Summer is not over! Check out Recycledmountainracing.com’s 26” Downhill Bike V2 “Old School”!

Posted on 1 Aug 19:58

Summary:

We know it has been a while since we posted a bike build, all we can say is you guys, our great customers have been keeping us busy! Thank you for your business. Check out our latest downhill bike build. We can this build “Old School” because it has some of our favorite downhill parts from the years gone past, and a few new parts to keep it fresh! The backbone of this build is a mid-2000 Mountain Cycle Shockwave 9.5”. Mountain Cycle has a special place in our heart as it was one of the original high end boutique brands of the late 80’s and was an innovator of numerous mountain bike technologies. The Shockwave 9.5” was their downhill frame in the mid-2000. During this time Mountain Cycle was located in Portland Oregon. Listed below is the bike’s specification list, some notes on our thought process, and photos of the build. We have also included a handful of product links that we feel are great deals right now on used, closeout and new product. This downhill bike was built for a few purposes. We wanted to show how some well chosen parts could build a high value bike. The fork on this bike is a prototype test model for a project Rcycld.com is working on in partnership with Risse Racing. Stay tuned for more info on this exciting fork. If you are not farmiliar with Risse Racing do yourself a favor and head over to www.risseracing.com and check them out. Risse Racing services a extremely large variety of suspension components. Kevin Risse has been doing mountain bike and motorcycle components and suspension for decades and did suspension work for Yeti Cycle back in their famed and reveled days of the early nineties.  Overall this bike was built for fun. We know many younger riders and people interested in trying this sport can be put of by the price of admission. We think builds like this show a smart mix of used, new, and closeout parts can build up to a great riding bike. A bike that was built on the cheap but still rides great will keep the fun to cost ratio in off the charts territory! This bike was built to showcase how a few upgrades to a great 26” downhill frame can produce a ride with highly desirable performance characteristics for shredding’ your local mountain downhill!  


If you missed it, you can check out our V1 26” downhill bike build here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/blogs/news/24675009-get-stoked-downhill-season-2015-is-here-just-in-time-here-is-rcycld-com-s-26-downhill-bike

Also, check out our enduro builds:

V1

http://recycledmountainracing.com/blogs/news/16866785-blog-2-6-15-rcycld-com-s-26-enduro-bike

V2

http://recycledmountainracing.com/blogs/news/20601601-blog-4-29-15-rcycld-com-s-26-enduro-bike-v2


Our V2 26” Downhill build came in at a burly 50.5 pounds. 50+ pounds does not register in the lightweight downhill bike zone these days but this was common of heavy duty downhill bike of the late nineties and early 2000’s. If we built up a carbon fiber bike we could certainly lose 25% or more of the weight. This bike was designed to absorb punishment and keep on going.


Spec & Notes

Frame: 2006-2008oish? Mountain Cycle Shockwave 9.5”

We acquired this frame used. I was purchased from 2nd owner who has now become quite the XC racing, who bought it from Tim Parker a former Mountain Cycle employee. 

was well regarded in downhill circles for it strong, stiff, and burly monocoque construction and motocycle style swingarm and linkage. We like the superbike style swingarm and motocross inspired shock linkage. We know high speed high pivot big hit bikes have gone out of vogue but with the next generation of shocks coming out we would love to see some frame builder more fully explore this type of design. The frame has some nice touches that we think we ahead of it’s time. Mountain Cycle was the first builder we can remember using cable mounts made for zip-ties and integrated fork crown stops under the headtube. This frame has the optional upgrade for a floating disc brake mount. The thinking behind this piece is that a second linkage is added for the brake. This linkage causes the brake caliper to move away from the swing arm under compression to counter some of the “stink bug” effect from brake forces on a higher pivot swingarm. To make room for the brake linkage the normally 150mm spaced rear end uses a 135x12mm hub spacing and the wheel is dished to the left side to make room for the brake linkage wheel the rim remains centered in the swingarm. We suggest looking the frame over carefully in the photos and you are rewarded with the high attention to detail in the frame’s fabrication. We are rocking Marzocchi 2014 Motor C2R w/ a Nukeproof Ti-Spring. We have a great deal on the this shock right now and think it is a great and affordable way to get an older frame back up to speed - Check at the shock here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/search?q=moto+c2r

At the time of this writing it looks highly likely that Marzocchi is about to be sold so the future of Marzocchi is a little uncertain. We have confirmed they are currently up and running, Warranties are still being honored, and 2016 product is in production! We are hopeful that Marzocchi has better days ahead. We can special order Nukeproof excellent titanium springs for about $179 depending on size needed, please message us if you need this item. We think titanium springs are the way to go for any coil shock.   


