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Aug 29, 2022 13:51:49 GMT
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So let's get stuck into this bike. First off, shambles. I mean... what?? And Dangit. I missed that when I was looking it over. The tattiness The poor build... OK, right? No! At least I had been right about the wheels looking like they were decent ones. The Minion 2.7 tyre is good, the Michelin on the rear is done. Those brake discs look VERY like Hayes discs to me... The young guys that had sold it did tell me that they had bought it in Belfast and then after using it the pedal had fallen off one day, hence selling. I could surmise what sort of a person had put it together to sell it, using mismatched cranks, a cable disc brake on the front, and a very, very poor rattle-can paintjob over the whole thing. And I do mean, the WHOLE thing But under all that badly applied paint was the info I needed And the better parts And, yes, confirmation that I guessed right! eventually I got enough paint off the lever to confirm it's a Hayes Nine Oh and a carbon seat with a telescoping post The whole bike was in a terrible state as you can see. All the cables were snipped and binned. The cranks were binned along with the worn out chainrings and the unbranded piece of junk wobbly stripped out BB. Bearings all in the bin. Much cleaning done. Who even lets this happen! The remnant of "usable" parts. Not on this bike mind, just maybe for spares for something else. And at that point Spotify started playing crappy modern rubbish instead of the 90's trance classics I'd been listening to, so it was all done for the night.
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Aug 29, 2022 14:09:16 GMT
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I did do a bit of research afterwards and using the info I had I identified it conclusively after a day or two of making sure. There isn't much info out there on older less common bikes - the Sunn was just as difficult to narrow down to a year & spec. Kona and Specialized are much easier to get info on. After pulling off the inner tube used as a chainstay guard, there was a soft silver paintjob which I guessed might be the original. Coupled with the visual design elements and hoping that the forks were the originals (they are) I eventually found the spec matched (via old private classifed ads, as there is no official spec list online)... It is a 2006 Norco Six 2. It should look like this The original spec is a 150mm Marzocchi Drop Off IV fork (tick), Hayes Nine brakes (tick - the rear anyway), Fox 3.0 DHX rear coil spring shock (tick), Sun Black Eye wheels (no), Deore shifters (tick), Deore derailleurs (no), Truvativ Firex crankset (no), Truvativ XR stem (tick), Truvativ bars (no) What I do have, is, a load of Truvativ Hussefelt DJ stuff on the Kona, which will make it's way over to this I think. The 06 Six 2 used Deore gearing, but on the Six 1 and both 07 Six 1 and Six 2 (same frame), it was all Sram (except the front mech). I could be tempted to go full Sram drivetrain on this as well. That would match the Truvativ parts, and slightly update it. I'm not going to try to update it to modern, but I will just make it slightly more usable. This will be a proper semi-retro DH rebuild. It'll be a 1x though so I can clean up the lines as it's a pretty busy frame design already. Again this is one just for fun - I get as much enjoyment out of building a bike as using them, and I really like restoring an older bike that's been through the wars a bit. There's enough of the original equipment still here that it will be a resto-mod, and the Kona bike came with a set of Sun rims with solid axles so those are definitely replacing the Halo wheels - oh, now I have some Halo wheels to use on another build...
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Aug 29, 2022 14:22:51 GMT
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I know this'll get complicated real fast, so for clarity...
