Building An Affordable Bike Park Bike | GMBN Tech's Perfect Projects

[@carl-davidekblom4263]

Love this! There are too many build videos with super expensive bikes. This feels more like how someone actually would choose components. Thanks Doddy!

[@Saavvvv]

Love the build doddy. £3.5k wouldn't be classed as budget for most people though to be fair.

[@chrissahagun4803]

I think for any serious mountain biker that classifies as a budget build though. And I feel like that’s what this is aimed towards. Going down knarly bike park enduro trails and similar trails aren’t trails the average person will ride down.

[@danytheunicorn95]

He did say this wasnt a budget build, but a conscientious one, meaning that you save money on some components but you have to spend some on others because of the demands of the trails and rider. A clear example of this is the Deore transmission and suspension, cheap but reliable and functional, contrasted by wheels and levers that arent the cheapest but will probably last longer and hold their own under prolongued abuse. Usually channels like these go for carbon everything and kashima coating for 8k plus builds. So having something burly and reliable for half the price is more than reasonable

[@keatmany2k5]

I agree and disagree, 3.5k is expensive. But it's still a superbike, at a fraction of the price compared to running all the top end gear. Its expensive by default. Much like a cheap ferrari.

[@wtfdoicare]

All activities have a minimum cost to entry. If you cannot afford the minimum cost, save up, or try something else. Is this cheap? nope, but if you want to seriously ride gnarly stuff, this is a reasonable cost of entry. I'm sure you could do it marginally cheaper, but it wont be new, so you better have mechanic skills. Cheaper yet and your probably sacrificing your personal safety.

[@KillingTimewithStyle]

Dream builds are fun, but this content is a lot more relatable. Excellent work!

[@gmbntech]

Glad you like them! It's always important for people to understand they don't need to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a capable bike. 👍

[@davidstanford8614]

It’s not often I agree with everything Doddy says - but I totally agree with almost everything on this frame! Should have been a shout out for that oneup dropper too.

That is the most beautiful bike build video I've seen so far. The views, segments, quality is amazing. Great job on it. I'm feeling that GMBN is upping their game.

[@gmbntech]

Glad you liked it!

[@mkhitarkhodaverdian7159]

To be honest, this build and the frame are my favorite ones! What a dream machine

[@masterpieceofart245]

This is amazing! Excellent build, quality parts, excellent suspension. This is really what you need! Silver paint, own coffee machine! Wow! You have created ordinary work of art! 80 points out of 10! I want one!

[@masterpieceofart245]

Even more than! I am the boss of the stellar era 2013-2016! And as you can see, alive and well! Make a wish, and maybe it will come true!

[@domkroczek1427]

My dudes frame is legit worth more than the money I paid for my 2017 Santa Cruz Bronson x Hope set up (second hand)

[@timfreeman2603]

I’ve got a Deore equipped hardtail and was keen to upgrade brakes to SLX 4pot and shifter to XT. You’ve validated both those.

[@joppek77]

IMO the real reason to go for an XT shifter is improved functionality vs SLX: you get to upshift two gears at once and it's instant. Shimano calls it Multi Release and Instant Release. Well worth it.

[@daviddjerassi]

I have said it before Doddy your a one off what a great choice so many will copy this bike and at a price most top level riders will afford Thank you DD.

[@gmbntech]

It was such great build for the overall price! Doddy did a brilliant job explaining everything! Thanks for the support!

[@IainB]

I'm so glad Marzocchi still makes the Z1 Bomber. I had the original Z1 over 20 years ago on a Cannondale Super V.

[@Jayneflakes]

I was aghast at how much that bike cost, then I looked across at the bike I spent £2K in 2004... yeah, that's a bargain! Well done Doddy, lovely film. Let's see you do something like this for GCN Plus. They need more quality MTB films.

[@hannes6114]

And you can defo get a bit better value

[@Gabo112310]

I just loooove that bike. I have the Meta AM, it climbs like a goat. And man, in the rough and steep downhills it's a monster! Love it.

