Building up a new bike is much more than a process. It’s a ritual. I spent close to two days building up my Mojo HD3. I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to savor every detail and set it up exactly as I’d dreamed about. The detailed spec is below, but dang look at that thing. Hard to imagine a nastier MTB! 🙂
| Frame: | Ibis Mojo HD3 (Medium) | The longer top tub and other changes the HD3 frame had me wondering whether or not I should opt for a Small frame. Being 5’6 it probably would have worked OK but I’m glad I stuck with the Medium – the cockpit feels perfect!
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| Rear Shock: | Cane Creek DBInline CS 150mm travel | The DBInline received the VitalMTB 2014 Product of the Year Award. Why? because it’s SICK! Ships ready to roll with a base tune specifically for the HD3. Can be tuned to your heart’s content easily on the trail. It also makes a cool chuffing noise on each compression. Sorry Fox.
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| Fork: | Rock Shox Pike 160mm travel | The Pike has rocked my world since June 2013. Recently serviced and now running some extra tokens it’s sweeter than ever. No reason not to bring this bad boy over from the HDR to the HD3.
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| Wheelset: | Ibis 741 Ultra Wide Carbon Fiber | I’ve been itching to run the 741’s since they were released. Anyone who is into mountain unicycling where the standard rim width is +40mm knows the benefits of wide rims. Bring it on to MTB I say!
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| Tires: | Specialized Purgatory GRID 2.3 tubeless | I’ve run the Purgatory in the past as a front tire and liked it. Not my first choice as a rear tire but I’m interested to give it a go on the wider rims. Realistically they are probably enough tire for local trails anyway. My plan is to try three sets of tires:
I’m really hoping the Rock Razor works well on the wider rim. I’d rate it as the best rear tire I’ve ever run.
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| Stem: | Syntace Megaforce 30mm | Syntace stems are beautifully made. I’ve gone with a 30mm, a bit sharper than the now standard 50mm. We’ll see how it goes.
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| Handlebar: | Syntace Carbon Vector | I brought the Syntace Carbon Vector handlebar over from the HDR. Best feeling handlebar ever, and strong too.
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| Shifter: | Shimano XTR 10 speed | I’ve been rolling with this XTR shifter since February 2012. Great feel and performance. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
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| Grips: | Lizard Skin | My ESI Extra Chunky’s were starting to fall apart on the HDR. I’d forgotten how sticky and narrow the Lizards are. With my carpal tunnel problems I’ll probably go back to Extra Chunky’s.
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| Brakes: | Shimano XT 180mm front/160mm rear | Brought over from my HDR and HD prior to that! I thought about increasing rotor size to 203 front, 180 rear but really I’m pretty happy with the performance, modulation etc of 180/160, and that includes sustained high speed mountain descents. The XT’s have been awesome brakes since I fitted them in January 2012. So easy to maintain and service, like all brakes should be!
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| Seatpost: | Rock Shox Reverb Stealth 150mm | My old Reverb has been awesome, requiring only a couple of bleeds since November 2011! The only thing that bugged me was the line going up and down. For that reason I tried a KS Lev last year. Its catch mechanism failed during the first back country ride. The Lev remote also has a sucky mechanical feel compared to the RockShox. The Rockshox post as a superior fluid action too. Yeah I don’t rate the KS Lev, Haha! I put the old Reverb straight back on and sold off the Lev. With the HD3 supporting stealth routing, the RockShox Stealth was the only way to go. The shorter seat tube can easily accommodate the 150mm version. Who wouldn’t want a little more dropper?
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| Saddle: | Specialized Henge | Brought the Specialized Henge saddle over from the HDR. I’m not completely sold on it yet. It’s not quite on par with the Phenom in terms of comfort but is less snaggy. Getting your sit bones better is the best thing you can do for your junk.
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| Bottom Bracket: | Race Face | New for the HD3, and part of the Race Face Cinch system. Make sure you have an RF BSA30 Bottom Bracket Spanner for this sucker! They can be hard to find. Spanners for Rotor and Zipp Vuma bottom brackets will also work.
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| Cranks: | Race Face Cinch 170mm | New for the HD3. It was finally time to retire my old XT 3x cranks from years ago! I went for 170mm for a little more pedal clearance, and TBH from mountain unicycling I think my legs are happier spinning smaller circles.
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| Chainring: | Race Face 32 tooth Narrow/Wide | New for the HD3. I started running 1×10 back in December 2010. I ran a 33 tooth chainring until last year when I went up to 34 tooth, with the addition of a 40 on the 11-36 cassette. I’ve ditched the Hope 40 tooth extender for now, and am giving the 32 tooth a go. It spins out pretty quickly but we’ll see how it goes. I’m not a fan of Narrow/Wide. You can still drop chains and it increases chain suck as lube wears off. So what’s the point really? It came with the cranks, so I’ll give it a go.
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| Chain guide: | E13 XCX Plus I05 | Given that Narrow/Wide chain rings don’t prevent 100% of dropped chains I’ve brought the E13 XCX Plus I05 chain guide over from my HDR. Peace of mind, very little extra weight or hassle.
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| Pedals: | Shimano XT Trail | Both pairs of my Shimano XTR Trail pedals failed the same way as many others have. Nice pedals, useless in terms of reliability. Very un-Shimano dude! Let’s hope the XT trail pedals are better.
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| Chain: | KMC X10SL DLC 10 Speed Chain | KMC chains rock. Way superior performance over Shimano chains. Shazaam!
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| Cassette: | Shimano XT 11-36 | Brought over from the HDR. Until XTR 1×11 trickles down I’m happy to run XT based 10 speed. I might put the Hope 40 tooth back on, depending on how the 32 tooth chainring goes.
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| Derailleur: | Shimano XT mid cage | Brought over from the HDR. Mid cage not necessary now that I’m running the straight 11-36. I’m tempted to go back to the Zee. It rocked! |