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Just purchased some plus wheels for my whippet.
Compared to gravel tyres they feel really slow but I'm loving the amazing grip from the minions. Searching out the muddiest places to exploit them.
Nice @zippykona I found that the plus tyres do roll well once up to speed and as soon as the going is less tarmac/gravel they come into their own.
If you have time and the desire to make things really different, put a granny ring on the front and leave everything else the same.
To test you could do without mech etc, just drop it onto the small ring and go find some techy steep climbs. The grip and low gearing is addictive, even if there is no downhill to enjoy on the other side.
Not quite as much fun as doing the same with a full on fatty, but not far off and much more versatile as a general trail bike.
Tried to fit a granny ,mainly to stop from damage when the chain drops but it fouled the chain stay. Non standard crank will need a wider BB.
Anyone know the weight of the Selcof MTB fork?
Anyone know if the Alex rims that some with the whippet are tubeless ready, I presume tyres are not!
Not sure but I'll find out soon enough...just ordered a large gx model instead of the scandal as I want a more xc lightweight rig...
I've got those Alex rims on my Titus Silk Road. First thing I did was swap the wired tyres to a Bonty XR2 and XR3. Just fitted tubeless tape and valves (think Nukeproof and Lifeline respectively, as they were the cheapest at the time). Went up no problem, and have stayed up...
I'm looking for lighter wheels now though, seem tough but hefty. Also restricted to 11-50 Eagle cassetteas shimano freehub (as I found out post-purchase). Think moving to 10-52 needs a new wheelset, with XD hub. And finding the cassettes in stock.
Otherwise those wheels have been pretty good, tbf
My Alex rims went tubeless really easily.
Also restricted to 11-50 Eagle cassetteas shimano freehub (as I found out post-purchase). Think moving to 10-52 needs a new wheelset, with XD hub. And finding the cassettes in stock.
Have a look at Sunrace cassettes. They fit Shimano HG freehubs and work pretty well.
As for wheels, I got some WTB KOM light i29 on DT350 hubs. Not super light at 1850g but much lighter than the stock wheels. And wide enough to run a 2.6 ikon on the front.
Is SRAM SX much less durable than GX, or any factors, making the £800 SX less of a long term bargain than the £1k GX (as cheap as it's ever been?) in the sale that ends today?
Am I right in that although it might cost me a kidney, I could replace the 32T chainring with at least a 36T, for more downhill/flat road gears?
I've been trying to justify to myself that I can pull the trigger and let my better half use my lumpy ~21 month old Voodoo Marasa as a turbo bike to help her recover from Long Covid, while I get a new lightweight playful commuter and South Downs lane toy...
But then I wonder if a gravel bike like the Free Ranger or the ADV 9.0 (if it ever comes back in stock) might be a better choice for me. Or try and find a more racey road bike bargain than my aero brick Cube Attain GTC with its horrendous 610mm stack... There can be only one (n+1)!
Buy buy buy! I use mine for commutes, southdowns xc, flat bridleway bashing, and everything in between. I just couldn't bring myself to buy a drop bar gravel bike, so this is the perfect compromise.
Is SRAM SX much less durable than GX, or any factors, making the £800 SX less of a long term bargain than the £1k GX (as cheap as it’s ever been?) in the sale that ends today?
Am I right in that although it might cost me a kidney, I could replace the 32T chainring with at least a 36T, for more downhill/flat road gears?
The only only issue I found with SX parts was the cassette. Only the largest 4 or 5 were pinned together, so the next largest started cutting into the freehub body after 2 rides. A Sunrace cassette sorted this.
I think 36t is the max you can squeeze on there. I have a 34t and there's not much space.
Is SRAM SX much less durable than GX, or any factors, making the £800 SX less of a long term bargain than the £1k GX (as cheap as it’s ever been?) in the sale that ends today?
Am I right in that although it might cost me a kidney, I could replace the 32T chainring with at least a 36T, for more downhill/flat road gears?
