Words by Jon Dale
Images by Blaine Eldredge, Eli Pyke

We’d always wanted to build a mountain bike from the frame up. So when three frames and several boxes of parts started arriving, we couldn’t help but get pretty excited. 

The problem was where to start. A mountain bike seems like a pretty simple machine: a frame, two wheels, and a few pieces that tie it all together. But the truth is, all three of us were pretty intimidated by the process of taking a stack of brakes, cables, gears, and pedals and somehow building mountain bikes. Thankfully, our friend Devin offered to walk us step by step through the assembly from the frame up. And so, after a few days, lots of double-checking, and a visit to the local bike shop for a specialty tool, we were rolling three shiny new mountain bikes out the door.

There’s something unique about riding a bike you’ve built yourself that’s incredibly satisfying. The feeling of knowing how each individual component works and how to adjust it removes the nagging feeling in the back of your mind that when the inevitable happens and something stops working, you’re powerless to fix it.

These are not the type of bikes you buy at your local big box store, and a lot has changed since the last time I purchased a new mountain bike many years ago.

One of the biggest changes is that modern mountain bikes have a 1X drivetrain. This means you just have a single ring in the front, and all the shifting is handled by the rear derailleur. This really simplifies both the mechanics of the drivetrain and the user experience. Instead of needing to figure out two shifters while riding, you only have to shift with one hand.

The second big change from earlier mountain bikes is the amount of travel in the suspension. These bikes have upwards of 5 inches of travel, front and rear, which makes a huge difference in the experience of riding on rough terrain. For those of you who don’t know what that means, they’re so much more forgiving than their predecessors. The third big advancement is the drop seat. If you’ve ever been riding downhill and felt like the seat was pushing you over the handlebars, you’re going to love having a drop seat on your next bike. At the push of a lever on your handlebars, the seat post retracts, moving the seat out of your way for technical descents. We’re pretty sure someone with male anatomy invented this particular wonder.

Meet the Bikes

The three bikes we built are each unique. Many of the components we used are identical, but the end result is three very different personalities.

If you love the downhills and spending as much time with both wheels in the air as on the ground, you’ll love the Ibis Mojo. If you want a very capable bike with an amazing story where you can go meet the guy who actually built it and ride your own bike out of the small workshop where it was built, the Durango fits the bill perfectly. If you’d like a great all-around mountain bike from an American company, a bike designed by passionate mountain bikers, you’ll be really pleased with the Transition Scout.

As I write this, the days are short and most of the trails are covered with snow, so our rides are limited to quick escapes at lunch during a particularly warm week. We’re stoked to get back on the trails again this summer, and as much as we’re loving these new bikes, the truth is we spent many years riding junkers before we ever knew what a 1X drivetrain was. It’s really about getting out there, no matter what you ride. But if you ever get a chance to build a bike of your own, we’d highly recommend it.

With a friend like Devin, of course.