2011 Specialized Rockhopper SL Comp - main & current trail bike 2011 Sunn Prim S2 - backup / loaner trail bike 2008 Kona Stuff Nissan edition - Trail & DJ 1998 Trek 800 Sport - Flat-bar 26er for road use
Projects: 2006 Norco Six 2 - retro DH resto-mod 2001 Kona Kula - retro XC custom
Retired: 1997 Kinesis Coyote Ultra-lite - DH/trail custom 1988/89 Falcon Pro Freestyler BMX
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Aug 30, 2022 11:38:09 GMT
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Can I be really boring for a bit because this kind of stuff really interests me and takes a bit of time to dig it up... Original specifications! 2001 Kona Kula MRSP $1699 Frame: Easton Ultralite / Bi-Oval tubing Colour: Bright Rasta Mustard Fork: Marzocchi Atom Sport air 80mm Wheel rims: Mavic X517 Hubs: Shimano Deore XT Tyres: Hutchinson Mosquito 26x2.0 Brakes: Avid Single Digit 7 calipers, Avid Speed Dial 5 levers Shifters: Shimano Deore XT RapidFire SL Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore LX Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT SGS Crankset: Shimano Deore XT, 22/32/44 Pedals: Shimano PD-M515 SPD Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-ES70 Cassette: 9-speed, 11-32 Chain: Shimano CN-HG72 Handlebars: Koski riser Stem: Koski forged 4-bolt Headset: Aheadset SAS Seatpost: IRD Quad 2 Saddle: SDG Comp Satellite 2008 Kona Stuff MRSP c.£750* Frame: Kona Clump 7005 Aluminum Colour: exclusive Nissan edition red & white Fork: Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 2 100mm Wheel rims: Sun DitchWitch Hubs: Shimano M525 Tyres: Maxxis High Roller 26x2.35 Brakes: Hayes Stroker Ryde Hydraulic V6 Shifters: Shimano Alivio Front Derailleur: Shimano Alivio Rear Derailleur: Shimano Alivio Crankset: FSA MOTO-X MegaExo, Bashring/36/24 Pedals: Kona Jackshit Bottom Bracket: FSA MegaExo Cassette: 8-speed, 11-32 Shimano HG30 Chain: Shimano HG50 Handlebars: FSA Maximus Riser OS Stem: FSA GAP OS Headset: FSA Zero Stack Seatpost: FSA FR270 Saddle: Kona DJ * Catalog and price are for the standard Stuff. 2011 Sunn Prim S2 MRSP €1099 Frame: AL 6061 TB Colour: Fork: Rockshox Recon Gold TK SA 100mm Wheel rims: [poss Alexrims TD24 (2010 spec)] Hubs: Tyres: Hutchinson Python AL 26x2.0 Brakes: Formula RX 160mm Shifters: Front Derailleur: Sram X5 Rear Derailleur: Sram X9 Crankset: Truvativ Firex 3.2 22/32/44 Pedals: Bottom Bracket: Cassette: [poss Sram PG950 (2010 spec)] Chain: Handlebars: Stem: Headset: Seatpost: Saddle:
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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Love all the nerdery, carry on.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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Sept 1, 2022 13:20:22 GMT
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1998 Trek 800 Sport MRSP $245 Frame: High Tensile Steel w/ Cromoly Seat Tube Colour: Mellow Gold Fork: Rigid, High Tensile Steel Wheel rims: Weinmann 519 alloy 36 hole Hubs: Tyres: Knobby 26x2.0 Brakes: Shimano Altus brakes, Lee Chi LC26 levers Shifters: GripShift MRX 170 Front Derailleur: Shimano Tourney TY32 Rear Derailleur: Shimano Tourney TY30 Crankset: Shimano Tourney TY-22, 28/38/48 Pedals: Resin Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-CT92, 118mm spindle Cassette: 7-speed, 11-28 Chain: Shimano CN-UG50 Handlebars: Steel Stem: Headset: Victor VP-H97W Seatpost: Aluminum micro-adjust, 27.2mm diameter Saddle: Dual Density 2006 Norco Six Two MRSP £1269-£1729 / $2000 Frame: Hydraform down-tube aluminium Colour: Fork: Marzocchi Dropoff 4, 150mm Rear Shock: Fox DHX-3, 145-165mm Wheel rims: Sun Black Eye, 32-hole Hubs: Shimano Deore Tyres: Kenda Nevagal 26x2.35 Brakes: Hayes HFX-9 Shifters: Shimano Deore Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore Crankset: Truvativ Firex 24/36 Pedals: Wellgo Aluminum platform Bottom Bracket: Cassette: Sram PG-950 9-speed, 11 - 34 Chain: KMC Z9000 Handlebars: Truvativ LE Stem: Truvativ XR Headset: Ritchey Scuzzy Seatpost: Titec Scoper Saddle: SDG FRD 2011 Specialized Rockhopper SL Comp (UK Spec) MRSP £700-799 Frame: Fully butted M4 SL alloy Colour: Red & Black (UK colours) Fork: Rockshox Recon Silver TK SL Wheel rims: DT Swiss 445D Hubs: Tyres: Specialized The Captain Control 26x2.0 Brakes: Avid Juicy 3 SL Shifters: Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore Mega-9 Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore SLX Shadow Crankset: Shimano FC-M521 Mega-9 Pedals: Shimano SPD Bottom Bracket: Cassette: Shimano HyperGlide Chain: Handlebars: Specialized Stem: Specialized Headset: Specialized 41.8mm cartridge bearings Seatpost: Saddle:
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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Sept 1, 2022 13:52:42 GMT
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What an awful tyre choice from factory for the Norco. I bought a Saracen Mantra at a quarter of the price with those tyres. Even at the time they where trash! Bet it will be a fun bit of kit when sorted.
