awkward explanations aren’t required.
In future, simply get stuff delivered to a drop off point (Amazon locker etc), re-wrap it and post it to yourself. Hey presto, the ebay bargain has arrived
Obviously involves extra postage, so larger items may not be feasible.
Some of your parcel concealment delivery skills are clearly superior to mine.
As for whether my garage was ever tidy, there is an old dog bed and a dog crate cluttering up the place as well as the items for sale on eBay that, in my head allow me to justify the cost of the new forks (they will cover about a third of the price of the forks). Plus, there's the old frame kicking around as I haven't boxed that up yet.
Photos, I need to figure out the best way to load them onto this forum and will do that tomorrow.
I don't appear to own calming music like the dream build videos. The closest I have is the soundtrack to Batman The Dark Knight and that usually makes me want to karate chop someone's head.
Good luck with the build.
Take your time and all will be well…
I had a bit of a nightmare with mine as I managed to round off one of the cable guide bolt heads as the thread seemed to bind when removing it to add the bottle mount adapter doo-dah thingy. I then tried to drill it out but couldn’t due to limited access cos of the shock. Had to nip round to see Rob @bikerevivesheffield who calmly tapped a new thread for me and saved the day.
I discovered I didn’t have the right crank puller for the race face cranks on the hardtail that was donating most of the parts as well. I was fitting different cranks but wanted the saint bb off that frame and found out too late I couldn’t get the cranks off! Had to make a last minute dash to decathlon.
Oh and also fitted the rear brake, trimmed the hose, installed onto the lever… then realised I’d not fitted the rubber grommet… doh!
It’s a great frame though and I’m really enjoying it.
I'm hoping I don't need any further tools for when my frame arrives. So far for the new build I've bought
Dub external BB tool
Bleeding edge bleed kit
Star nut setter
Hose trimmer
Pipe cutter
Surely everything else is going to be bog standard right?
Right?
Not sure if the images will work, had issues with uploading in the past....
It's invisible!
Ha, success posting images! Right.....Yesterdays build - and was it just like those dream build videos on YouTube? Well, I had intended to tidy up the garage to give myself the best possible chance of a smooth build, however, I lack the patience to do this so the work bench looked like this:
Undeterred I unpacked the frame. I was not disappointed with the raw finish and it certainly looked long! It came with an in-line Deluxe Ultimate shock, partly so that I could happily use a bottle cage without the bottle hitting the shock.
The new Lyrik RCs had arrived 2 days previously but they needed to be stepped them down from 160mm travel to 140mm - one click on the TF Tuned website and a new Debonair air shaft appeared in the post!
The change in air shaft was a simple job after confirming the correct oil volume, my son's old Ikea toy box tray came in handy...
There are some really minor niggles with the frame. I don't like the supplied chain stay protector, whilst it does the job, it is not an elegant solution. I will investigate a better after market chain stay protector and would welcome any thoughts from others. The frame did not come with any down tube protection, so I bought a carbon model from Rockguardz. This was fitted in about 3 minutes (2 of which were spent watching it in a bucket of hot water to soften it up).
Finally, the cable routing for the rear mech sticks out a bit under the BB so I may have to apply a zip tie here or there to keep it out of the way. As I said, these are really minor points.
Despite the typically messy garage the build proceeded without much faff. This was due to the absence of a press fit bottom bracket as well as the external cable routing - both a definite plus for home mechanics. I also liked the fact that there was ample space for the work stand clamp without compressing either the brake hose or the dropper post shaft, small things but this does make putting the frame on and off the work stand much easier. Overall this was one of the easier frame builds though not without some swearing.
The bike, including pedals, tipped the (cheaply purchased) scales at 33.81 lb, probably about right as I have not splashed out on light weight components.
The Ride:
Today I went out for a quick spin to do the final checks. I should say that I drank more wine than I intended last night, this meant that I did not get out on the Malvern Hills until late morning. Consequently it was full of civilians and I could seldom really let fly on the descents. First impressions however, are that the bike handles brilliantly in a sure footed and neutral way. It climbs well with the lockout rarely used, in fact I only used to to judge its effect.
The frame geometry, one of the main reasons for swapping out from my slightly too small Evil The Following Mk1, made for a comfortable and centred riding position. The front wheel did not wander on climbs as my old bike did. At 6'2", I went for the size large as the reach was close to that on my Pace RC627,I can't say for sure whether the XL would have suited me better, it may have been a touch too long, but I also don't have any concerns about my size L choice.