Fork: Risseracing.com-Rcycld.com project fork

Not allot we can say right now about this fork. It is a work in progress we are excited about. We can tell you some parts are made in the far-east to control costs and some parts are made in Kevin Risse’s factory in Redmond, Oregon so we get it right. Redmond is about 15 minutes north of Bend, Oregon. The fork has 8” of travel and is currently set up for boxxer style direct stem mounts, a 203mm rotor, and a standard 20mm x 110mm downhill mountain hub. Stay tuned for more details on this project.

www.risseracing.com


Headset: Chris King 1 ⅛” NoThread

We prefer a 1.5” headtube on our downhill bikes but most bikes of this era are 1 ⅛” and Chris King is the gold standard.


Stem: We are runing E*Thirteen’s direct mount stem. We love the wider than usual bar clamps. This is achieved by putting the riser material outside the mounting bolts for a wider platform.


Handlebars: Spank Spike Vibrocore 800 Race bar 40mm rise 31.8mm clamp. We are very stoked on this bar right now. The bar in made of aluminum but is filled vibration damping foam. At the end of the day your hands and fingers feel less sore after a day in the bike park.

Check it our here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/search?q=vibrocore+


Saddle: Nukeproof MUD Sam Hill limited Edition

We think this saddle is a very innovative product. The ribs in the seat give you a point of reference for where your batt happens to be and it give you front to rear support when things get wet (which they often do here in the Pacific Northwest). At this writing we are temporarily out of stock on this item, but message us for details!


Brakes: Sram Guide RSC -

-We think this is THE BEST value in 4-piston hydro disc brakes. 4-piston give you the power and modulation you want and price won’t bust the wallet. Check out the deals we have on Guide brakes here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/search?q=Sram+Guide

-We think the R model at $199 a pair is a smokin’ deal - and the RSC model at $299 a pair is not bad either- The silver models say “Bling” to us (see the photos)

The RSC model (as opposed to the RS and R) has a new feature called contact point adjust which allows you to dial in the point where pads make contact - We are still playing with this one but we will let you know what we think.

-Shimano ICE-tech brakes were an innovation in  heat management tech, but we see other companies are stepping up their brake game. Kool-Stop are showing their tech in the heat management area. Check out www.koolstop.com  to see their new line of heat managment pads called Aero-Kool. We are stoked to be trying a set of Aero-Kool pads for the Sram Guide brakes on this build. We are not engineers here but we gotta beleive the pins on the Aero-Kool pads have way more heat sinking surface area than finned pads. We will be listing these pads for sale soon. We have no official connection to Kool-Stop but we our stoked they are are a great cycling company and they are located in Lake Oswego, Oregon.


Rotors: Hayes 9” 224 203mm front / Shimano Ice Tech 203mm rear  -

We are experimenting with a Hayes 9” front rotor. We acquired these rotors to serve Motoped customer and we are currently experimenting with a Motoped bike. We are not sure if a DH bike really needs a 9” rotor but we are trying it out and we thought it would look cool for this build. We have no connection to the motoped company.

Shimano Ice-Tech rotors.

Shimano’s Ice-Tech brakes are very popular right now. We like the rotors. They are unique in that they have stainless steel brake surfaces but aluminum cores to save weight. Think steel and alloy Oreo cookie ;)


Shifter and Derailleur: Sram X7 10-Speed shifter w/ Sram X01 DH 10-speed rear derailleur.