I bought the SX one last time they were £800 and would recommend spending extra on the GX as I have real trouble keeping the indexing correct. Smooth shifting at the top of the range means slipping at the lower and vice versa. SX kit isn't very nice really so I will upgrade at some point.
I also need to change the chainring as it spins out in no time so is hopeless on road.
Apart from that though, it's a great bike.
Have a look at Sunrace cassettes. They fit Shimano HG freehubs and work pretty well.
Just had a look but their cassettes giving 10-52 still look to require an XD driver...
https://www.sunrace.com/en/products/mz-12-speed
Useful alternative to actual GX Eagle though by the looks of it, but may still need a new rear / wheel set. Anyone know if you can change the freehub on the Alex Rims wheels being supplied by PX?
They do an 11 to 50 for Shimano HG too.
They do an 11 to 50 for Shimano HG too.
Id really want the 10-52 range, I find I spin out on the flat with the 11t
PX kindly came back to me on via their chat function, where I asked if replacement xd freehubs were available for the Formula hubs that come on their OE AlexRim EXR30 wheels:
Specialized Formula XD S192100006 freehub body LordGun online bike store (lordgunbicycles.co.uk)
New bike arrived today 😄😄😄😄👍👍👍😄😄
Opened box to find it cracked around bb. Looks like DPD dropped a tree on it!
Oh no.
I assume you know this already, but get clear photos as quick as possible - while still in the packaging if you can - and get onto PX straight away.
To be fair to Planet X one email with pics at 5pm and by 5.30 they had organised DPD to come and pick it up tomorrow
Nice one @anagallis_arvensis , that's pretty good service so far. Any suggestion of when you can expect a replacement?
I wasn't meaning to have a go at PX. I know others here have had issues, but they've always been great when I've been dealing with them.
Not sure on how fast they can turn it round, I go away for a week on Sunday so have told them not to rush!!
Morning All,
I have just bought a Whippet and thanks to all that contributed to this thread; its been really useful and has informed my decision. It's a great bike and I am really chuffed with it. I have changed the tyres which took some considerable amount of weight off, put some DyedBro frame protection on it so it now looks like an orange Zebra and put some alternative bars on.
As I live in a really flat part of the country I am looking at changing the rear cassette to something with a reduced range and am considering the Shimano Ultegra R8100 11- 34.
Has anyone done this or have any experience?
Dogsby
No but I’d like some pictures of your bike!
Zippy,
[img] 
[/img]
There you go! Looks good - I've got the DYEDBRO VHS on my matte black whippet with tan walls 😁
IDB,
Outstanding and thanks for assisting with my IT deficiencies!!
The DyedBros kit went on really easily and I am really pleased with it.
Dogsby
Looks better than mine did!!
^^that'll buff out eeehhhhh.
Mine arrives end of this week, hopefully it wont arrive like yours......
Yay new bike arrived, this time with no cracks!!
Quick question, two washers are taped to the crank arm, are they needed for all pedals?
I’ve always fitted washers on pedals, although seen plenty without and never seen any failures etc as a result.
Ps. My Whippet will be for sale soon.
/endstealth
I put the washers on. On closer looking it appeared they just protect the crank arms..
Went for medium in the end after sitting on both a large and medium at a race a few weeks back. Has a lot of seatpost but it's not at max.
Quick ride with son yesterday and it's seems good. It's been 20 years since I had a new mtb. Will give it a proper thrashing this afternoon
Good evening All,
Has anyone changed the 11-50 cassette for something smaller? I am looking at a 11 - 30 or 34 but no idea if the GX mech will cope with it.
Any advice or experience would be appreciated.
Dogsby
Giving the bike a few rides now. I'm not best placed to review it but it certainly feels a lot more planted and a lot faster than my 20 year old steel rock lobster!! I was surprised how much extra traction 29er wheels give on loose climbs. It is harder to pop off little jumps and I also got in a pickle trying to cross a narrow bridge that is approached at an angle with it. On a smaller wheeled bike I could manage the turn much easier. All in all I'm glad I bought it....must enter a race or 2 to see how it goes. Will change tyres and go tubeless at some point but a new bike, cycling holiday in Mallorca and lots of repairs to my old motorbike have left the toy fund empty currently. On that note the Panaracer tyres seem to get a lot of stick online, they seem pretty good to me. The cheap SRAM gears change well and the brakes are acceptable but those levers are pretty agricultural.