[@drewstreet4178]

My modern bike is a 2017/2018 bergamont roxter 3.0 marathon, very budget hardtail XC bike, cost me £380ish cause the shop couldn't sell it and were going to send it back to the company so they dropped price a good bit and I bought it (at the time It's what I could afford and thought it was spot on) I've since then put suntour raidon forks, nukeproof horizon bars, nukeproof neutron front wheel (blew the stock one to bits on a techy downhill), rear wheel to some generic one can't remember name, and nobby nic (R) magic Mary (F) with some deity grips, I don't use it as much as I should but this has been bang on as I don't go to parks and much prefer natural trails and it seems the stock tektro auriga brakes and 3x8 drivetrain are bulletproof because other than wear and tear items I've had no issues even with being both knocked off by a car whilst going to trails and also some fairly big crashes on trail, and the frame has been mint too

[@LastAphelion]

Cats and coffee are up there with bikes as my favorite things on earth so I really enjoy the extra little snippets 👍 While I always enjoy seeing blingy trick builds that I'll never afford, there is something to be said for how much I enjoy seeing "sensible builds". You'd never find me day dreaming about putting marzochi bomber on my dream bike, but the more I see it actually get talked about, used, and tested helps to knock some sense into me that I should consider it on my next new bike instead of the zeb ultimate, 38 perf elite, ohlins, or ext I'm not actually going to be able to afford with the frames that I'm looking at. I would love to see more build videos on gmbn! It'd be a great way to promote discussion about comparing different parts and frames, you could do a series covering different builds, then do a final epic vs video of taking them on trips/parks with a bunch of riders taking turns on them and compare them in the end to talk about what you liked/disliked the most about each.

[@raymondo162]

cats make your house smell.................. and they shit in your headphones

[@Seppster58]

Loved this build video. Thanks Doody for taking us through the steps. And for Rich giving it the seal of approval. Well done guys.

[@gmbntech]

Glad you enjoyed it Steve :)

[@TheSocialProfile]

Great build and love all the little touches. No getting out of it, it’s a big day even when you have all the gear when it looks that good.

[@thephoenixcycle8854]

Deore brakes have a really nice feel to them

[@TheBrokenMountainBiker]

Or....you could do what I did and buy a Kellys Swag 50. £3000 for full SLX, rockshox super deluxe ultimate coil shock and lyric select forks. Hell of a spec for the money and it's done a years hard graft with zero issues.

[@DamianNocun]

Great content as always ! regarding the build itself, today is so difficult to start building new bike from scratch, frames are almost not available in any shops.

[@j1mt]

I wish I had a bike like this it looks incredible. Love the matched suspension and silver frame 😮‍💨

[@cathalsmith2741]

something so calming about this video, thanks doddy, needed that today

[@gmbntech]

So glad to help Cathal. Hope you're okay! 🙂

[@johnh3095]

A great video, fabulously shot and edited! Really enjoyable to watch! Thanks for the continued entertainment

[@danytheunicorn95]

I just bought the same bike for 4300 euros and yeah it does come with better components in general but I like the fact that you get to choose what to run and personalize your own bike, the prices are similar and the hunt wheels, saddle and mazza tires are a great upgrade over the stock components. Something to consider is the fork, even if you have same travel, the length of the fork (axle to crown) is slightly different, around a cm or 15mm between a 38 and 36 mm stanction, so if you decide to run a 36mm fork I would add 10mm of travel to keep the geometry the same, or run it exclusively in the high setting. You do save some weight and lighter riders might benefit from it. So its nice to know since most people have a lot of spare parts laying around.

[@murkysubstance3929]

We have differing definitions of 'affordable'.

[@itsgoodbet]

Awesome build Doddy! Beautiful bike as well. I learn a lot from watching your videos. Appreciate it.