The frame has ample clearance for bigger tyres, I have a 2.6" Specialized Purgatory on the back (that comes up more like other manufacturers 2.4") and there is still plenty of space for mud clearance - another factor in my decision to swap out the Evil. I reckon you could easily get a "proper" 2.6" in there with room to spare for mud, not sure about a 2.8" tyre though.
As for descending, although I could not really get up to much speed due to the super-abundance of old farts on the hills, it felt very stable and unflappable. The rear shock is not as plush as that on the Evil, I guess that is the trade off for the very effective anti-squat that assists on the climbs. The bike also tracked really well, I suspect that has much to do with the new Lyriks. It will almost certainly be the case that this bike is more capable than my riding skills will allow.
I still have a few tweaks to do - the number of spacers under the stem will be reduced and I will probably swap the Specialized Butcher/Purgatory combination out for a better wet weather/all year pair, probably to a DHRII / Magic Mary combination. I still need to fit the new dropper lever when it arrives in the post as the current Giant one requires a large loop of cable out front and this looks messy, I also want a longer dropper than the 150mm model that I currently have, this will enable me to benefit from the low top tube height on descents. Finally, I imagine that I will want to upgrade the basic RC damper to a Charger 2.1 damper. The damper on the (bargain at CRC) Lyriks was ok but not as good as I know Rockshox dampers can be. This might have to wait for funds though, depending on how itchy my mouse finger gets in the next few weeks!
Looks good - I’m curious about these or the 9c version. Currently on an Aether 7 which I love but wondering how the 29er version might ride.
Looks good, although I am highly suspicious of your cable routing, both by the headtube and on the outside of the fork 🤔.
Enjoy either way!
Looks great, but as yourdad points out. Cables enter frame opposite side to bar position. I guess the logic is there is less severe a turn in cable and no frame hit.
Also brakes on Euro style? Left looks to be attached to a very short cable to front.
Obviously fence needs a coat and grass cut.
Oh, yeah, if you have the luxury of external cables you have added pressure to make them look good... a reason i rarely share photos of my bikes 😛
You also really need to look at tensioning the barbed wire on that fence there. Sloppy.
Rear mech cable routes above the bb shell under the chainstay. There is actually a guide there to clip it to. Goes quite neatly through there out of harms way.
I’ve run my cables not crossing the headtube at the front. A bit longer than these though I think.
Thanks Docrobster. I will tidy up the cable around the BB, I wasn't happy with it as it is anyway.
As for the cabling around the headtube, I am afraid I cut the dropper lever cable too short - hence the odd routing. I have ordered a new outer but wanted to ride it before it arrived in the post.
As for the fence and the grass - neither are mine so they're not my problem. Why do you think I didn't post photos of the bike in my garden? That would definitely have invited comment!
I haven't ridden enough bikes to know where the Aether fits in the grand scheme of things, but unflappability is a characteristic that stands out for me. The steering always seems to remain calm and predictable, even when I'm getting out of my depth.
Sorry to bang on about the cables. I thought the accepted wisdom was to have front disc cable on the inside of the fork leg, reducing likelihood of snagging on bushes/trees/trails dogs/ small children.
Howsyourdad - you're probably right. I need to sort the cables out in general. I moved the disc brakes over from a frame that is considerably shorter in reach - hence the compromises to get it up and running. I will get it sorted though.
I managed to round off one of the cable guide bolt heads as the thread seemed to bind when removing it to add the bottle mount adapter doo-dah thingy
Mine were a very poor fit for a 3.00mm hex key, the bolt heads were ~3.08mm it felt way too loose to even try. Did them with an oversized key I had lying around from an Ikea build.
I don’t like the supplied chain stay protector, whilst it does the job, it is not an elegant solution. I will investigate a better after market chain stay protector and would welcome any thoughts from others.
Nukeproof Reactor 275 Alloy. Did need a fair bit of trimming, I further trimmed the thin bits on the end as they didn't look like they'd stay put. After that, a 290 might have fitted, but wouldn't be necessary. The other 275 ones looked like they may be a better fit, but aren't - Reactor 275 Carbon, Mega 275 Alloy, Mega 275 Carbon. Standard bird one looks cheap, collects mud and grit underneath.
still plenty of space for mud clearance
With a 2.4WT Maxxis, I've put some helitape on the seatstays adjacent the tyre tread, as they do seem to get spattered a bit.
Those decals date the fork, some silver 2021 lyrik decals would look much better and go well with the frame, I also changed my maxle to a Burgtec one to colour match with my headset cups and seatclamp, but I'm not a fan of the quick release axles and a self confessed biketart.
@endomick - There's colour matching maxles out there?.....
Bikes and boots - thanks for the suggestion on the chain stay protector, I'll take a look.