it wasn't a rock, it was a rock lobster

Nice frames these. I have one built up as a rigid winter 1X9.... viewtopic.php?f=21&t=224716&hilit=Lobster
Great work so far, and you won't be disappointed when you get to ride it

love Rock Lobsters

I bought the frame from singletrack.
I paid more than any of the ebay ones fetched, when I look at the ones sold recently.
I mailed the bloke to suggest he give me some dosh back[quite politely] and I didn't get an answer. I mailed his hotmail[or whatever it was] mail address, but I have found his work mail address, haven't mailed him on it yet.
Got my rear mech yesterday, Gave it a bit of a clean in petrol/diesel, it didn't come out very clean; should I mail the bloke and moan about that the fact the tension jokey wheel is almost round, or accept if I will buy cheap parts I will get shite;-) I bought a broken ultrasonic cleaner from ebay almost a year ago[bought as broken and very cheap] and haven't got round to trying to fix it, but I bought the components I thought it needed last November[not that I really have a clue about electronics]. I replaced the parts this afternoon, took about 5 minutes, I switched it on and it buzzed away;-)
I stuck the still dirty rear mech in and after 5 minutes the inside bit's, bit's you can't get a brush at, were all clean! Doesn't look it in the picture but it really is clean.

If sold as jockey wheels ok then mail seller. Replacement jockey wheels are about a tenner making mechs like yours worth peanuts.

Looks clean in the pic!

02gf74":81poxvzn said:

hello - a man with an LR lightweight - you take it offroading anywhere near you?

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I used to go green laning, I haven't been for a while. Probably about 5 years! My brother was into it, but his son got a suzi jeep for his 15th birthday[I got in in search of space for my 15th] and they started going to pay and play places from then.

I didn't touch the rock lobster for a few months!
Last week I did the remaining things, this was written in September.
I put the cables on. I hadn't put them on as I needed to make little top hat cable ends to to go in the hose clips on the top tube. Worked nicely and the cables sit square unlike the cables with nylon ends in the proper cables stops, apart from the cable ends I made as I ran out of bought ones.
I had scored a stem from Ebay, locally and very cheap, but very short as well[70mm], going to get a 100mm to try it. I should have left the cables long enough to try long stem and risers.

I welded the ends of the cables, I had been meaning to try welding them and never got round to it, very easy and hopefully no fraying; I put heat shrink tubing on as I usually do.
I didn't want to chop the steerer down, so I made some longish spacers, looks crap but if I flog the forks it's best.

The XT rear rear mech I bought needed jockeys, so I bought an XTR mech;-)
I changed the bottom swing xt front mech for a top swing, the cable angle from the stop was terrible with a bottom swing mech. All the front mechs I bought for it, I have bought three now, were 34.9mm, so needed shimming. I made a concentric shim and when I came to set the mech up found it wouldn't go back far enough, a shim with 1.5mm of eccentricity cured that.

I had bought XT cranks which never turned up, but the bloke gave me my dosh back so all not lost, I always feel guilty when I ask for dosh back? I bought some new LX cranks from crc, only to then win another set of XT cranks the same day, bid on them late one night and forgot all about them. The LX cranks were bolted on before I got the XT cranks so they are staying on.
I had bought a new 9speed cassette and chain and some more shifters, I had M740s then I decided I might as well go 9 speed so I got some more shifters, can you see the pattern of buying a few things[I will have enough left over bit's to build a few more;-)].

It wasn't a rock, it was a rock lobster

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhJzX0UgDM

integerspin":y8c1q0u7 said:

I was pretty happy with the deal till I got the frame and found butchered brake mounts, a little dent in the down tube and it wasn't the size I was told it was. Oh well I have it now, if it's to big at least I will know what size I want.

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Merlin used to quote their sizes c-c, so if you told it was a size 17 and it turned out to be 19 c-t, it may well be that the seller was sold it by Merlin as a size 17. In that case, he would be justified in repeating this in his eBay listing. Still, I would always give the vital dimensions when selling a frame, and if he had done that you would have known what you were getting.

Presumably he butchered the V-bosses because the frame has disc tabs so he assumed the V-bosses were unnecessary? Whatever you might say, even some Retrobikers do this apparently!

Merlin used to quote their sizes c-c, so if you told it was a size 17 and it turned out to be 19 c-t, it may well be that the seller was sold it by Merlin as a size 17.

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I asked how long is the seat post centre to top and got the wrong answer and never got a reply when I mailed him.

I bought LX cranks from CRC. Which seemed a right bargain[24 quid] as I paid close to that for a ring for something else last year.


The rear brake cable stop. The frame has stops/clips for brake hose, so I used these little ali cable ends.

The ends of the cables, tigged so I can rem derailleur or a shifter and the cable won't fray. Very easy to do[if you have a tig;-)] hold the tungsten real close to the end of the cable and a quick dab on the pedal and it's done.

Got the wheels off ebay, XT hubs n mavic rims. Very cheap and very local, what more could you ask for. Oh yes the back needed a hub, well freehub and cones and respoking so maybe not quite the bargain. Eventually scored a new hub for spares, on ebay of course. Spokes, yes you guessed it back to ebay. Once the wheels were sorted I put the tyres on, 2.25 Maxxis Advantages, only to find the tyres are to fat to squeeze past the brakes. So I bought some 2.2 schwalbes, a nobby nic and a rocket ron. The rocket ron is not to good on wet roots n mud.
The brakes are from a bloke on here.


Got the wheels on it and went round the block, well Leith Hill beckoned and I put 30 miles on it. Brakes work. But the front posts flex to much, they are way to long, the bosses in the forks are set back and the posts are long and wibbly. The back has M6 studs into the stay mount and they flex, I should have changed the backs to M8 when I repaired the frame. The tyres are good in the dry, more grip than the Velociraptors I have on several of the other bikes. I really wanted to try discs and suspension. I have just bought some discs, if you have a pair of xt disc hubs you want to sell for not a lot let me know.
The boingy front end, first time out I am sure I carried a lot more speed on a very rooty/rocky downhill bit, the back of the bike also seemed to follow better. But on a very steep uphill bit, a section that most people seem to avoid, as I did until I saw someone riding up it and I make it without putting a foot down about 1 in 10 times I go up; the rock lobster is really difficult as it's much harder to keep the front on the ground and steer, more practice is required.


The eccentric mech shim, with a concentric shim there wasn't enough adjustment to get the cage back far enough. I can't remember if I checked the chain line.

Great bike and glad its a rider...that LX chainset was a steal! Hope to one day get me a Rock Lobster...And I think the red is the best colour!...you said it might be too big for you, what size is it and what size are you if thats ok?

Doug

wookiee":3ogctwdq said:

Great bike and glad its a rider...that LX chainset was a steal! Hope to one day get me a Rock Lobster...And I think the red is the best colour!...you said it might be too big for you, what size is it and what size are you if thats ok?

Doug

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It's 19"[centre to top], but having the bottom bracket an inch higher than my Marin's means it's a similar height to the 19"[centre to centre] Marin I have[which is to big].

Last time I rode it I caught the mech on a log, bent the hanger a little and broke the B adjustment plate. I have just made a new B adjustment plate. Not ridden it yet as I got some XT disc wheels a few weeks ago and need to make some brake adapters for the calipers now. I suppose I should have looked to see how much a new B adjustment plate would cost;-) Anyway it's now got a stainless one, I guess the aluminium one breaks before anything else.