Here's a 2000 Cinder Cone I picked up at the height of Covid -- I'd found a '98 Explosif in parlous condition and was about to drive up to Sydney to fetch it when the Cinder Cone frame popped up on Gumtree for a good price, so was able to pick up a twofer. I wasn't super-keen on an alu frame but it was in pretty nice condition with the cool graphics of the time, and in a size I could ride.
For the following two years the frame lived under the spare bed while I tinkered with a range of other projects -- but I was slowly accumulating parts and this week I put as much together as I could.
Funnily enough, many of the parts came in a haul advertised online as an "LX mini groupset" which later seemed to have come from a 2000 Cinder Cone! But by the time I realised this, I'd used some of the parts on
another build. All parts except headset, BB and tyres are second-hand.
So,
here's where we are:
Fork: Project 2 -- I have a decent Marzocchi that would fit but not sure it's worth the extra weight
Headset: FSA Orbit in green
Wheels: Shimano LX -- the front radially spoked
Bottom Bracket: FSA
Cranks: Race Face Ride XC
Ring: Shimano Zee 36t. There's a Spot bash ring on there at the moment but it's too small so will have to change that.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano LX 9-speed
Cassette: Shimano LX 9-speed
Rear gear shifter: Shimano Alivio 9-speed (will upgrade later)
V-brakes: Avid 1.0
Brake levers: Shimano Alivio -- nice, simple and not very heavy.
Seatpost: Kona
Seat: WTB
Tyres: Michelin Country Rock
Stem: Easton EA70
Bars: Easton Carbon Monkeylite 25.4mm -- these have been trimmed and are a tad narrow but will do for now.
Still to do:
Fit chain and adjust gear shifting
Pedals
Replace bash ring
Decide on whether to go 3x up front -- LX derailleur, with shifter still to locate.
So far I'm happy with it -- it feels pretty light and I think will go well locally where riding is mostly fire roads accessed by tarmac.