Scott Endorphin Frame build up advice

Supra biker

Retro Newbie
Hi guys and girls, as per the introductions thread I seem to have purchased Harryburgundys Endorphin frame and I'm hoping we can all overlook the age of it and pretend it's a 1997 model!

It's a blank canvas and to be honest, unlike I suspect a few borderline obsessive bike collectors/builders around here, I'm an almost complete novice when it comes to building one up.

A little background, I used to really like my biking, got a few from Sensible cycles in Liss, Hants way back when, mainly Marins Bear Valley SE sticks in my memory. A few years later and after never really being interested in road bikes I saw a Triathlon version of the first Giant TCR's in a fantastic bluey/purple colour and had to have it and still have that now.

Mountain bike wise, I kept getting older secondhand ones for some fun, I just couldn't justify the serious cost of these as American football, football, golf and fishing all are/were interests of mine but a few knee injuries have now put pay to most of them (days away from 40). I currently have a beaten up old 'Balance' mtb apparently an old race Team/American brand? but the Endorphin is to me, like the first TCR's, just a real stand out design and this colour scheme is for me 'the one' so I treated myself!

Anyway, first things first, I'm thinking forks, groupset and brakes ie V my preferred 'heart' choice or disk front what I suspect the local bike shop would recommend. Groupset wise do I have any chance of getting together a new 8 speed setup from that era or should I go (shudder) modern? Fork wise I'm after advice on length to keep a good geometry (see I'm not totally clueless!) and am favouring a rigid carbon fork possibly an eXotic ones I've seen on ebay or a Pace if I can find one, but perhaps even a steel Kona project 2 (not anti suspension just fancy rigid but this may be my rose tinted glasses)

Also on the bike shop front I know you guys can probably strip and rebuild your own steeds blindfold but advice on what you think I should consider leaving to a shop would be appreciated....I'm think of getting them to do the bottom bracket for example.

Basically any help appreciated, I've a keyhole knee op coming up so the build won't be rushed and I'm going to try and enjoy the process to keep me occupied until I can get back in the saddle.
 
Hi
what a great first time project ! i had a go on the first endorphin in the late 90s and have always had a soft spot for it .
As far as the build goes its all down to budget and what you like :D
9 speed was around before your frame was made so a full on XTR M952 /3 would be awesome , i could not live with rigid myself so would go for a nice set of Pace forks , keep up the carbon ! maybe some carbon bars too ? .As for the actual hands on build its pretty much " nuts n bolts",
there is so much help and advice out there its not that hard tbh , and if there is a job you really dont want to tackle then sublet it to your LBS !
I am amazed at how well some of these components last as well , my bike funds are always on a shoestring but i have picked up shifters , mechs etc that despite being 15 years old work great .
So do your homework first then get in there :LOL:
Cheers Paul
 
Thanks Paul, I'm ok doing work on cars so not scared to get stuck in, but as with the cars will probably spend a few quid on tools along the way.

I've been browsing ebay and found a few little things that caught my eye and I've put on watch but I'm going to wait for the frame to arrive and then have a measure up and research a few things. Will probably try and spend a bit on a fork and wheels and perhaps budget in the running gear....XTR would be nice in the long run!
 
Supra biker":jlkoid6r said:
Thanks Paul, I'm ok doing work on cars so not scared to get stuck in, but as with the cars will probably spend a few quid on tools along the way.

I've been browsing ebay and found a few little things that caught my eye and I've put on watch but I'm going to wait for the frame to arrive and then have a measure up and research a few things. Will probably try and spend a bit on a fork and wheels and perhaps budget in the running gear....XTR would be nice in the long run!

Kinda guessed that from the name :LOL:
I would keep your eyes peeled here for bits as its usually cheaper and much better people to deal with than Ebay ,
the great thing with Shimano is the mix n match ability of it , you can go with an XTR rear mech and maybe save some cash with an lx front mech and cassette for instance , the M750 XT group always looks good value too .
As you say money spent on good forks and wheels is a good bet , a good set of light wheels changes the ride so much .
Cheers Paul
 
shinobi":xtgabghp said:
maybe some carbon bars too ?

Nah, ya want to go with plastic. Plastic is the future. ;)

bs2.jpg


They're sitting in a box in the garage doing nothing if you're interested, Supra.
 
Nice purchase, an over full garage is the only thing that stopped my buying that frame.

LBS jobs I would say are headset, and bottom bracket if you're not wanting to buy the tool, everything else is nuts'n'bolts.

Exotic carbon forks are good quality and very light. I am fitting some to my Dave Lloyd and my son has some which he uses on his Felt from time to time. Suspension wise, you'll need to do some research, as by the time your frame was made, suspension travel was increasing and the the axle to crown (a to c) lengths were getting longer. Front end up makes for a more relaxed angle, front end down is a real no no.

Running gear, well period XTR would be nice, but XT is easier to come by, tough and long lasting, although my personal choice would be modern, but not too many folk 'get' my builds. As for wheels, my standard these days are Hope Pro hubs with Mavic XC717 rims, as they look cool, are light and as tough as old boots.

Have a look around the readers bikes section (in both the 97 and 9:cool: and see what inspires you, and don't forget to post a build thread when you start work, cos we luvs pichers!

And if you fancy those bars, FMJ is a total gent to deal with and the postal service from Canada is ballistically fast (I had a seat post arrive in three days).
 
FMJ":ootpdxaq said:
shinobi":ootpdxaq said:
maybe some carbon bars too ?

Nah, ya want to go with plastic. Plastic is the future. ;)

bs2.jpg


They're sitting in a box in the garage doing nothing if you're interested, Supra.
Ha Ha im so behind the times :LOL: i had a set of specialized plastic bars in the 90s :D
 
Thanks guys, I will follow up with pics yes. Thanks for the Exotic fork info, it's looking the most likely as I think the frame deserves the 'new' look where possible.

I've not got set views of items/specs but I will admit that they have to look ok and complement the bike basically and I say this unashamedly there is a looks factor involved!

Carbon bars might be an option will have a think about what I want up front, my 'classic lines' head is saying a flat bar and little stubby carbon bar ends but that might be form over function...anyway frame might arrive today and I think seeing it in the flesh might get the ideas going.
 
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