Converting An Old Mountain Bike To 12 Speed - SRAM Eagle NX - Cove

I found an iconic bright pink hardtail mountain bike from the 2000's and had to have it. This one gets a 12 speed upgrade.
-- BIKE SPECS DOWN HERE! --
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Bike Spec & Product Links
Frame : Columbus Nivacrom
Handlebars : Nukeproof 31.8mm x 780mm
Grips : ODI Elite Flow
Shifters : SRAM NX Eagle 12 Speed
Brake Levers : Shimano Deore XT BL-M755
Stem : FUNN Funnduro 45mm
Headset : RaceFace
Fork : Marzocchi Bomber MX Comp
Brakes : ShimanoDeore XT BR-M755
Brake Pads :
Wheels : Hubs - Shimano Deore
Rims - Mavic 717 Disc
Tyres : Schwalbe Nobby Nic 26 x 2.25"
Seatpost : RaceFace
Saddle : Charge Spoon
Front Derailleur :
Rear Derailleur : SRAM NX Eagle 12 Speed
Jockey Wheels : Standard
Crankset : RaceFace Evolve XC Forged
Chainring : Uberbike 32T
Chainring Bolts : Oil Slick
Bottom Bracket : Shimano BB-M8000
Chain : SRAM NX Eagle 12 Speed
Cassette : SRAM NX Eagle 11-50T
Pedals : Burgtec
Decals : Original
Paint : Original
Weldtite Grease : amzn.to/3eAyMhn
Jagwire 4mm Outer Gear Cable : amzn.to/3ixMkcS
Jagwire 5mm Outer Brake Cable : amzn.to/3dXHdiP
Jagwire Inner Gear Cable : amzn.to/3dZcMJ9
Jagwire Brake Cable : amzn.to/3dYk2am
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[@Phlizz]

Just recently honed a 27.2 dropper post down to 26.8 wall thickness was no issue whatsoever. Works flawlessly. Go for it!!!

[@Phlizz]

frame is a 93 Rocky Mountain Hammer.

[@somn__]

could probably find a machinist to turn the outer tube down on the lathe.

[@janeblogs324]

@@somn__ yeah but Phillip honed from the inside out making the ID smaller and increasing the wall thickness to 26.8mm. True magic

[@Phlizz]

@@janeblogs324 😄sorry obviously I’m not a native speaker. So what I did is sanding it down on that spinning wheel sander at work. I first thought it would be a mess, but taking my time doing many light even repetitions and checking after each it turned out quite perfect.

[@MonkeyShred]

Mmm interesting. A dropper would be a great addition to this one. It's the one thing I feel is holding it back at the moment.

[@dumpkingbikes405]

Awesome vid for an awesome bike. I still have my "Stiffee" from this era. It's been around the world, stolen, recovered and still rocks! Always wanted a "G-spot" to match, but alas I could never locate one.

[@MonkeyShred]

Around the world, stolen AND recovered? Damn that's a well travelled bike. The Stiffee is the aluminium hardtail right? I've been keeping an eye on eBay for other Cove's since building this!

[@dumpkingbikes405]

Yeah, stolen from work in London at the time. The bike community helped me find it from the seller using my stolen pictures! I had the serial number, and we had a little posse together to reclaim in a public place. You can see the actual bike on GMBN Tech this week on Bike Cave.

[@bertiefrence7982]

For me, this is my favourite bike I've watched you build. Nice 1

[@MonkeyShred]

Cheers Bertie!

[@SHWELL11]

Great find and an exceptional choice of setup!

[@MonkeyShred]

Thank you.

[@guustvanuden2968]

man i love how many people spec up their 90's and 2000 bikes. every thinks im crazy but i have now a trek fuel ex7 2005 full suspension with one by 11 XD

[@lewf5685]

Great job! I would love to try this with my old Schwinn Moab 2!

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks! Now's a good time to give it a go. Lot's of discounts on parts going around!

[@keithschrack]

I'd never even heard of Cove Bikes before, but now I WANT one simply based on the model names!

[@MonkeyShred]

So does my colleague haha. He's asked me to sell it a few times now.

[@loamrider3086]

Awesome build! I dig the color! Pink is the new black! I have a 2000 HJ. Mine doesn't have a disc brake tab which leads me to believe it's an early frame. It has mostly period parts. Z1 Bam Bomber, early Race Face LP crank, 9 spd Sram, Sun Ringle Superbubba Hubs, Singletrack rims. I've had it since 2003 and still ride it regularly.

[@MonkeyShred]

Definitely! I've had some interest in it at work and I've been looking around for others.... all black though. There is one bright orange HJ down in London but it's twice what I paid for this one prior to modifications. Lovely bikes! I'll keep an eye out for a full sus I reckon.

