Bicycle parts

[Patman]

GRRRRRR! :(

Replace a fork? (just don't hold up to those 5' drops like my KTM suspension):confused:

Sure, just be prepared to replace the high end cantilever brakes you HAD.

Oh well you'll be needing V brake levers to control the new V brakes that the new fork requires.

Oh and cables gota' have new cables.

Well might as well replace the headset as well right? (turned out to be a good plan as I busted mine to pieces, wonder how that happened :silly: )

Maybe I should just stick to dirt bikes ;)

 

[MxKid512]

"What do you mean I cant just buy the arms?"
No, sorry you need to buy the whole crank
"I don't need a crank. Just the right arm"
I'm sorry. You need to buy the set
"I dont need a $140 part. I need the $15 arm"
I'm sorry
"Well, I really want to ride, so just gimmie the whole thing"

They're always trying to screw ya. And it usually works.

 

[MXP1MP]

KEYWORDS TO BUYING BIKE PARTS "MADE IN USA" !!!! I ride bmx/dirt jumping and i'm super tough on my parts. I've had the best luck with quality parts that are made in the USA. Most parts busted were made in taiwan. Avoid companys that mass produce parts and spend the extra cash for the qaulity trust me it pays off in the long term. btw I hate cantilevers I still think 990's are a better brake.

 

[ride_red_15]

who thought...
i was dirt jumping with some friends on my specialized rock comp or something i dont knowits aluminum its got front suspenion a hard back and it flies when i go flyig off...i broke the handle bars in HALF i didnt believethat possible

 

[Patman]

I'm pretty sure Shimano XT is a good componant level :D The for was a Rock Shox MAG 21 which a few years ago was "it" I just happened to get a little more aggressive than I should have been. It happened before and I had to have every piece in both legs replaced. This time I'll just upgrade. It just bites that I have to replace the brake system to replace the fork all because I chose cantilevers over V brakes when the V brakes were still being perfected.

Life goes on.:silly:

Oh and yes the handlebars are replaced, I bent them 30 degrees back and 12 degrees down in another incident. (they were aluminum heavy wall DH bars too):eek:

 

[oabike]

Bringing a Mag 21 into a bike shop is like bringing a Maico,Can-Am, Full Floater,Monoshock, dual shock motorcycle into your dealer. Sorry Patman,it's all Sid,Duke,Black,threadless,V-brake,disc brake these days. No more top shifters either. Like motorcycles it's best to sell your bike every few years and get the latest tech.

 

[smb_racing]

Originally posted by oabike
Bringing a Mag 21 into a bike shop is like bringing a Maico,Can-Am, Full Floater,Monoshock, dual shock motorcycle into your dealer.

that bad, really?? I'm feel sorry for you guys... :silly:

 

[KXaggerator]

Trust me when you dump that Mag 21 for a new fork you will never look back with nostalgia. I went from a Mag 21 to a '97 Judy and I was sooo impressed as I ride some rough down hills. Now I have a 100 mm Sid, it is air sprung and open bath, great fork. The Rock Shox Dual Air forks with Climb It Control are awesome. Marzocci's are also really nice forks, very plush on stutter bumps. My friends have had less luck with Answer forks. I had bought my Santa Cruz Superlight with XT hydraulic disk brakes, but I have since switched to Avid Arch Rival 50's v-brakes and they are awesome. Just think of it as a forced upgrade.

 

[Treestomper]

Pat you do not need supension at all. I do BMX and go off tables all the time that are about 4feet high and have not have a problem and I have a cheap bike. Doing the doubles is still a lot funner.

 

[buffmaster]

oabike, unless you're VERY serious about mtn. biking, that's crap. I've got a '94 Bridgestone RB-2(Steel road bike) & a '93 Giant carbon fiber mtn. bike, and they both still kick butt(well, the Giant would if I'd take the time to put it back together:mad: ). I've seen old fart's w/10-15 year old bikes, that were immaculate, annihilate younger guys on the latest and greatest.

I'm not 100% sure, as I've been out of the bike biz for about 6 years, but it sounds like you got a shop that just wants to make some money off ya. I'd rather spend the money on your 'big' bike;) .

 

[Patman]

Actually I ordered the parts from PricePoint.com because they have better pricing than any shop around here and I do my own maintenance anyway. I'm sure I could have found a fork that supported cantilevers but I decided to pick a fork that I liked then build around it if I had to, which I ended up having to do. Still seems nuts to me that V brakes that we such a pain to get liniar response out of are now the base brake. A disc would have been nice but I'm not looking to replace my wheels and hubs yet. Maybe when I do V brakes will be history and I'll HAVE to get a disc :silly:

 

[placelast]

Pat: have you tried SuperGo? They get some great (factory closeout) deals on fronts. I considered a fork upgrade but don't ride enough to justify it, even the 1/2-off prices.

You guys are right about upgrades. The competion is so stiff these days, it pays to replace the whole bike every few years. For the good deal I got on my '99 FSR XC Comp, they now come loaded up soooo much better.