We think the X7 rear only shifter is hard to beat on price and makes a nice addition to any 10-speed 1x setup:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/products/sram-x7-trigger-shifter-right-only-10spd-rear-grey-xc-trail-enduro

Sram X01 DH 10-speed rear derailleur

this is a clutched rear derailleur that is on closeout right now to make room for the type 2.1 model that is replacing it. WOW! we are really impressed with this derailleur and how solid the shifts are. We like the tiny wheel in the back that allows your cable to route and pull smoothly. The 10-speed medium cage we think would make a great upgrade to any enduro bike and and the medium or short, 10 or 7 speed it a “No-Brainer” for downhill bike - Check them out here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/search?q=SRAM+X01DH+rear+derailleur+

Please message us if you have any questions about what is the right size for your suspension bike.


Seatpost: RaceFace Evolve post

We choose this post for a few reasons. We love the RaceFace brand and the evolve line offers a lot of value. This particular post has an interesting linkage that allows extreme angles to be set which is perfect for the layback angle on this frame. The linkage of the post also looks similar to the linkage on the bike. We like to add some details on our builds.


Crankset: Gravity Gap 165mm 68/73mm crankset

We like Gravity line of components and feel they offer allot of value. This frame is unique in that it has a 73mm bottom bracket vs the more common for downhill bike 83mm- We also specced a RaceFace Narrow-Wide chainring. If you're not familiar with “narrow-wide” all you need to know is it is a tooth profile that does a greatly superior job of keeping your chain from dropping. We think the RaceFace NW ring is one of the better deals at a retail price of around $42


Cassette: Sram’s PG1030 cassette 12-28

This is a high value 10-speed cassette. We think this cassette works well in this application as the cogs are thicker than many other cassettes a this price point


Pedals: Nukeproof Proton alloy black pedals w/ chromoly spindles

We love the Nukeproof pedals. They get the layout and pins right and package that into a pedal set that won’t break the bank - This model is the Proton that allows a slightly shorter spindle, and solidly shaped alloy body, and a great pin layout with tall pins.

Check it out!

http://recycledmountainracing.com/collections/nukeproof-pedals



Tires: Intense 909 FRO-lite 26”x2.5” with Sticky Rubber-

We think these “old school” tires stick with the theme of the bike. No ramped knobs here just pure motocross inspired chunky knobs and downhill casing sidewalls. The 909 was probably Intense Tyres best tread model. Sticky rubber was the most desirable rubber compound that Intense Tyres offered. At the time it was issued it was the first tire rubber compound that we can remember where the rubber compound made a big difference in the ride feel of the bike. Sticky rubber made tire compound matter to early downhill racers.

We have some closeout deals on this “old-school” favorite- Check it out here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/search?q=intense+909


Wheelset: Sun-Ringle DH hubs on Mavic 729 rims-  26” 20mm front and 135x12mm rear

When downhill bikes first started becoming popular Sun-RIngle hubs were one of the few affordable hub options that were still lightweight and also had cartridge bearings. The Mavic 729 was a “re-numbered” model of the original 321 rim which was in our minds was the original wide profile 30+mm dh rim but without going to something extremely heavy like a Sun Doublewide or Intense Mag30 rim. We think these rims stick with the “Old School” theme of the bike. Today we think Spank’s Spoon is a excellent value in DH wheels- Check it out here:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/search?q=Spoon32


Conclusion:

We think we built a super fun downhill bike here.

  1. We saved $$$ by going with a combination of used, closeout, and high value parts!
  2. We love Nukeproof pedals!!
  3. Check out the Intense 909 with Sticky Rubber
  4. 26” wheels are still super playful, fun, and affordable
  5. We love the 4-piston brakes with aftermarket heat sink pads
  6. Stay tuned for more details on our fork collaboration with Risse Racing!


Thanks for checking out our build - Let us know if you have any question:

info@recycledmountainracing.com

For more photos check out our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/recycledmountainracing

Need some guidance for your own build? Check out our build guide:

http://recycledmountainracing.com/pages/guide-1-component-compatibility

Got a interesting gravity bike build? Send us a pic and we will post it on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/recycledmountainracing


Thanks for checking out our build! Happy Shreddin’!