One of my projects for the year was to look into getting a smaller MTB frame. I hadn’t made it a top priority considering that my focus was on TTs and CX. Before I became a serious cyclist, mountain biking was my favorite form of cross training. Cross country was my favorite running discipline, so it made sense that riding the trails would be a natural love.
With my focus on the road, I had only ridden occasionally the past couple of years on my Giant NRS. I always had a feeling that it was too big. Now, having ridden seriously now for 3 seasons, I can tell if my seat is about 1 mm too high. Still, for how little mountain biking I was doing, it didn’t make sense to get a new bike. That’s where I blame CX.
My cyclocross racing got me more excited about doing offroad stuff, especially since the mayhem of crits and road races weren’t appealing to me much. Then I started thinking again a few weeks ago about one of the longer term goals I had set for myself–to complete a 24-hour solo MTB race.
Uh, oh. OK, wait. I’m not ready to tackle a 24-hour solo next year, but I should try to get some longer races under my belt before I attempt one. I still want to focus on TTs next season, but will start to shift some of my focus to the dirt. This leads us back to the MTB.
I first started trying to decide whether to get another full suspension bike or a new hardtail. Then, it was how many of my old components to bring over from my old NRS. I picked the right time of the year to look, because most manufacturers were having end of season discounts. After quite a bit of research, I settled on the Titus Racer X. I started looking for bikes on eBay, but bought the frame through an authorized dealer for the warranty. The Titus seemed to fit my needs perfectly and it had great reviews. Plus, I got the frame at a killer price along with a bunch of Shimano components. I got the bike built up last week and spent the entire 3-day weekend riding it. Before I’d get through 1-2 hours of mountain biking and want to stop, with the Titus I wanted to keep going. I’m very happy I chose I another full suspension bike that was more my size.
Here’s the complete specs of my build thus far. I’ll post updates and a full review later.
Frame……………2008 Racer X (Small)
Fork………………2008 Fox F100RLC
Shock……………Fox RP23
Wheels………….Cane Creek Zonos SG (I’m building a custom set for racing)
Tires…………….Panaracer Fire XC Pro tubeless (going Maxxis for sponsorship)
Brakes………….2007 Avid BB7 (going hydraulic)
Crank…………..Shimano XT M770
Fr Dr ……………Shimano XT M770 (top swing)
RR DR…………..Shimano XT M770 (long cage)
Shifters…………Shimano XT M770 Rapidfire
Chain……………SRAM PC-991
Cassette ……….Shimano XT M770 (11-34)
Cables…………..Alligator PTFE
Pedals……………gg Beaters C
Seatpost………..Thomson Elite (Upgrading to Ritchey WCS)
Saddle…………..WTB Rocket V
Stem……………..Ritchey WCS (OS, 100 mm)
Headset………….Cane Creek S-8
Handlebar……….Sette XLR Riser (Upgrading to Ritchey WCS)
Grips……………..Ritchey
Spacers………….Cane Creek
Bottle cage……..None
