Salsa El Mariachi SS 29er

29er salsa el mariachi single speed built from the frame up.

Salsa 20" steel frame, salsa rigid fork.

ZTR Arch 29er wheel set, Kenda Nevegal Small block 29x2.2 tires

Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes, Surly rear cog adapter.

28" wide salsa handle bar, Cane Creek 100 headset, WTB sadle.
Total cost:$2,300 in 2012 USD. The price is going up by the day.
I did enjoy building this bike and would like to start building a cyclo cross bike next.

In the meantime I built a gravel bike and have converted the El Mar single speed to a 1 by 10.
Here are a few pics:

It is already October 2014. I had to replace the external crank set bearings which came
 with the Race Face crank set. They cracked and I found out sand inside the BB shell. They (the bearings) only lasted for 2 1/2 years.

I  installed a 10 spd. Shimano rear cassette, a 10 spd. shifter (XT) and a 10 speed Shimano XT rear derailleur

I have also replaced the saddle with yet another WTB and put Crank Brothers 5050 platform pedals.
That's it for the time being. The bike is running fine and offers a very smooth and predictable ride.

October, 25, 2014 I replaced the Race Face 32T crank set with a Shimano Zee M640 36T.Here are some pics.

Now I have a nice 1X10 (36T x12-34t). It took me a while to get the gears /rear derailleur and shifting right but it is working fine now.

June25, 2016

I replaced the handlebar stem with a Race Face Atlas, 50 mm offset. I also put in a new Chromag handle bar (740 mm). The previous stem had an offset of 110 mm.

The alternator bracket makes annoying noises. I have to dismantle it after every 50 miles of riding. I bought new bracket plates, left and right hand but the noise is still there. I added a .2mm thick brass gasket but it does not alleviate the problem. It was very hard to pin point/diagnose the source of noise. In the process I replaced the pedals, the seat and the seat stem and the bottom bracket twice.
Basically the fit between the alternator bracket and frame is not that great. There are too many pivot points in the system. Funny thing that the bike was quiet when I ran it as a SS for 2 years. This is the end of upgrading for this bike. A rear bike end which has a lot of adjustment through slots/sliders and it is being held in place by small screws looks very versatile but it is just not going to work for long. Problem is that the EBB is even worse.