[@DavidSanchez-rd6ix]

Shimano + Doddy = 👊

[@ProGaming-tc9jp]

I did what you said not to do. I put a marzocchi bomber cr on my new meta SX. Same eye to eye but slightly longer stroke. Tech support said it would probably be okay and I’ve rode 800 miles no shock issues. so I’m curious about how risky it actually is, I don’t know much

[@danytheunicorn95]

Its safe to ride so relax, it just changes the caracteristics of the suspension, like everything it has benefits and downsides but nothing to worry too much about. Cons: changes suspension characteristics that were carefully though through by engineers and pro riders, might make the bike wollowy on the climbs and less responsive on jumps and berms because it would sink more through its travel. It might also bump against the frame on heavy bottomouts and imbalance the frame slightly. Pros: it might actually increase the rear wheel travel making even more like a downhill bike, having more air volume allows you to run smaller pressures and small bump compliance will be insanely good, making you more comfortable and faster on the downs. With tokens and a good tune-up you will be fine. But if you want peace of mind, get the right shock

[@Jeseryhesery88]

sick, do u have any cheaper dually frame recommendations (all mountain/enduro)?

[@hunt.wheels]

Wow!! We're loving this build 😍🥰

[@norbertgrimm5289]

So this is how a budget bike looks? Love it

[@chrisko6439]

Did Shimano solve the issue with Deore cassettes? The 11speed (M5100) cassette used to fall apart after a few hundred kilometres! The rivets holding the largest cogs together came loose.

[@chimps4gimps]

Great vid. I’d have gone for a Transition Patrol due to the PF bottom bracket on the Commencal. I’d also have concerns over the bearings Hunt use as they’re not known for their longevity. Aside from that, awesome build! 😋👊🏼

[@the_spanner_ch7mp]

Very nice build indeed Doddy 🔥🤘

[@gmbntech]

Cheers, Ross! This was such a fun and interesting one to make! 🙌

[@johntimpson9213]

Dissapointed its not a £1500 budget, something more affordable with second hand buys.

[@shb8124]

Love a nice 'custom' build, good one Doddy 👍

[@docmccoy9813]

7:44: "It's all down to the installation" Nope. It's all down to the quality of the frame and the tolerances

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

actually it's both.

[@docmccoy9813]

@@RicardoPetrazzi Well, as installation is key in all components, you can take it out of the equation, but you are right.

[@45graham45]

And most companies supply crappy BBs on their bikes. Get a decent BB & press fit works ok - but I still prefer a threaded BB.

[@sirhunter7623]

Can you do a bike build with a fixed budget of 2k£ ?

[@carrotman2871]

If you buy part used you can build a really nice bike for that

[@jsrocker248]

@@carrotman2871 Agree, got a used Fox 36 kashima for $300 USD before shipping

[@finroddd]

Hi there, very nice build indeed! Would you please tell me what is the stroke of the Marzo shock that Doddy put on the bike? Thanks!

[@briw4647]

I recently built up a budget....ish bike from my old haro extreme frame. The frame was solid, strong and built like a tank. Also, it's the correct size for me. I converted it to disc brake (new forks) the holes for mounting rear disc were already there, so bonus.new rims, new rear shock, new rear derailleur. When I say new, some parts were bought used online. Now it works great. Still 26" wheels as the rear suspension couldn't fit 650b

[@paulwolfram7774]

Awesome build, Doddy!!!

[@gmbntech]

Glad you like it!

[@paulwolfram7774]

@@gmbntech I think product managers should take note.

[@natepackerpnw]

I have a Meta SX V4 as well. Best climber Ive ever owned and it’s a PR machine on the downs. It’s a little long but that just means more speed when it gets moving

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Is this one of those 'affordable' levels so only a few thousand. 🤣

[@jozefemperor]

That is so useful comment, thank you

[@danbuckman5691]

When I started mountain biking high end bikes were £1000. What happened to mtb where that’s seen as affordable or entry level? 🤦‍♂️

[@docmccoy9813]

Buy and old 26" frame. Save money, save weight and have more fun.

[@rodolfoo3015]

@@docmccoy9813 I did that and for the money you can't have more fun than that.

