Mountain bike help needed please?

Question

Hi! I have just started a new job at a local office, and I ride my ancient road bike there and back every day. I have wanted to get into mountain biking for ages but never had the money.

Chained to the bike rack at work is a mountain bike frame in very good condition- or at least it looks that way. It is a GT Avalanche 2.0, and it looks as if everything except the frame and the rear wheel has been either vandalised or stolen. It's on private property belonging to the company.

I asked my manager whose the bike was, and he shrugged and said the frame has been chained up there for years and said if I could get it, it was mine.

My question is, would this frame (if it is in useable condition) be a good foundation for my first serious mountain bike? What parts would go well with it- are 'triple clamp' forks a good investment?

Lastly, what's the best way of actually getting the frame? The lock is one of those metal cables inside a plastic sleeve. I used to have a lock like it and my bike got stolen, the cable was sheared straight through- so what tool is needed?

Thanks.

Answer 1

I have rescued many bikes found in ditches, out of dumpsters, and other places people throw bikes. I have made really decent bikes out of them. Even ones that are not as nice as the one you've found (fav was a Lespo Roadstar).



Bolt cutter will get the lock off. Rebuild might be a problem if you don't have a shed full of spare parts like I did during the hayday of my bike rescue. You'll find building a bike from a frame will cost you more than the original bike cost.



I would cut it from the lock and put it in my shed for a later build, but buy yourself a new commuter bike. Try going single speed. Many affordable options out there.



Good luck.

Answer 2

A tool called a bolt cutter would do the job of cutting the cable. Click on the link below so you can see what one looks like.



I have a few concerns regarding your plans to make this a usable bike for yourself.



1. This will cost you more than you think. You'll have to buy a front wheel and new tubes and tires. A serious mountain bike is going to need a good suspension fork. Then there's handlebars, grips, brakes, shifters, derailleurs, new cables, a seat-post and a new seat. You may need new pedals and chain-rings, and then theres' the issue of matching parts to what's left on the bike. Does the bike have a 7, 8, or 9 gear cassette? Finding new shifters to work with the lower gear number cassettes might be an ordeal for you. This could be an expensive headache.



2. The other concern I have is the bike's frame size. It could be too big or too small for you. You could spend a lot of money on this project, and in the end you could end up with something that just won't be usable to you. It would be a shame to have such a negative experience as your introduction to mountain biking.



I bet that you could find a good used mountain bike for the same price or less than what you'd spend on putting this wreck back together.

Answer 3

Do you know what size the frame is? Is it the right size for your height and build? If not you would be wasting your time and money. Go to a bike shop, tell them what you want to use the bike for. An off road trail MB is different from a downhill, they just don't do the same job and if you want to cycle to work on it you don't want a muckle great heavy thing. See what they can get you for a good price. You might decide you enjoy mountain biking so much you might later consider up-grading but start with something the right size and reasonably priced before you go spending too much doing up a bike that might not be right for you.

Have fun, mountain biking is great!

Answer 4

I own a Mountain bike and I honestly believe they are rubbish.

My reasoning is they are not up to the job because the handlebars are too far forwards of the centre of gravity when going downhill /Mountain, this makes it very easy to fly over the handlebars if you need to brake going downhill.

Give me a good old Raleigh bike of the sixties that could zoom in comfort at 25 mph with those nice hub gears that worked so well in all conditions... without the chain becoming loose.

I have made my Personal wishes known at my local bike chain store but all the assistants can offer is "sorry we don't do these anymore although lots of people ask for them", Now where is the Sense in statements like that...I ask you!

So many people do not know the joy of riding a quality roadster one of the worlds great all rounders, Specialised of USA do a great one that has a cushioned seat stem also the handlebars stem and lots more but they are pricey.

Answer 5

its not a bad frame. new, the complete bike is around £400 so getting the frame free and spending on components would be cheaper than a new bike with equivalent components.



remember tho that building a bike from scratch isn't simple if you haven't done it before. you'll need new tools from halfords or somewhere: a set of allan (hex) keys (preferably 2mm to 10mm), an adjustable spanner, a bottom bracket tool, a casette lockring tool, cable cutters, and possibly a crank extracter.



to get the lock of, you will need a pair of heavy duty wire cutters or a hack saw and hours to spare.



triple crown forks are really for heavy offroading and are more expensive if you get a decent set. better to spend the money on some single crown forks and get better quality.



for componants, you want to look at shimano deore as a minimum level, but preferably deore lx or deore xt however these are more expensive. disc brakes are expensive if you want good ones (cable pull ones are rubbish), so stick with v-brakes. avid make good brakes as do shimano.



just remember, it is possible to build a bike for as little as possible, but the price reflects the build quality. the more you spend the better it will be, although you don't have to spend a fortune. do some research, write a list of everything you need and try to spend about £200 on parts, atleast £150 on forks and about £100 on wheels. it sounds a lot but spending that much will ensure you have a bike worth riding that will last you for years to come.



a very good website for parts and tools is www.chainreactioncycles.com

i've used it to build two bikes myself. it is good because you can get big savings on quality parts.



good luck. ps, if you do this, get a proper lock

Answer 6

hmm, get a nice new sharp bolt cutter(or just sharpen up some older ones). If it isnt sharp you will just crush the cable and get nowhere.



It'd be a fine frame for a MTB. Maybe not a serious MTB, but it'll work well for years to come.



Dont go for the triple clamp (dual crown) forks for that type of bike. Those are more for serious downhilling, and even those are slowly getting replaced by lighter, more efficient, single crown forks.



also, like another answerer said, before you go spending lots of money on the bike, make sure it is the right size for you. Your bike shop shouldhandle that for you.

Answer 7

The Kona is a hardtail MTB, so front suspension fork yet no rear suspension. you will no longer get a first rate complete suspension motorcycle for this way of value, and you probable do no longer choose it. in case you don't understand if a motorbike is a stressful tail or complete sus because of skill of finding at it, you in simple terms approximately actually do no longer choose an entire sus. complete sus would be heavier and greater costly, and actual basically needed in case you're doing some severe off-highway driving on fairly tough floor. a stressful tail would be nice for any form of tarmac or song and for extremely tough floor. artwork out what form of driving you would be doing, then locate the motorcycle that suits your desires. you will possibly be greater useful off with a hybrid or cyclo-pass in case you would be biking on tarmac or first rate tracks a great number of the time. in spite of in case you finally end up procuring on line, bypass on your community motorcycle save, chat approximately what you pick from a motorbike, and verify out some for length, form and specification.

Answer 8

well if you can buy a chain cutter, and find at a scrap yard a back tire, then yea it would be a cheap, but good bike, might need to change the rim and the seat tho... might also be very rusted.