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  1. #1
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    What Brand MTB Componentry?

    Apologies in advance for an MTBR-esque thread....

    Typically, I am a pretty brand loyal guy. Sometimes to a fault. Definitely a little OCD. Once someone makes something that works for me, I stick with it. For example, I like my powder skis made by Praxis and my inbounds bindings made by Salomon. I wear Dockers jean cut to work and Levi 511s on the weekends... etc...

    On my bike builds I have used a variety of brand components, typically based on what I can get on sale. My stem is a raceface, seatpost clamp is a thompson, handlebars are truvativ, pedals are forte, grips are ergon, seat is chromag. It bothers me that they do not match in colorway or logo.

    Price wise, assuming standard aluminum bits, you don't really save a ton shopping sales for these items. I get that the touch points are sensitive to different riders, so it might not be possible to have every component from one brand... But.... I think there is an opportunity to support a small brand and buy the whole kit.

    Which component companies are doing good things, making good products, supporting good riders, that are worth your coin? On my next build I would like have a mostly homogeneous build.
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  2. #2
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    IME, every brand has their good products and their not so great ones. The only safe answer is to make sure everything in anodized purple.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    IME, every brand has their good products and their not so great ones. The only safe answer is to make sure everything in anodized purple.
    This is the correct answer.

    Also - don't be one of THOSE mountain bikers.

  4. #4
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    Look to the PNW for your answer.
    It makes perfect sense...until you think about it.

    I suspect there's logic behind the madness, but I'm too dumb to see it.

  5. #5
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    Oh, I am totally going wireless SRAM with my next build. I fucking love my eTap road set up.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by toast2266 View Post
    IME, every brand has their good products and their not so great ones. The only safe answer is to make sure everything in anodized purple.
    Wait...are you my wife?!?!

  7. #7
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    I hear Suntour is making a comeback.
    I have been in this State for 30 years and I am willing to admit that I am part of the problem.

    "Happiest years of my life were earning < $8.00 and hour, collecting unemployment every spring and fall, no car, no debt and no responsibilities. 1984-1990 Park City UT"

  8. #8
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    What Toast said, without the purple. That said, there are some smaller brands that make good, quality stuff across a variety of components.

    OneUp makes a variety of clever, well-built parts. I've got their chainguide, EDC tool (tapped steerer), EDC pump, bars, and pedals on my main bike. I didn't feel the need to get their stem since I have a perfectly fine Race Face one. I have their dropper, a second set of their pedals, and second EDC mount set on my second bike. I've had excellent warranty experience with them (pedal spindle threads started to strip - they sent me a complete new set of pedals) and they're very responsive to questions.

    I also have Wolf Tooth chain ring, dropper lever. and headset. They make their stuff in USA, and it's very well built. I'm trying their headset after getting sick of replacing CC 40 & 110 bearings every 6 months. I've never had to warranty any of their stuff, but whenever I've emailed them questions, they respond quickly. Recently I asked a question about chasing a creak coming from either my headset or CSU, and they told me not to bother replacing the bearings, just refresh the grease. Sure enough, creak gone.

  9. #9
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    Suggest that you go with anything other than Crank Brothers.

    Otherwise... if you're looking to make everything all matchy-matchy from top to bottom... Shimano? Race Face?
    Quote Originally Posted by powder11 View Post
    if you have to resort to taking advice from the nitwits on this forum, then you're doomed.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by smartyiak View Post
    Look to the PNW for your answer.
    Definitely.

    And Wolf Tooth, Chromag, OneUp... I9 (if you're a dentist)

    Quote Originally Posted by nickwm21 View Post
    Which component companies are doing good things, making good products, supporting good riders, that are worth your coin? On my next build I would like have a mostly homogeneous build.
    I think those two ideas kinda contradict. A homogeneous build is going to be one of the big S companies. Or maybe race face / fox. But some of the best products are coming from small companies that are rider owned.

    edit to add: black always matches
    Last edited by Ted Striker; 09-05-2019 at 07:27 PM.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by El Chupacabra View Post
    Suggest that you go with anything other than Crank Brothers.
    This, for sure.