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

@@docmccoy9813 well I did that that to replace my old 26er that was stolen and built one out of second hand parts for £300, but then I wanted a full suspension and picked up an old ibis, then I realised that 29ers are getting quite old too, so built a hardtail 29er for £300 which is currently my favourite bike, I built my own wheels and was able to source an as new Rockshox fork locally because some people buy new bikes and upgrade everything instantly. I am looking at buying a new 29er though in the next few months.

[@YoMateo.]

Whoever's reading this, i pray that whatever you're going through gets better and whatever you're struggling with or worrying about is going to be fine and that everyone has a fantastic day! Amen

[@patrickvanderknaap2332]

Is there a complete parts list available of this build? Thx Cheers

[@QoraxAudio]

10:30 I run a full XT (M8100) groupset and brakeset on a bike I use very frequently, and yes, I initially thought you were installing XT components on there lol

[@QoraxAudio]

Oh btw, 3600 for a bike isn't what most people would call "budget" or "affordable", even for a sports/performance bike.

[@icantthinkofaname5549]

money saving tip: shop from places like r2 bike or bike24, I don't have personal experience with r2 bike but from bike24 I got a pair of Magura MT7s for $105 a brake and they came a week later. they also have like a bunch of other stuff for cheaper. IDK how but its totally legit, they take PayPal too.

[@v8snbigtires]

Love the build, thank you!!!!!

[@RicardoPetrazzi]

A very nice build. 👍 Seems like a great all-rounder of a bike.

[@gmbntech]

It sure is! Thanks for the support, Ricardo! 👍

[@NM4500]

I would love to see a comparison with the same frame but maintream high end parts like Fox Factory and XTR.

[@noelfezza]

Fantastic. We love more humble content

[@mabunixda]

Just ordered an Meta SX frame back in July - hopefully gets delivered as planned by November .. I just gonna reuse most parts from my Mondraker Foxy 🙂

[@jonathanlangston9687]

I ride the coil Z1’s on my Nomad and they’re beautifully plush forks! Could never afford the OG Z1’s back in the day, so couldn’t say no to owning a pair now!

[@Danil-Crypto]

the construction of the bike is very similar to mine, only I have a hardtail and all spare parts from aliexpress

[@mortonfrankfire5400]

Nice build!

[@craigbest8644]

Seeing the coffee beans at first made me think it was an ad, I was looking for the skips ads button. Great video and a fantastic looking bike.

[@madjh8]

I have donne the same with a Meta HT. With XT and a second hand Km0 (near brando new) Yary, 1300 euros. Transmission 10 speed XT by one in a fron race face Aeffect cranks, cheap chains and casettes as spares (sun race 42x11 casette are about 45 euros, chains 12 euros or so). The only drowback is the weight. But with a bit money will be this Meta Susp. So, it is possible. The dropper post of Brand X was a crap, now they are a bit better. That was the only change I would do. It is quite fun to ride the Meta, but in narrow paths ... not the best. 65.5º head angle is a bit too much to take tight corners.

[@mattia7577]

Why exactly won't the coil shock work? The Öhlins edition also has a coil, what are they doing different?

[@stevebennett3587]

👌beautifull build doddy👌havent built me own rig yet, but one day i will👍

[@1441lee]

Love the choices made on this bike. Am actually now building mine and heading up to England in August. What bike shops do u recommend

[@PeetPeeet]

Really great video and nice build

[@purpleicu_840]

I wish I knew more about frame linkage and if you can/can’t put coils/air on a bike

[@nvasilev]

Wait. Was the problem with the Coil Shock that it was the wrong measurements, or even if the eye-to-eye and stroke were correct, it still wouldn't fit in that frame? Wasn't clear from the video...

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

As a rider who has built my own bikes frame up for the last 20yrs I really like the spec choice - although I would've gone with Deore 6120 brakes if it were me. I find Deore to be much more consistent in lever feel than any of the brakes above them..... Hey Shimano, fix your wondering bite point issues once and for all.

