XC Motolite - Internet Special

[paulb]

Frame - Titus Motolite II 2009 Med
Rear shock - 2009 RP23
Front shock/fork - Rockshox Recon Race Solo Air 120 qr
Handlebars - Race Face Ride XC 31.8 from STP (will be answer protaper xc 25.4)
Stem - Specialized 105mm (will be Thomson 110)
Headset - Syncros
Grips - Giant Lock On (from STP)
Saddle - Charge Spoon
Seatpost - Thomson
Front brake - SLX 6in
Rear brake - SLX 6in
Cranks - SLX Triple
Chain - KMC
Pedals - old V12 Mg
Front derailleur - X7
Rear derailleur - X9
Front shifter - X9
Rear shifter - X9
Cassette - sram 970 (thinking about slx - the 970 is heavy)
Front hub - xt
Rear hub - xt
Front rim - 819
Rear rim - 819
Spokes - skinny probably shimano (wheels were prebuilt 819 on xts)
Tyres - Ignitor F, Larsen R some 2.2 Race Kings on the way
Tubes - None
Total weight - unknown so far

Frame was an impulse buy from jensonusa, largely cause I felt like building something. A few orders from Chain Reaction, Wiggle and Torpedo7 reusing some old wheels, pedals, stem and bars and a nice bike. Should really have sprung for a revelation but the recon was a bargain.

I shortened the rear brake hose on Saturday and raced it at Mt Beauty Sunday

 

[peachy]

Very nice dude!!! tis a amazing how easy the internet has made building and buying a custom bike. Definetely a whole lot cheaper and easier to do than the past.

Weight weenie question, how much it weigh?

 

[r.ayres1]

Beautiful bike bud ! If you don,t mind me asking how much was the frame (and did it come with shock) ? How did your ride at Mt beauty go? Cheers...

 

[Gravity Addict]

Get a Downhill bike.
Nah mate that has got to be the best looking XC bike that i have ever seen.
congrats man

 

[paulb]

Price wise: with RP23 http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FR289B12-Titus+Motolite+Frame+09.aspx Delivery aint cheap but still good value. Built it's around 3k without wheels

Weight: I haven't weighed it yet. It isn't surprisingly light, I'd guess around 12kg but some of the parts are fairly heavy - the build kit is more practical value than bling so far. What it is is stiff - I've got a 2006 Stumpjumper that's a very similar bike but the titus feels far stiffer, it feels like it holds its line better, the back wheel tracks more predictably and steering with backside and back wheel seems far more precise.

On the road it seems to really need propedal, as soon as you get off road it doesn't seem to matter. It has that hinged in the middle fsr feel that's a bit disconcerting for the first few minutes, but that you don't notice once you get off smooth terrain.

At Mt Beauty its weakness was its engine I wasn't too enthusiastic about the skinny tyres on slimy tracks (I'm used to 2.4s) but it climbed well (just as well with all the climbing!) and didn't let me down. Got very sideways twice but recovered ok both times. The front ignitor packed up with mud just to knob height which didn't help steering. The larsen on the back seemed to cope better. On the whole I'd say it was very efficient but I enjoyed the downhill more on our local dry tracks the day before