Hello Whippeters
There's something I've been wondering about: when I spin the back wheel of my Whippet it stops turning after a couple of revs, it seems to stop suddenly with no roll-back. Obviously a back wheel will not spin like a front but this seems very short - compared to my other bike at least.
There's nothing rubbing that I can see, I've carefully checked the brake pads. I cannot feel any 'pull' when I'm riding either, it's just when the bike is in the stand.
I have the GX version, from back when it came with WTB wheels (annoying, I wanted the Alex wheels, but there you go).
Anyone else noticed this? Is it anything to worry about or am I being needlessly fussy?
I can’t really help but does it happen when the wheel is not in the frame?
Sorry @zippykona, I hadn't realised anyone had replied. That's a good idea, I'll have a look sometime.
OK, more daft questions.
first: I have never, ever upgraded the wheels on any bike I've ever owned. I had to replace wheels once, but I got a shop to do it. Thus I know nothing about what fits what.
So, do you reckon that these alex wheels would fit a standard GX Whippet? And is it worth swap with WTB sti30s? It seems it to me as the Alex wheels are 2.3kg the pair, while the WTBs are 3.3kg
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/WPAEXR30F29SHICLR/alex-exr30-29er-on-formula-boost-6-bolt-wheelset---shimano-11-speed.
And I'm assuming it's easy to swap - is there more to it than I'm guessing?
Thanks for any help. Really, I'm a total virgin at this stuff.
I was going to say that you’d be better off saving for some posh wheels but they are bloody cheap. They came on my bike roll nicely ,have a clicks freewheel go up tubeless really easy.
Wheels will pop straight in.
Having said that , when I put my Stans wheels on I’m sprinting all over the place.
If they are a kg lighter you can’t go wrong.
Not really an upgrade with those wheels. Try looking for some used wheels that are lighter.
Ok thanks, I’ll think about all that.
The WTB wheels do feel a bit sluggish though. Does anyone have any suggestions of what a decent upgrade might be for a Whippet?
Im not a heavy rider, so they wouldn’t need need to be super-tough. As I said earlier I know nothing about wheel upgrades, I wouldn’t know what to start looking at. What sort of money would get me a worthwhile upgrade?
I went for some WTB KOM light i29's on DT350's from fitwheels.eu. cost about £420 ish and are much lighter. Perfect for 2.35 and 2.6 tyres.
Do you still have the stock tyres and inner tubes?
I switched the tyres fro some Halo Twin Rails - I really didn't like the Rubans it came with. I like the Twin Rails a lot more.
I went for Hunt Trail Wides (£330'ish?) to upgrade from the Alex Rims exr30's on my bike. They're lighter so it feels like it gets up to speed a little quicker. If the Alex Rims are a kilo lighter than your WTBs then you may feel a similar benefit (and those are crazy cheap). But...imagine tge weight saving if you went with Hunts? You'd just need to make sure you specified the correct freehub - I went for Sram XD on mine so I could also change to a 10-52 cassette.
I'd be very surprised if those Alex wheels are 1kg lighter given that they are the same width, similar budget hubs and similar RRP. Saying that, I don't rate the i30 rims on mine, they're made of cheese.
@easily if you do buy those Alex wheels, could you please weigh them and the WTB wheels, as I would like to know if they are a kg lighter. Or if anyone has any real world weights I'd be grateful if you could post them.
That was an error on my part, sorry about that. According to PX the Alex wheels weigh 2.3kg. I've since seen weight for the WTBs at 2.34kg which seems a lot more plausible than my earlier claim of 3.3kg - I cannot remember where I read that, though I definitely saw it somewhere as I jotted it down in surprise.
