“Do-It-All” Bike Build Guide
Frame
The frame is the foundation of any bike build. This single piece of the puzzle is a very important decision to make. By choosing the right frame for your riding style, terrain, and disciplines you will be able to create a successful build and have a bike that is ready to do just about anything you want it to do. There are many considerations when selecting a frame. Make sure the frame you choose has enough travel, good geometry for your intended riding, and suspension characteristics that you feel are needed for your specific riding habits.
The suggestions below are some of the most versatile bikes on the market. Each is fairly proven at being capable of performing as a “do-it-all” bike. Be sure to do extra research on any choice you make in order to be sure that it will be able to handle what you want to do and perform well at it.
Canfield Brothers Balance – The Balance is a highly versatile bike with a lot of adjustiblity. The rear travel is adjustable from 4.86”-6.02” and the chainstays can be set to either 16.25” or 16.75” long. The Balance can be configured with either a 4130 steel or 7005 aluminum front triangle with 7075 aluminum links and 7005 aluminum rear end. The 7005 aluminum version weighs significantly less. The overall construction of the Balance is burly enough for most situations and the suspension offers great pedaling ability. The suspension on the Balance is very progressive through its entire stroke offering good predictability. Canfields’s dual link design provides great square edge absorption with subtle pedal kick back due to its rearward axle path. The Balance is able to use a front derailleur for dual chainring use and has built in ISCG tabs for chainguide installation.
Iron Horse 7Point - The 7Point is a bike that comes ready to play. Iron Horse built the 7Point to do whatever you want whenever you want. They gave the 7Point a generous 7″ of travel mated to the dw-link suspension. This allows the 7Point to handle varying terrain very well thanks to its efficiency, progressive leverage rate, and tuned axle path. The dw-link suspension design lets the 7Point absorb big hits and smooth out small bumps, while still retaining excellent climbing qualities. The 7point frame is built up using a 1.5″ headtube, 83mm bottom bracket shell, 150 x 12mm thru-axle rear end, and is able to run a dual chainring setup. Iron Horse has updated the newest 7Point’s with ISCG05 mounts for easy chainguide installation.
Morewood Shova LT - The Shova LT has one the simplest designs of all the bikes we’re suggesting. With simple design comes less maintenance and easier repair. The benefits of a single pivot suspension are numerous and highly regarded as frames that let you feel what the bike is doing very well. The Shova is able to take square hits very well and pedals well when equipped with a fine tuned shock. The Shova LT offers 7.6″ of rear travel which should be enough for most applications. Morewood built the Shova LT burly in order to handle abuse. The custom drawn 6082 T6 aluminum tubeset features a 1.5″ headtube and uses a 12 x 135 thru-axle at the rear end. The Shova LT is also able to mount a front derailleur. Morewood built ISCG tabs into the bottom bracket area so chainguide installation is available.
Santa Cruz VP-Free - The VP-Free is one of the bigger bikes we suggest for a “do-it-all” bike. Santa Cruz purposely overbuilt the VP-Free to handle some of the wildest terrain and action you’re willing to tackle. While the construction may be on the bigger side the VP-Free still doesn’t give up much of a weight penalty. The VP-Free uses VPP linkage technology which means you get great pedaling performance and a tuned leverage ratio throughout the entire suspension travel. Santa Cruz didn’t fool around when they created the VP-Free. They gave it a 150mm wide rear axle and 1.5” headtube with almost 8.5” of rear travel. These features keep the VP-Free very strong and able to handle just about anything you’d want to throw at it. The bottom bracket height of the VP-Free might be a bit high for those seeking a more downhill oriented “do-it-all” bike but should please everyone else. The newest VP-Free’s are equipped with ISCG05 tabs which are ready for chainguide installation use. Santa Cruz suggests: “The best front derailleur to use on the VP-Free is the Saint M805. This will work for a double or triple crankset. A XT or XTR will work with a double ring, but not a triple. Either way, buy a 34.9mm top swing, top pull.”