[@johngreene6783]

Would have to change that decal on the top tube LOL

[@GregorMima]

Amazing Im still riding my 90ies 26" MTB (Alu frame/Magura Bartman/Rockshox/etc) ... and planing to replace my 3x8 old deore/xt/original gripshift 500R with a new new group. Fingers crossed the NX/GX will fit.

[@MonkeyShred]

That’s going to be some upgrade! I’m pretty sure the 12 speed should fit on the 8 speed hub from what I remember. Good luck.

[@GregorMima]

@@MonkeyShred Cheers!

[@meadows408]

Very nice. The cable routing is complex and will drive me crazy. Reminds me of cable routing on Shimano DuraAce and 600AX aero group. A total pita to work out.

[@MonkeyShred]

Yeah I had to pay close attention there. It's working great though!

[@alexdcpe]

the cabling on those derailleurs is a pain. Hard enough with a new cable, let alone with an already cut one! I always end up leaving the cable a bit longer just because I know if I ever have to undo it and re-use the cable, I will most likely fray the end trying to route it around the derailleur.

[@aaivilchip]

Thanks dude for convincing me that old bike, 26er, and maybe even a QRx135mm could accept a 12-speed groupset with over 42t largest ring..... Can't wait to build mine with Deore m6100 groupset

[@MonkeyShred]

Good luck!

[@IliaFomin-k2s]

wait what! 12 speed on a mega old Deore hub... how. I thought it could be only 11s on this kind of hub

[@MonkeyShred]

So did I! I saw @ToastyRides do it though and double checked at my LBS to be sure.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

This bice is fkin epic. Dude that's the find I have wet dreams about...

[@MonkeyShred]

😂 that’s a crazy way to put it but thanks!

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

that's a corker :-) and hats off to the LBS don't talk to me about Sram 12-speed derailleurs!! When re-fitting one a year or so ago I couldn't get it to index properly, and after thinking it was the lever (a hydraulic one which I took apart at great mess and many expletives) I realised I'd not routed the cable properly!!

[@janeblogs324]

You converted hydraulic derailleur to cable? You're a wizard

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

@@janeblogs324 if only hydraulic brakes, cable derailleur. taking the lever apart I got hydraulic fluid everywhere

[@MonkeyShred]

Ooo ouch. That sounds like a painful experience.

[@MC57315]

GMBN would lose their credibility if this thing wasn't 'super nice'!

[@MonkeyShred]

Haha thanks! I'd like to think that too.

[@abcdefgh-xf2th]

blue grips would fit well

[@MonkeyShred]

Yeah blue would work. I just dived in to my parts bin though and found those. I kinda like the contrast :)

[@jeremynorth]

Very nice though not keen on the green grips

[@MonkeyShred]

Mint - or were they aqua - ah - they're still going strong.

[@ODPTV1]

Every time I ride my late 90s early 00s MTBs people on the trails think I'm some sort of mad lad putting my life at risk just because I'm riding a bike with v brakes lol.

[@MonkeyShred]

I do love the looks you get on an older bike. I had a few people stop and chat when I took my ‘92 Proflex around the local trails. They were impressed to see one out again!

[@stuartwebb6375]

Brilliant video, it’s given me the inspiration to upgrade my bike to 1 x 12. Was it difficult to work out what parts you need to buy?

[@asik8397]

Chainring bcd 104 , tires , stem , new bottom bracket , rd

[@artoutlawphoto]

I think 11 speed are ok for a old 26er. I find 32 in front and 50 in the back enough for a 29er enduro.. and i live in the alps. But you can also change the chainring to have a much faster speed.

[@MonkeyShred]

From commuting on it over the last couple of days the gearing is definitely trail climbing focused. She tops out quickly.

[@nasserkhaja4655]

Did you need to change your bottom bracket? I wanna do the same on my old ‘08 trek fuel. Found a killer deal on a complete SRAM NX drivetrain. Would love to revive and keep as a spare bike for buddies when i hit the trails.

[@MonkeyShred]

I did change the bottom bracket but that was purely just to replace the worn original. I used the original crankset too - just changed the chainring.

[@waldowsxxghostxx8577]

I want to upgrade my hard tail wheel set and group set from 1x11 to 1x12 and add dropper and should be near finished and forks from coil to air forks then bamm should be no further upgrades

[@MonkeyShred]

Go for it! Good luck.

[@markfitzsimons9540]

How are the XT brakes working? Did they need a bleed or new pads?

[@MonkeyShred]

Initially - they were very soft but when I first went out on it they seemed to firm up. They feel nice actually. I am going to replace the discs and pads. The discs are slightly discoloured from heat and the disc/pads were SCREAMING in the rain yesterday.