@luv2ride
Your Hunts look great, but out of my budget for the moment I'm afraid. That's why I was so interested when I thought the Alex wheels were a significant weight saving for such a small cost.
Oh well, maybe next year.
Mine is a black ridged with GX groupset
I bought a Mavic crossmax wheelset. 1769 grams (claimed 1690). Pretty bulletproof. Running Racing Ray and Ralph 2.35 with rimpact inserts.
Added a BrandX dropper, carbon nukproof bar.
The bike as delivered (small frame) was 11.2 without pedals. Original wheels were the Alex rims that were sold on.
The bike is now 10.5 with pedals (440grams), bottle cages, dropper post and wheels with inserts.
With my carbon wheels, same tyres and inserts plus XX1 cassette, it gets down to 10.1.
On rough stuff, you have to flow with the bike or it will kill your arms. It made me appreciate just how good Trek's Isospeed is on my Boone CX bike.
But, I bought it as a muddy winter bike that was simple to clean and not expensive. For that, it does a good job.
Plus I enjoy really riding it which is what it is all about.
I've got bontrager ergo grips on mine. They make a huge difference. On the bumpy bits I move my hands to the floppy bit and it soaks it up.
https://www.cyclesuk.com/components/finishing-kit/bontrager-xr-endurance-elite-lock-on-mountain-bike-grips__177423?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=BXL537129&gclid=CjwKCAjwp7eUBhBeEiwAZbHwkZJxODL_QttfN04qDI7ouEdG885QMi0syM1md9uksJO0kBDjAto68hoCSVMQAvD_BwE
Good tip.
I just find you need to be active with the bike. Weight off the saddle. Upper body and arms nice and loose. Pick your line and lift the (very light) front end over any large obstacles.
Also, speed is your friend. The faster you go, the smoother it becomes. I'm now descending as fast as my full suss bike.
Dropper post is essential to get the weight back to keep the front light.
What kills speed is a succession of large bolder like stones or dried up parts of a trial that was heavily used by horses in the winter months. But, even full suss doesn't like that stuff.
With the Rimpact inserts, I run 11 on the front, 13 rear. A bit slow on the tarmac but fast and smooth on single track.
I think it is a great alternative to a gravel bike. Particularly if your journey is more off-road orientated.
The frame-only deal (£299) is back, I find it really tempting, as it pretty much matches Far East imports prices with far better chances of after sales support.
Now, if only I could've said the same for carbon boost forks...
I've just ordered a frame and the Selcof forks with the cage mounts. I got a pair of the cheap Alex wheels as well which will do till I decide exactly what to do with it. What I wanted was a lighter version of my Ramin 3+. The fork alone on that weighs the same as the Whippet frame. I might go 27.5 plus at the back and 29" plus at the front. Had a quick look at mullet carbon wheels from Lightbicycle which could be an option
I bought a Mavic crossmax wheelset.
Does the 12 sp cassette fit on them?
I bought some for my CX bike, and they were 10 sp only, the freehub was too small to fit an 11/12 cassette.
(though they may have been Crossrides, rather than Crossmax.)
@avdave2 have you got a link to those forks? I'm looking on the PX site but not seeing them. Cheers.
@gurnster75 I emailed them, I wanted to see if I could buy the whole bike on the £999 deal with the different forks. I couldn't as they are prebuilt but they said they'd create a manual order for the frame and fork. Frame, fork, headset and delivery was £595.
Cheers pal. Forks working out at £250 ish.
The Sonder Patherfinder fork from Alpkit could be another option. I only found it after ordering the Selcof's. They are £195
Looks nice, I don't suppose you weighed the Selcof before fitting?
Just because I can ,here's another picture
Forks arrived today, 750g with the axle and the small frame is 1350g with the axle and front shifter plate attached. First time I've had a frame where the bearings go straight into the headtube with no cups. Easy to fit I guess.
Spot on, thanks mate.
Hope the build goes smoothly.
Looks good!
I went for a Big Dog, which I love but I need to swap the large for an XL, so the eBay / STW / PB watch beings ffs.