    Partly because it's shit. But mostly because none of it comes in purple.

  12. #12
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    I also do not mind Hope...and: it comes in purple.


    Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums
    It makes perfect sense...until you think about it.

    I suspect there's logic behind the madness, but I'm too dumb to see it.

  13. #13
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    The only thing I will never switch brands are......

    one-up seat post. I love large frame and I am only 5'8 tall. I can get a 180mm one up dropper and no other dropper can go over 125mm on my frame.

    Stans Rims - easiest tubeless set up ever. Last forever.

  14. #14
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    fox & shimano are pretty good lately IME

    the now not so new bike came with all Shimano & Fox and it all still works same as when new

    WTB seats always seem to fit me
    Last edited by XXX-er; 09-06-2019 at 09:41 AM.
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  15. #15
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    Deity is my favorite. Well made, good looking, and their pedals are the best flats I've ever used

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

  16. #16
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    Like wheel sizes, pick a brand and be a jerk about it.
    www.dpsskis.com
    www.point6.com
    formerly an ambassador for a few others, but the ski industry is... interesting.
    Fukt: a very small amount of snow.

  17. #17
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    Just how homogeneous are you trying to get? Look at this list ... SRAM is probably the only company that has product categories covering almost everything, but I don’t think they make rubber, saddles or grips?

    Wheelset (hubs, rims)
    Tires
    Brakeset
    Cockpit (bar, stem, headset, grips)
    Drivetrain / crankset / bottom bracket / chainring / pedals
    Suspension (shock/fork)
    Dropper
    Saddle
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    I'll be there."
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  18. #18
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    Race Face / Fox (parent company) comes pretty close to sram.

    No shifters, derailleurs, brakes or tires though.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio View Post
    Just how homogeneous are you trying to get? Look at this list ... SRAM is probably the only company that has product categories covering almost everything, but I don’t think they make rubber, saddles or grips?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Striker View Post
    Race Face / Fox (parent company) comes pretty close to sram.

    No shifters, derailleurs, brakes or tires though.
    No purple from either of those.

  20. #20
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    So you look at a bike and you’re like “pfffft....those shifters aren’t made by the same corporation as those pedals, what a turd! And that stem isn’t the same color as the seatpost!”

    Harden tf up. It’s a bike not a figure skating outfit, take a lap.

  21. #21
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    What I mean by componentry is... bars, stem, pedals, grips, seat, seat post collar.

    Excluding frame, suspension, drivetrain, dropper, and wheels/tires...


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  22. #22
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    Oh, well. That’s dumb.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  23. #23
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    What Brand MTB Componentry?

    Please send all of your mis-matched components and bits to me so that they may be properly disposed of.
    Last edited by Self Jupiter; 09-09-2019 at 02:23 PM.

  24. #24
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    Some consistency keeps a built looking well thought out. More important to me these days is fit.

    On some previous builds I've done Chromag bar, stem, saddle, and grips. The guys that run the company are friends and I like to support them. But after many miles I've gone back to a WTB Silverado saddle as I know I could pedal to the moon and back and it won't be sore. For bars I have found I like some more sweep than Chromag does. Grips I could still run the Samanuk ones but I've found that the Sensus Swayze feel just a bit better.

    These days I find myself trying to support small companies that make their own stuff in-house, or taking a risk on small batch stuff.

    Bar and stem are from TCI in Bend.
    http://terraincontrol.com/index.html

    Wheels are WeAreOne with P321 hubs.
    https://www.weareonecomposites.com/

    North Shore Billet for the little things.
    https://northshorebillet.com/

    Cool seat collar from Engin Cycles.
    https://engincycles.bigcartel.com/

    Shock, fork, dropper, and drivetrain are Sram because I am friends with some guys there.

    Brakes are Magura because they work very well and friends with their Canadian distribution.

    If you really really want everything to colour match then send it all out together and get it custom anodized together. That's the next level shit there.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by plugboots View Post
    Oh, well. That’s dumb.
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