[@mikey7278]

Super Nice 👍

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks ;)

[@ToddNZMTB]

Will I be able to watch this _not_ live sometime after it 'premieres' ? It'll be 2 o'clock in the morning here!

[@samvhell9104]

Yes of course, it releases as normal after

[@MonkeyShred]

Yeah of course :0 You've likely found out by now anyway but Premieres are basically just a chance to have a live chat going before and during the video.

[@edlauc]

how did you know that the hub will be able to admin 12s cassette?

[@MonkeyShred]

I didn't fully. I saw @ToastyRides do a 12 speed on his channel with a thumb shifter and I tried to double check at my LBS too.

[@edlauc]

Thanks mate! I assume your hub it’s a 135mm and the freehub is 35mm? Was the cassette 12speeds from shimano?

[@MonkeyShred]

@@edlauc it’s definitely 135mm rear. As for exact free hub measurement, I don’t know. No all the gear was SRAM. Shimano apparently run microspline for 12 speed so I’m pretty sure that doesn’t fit a regular HG free hub.

[@michaelburrows9219]

Not sure about that Funn stem. I think I'd rather find something more name brand and used than Amazon Chinese for that part of the bike.

[@MonkeyShred]

You probably need to look in to FUNN as a brand 😂 they’ve been in MTB for a LONG time and supported top riders!

[@arcaderadio5438]

so many closeups. can i just look at the bike instead of a tiny part of it?

[@MonkeyShred]

Course you can. I’ll share a little tip I learnt in the 90s growing up. There’s a button called ‘Pause’. It’s an amazing little thing. It stops the video so you can look at a particular frame for as long as you want. It’s normally two vertical lines. Hope it works for you. Happy to help ☺️

[@arcaderadio5438]

@@MonkeyShred i’ll just watch better videos from other creators instead. thanks for the tip though

[@MonkeyShred]

@@arcaderadio5438 do you need any help with that too?

[@christopherjames5270]

great looking bike 🙂

[@MonkeyShred]

Cheers Christopher!

[@himark1049]

Hand what?!! 😳😳😳

[@thinkpadBentnoseTheBlind]

The irony eh?

[@MonkeyShred]

You saw haha. I can't put it in the title... KZbin will demonitise the vid!

[@murphyco88]

Funny name nice bling grips maybe a gum wall color 😎

[@MonkeyShred]

The best name haha. I did think of matching the grips to the tyres but I didn't think it would quite suit this one. Maybe blue though!

[@harrylen1688]

Awesome!!❤

[@DekuNEKO21]

Old bike? With hollowtech? What year is it lol?

[@zykoncito]

Excellent video and very striking the name of the bike 😅 By the way, as a tip, I recommend not using torque wrench to release components, screws or nuts. This causes them to decalibrate

[@MonkeyShred]

That would suck! It has to be used "in reverse" to do up the drive side BB cups!

[@stephenjohnson5493]

Great bike build

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks!

[@m3vwg]

I've a cannondale f3000 sl 2002 2x9speed would 1x11 work without modding the rear hub please

[@MonkeyShred]

Should do!

[@kentjoosten8149]

Nothing better on a Sunday morning after a 50 km ride than watching some Monkeyshreddery.

[@MonkeyShred]

Hopefully I can get some more Sunday builds done soon then!

[@vitoonto]

Awesome looking restomod!!

[@MonkeyShred]

Thanks Vito!

[@yardsalecycles]

I would of bought it just on the color and name ..... also I enjoy the looks when you pull up to a ride on a vintage bike

[@MonkeyShred]

That's pretty much why I bought it! When I picked it up it was even more vibrant than the pictures showed. So happy!

[@LeeAspin]

Great Vid pal. in the middle of a build myself, would you recommend putting the chainring on the inside of the crank or the outside?

[@MonkeyShred]

I put mine on the inside to keep the correct chain line. I think it should always go in place of the middle ring on a triple crankset unless you use a shorter axle to bring the whole crankset in closer.

[@dougbrett9218]

What size bolt fits the shifter to the clamp ,would it be a m5

[@MonkeyShred]

Off the top of my head - No idea. Sorry

[@waldowsxxghostxx8577]

Did you put boost on rear or non boost 12x142?

[@MonkeyShred]

No - it's still 135mm QR

[@vinceferguson8299]

I love this build I have a stiffy in red that I tried to convert to 1x10 but failed miserably. Don’t suppose you do bikes for other people cause I have no chance.

[@MonkeyShred]

Unfortunately not. Not at the moment anyway. What went wrong on your build?

[@vinceferguson8299]

@@MonkeyShred no worries I think it’s something around the derailier not sure if hanger is bent or what it is.