I remember the rivalry between hayes and avid brakes. Avid was the winner for me but still have a mountain of Hayes discs somewhere because they seemed to grab better...
Got to say currently using new Deore disks, cheap set but share a lot of components with the XT stuff and can't really beat them for the price..
Also have 3 sets of older forks a 1994 claud butler shaman frame, 2003ish Kinesis maxlight frame and possibly my 97 specialized rockhopper with a modified 1 1/8 headtube looking for a new home, I'll try find some more info if you want it.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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mrbig
West Midlands
Semi-professional Procrastinator
Posts: 505
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Sept 1, 2022 15:19:11 GMT
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Enjoying this thread... making me want to get back into modding and riding again, but I'm so out of touch now its not funny! For example, I wanted to upgrade the front forks on my 94 Scott Peak Adventure, but I didn't even realise you basically cant get suspension forks with a 1" steerer!
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1969 German Look Beetle - in progress
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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Enjoying this thread... making me want to get back into modding and riding again, but I'm so out of touch now its not funny! For example, I wanted to upgrade the front forks on my 94 Scott Peak Adventure, but I didn't even realise you basically cant get suspension forks with a 1" steerer! I recently had a 1997 Specialized frame modified to suit 1 1/8 (Headstock cut off a scrap frame and welded in to specialized then heat treated.) and even those are getting to be a pain now.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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mrbig
West Midlands
Semi-professional Procrastinator
Posts: 505
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Sept 2, 2022 11:05:42 GMT
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1969 German Look Beetle - in progress
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Sept 2, 2022 12:54:48 GMT
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What an awful tyre choice from factory for the Norco. I bought a Saracen Mantra at a quarter of the price with those tyres. Even at the time they where trash! Bet it will be a fun bit of kit when sorted. I remember the rivalry between hayes and avid brakes. Avid was the winner for me but still have a mountain of Hayes discs somewhere because they seemed to grab better... I'll let you know if I need any more bikes! Really appreciate your continued input, it does make me think each time you drop a bit of wisdom. I've been reading up too, I always thought Hayes were good brakes but the Stroker ones seem to have terrible reviews for being badly designed, prone to fade and rattly. Avid has always been what I've aspired to, but Deore is what gets fitted! And I agree about the choice of tyres for the Norco
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Sept 2, 2022 12:59:39 GMT
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Enjoying this thread... making me want to get back into modding and riding again, but I'm so out of touch now its not funny! Have you seen what I started with I was very, very out of touch - it's only been a year since I started again, and now I'm way more invested than I ever was before. What I have learned about retro bikes is that they are fun if you keep them relatively stock, and if you want modern performance, just get a new(er) bike. I'm really happy now that I know I'm going to build the Kula as it was then, and not try to make it something it's not by adding very modern components. Admittedly it's not a true retro - I initially thought it was a 98 but it's actually 01. Anyway I think my point is, it's not hard to get back into, and it's fun, so hopefully here's some encouragement to get going!
