Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

I've got a 12 yr old 16" Gary Fisher Big Sur & it came with Rock Shox & V-Brakes. I fancy u/grading the front brakes to discs which obviously means replacing the front end completely.

Not looking to go super-trick or spend loads, what is the best way to go about this and what are good quality components that I can obtain at a reasonable price? Used for a mixture of off/road and on/road (country lanes)

Matteeboy

It might be better to pick up a new bike.
You'll need a new front wheel and hub as well as new forks and the new forks my stuff up the geometry.

However if you really want to go for it, I'd stick Rockshox Toras on with Avid Juicy 3 or 5 brakes - both great value. If you want to go a bit more trick then go for either Rockshox Rebas or Fox Floats (which I have) - both are air filled (rather than coil) so very light and plush.

Minimum cost is going to be £400 I'd say. For £600 you can get a very competent Specialized Rockhopper Disk (my wife has one) with decent frame, brakes and a half decent fork.

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Are all shocks suitable for all bike sizes? (Within reason of course!) Likewise headstocks the same etc?

Dieseldog

Tend to agree with Matteeboy - I put some suspension forks on a 16 year old Cannondale. It went from being a lovely, darty, superlight bike to a bag o' sh1te. It just wasn't designed for suspension...

Have a look at a second hand 06 bike off eBay, perhaps?

Matteeboy

Puff - no not at all. They are hatefully incompatible. You need the right length fork, the right amount of suspension (e.g. try a beefy downhill fork on a light XC racing bike and it will be unrideable), the right headset size, the right size and type of skewer, etc, etc. It's honestly usually easier to get a whole new bike!

Snazy

Friend is selling his bike at the mo if thats any good to ya lol
Hi Spec MTB for sale - CSOC G6

pretty high spec bike

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

Best thing I EVER did with my bike was dump the shocks, bought a set of Pace RC31 Carbon forks, rigid. Bike is MUCH lighter, front end is more precise, and I love the feel.

I'd NEVER go back to shocks again, just hype IMHO.

Unless you do some SERIOUS offroading?

Snazy

lol on the flip side, with my messed up arm, I rode a bike without shocks for an hour and spend the next week in pain.

The front shocks seem to take just enough off the bumps (the vibrations out of it) to make it possible to still ride.

I can imagine that decent forks would indeed make it lighter though.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Depends what you are doing, if its canal towpaths and bridleways do you need suspension at all ?

It is possible to ride a bike off road without any, honest ! for what I do, at the moment I am on a Rigid Hybrid with intermediate tyres which gets you a fair way off road, I have suspension on the my MTB but its in bits and I cant say I have missed the suspension, will get another for specific stuff you cant do on a rigid but suspension and disk brakes arent compulsory in fact I think a lot of bikes would be better off without it as it is generally crap unless you spend an appropriate ammount, plus it adds weight detracts from the steering feel on road and saps energy when it isnt being used, i.e. most of the time for a lot of people, there is a woman at work that rides 5 miles in every day on a cheapo full susser, she must be mega fit as it weighs about 300 lbs and is like a wheeled pogo stick.

It seems to me that nowadays that people spend inordinate ammounts on Mountain Bikes, some of which are like motorbikes without an engine and then either leave it in the garage as its horrific on road or take it out anually to get some mud on it when in actual fact a Hybrid or Road bike would get more use and be nicer to ride.

Matteeboy

J4CKO - true enough but a good set of forks are a godsend.
I have a 2007 Stumpjumper hardtail with Fox 90RLs (air shocks) that are SO plush yet light and I also have a 1997 Stumpjumper fully rigid (high end steel) and although the older one is super nimble, the newer one is much more versatile.
I don't do hardcore downhilling - just XC stuff with the odd jump here and there.
You can also easily lock out the fork if needed. I do think people go for overkill too often though and get 6" rigs for pootling to the shops on.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I know lads who go out at the weekend, once every six months and say "I don't know whether to take the DH, XC or Freeride", to which I reply,


"P1ss Off"

Some people get that wrapped up in the gear, they forget to do any cycling.

Timwinner

iTrader: (3)

Thats me at Esher shore. Pressure suit, full face, carbon gloves, full DH Norco..... 2ft drops

Matteeboy

A LOT of people do that - MTBing will always attract kit geeks it seems.

I only have two Stumpys because I couldn't be ar5ed to sell the old one! And I still like it.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I know the feeling, its worth more to keep it, I am recycling my 1990 DiamondBack Topanga Rigid into a bike I can leave at the leisure centre, or at least I would if I could get the seat stem out, its locked solid !

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

Yerk

Can 'o worms opened. Bike has already got shocks, I just fancy u/grading to slightly better ones with some disc brakes on the front. I also have an Orange G2 & the braking is so much better. I notice that the equivalent Big Sur has "Fox F100RL, 100mm travel, custom G2 offset" whatever that means, so imagine would look for something that is compatible or simillar? eBay will likely be the source so not wanting to buy something that won't fit.

My intention is to spend more time going off-road than on in the future.

Matteeboy

Typed in a long reply last night and SN lost it during the upgrade!!
That Fox fork is expensive but they are VERY good (I have one). Light, strong and very plush.
Still think you'll spend a fortune even 2nd hand - you'll need a disk specific wheel and hub as well as all the other bits.

austinwrx

pointless upgrading.

yr talking new hubs, wheel rebuild etc. bet you wouldn't get change from £400/£500.

buy a new bike and keep yr old one as a reserve.

I have an old hardtail, rubber v brakes, old manitou forks..... must be 14 yr old now.

I love it- but you have to accept you can't gun it down hill like a full sus with discs.

alternatively its quicker and faster, as overall its lighter.

depends on what you do/where and how you ride, how fit you are.

Scoobydiid

If you find out what travel you have at the moment you should be able to get something compatible. I had a 100mm travel shock on my Kona, so I got a Fax TALAS (height adjustable) shock which goes from 85-130mm I run it at 130 unless I'm doing some serious long climbing. It transformed the bike. Keep an eye on the singletrack classifieds section, I picked up a set of hayes HFX 9s which are about 10 rides old for £60 last week complete with disks. You could probably pick up some shocks for about £150+ depending upon what you want. and wheels probably about £100

Also being 12 years old, you may not have any luggs on the frame to take the rear caliper.

So its going to be a bout £300 depending on a bit of luck. You'd probably be better to get something new on the CTW schemef0r £300 you could get a £5-600.00 bike which is new and should last a good few years. Will also have the advantage that you can test ride it first rather than puttin it together abd finding it just doesn't work.

Have fun
Cheers
Andy H