{"id":2201902,"date":"2026-10-16T10:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T07:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2201902"},"modified":"2026-10-16T10:04:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T07:04:00","slug":"build-a-full-suspension-bike-with-no-experience-he-decided-to-go-for-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2201902","title":{"rendered":"Build a full-suspension bike with no experience? He decided to go for it."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photos: @fake.bike.co<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The truth is that the perfect bike doesn\u2019t exist. \u201cPerfection\u201d is subjective, and no matter how good a bike is, I\u2019d always tweak something a little. A degree slacker. A few millimeters longer. Often, bike \u201cperfection\u201d is the combination of, well, two or three bikes \u2014 most of this one\u2019s geometry, mixed with that one\u2019s suspension platform, and so on.<\/p>\n

If I had the skill \u2014 hell, if I even had the faintest idea where to begin \u2014 I\u2019d likely design my own bike. This is exactly the route Shae took, and, surprisingly, he didn\u2019t start with a hardtail like many niche, boutique frame builders do. Rather, he jumped right in with a long-travel, full-suspension enduro bike.<\/p>\n

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A fake bike company<\/h2>\n

\u201cWhy buy a really well-engineered bike with a warranty when I could make one that has no warranty, by someone who is really untrained, for twice the price?\u201d Shae joked during our conversation about his full-suspension bike-building ventures. I found Shae through his Instagram account and, to be honest, his handle: fake.bike.co<\/a>. And when I saw that, unlike quite a few frame builders, he was making full-suspension trail and enduro bikes, I wanted to learn the story behind the builds.<\/p>\n

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To be clear, Shae likely doesn\u2019t give himself enough credit. While he hasn\u2019t been building bikes for long, he is a mechanical engineer and, thanks to his work, has access to a machine shop and welders \u2014 after hours, of course.<\/p>\n

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Many boutique frame builders deal exclusively in hardtails because of the complex nature of suspension platforms and the need to figure out kinematics. The artistry and craftsmanship are found in the welding and design details. For Shae, it was the complete opposite. With his engineering background, the suspension platforms were easy \u2014 well, the less intimidating part \u2014 and welding was the learning curve. Shae took advantage of metal scrap from different machine shops in his area and the \u201cold timers\u201d who can weld in their sleep. Once he could weld a decent bead (with those old timers\u2019 approval), Shae set to work putting his first bike together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first ride was really funny,\u201d he explained. \u201cI went to like this little trail network that\u2019s by where I live. I was on the greenest little kid trail ever, but I was in like full pads and full face, just taking it so easy [\u2026] working my way up and doing little drops and then little bigger drops and just checking everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That was a few years ago, and according to Shae, the welds still look good, and he still rides that bike.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat bike,\u201d the \u201cHigh Horse,\u201d was inspired by the Revel Rail and CBF suspension<\/h2>\n

The first bike that Shae designed and built is a big bruiser of an enduro bike he dubbed the High Horse. It is a 170\/160mm (F\/R) dual-link bike built out of 4130 chromoly steel. Shae told me that the Revel Rail and its Canfield Balance Formula (CBF) suspension platform inspired his dual-link design.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother bought a Revel Rail,\u201d he explained. \u201c[I rode it] and was like, \u2018Whoa, this bike is rad!\u2019 But the seat tube was too tall for me, but I liked pretty much everything else about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He especially liked how the CBF platform worked both up and down the hill. And, since he isn\u2019t selling any bikes and infringing on patents, Shae tried to make the High Horse ride as similarly to the Revel as he could. He tried to find as much information on the Rail as possible, which helped, but he also had the advantage of being able to fit the bike exclusively to him. This meant he could measure his own center of gravity and design the suspension kinematics around that.<\/p>\n

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But with different geometry. Shae explained that he leans more toward the \u201cunusual\u201d side when it comes to body proportions. He\u2019s tall (6\u20191\u201d), with only a 30\u201d inseam. While he typically needed a size large on most bikes to keep the cockpit from feeling incredibly cramped, the seat tubes were almost always too long. Designing his own bike would fix that easily.<\/p>\n