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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Sept 2, 2022 13:10:52 GMT
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What an awful tyre choice from factory for the Norco. I bought a Saracen Mantra at a quarter of the price with those tyres. Even at the time they where trash! Bet it will be a fun bit of kit when sorted. I remember the rivalry between hayes and avid brakes. Avid was the winner for me but still have a mountain of Hayes discs somewhere because they seemed to grab better... I'll let you know if I need any more bikes! Really appreciate your continued input, it does make me think each time you drop a bit of wisdom. I've been reading up too, I always thought Hayes were good brakes but the Stroker ones seem to have terrible reviews for being badly designed, prone to fade and rattly. Avid has always been what I've aspired to, but Deore is what gets fitted! And I agree about the choice of tyres for the Norco Wisdom! That's a first for me haha, happy to help. You build bikes very much the way I do, buy what you can when its cheap. Upgrade again when you find the bits you want. My current Kona took about 4 years to get to where it is now, the only thing i get wary of is second hand hydraulics, repair kits are either Chinese and ropey at best or just not available, only exception to the rule is Hope stuff. I used to run Mono minis and M4's on everything, they still hold their value now. See below. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144641317466?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=Cj0KCQjw08aYBhDlARIsAA_gb0eTZ-Rw9jMVuGQxQXhydrby4KfWj_kX75G-87M1f3VcSjCm-7NU9NwaAliOEALw_wcBI have been longing after a Nukeproof scout in 27.5 flavour but I have never bought a built bike and nothing new for about 10 years. This is tempting... nukeproof.com/products/2022-scout-275On the subject of tyres, I have a real liking for Schwalbe stuff currently, seem to offer a decent wear rate and grip at the same time. Perhaps I should go digging in the garage and share some of my rubbish....
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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Sept 9, 2022 12:57:55 GMT
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So where we left off was with the Sunn being built but with me not being entirely happy with it. I don't like Tektro brakes. I just don't rate them. They were difficult to set up and useless performance all those years ago when I built bikes at Halfords and I've disliked them ever since. I don't want them on my bike. So... Remember when I built that Carrera last year? It came with no front brake, but a white-bodied Shimano BR-M445 rear hydraulic on it. The white ones are hard to get now but I had found a s/h one on ebay. They are bottom of the pile for Shimano brakes really so I wasn't willing to buy one for very much but after watching out for some time, and finding only one which felt a bit overpriced, there was no others coming up. I emailed the seller and made a lower offer and they agreed and changed the listing. So, hurrah! now I have a white front brake to match. The rubbing alcohol was required though as they taped it up directly rather than bagging it first... It was a bit of state but 30 min later I had it looking fresh and then installed it... Definitely happier now. It meant the wheels all had to come off again so I could take the Tektro discs off and put Shimano ones on. Yes, I'm that fussy. And that freed up the white Tektro Auriga's again - which immediately got refitted to my friends Voodoo Bantu as it came with Clarks brakes and they are terrible! So those brakes have done some serious swapping around now. Speaking of Clarks brakes, the most newest bike of our whole group also has Clarks on it, which is a bit of a weak point for the price bracket. This is a really good bike although it is huge. I took it for a quick ride and it really does iron out the bumps with its 29" wheels but I'm not sure I'm convinced of it. Lighter than expected though. A couple more women that are quite good at the old biking malarky joined in too and we're kinda splitting our now overpopulated big group into two as there are a handful that are quite high level now and another bunch that are more, shall we say leisurely? It's as much a dedication thing as fitness - some guys want to go out every other day and some we can only convince to show up (late) once a month. Where does that leave us? Oh yes, I am getting fed up with not being able to keep up with the fitter and faster guys (and gals) and walking hills while they ride up on their newer machines. Oh, those two women that joined, immediately went out and bought a pair of 29" Commencal hardtails and took them off drops that I'm a bit chicken of. Time to upgrade to a big bike? Nah, I'll see what I can do with my little old 26er...
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Sept 9, 2022 13:44:10 GMT
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My starting point: I Really like this bike. It performs reliably and predictably. It looks good, which is a thing for me - I really do spend a lot of time getting the "look" right as well as the "feel" - and I like matched components which should all be of the same performance level. That means matched drivelines, matched brand brakes, and same brand componentry across the bike where possible. My mate popped my little DirtMonkey saddle bag on that I've had since about 2006 - it fits with the dropper post whereas it didn't fit with the previous static post. But making room for the dropper post lever (mentioned before) meant taking the front mech lever off. No matter, as I almost always stay in the middle gear. To be honest, I could just drop to a 1x - but I could do with a bigger rear range... This thought process spiralled until a lot of new parts started arriving at my house. Time for a tear-down ready for a rebuild! Ohh, that rear tyre is soft again. Must investigate... Well that was easy! The valve was loose. First up was this important find. It's an 11 speed rear cassette by Shimano which fits onto a 9spd freehub. As far as I can ascertain, most will not. It's quite heavily offset towards the wheel at the back, which is where it grabs the extra room from, but it does - just - fit on. Lovely. If I'm going 11 speed I'll need to buy a new mech - nope, I already have a clutched Deore derailleur on the shelf that I bought a while ago - can't remember what for! The front chainrings came off for the first time since 2011 and were replaced with a Blackspire Snaggletooth Oval 32t narrow-wide - quite the mouthful. I'd been looking into chain-ring ratios and read some discussion about narrow wides and then came across talk about the benefits and disadvantages oval rings, and once down this rabbit hole I thought it was worth at least trying one out. So I got an oval ring in the right spec, and then spent even more time reading up on which was the best way to fit it. That was all paired with a new Deore 11 speed trigger shifter and a genuine Shimano 11 speed chain. Keeping it all the same meant that I had the gears indexed in about 5 minutes which is pretty quick on a freshly put together setup of new parts. After that I was really pretty happy with myself but at that point in walked a friend and asked why I hadn't fitted a set of white bars seeing I had two of them on the shelf, and both of them wider. I hummed and hah'd but then just figured I'd try it out. So the Easton bars (which I then realised were actually spare/unallocated) went on - increasing the bar width by 30mm as well - and that was the new setup ready to try out.