 

[AnneBrooks]

I HAD a Trek 6000---junk Rock Shock Indy front shock. Replaced that with Manitou front shock. Then decided to get a full suspension frame. Needed new back gearing (7 cogs vs 8 cogs), derailer, etc..
Then crashed in a race (twice) ---bent handlebars, bar ends, seat, seat post, rear derailer. Got that fixed. The following year, the rear shock blew. Bought fancy Reese shock and have hardly ridden the bike this year.:think

I like my motorcycle better!!!!!!!!:confused:

 

[buffmaster]

Anne - That's EXACTLY why my mtn. bike is still in pieces!:confused:

 

[Dr.billZ]

Two words, Patman......... HEADSHOCK (oops that's only one word):)

 

[oabike]

Easy Buffmaster...down boy. A better rider will always win, even on lesser equipment, but he'll kick your ass even more on the latest tech. RC would kick my ass on a 23" wheeled 79 CR125, but put him on a 02 CRF...see ya. My philosophy has always been to buy the best you can afford and ride alot. If you can't make allowances for new equipement maintain it and just ride. I went from a Trek 8900 hardtail this year to a Trek Fuel full-suspension and the differance in my riding is night and day. I ride alot faster and enjoy the Fuel more. HUGE strides have been made in mt.bikes in the last 5 years.

My shop is not cut throat,nor am I. I've been known to pedal my bike around the block a time or two and people usually come to me for good advice and a killer deal. I've never had to live up to a quota ,nor do my employees. I've had the best success in the long run hiring friendly people with a passion for bikes that help my customers to make good decisions instead of hiring sales people.

Your bikes have merits that have stood the test of time pretty well. But if you tried a Trek Fuel or OCLV road bike you probably could not deny what I'm saying. Of course, in the end, you still have to pedal the stupid thing.

ps. - I moto'd today after the rain and it was EPIC!!!!!!!!!

 

[KXaggerator]

I buy parts from SuperGo, Price Point, Nashbar, Performance, Jenson USA, and my favorite Cambria Bicycle Outfitters . Cambria is great because everybody who works there is a die hard biker. They have so many hard to find parts that you may want to see if you can get needed parts from them before throwing in the towel. Stay with you 8 speed as long as you can, as 9 speed items are not as durable and are harder to keep in tune due to their tighter cog spacing. The Cambria people will back me up on this, as many of them switched back to 8 speed. I have a '94 Klein that I just found a Kinesis aluminum rigid fork for. I now have a sub 20 pound MTB, though it beats the snot out of me on rough down hills. I might just make this bike a single speed for even more weight savings. Price Point does tend to have the lowest prices, but I was working down the street from them and I called for directions and they told me that it is just a warehouse company. In fact, most of the people who work there do not ride, so buy from them if you know what you want, but take their advice with a grain of salt.

Reviews of bike components by riders
mtbREVIEW

 

[WR 250]

I've had good luck with Jensen and Universal Cycles but not such good luck with Cambria. Mountain Bike Action magazine is a good place to find mail order companies who have websites. just check out the specials and you can save hundreds of dollars buying year old forks. Supergo also has some good deals but most of the time they are slightly more expensive.

 

[KXaggerator]

Rockrider,
What was your problem with Cambria? I have had such a good experience with them. In fact, I often take a detour when I go down the 101 to stop in their shop, and my friends have had good relationships with them. I don't doubt you, I am just curious.

 

[WR 250]

Back in '98 I ordered a single rear spring for my FSR and they charged my card twice and sent me two springs. I dealt with Red and he refused to pay the shipping for me to send back the extra spring. I didn't feel it should cost me anything additional for their mistake. Basically I didn't receive good service and haven't done business with them since.

Nashbar is another company I ordered from and won't order form again. I ordered padded bike pants for my wife along with some flat pedals that were on sale. When the items arrived the quality was so bad that even for the sale price I felt like I got screwed. The pants didn't even last a month.

 

[Bill Hibbs]

With all the bike shops around, especially in California, why don't you just go there and buy your stuff? The shop I work for www.bikesourceonline.com will pretty much match the mail order guys (unless it's some crazy close-out deal). As far as the crank deal, the guy you were dealing with was just blowing you off and trying to sell you what he had in stock (maybe that's why you're going to Mail order). You CAN order just the RT side crank arm (as long as it's not discontinued) but it would probably cost you close to $100.00. for $40.00 more you get all new crank arms and chain rings which are probably worn out anyway. You can buy a V-brk setup cheap that totally outperforms any canti-brk. Disc Brakes are definitely the future. We sell a lot of full suspension bikes. Mostly to people who just want to enjoy their ride more and be more comfortable. You could clear a 70ft double on a dirtbike with NO suspension if you hit it just right. That doesn't mean you don't need it. ;)

 

[buffmaster]

Hey oabike, sorry. I didn't mean for my reply to come out that way. While it is true that I'd rather be on a new Moots or DeKerf softtail, I can't justify it, what w/my dirt bike costing less than either of those(unless you count repairs, but I'd rather not go there:mad: ). Especially since I don't get my discount anymore:( . It's just that I've been there, done that in bike shops. There have been many a time where someone was told that they have to spend becoup(sp?) bucks to replace a supposedly outdated product. But by all means, if you've got the cash, go for it. I did w/my mtn. bike(thanks mr. discount man!:confused: ). But I'd still give my left one for a full functioning pair of Deore XT(or Campy OR) 8 spd. top mounts!;) Newer ain't always better!!:p