The pain of being borderline L/XL for nearly every manufacturer
Fitting the 12-speed was no problem.
How strong are these frames? Would they take a heavy rider say 100kg down rocky paths XC?
Yes. I am 120kg and with rigid forks it handled me over loose first sized pebbles/rocks.
With front suspension and decent wheels, I’d take mine* on any Uk trail this wasn’t an obvious jump or downhill thing.
* if i still had it that is.
I’m 110kg and have no concerns with my rigid Whippet.
Thanks to the general enthusiasm, favourable reports and encouragement from this thread, I snapped up a medium in orange on the £299 frame only deal.
Probably, it would have made sense to go for a fully built bike as, despite having a stockpile of bike parts, I have almost nothing to fit the through-axle/ boost 29er generation, but at least this way, I will get the bike I wanted.
First job will be frame wrap; another new thing for me; last time I had a new mtb, it was lizard skins and duck tape! Perhaps some of you can advise on pre-cut kit vs cut from tape?
As this bike must replace ht and fs 26ers, I might go with a suspension fork. I have some new XT m8000 brakes, XT boost hubs, and a not-that-wide low-rise bar (but I am a whippet too so that's OK).
Thanks for a great thread.
Keep us informed of your progress. I've never built up my own bike but I'd love to, so I'll read with interest.
I have the matt black frame and I got a couple matt vinyl wrap sheets as a base layer, cut and moulded them around the frame with a hair dryer. This had the added bonus of hiding the horribly oversized branding. I then added some pre-cut bits on the downtube, seattube and chainstays.
The advantage of the unbuilt frame is you can take your time with routing the cables as needed, having both the bb shell and head tube open.
Also, now is the best time to consider possibly repainting; I saw some interesting attempts.
It's my normal 'stealth' way of acquiring another bike; "What, this new bike? I just built it up out of parts I already had, and this frame I got on ebay!"😊
I nearly did that this time around too, with a nice Cotic that was sitting on ebay for a few weeks, but I realised I would be locking myself into old tech once more.
With everything being different; axles, freehubs, tapered steerers, integrated headsets, 1x drivetrain, it will take me a while as funds allow.
Also, now is the best time to consider possibly repainting; I saw some
😊If I get into repainting before I have started, I will never get it built!
Actually, I am quite happy with the orange, and the branding. There might come a time when repainting is necessary.
I think I will but enough film for a few mistakes, and wide enough for some wrap around critical points, and see how I get on...
First ride other than a very quick test spin on mine today since putting it together. Currently in long distance mode where I don't have to carry anything on my back. 70 miles and 8100ft of climbing mostly on the SDW today, it was great. Going to need to loctite the bottle cage bolts as they worked loose while riding. 2.6 front and 2.35 back. Looking forward to trying it with the 27.5 3 and 2.8 wheels and tyres I've got for it.
Drive train is Deore 10 speed from my Ramin 3, brakes are new SLX with the rotors taken from an old Boardman which also supplied the bars and stem. Wheels are the very cheap Alex wheels from Planet X. Seatpost and saddle also from the Ramin.
So with my carbon fork stuck somewhere with no ETA, I am desperate enough to consider some suspension forks (no way I will pay £300 for a locally sourced rigid boost fork) to complete my build.
Website says both 100mm and 120mm are fine for the frame, but what is the user experience here? Any benefit of +20mm on the Whippet being what it is?
I'm also thinking about getting a bouncy fork for mine - any recommendations for something appropriate and in stock??
Lauf would look awesome. I thought about one but can't afford it.
The new Whippet line is up, new colour schemes and double the price for the frame alone. As Planet X did not bother to update their description (still says T700), I assume that only the paint job (and the price) is new.
On the fork, the Whippet is offered with the RockShox 35 Gold RL DebonAir 100mm, but many here have run it with 120mm forks. I was just hoping some could chip in with their impressions.
The full Whippet is still a good price IMO, and it's even better if you don't mind the old paint scheme.
I'm glad I got mine in orange, I don't especially like either of the new colours.