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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Oct 31, 2022 16:54:42 GMT
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So, I got it muddy... 11 miles and the only route home was 2 inch deep soaking wet clay soil.. Front wheel wouldn't turn, both brakes locked solid, chain lifting off the chainring from the amount of dirt. All cleaned up and good as new, this bike takes so much abuse and just keeps going...
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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I've got one of these
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kurt seyffert
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Davey
Posted a lot
Resident Tyre Nerd.
Posts: 2,348
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I've got one of these Love some old school long travel DH bikes. Colour scheme is great.
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K11 Micra x3 - Mk3 astra - Seat Marbella - Mk6 Escort estate - B5 Passat - Alfa 156 estate - E36 compact Mk2 MR2 T-bar - E46 328i - Skoda Superb - Fiat seicento - 6n2 Polo - 6n polo 1.6 - Mk1 GS300 EU8 civic type S - MG ZT cdti - R56 MINI Cooper S - Audi A3 8p - Jaguar XF (X250) - FN2 Civic Type R - Mk2 2.0i Ford Focus - Mercedes W212 E250
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Oct 14, 2023 14:43:43 GMT
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Literally a year since I updated this one! ...part of that is some more upheaval in my life, so I haven't been on the bikes nearly as much; and part is my main riding buddy broke his arm (badly) in a freak (mtb) accident so he is still recovering, his brother and another buddy who were out that day have been shaken enough to not be out since, one other buddy is expecting his first child imminently, and a couple of others emigrated. The Sunn I built last summer got used maybe about twice. A better mech and a black head stem were fitted to make it just a bit better and a youngster I know 3D printed a bashguard for it... And then it was done. This summer I popped it up for sale as part of a big clearout of unused things. It didn't sell. Eventually needing some parts, I stripped it down. I also sold the Norco frame and some of the components. And turned my eyes to a bike I do want to build. I wanted to stick the Mission wheels on the Kona but it was just proving to be hassle, so I lifted down it's original Ditch Witch pair. However Given I was in a frame of mind where I just wanted to go jump something, I looked around and found a very good set of Halo wheels sitting spare since the Norco went! And I did pontificate a bit about the brakes - even trialling a set of Avid Juicys but I didn;t have enough suitable adaters to make them fit an is mount. Until that is, the Sunn fell victim to the parts robbing, and subsequently it got taken apart, giving me some Shimano (albeit only MT445) brakes for the Kona. Lovely. I packed it up the next day to go tackle a faraway track I hadn't been to, and that night broken-arm-mate asked if I wanted to borrow his brand new Specialised Epic Evo 29"er... So, yeah, yeah I do! Unfortunately the track I went to didn't deserve a bike like that so I had a very middling day out, but maybe I'll get a chance to take it again before he recovers, soon... Still, I like my Kona.
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mungo
Part of things
Posts: 320
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Oct 17, 2023 11:48:40 GMT
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I took this out to the wood yesterday :
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56' bug 2332 +ida's 56' lowlight ghia 72' bus 1600 devon 67' type 3 square - gone 83' gti - gone 90' gti 16v - gone 82' chevette - gone 70' GP1 Beach buggy -gone 78' lightweight landrover 3L v6 -gone 89' gti - gone 83' gti - gone
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