self build mountain bike

[snorkel sucker]

Bit of an odd question but not ever considered this before. I have a Cube Ltd Race which has some pretty good components on it as standard and, as a bike, its pretty competent at getting me round my local trail (llandegla) on a weekly basis.

However, the offer of a decent full susupension frame (just the frame, but inc rear shock, obviously) has come my way and it got me wondering; could I strip the components from my Cube and use them on the "new" frame, or are there fundamental differences between a hardtail and full susser than mean it isn't an option?

I am assuming stuff like the brakes (Formula RX hydraulics) and the gears (Shimano Deore/SLX) are fine to switch, but less sure on the front shock (Rock Shox Reba SL 100mm).

[JulianHJ]

I would imagine the fork would be the largest thing which might not fit, due to length and steering tube diameter. By extension, the stem might also need to be replaced. The bottom bracket might be different. Maybe the seat post too. Drivetrain and brakes should carry over without any issue. Which frame have you been offered?

[anonymous-user]

BB will almost certainly fit as it will be a 68/73mm model with spacers accordingly. there should be no issues regarding drivetrain, brakes, chainset, wheels etc though different cable routing on the FS frame might be a minor issue.

as suggested, the steerer tube might be an issue for forks but I would imagine its 1.125" and i would also be surprised if you have cut anything off the steerer tube so there should be enough though you might have to run without spacers.

there might be an issue regarding fork travel if the cube is designed for trails and xc and you are inheriting a beefier FS frame, running the fork off the cube might affect the handling as the FS frmae will be designed to run longer forks?

sounds interesting!

[P-Jay]

I'd guess most things would fit, fork could be tricky if the steerer tube isn't long enough, or as someone has mentioned the wrong type, or just plain wrong - a 100m fork on a 6" travel frame might fit, but would be total st.

Seatposts come in a few different sizes, but it's hardly a big cost item.

Rear hubs come in 3 widths, but most will be the standard 135mm with quickrelease.

Post up the frame and I could tell you what will fit and wont wont, and if the fork will be suitable.

[rufusruffcutt]

Should be no problem, but you'll probably need a new headset.
Also watch out for the seatpost diameter, and what size rear hub the new suspension frame accepts and how that hub connects to the frame e.g. quick release or an axle bolt-through as you may need to change something on your current rear wheel.

[Fluffsri]

I did this a few years back and had to sort out front mech, seat post, rear cables and rear hose as they were too short. Luckily my forks fitted, but had to fit a shorter stem as the FS geometry was slightly different.

[Gren]

What frame is it? For me the deal-breaker would be the forks.

The Cube has 100mm, non tapered forks. If these fit without ruining the ride great. If not then it'll be expensive to buy something that'll be up to their standard.

The rest of the stuff should fit or should be fairy cheap to resolve.

What are you hoping the F/S based bike will do that the Cube will not?

[snorkel sucker]

Some food for thought - thanks! I'm not actually 100% sure what the frame is to tell the truth. Thought I'd find out whether its at all do-able first.

It sounds like the biggest potential issue might be the front forks. To answer the question about what I want a F/S to do that my hardtail can't ... I got (back) into biking 2 years ago and while my Cube is awesome, its not absolutely suited to the kind of riding I do (Llandegla 99.9% of the time rather than pure XC which the Cube excels at). A slightly different geometry and more suspension travel would mean I'd get more out of my riding, more of the time.

It was more a spur of the momeent idea really though. I think I'll have to weigh up whether its all worth it ...