Specialized SX Trail – The SX Trail is a perennial standout choice in the arena of “do-it-all” type bikes. The SX Trail was designed to be a versatile machine with slacker angles and rider conscious cockpit. The SX Trail has very predictable handling and uses the highly regarded FSR suspension. The FSR suspension offers great pedaling performance with proven rough terrain handling ability. With 6.7” of travel the SX has enough give for most big maneuvers and keeps the weight down due to its aluminum frame. The frame has ISCG mounts built into the bottom bracket area and a front derailleur can be used.
Transition BottleRocket – The BottleRocket is a favorite of many riders due to its versatility. The construction on the BottleRocket is very burly with a simple linkage design. The BottleRocket is made from 6000 series aluminum and has 5.55” of travel with a 1.5” headtube. The BottleRocket pedals well enough for up hill jaunts and descends with surprising prowess. Transition built the BottleRocket to be slopestyle specific but it can be used with far more utility. We’ve seen an array of various builds using the BottleRocket. Riders have built rigs ranging from single speed DJ setups to dual crown downhill beasts. The BottleRocket can be built up with a front derailleur and has ISCG mounts for a chainguide.
Fork
After choosing a frame you’ll need to decide on a quality fork. Many of the forks that are available on the market today offer a vast range of tuning features in order to get the ride you’re looking for in any given situation. The damping systems are able to provide advanced adjustment of compression, rebound, and preload. The adjustibility helps our decision making greatly as we’re looking to build a bike that will see very diverse terrain and perform various disciplines.
The suggestions below represent the growing trend towards burly constructed single crown forks. They’re typically lighter than their bigger dual crown brothers but offer levels of strength capable of handling heavy abuse. Many of the manufacturers are offering adjustable travel versions of many of their models. This allows the rider to tune the amount of travel they have available to the terrain creating a highly versatile product.
Fox 36 – You can’t find a more quintessential brand choice in the shock market than Fox. They have been around a long time and always do things right. The 36 line from Fox has 3 different models for riders to choose from. They all share the same 36mm stanchions, up to 160mm of travel, and 20mm thru-axle. The Van RC2 is a great choice for those looking for a coil sprung fork with lots of tunability. If you’re looking for an adjustable travel air coil the Talas RC2 would be the model to choose, with 160, 130, and 100mm travel options. Both the Van and the Talas offer adjustable high and low speed compression, spring preload, and rebound. The 36 is only offered with a 1 1/8″ steerer tube.
Marzzochi 66 – The 66 series from Marzocchi was designed to offer the rider the utmost versatility. With 4 different models to choose from Marzocchi has one that is perfect for just about anyone. All models offer up to 180mm of travel with 20mm dropouts and are built using 35mm stanchions. The 2 most popular models are the RC2X and the SL ATA. The RC2X version uses a coil spring with an added X-cartridge. The RC2 system offers the ability to adjust rebound, compression, and spring preload. The X-cartridge mentioned earlier is added to control compression at the end of the fork’s travel. The SL ATA model of the 66 uses an air spring. The air spring can be adjusted for rider preference and varying terrain. The ATA feature allows the fork to have 40mm of adjustable travel by simply turning the adjuster. This makes it easy to tailor the fork to the riding conditions on the fly. The 66 is only offered to consumers with a 1 1/8″ steerer tube.
Rock Shox Lyric – The Lyric is a fairly new fork on the market. The Lyric is positioned in RockShox’s All-Mountain group but don’t let that fool you. The Lyric is made to tackle big and small obstacles. Built with 35mm stanchions and 160mm of travel the Lyric has a strong chassis. One of the nicer features that RockShox is offering in their newer forks is the use of a 20mm 360 Maxle. This adds the strength that you’re looking for with the ease of use that most 20mm axles are lacking. RockShox makes 3 different models of the Lyric all with their Mission Control Damping System. The Mission Control Damping System is able to adjust external high and low speed compression, rebound, and the floodgate. The 2-Step and U-Turn models both allow for travel adjustment from 115mm-160mm with the 2-Step using an air spring and the U-Turn using a coil. The Solo Air has, as one would expect, an air spring with no travel adjustment. The Lyric is available in 1 1/8″ and 1.5″ steerer tube options with the 1.5″ actually weighing less.
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