The result was a short 400mm seat tube (Shae said that is roughly 40mm less than average) that still accommodates a long dropper post. Aside from the shorter seat tube, the High Horse doesn\u2019t have major geometry standouts \u2014 a 480mm reach and 445 chainstays \u2014 except for a pretty tall stack at 660mm.<\/p>\n

Shae again credits his long torso and short legs for the DH bike-inspired stack height.<\/p>\n

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The High Horse isn\u2019t the only bike he has built<\/h2>\n

Shae also designed and built a full-suspension bike for his wife. While he still used steel, two key differences set it apart from the frame he made for himself. First, he designed the frame with a DW-Link-like suspension platform. Second, he 3D-printed the bottom bracket and parts of the rear triangle in stainless steel.<\/p>\n

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Before the steel frame, Shae said his wife was riding a Santa Cruz Bronson that she got along with fairly well. The Bronson inspired much of the new bike\u2019s geometry, with a few minor tweaks here and there.<\/p>\n

Bronson-inspired geometry and travel numbers, steel instead of carbon, and DW-Link-style suspension. Shae said the end result is a bike that fits her like a glove and weighs a little over 34lb. (His High Horse is closer to 39lb.)<\/p>\n

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And an e-bike!?<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve built an enduro bike for yourself and a trail bike for your wife, the next natural step is an e-bike. And Shae went all out \u2014 180\/170mm (F\/R) travel, Bosch drive unit, and a four-bar suspension platform. \u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cFour-bars are harder to make, in my opinion,\u201d Shae said. \u201cI thought it was going to be easier, but I think I will only do dual-link bikes from now on.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I also assumed a four-bar bike would be easier to build because, well, they are so prevalent. But, in Shae\u2019s experience, dealing with the different jigs for the chainstays, seat stays, and front triangle made it much more complicated. Plus, putting bearings in the frame rather than a link is riskier because links are easier to replace. In his opinion, four-bar bikes are more prevalent because they are easier to tune, not necessarily to make.<\/p>\n

Shae\u2019s most recent creation<\/h2>\n

For his latest bike, Shae is experimenting more with 3D-printing and wants something a little more pedal-friendly. He is thinking short travel \u2014 125mm rear end paired with a 140mm fork. He also says it will be a DW-Link variation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a modified DW link,\u201d Shae said. \u201cThe difference is that the rear shock mount is connected to the rear link, so it all floats on one unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This is where the 3D-printing comes in. Shae said he can print a \u201cbottom bracket cluster\u201d as one piece, which cuts out a lot of fabrication. Not only will this reduce overall build time, but Shae thinks it will also knock some weight off. He is shooting for under 32lb.<\/p>\n

He also said he is going to tune the anti-squat to vary by only 4% across the entire travel range. \u201cIt is going to be a really consistent feeling when I pedal. We\u2019re going to find out if it rides poorly, but regardless, it will pedal consistently!\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep up with the latest mountain bike news by adding Singletracks as a preferred source<\/a> on Google.<\/em><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!–<\/p>\n

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Related articles<\/h4>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Alt<\/a><\/p>\n
Culture<\/a><\/div>\n
Canfield is Making Mountain Bikes Again, Boutique Spoke, Wheel Brands Partner for Ultimate Wheels, and More [MTB News Mix]<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Trail Bikes<\/a><\/div>\n
Canfield Tilt review: An aluminum trail bike with adjustable chainstays and CBF suspension<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
Cross Country Bikes<\/a><\/div>\n
Revel Ranger Ti is the brand’s first full-suspension titanium production bike<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Mountain<\/a><\/p>\n
Enduro Bikes<\/a><\/div>\n
Revel Ups The Stoke: Revel Rail 29 First Impressions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
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Photos: @fake.bike.co The truth is that the perfect bike doesn\u2019t exist. \u201cPerfection\u201d is subjective, and no matter how good a bike is, I\u2019d always tweak something a little. A degree slacker. A few millimeters longer. Often, bike \u201cperfection\u201d is the combination of, well, two or three bikes \u2014 most of this one\u2019s geometry, mixed with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,274],"class_list":["post-2201902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-singletracks-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2201902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2201902\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2201902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2201902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2201902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}