[@jimbo4203]

Deore came on my bike and its all been great

[@ro63rto]

My dictionary has a different meaning to the word "affordable" 😂

[@martynjewell5627]

One of the nicest bikes/ bike frames out there. Would be my choice if going new. Top work.

[@cra_55]

Intro so fancy, it got me searching for a 'skip ad' button

[@45graham45]

All the alloy frames I've had have cracked or snapped. I've never managed to break a carbon frame.

[@vlbz]

I have to comment this on all shimano related videos. Their drivetrain in plain amazing. Not a single complaint I could voice. Only one other product has been this good, my new EX 1700 wheels.

[@overthehill1986]

Got a set of endurowide hunt wheels on my orbea occam ran them for 12 months no issues whatsoever

[@steveharper4017]

Great job Doddy, what a bike, love the thought process too. Wish the manufacturers would think a bit more too. Can’t complain though, my Vitus Escarpe CRX has a superb parts package and is such a good all rounder.

[@Beefdmz]

Love the build, however I'd swap out the shimano cable for the rear mech. Love shimano but those cables are awful. The coating peels off and socks up inside the outer and they are prone to snapping in the shifter.

[@adammiller6932]

I’d love it for Dyfi bike park, BPW etc. But you rode it, what did you think?

[@peterblades]

Would built something similar for a beater build. Good job!

[@archiemckinnon8074]

Hey guys I’ve been looking for a Marzocchi air shock and realised that that the sizings they offer would have been incompatible with the stroke length of the meta sx, wondering whether you over or under stroked it?

[@LeecMTB]

@doddy I’m thinking of putting slx brakes on my heavy ebike .. will they be up to the job ?

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Are the Deore brakes really different from SLX? I thought the only difference from Deore up to XTR was that the more expensive ones have a bit more material machined away and are a bit lighter and come with the cooling fin pads.

[@laurynasjagelo5075]

reach Adjustment is external on SLX. A bit better/different materials internally (piston guide ramps are thicker etc. and the piston itself is different shape, leading to a touch more powah)

[@GillesMahout]

I thought I was watching a James Hoffmann video. I had to check twice.

[@filipkryspin8726]

Sick rig Doddy! really well spec. However I'm really disapointed about the statement regarding PF bottom brackets! As person in bicycle tech industry for so long you must know that the reason why som many people report problems with PF BB is poor frame build quality. The manufactures have hard time making holes round and allign them correclty.

[@gaffneymcdonough3426]

Downhill bike next!

[@gmbntech]

Maybe... 👀

[@NOBLENAGA007]

Why the Meta SX over the CLASH? It seems that the CLASH would be a better fit.

[@red6743]

He unintentionally built a "Grim Donut" look alike. Love it.

[@stolimano3723]

Are you meant to put grease on the stem clamp for an alloy bar?

[@darrinkulyk9560]

Excellent Vid 😎 Love 💞 My Z1

[@zstormextra]

why in the tags is it tagged as shorts lol

[@nigelrandtoul8646]

Hi Doddy, great vid as usual, one question about the Hunt wheels and I'm sorry if it's a stupid one, but I've only ever used the standard fitted wheels that came on my bikes. The Hunt wheels have 17mm axles but the Meta has 12 & 15mm axles. They obviously fit but could you explain how they fit ?

[@lux-3001]

Hi Nigel, you are confusing the frame's thru axles and the hub axles. The hub's axle is basically a sleeve with 17 mm outer diameter that seats in between the bearings of the hub and then a frame's thru axle goes through it to mount the wheel to the fork/frame. If you want to visualize it just head to hopetech web page for example and find an exploded diagram of their hub :)

[@chrislee6377]

great build great job awesome stuff

[@egycsab]

awesome build

[@snat6299]

Sick build

[@neiv9574]

Doddy I love your bike setups but unless there's something I don't know you should check in with James Hoffmann for your espresso setup

[@LastAphelion]

Lmao but then you gotta choose between putting several K into your bike or your coffee gear

[@brandoncheung728]

Hi Doddy, I'm currently waiting on my Meta SX 2022 frame and was planning on using my current Marzocchi bomber shock on it. You didn't explain too much why you couldn't use that shock so I was wondering if you could help clarify that for me please? Thank you and keep up the great vids!

[@carterunger]

Eye to eye length is not right for that frame

[@brandoncheung728]

@@carterunger If he's doing a bike build do you really think the reason he isn't installing that shock is because he bought the wrong one hahaha

[@davidcanavan5830]

What a cracking build

[@KuroSanArts]

Seriously, I actually laughed out loud when I saw the "affordable" bit in the title and the first thing pulled out was a frame that costs triple the price of the gnarly old Saracen Havoc I was trashing around on 20 years ago and doing the same kind of stuff that most average riders are doing now! I'm trying to get back into mountain biking after 10+ years thanks to ULEZ killing any chance of me being able to keep a motorbike anymore. I'm not entering Hardline and It's unlikely I'll ever be able to do the heavier bikepark trails due to old MTB injuries and being 50 (I don't bounce as well as I did in my 20's lol), but showing me stuff that costs double or triple what I can spend on a reasonably good 2nd hand motorbike, is honestly a little soul destroying! I get that prices are all out of whack right now, but that doesn't mean you can't shop around and find some older "new" stock, hell even some of the older full sus bikes that were top of the line years ago are way cheaper 2nd hand now and can be mostly upgraded over time, ignore the nonsense about different geo and being heavier etc unless you're looking to start competing, most of the everyday people who want to visit a bikepark are going to be doing the exact same stuff we were doing on those older bikes 20+ years ago. People like myself with a very limited budget whose only option is to buy something cheap and upgrade bits over time can be easily discouraged by seeing the use of the word affordable for something that is clearly beyond that point, if anything these types of build are only affordable or budget as a mid range bike and certainly not entry level or something a new rider would look at (unless they're loaded). On a bit of a side rant, I just had a look on the Saracen website and the cheapest full sus bike I could find was £2,200! Did they just give up on making half reasonable lower budget bikes entirely??

[@ninovagus1297]

I feel you. Saw "Budget" and "Bikepark" and thought it would be perfect because I'm looking for a bikepark only bike that I can abuse and would not have to use my Trailbike for. Than Doddy pulls the Meta frame out and my hopes went south. I get the point what the tryed to do here but calling a bike that costs over 3000 of any currency is a little out of touch I guess.

[@Bangandthedirtisgone]

Yup, bikes are ridiculously expensive now. Also, what’s not mentioned in the video is if you a actually wanna put all this stuff together yourself and use tools like he’s using that’s another massive expense. £££

[@onyong123]

Great video but might try a finer grind setting 😉

[@alexmason7103]

Another big tip - shop sales!! I got a carbon Nukeproof Mega and PUSH 11-6 frame for £1600, then XT brakes, GX drivetrain, Zeb Ultimate 2023, DT E1900 wheels and sensible finishing kit kept it all below the £4k mark. You don’t have to break the bank for a super bike if you buy at the right time!!

[@Dwhere]

Got the same espresso machine. Thought I was watching an ad.

[@davegravitt210]

2,700$ Canadian just for the frame. Holy sheet! I paid 3,000$ total for my XT/Deore drive trane and the bike with Manitou forks and DMN coil over on a GT Verb Sport.

[@kuyajayyoutubechannel5389]

Can u answer this question what is best tire tan to use when it comes to cross country bikes 29er.

[@frankthetankricard]

That's a lovely bike and I wouldn't change anything on it. Not sure that enduro is the best choice for bike parks but it's a great all rounder for sure. I know they are more than capable in the rough but I still prefer what a downhill or long travel freeride bike provides in a lift access park.

[@hooligan7222]

As Tolkien said- "One bike to rule them all, and in the bike park steeze them." On a budget? Then an enduro rig is the one bike I'd shoot for every time.