Time to introduce myself ;)

fred2003

EDIT : Joined: 29 May 2004 (see below lol)

Well i registered on here a long time ago as i've just found out with my email address.
I'm Neil from Wigan and i have been building/riding MTB for as long as i can remember (im 29 btw)

Just thought it was time to say "hi".

I currently ride a GT Zaskar Expert 08 frame with Marzocchi Jnr T 04's, the rest of the build is pretty much LX stuff apart form wheels which are Weinmann ZAC-20's (dont laugh, they are super stong)

I'm also in the process of a new build, parts i have so far are:

Sintesi 707 sport in 20" in white
Halo Freedom disc wheels in white (spin doctor pro hubs)
Halo Knobbler 2.10 front/rear tyres
Truvativ Firex Team Crankset + bb
Crank Brothers 5050xx flats in black/gold
Sram x-7 rear mech
Halo Hex skewers in white
Hope end plugs in gold
Spank lock on grips in white

Will soon be getting:

Marzocchi 55r forks in black (i cant find white at the right price)
Race Face Evolve bar/stem/post
203mm front/rear hydros (not sure of brand/model yet)
Sram x-7 shifters
Sram x-7 front mech
Sram 9 speed cassette
Sram 9 speed chain

I'll get a few pics of the Zaskar when i can and post the progress of the new build in the right section of the forum when i work out where that might be.

Neil.

Ps this is me

---

>

toasty

Hiya

I wouldn't worry about the wheels, I'd worry more about using triple clamp 7" forks on an XC bike. Using anything over 5" would definitely void the warranty, I'd ditch the frame asap, sticking longer forks on is the quickest way to kill a frame and you've gone waaaay over the recommendation.

borderboy

I wouldn't bother with the 55r,s they are dreadful! and if some thing does go wrong windwave can't put it right.
get something else honestly.

fred2003

Cheers for the feedback guys, the zaskar loves the jnr t's and doesnt seem to throw the geometry out too much, i have run them pretty much since getting the frame with no probs and in all honesty the feel of the bike is amazing compared to when i had my gold rock shox psylo race on there.

The warranty was voided about 3 weeks into owning the frame as i came off pretty hard after a tree jumped out at me and made a mess of the paintwork and blew the seals in the psylos, i re-painted the frame as there was no damage to it apart from the paint and forks.

So the marzocchi 55r's have a bad rep then? I was only considering them as they seem solid and within my budget, i have a set of 1999 marzocchi mr t's sat in winstanley cycles waiting for me for £200. Merlins have told me not to go above 120-140mm on the sintesi frame though. The sintesi frame wont be a perminent fixture, more of a transition frame until i have the funds to pick up a nice full sus.

I was riding a GT i-drive expert (2003) that i imported from california last year, the rear triangle is mashed now as a nice transit van driver clipped me as i crossed the road, the clip wrote the back end off snapping the rear triangle shock mount.

Prior to this frame i was riding an i-drive 4 (2003) but this was short lived as i snapped the rear triangle (just above the V-brake boss) with a hard landing off a small drop off.

I like to attemp the odd bit of downhill (yes on the zaskar) but my weight has a major role in my killing frames as i am the best part of 23stone and 6ft 4 i still need to find a frame to support me.

Any ideas on the fork choice would be appreciated though as it seems every set i pick are wrong one way or another. I will have £400 by the end of next week either for parts, forks or a pre-loved frame if there is one that can hold me.

Thanks again, Neil.

Chaz.Harding

Look into a few Kona hartails. They are normally built for big guys, who give their rides some sh1t.

Also, try the Rockshox Pike, or Lyrik. Preferably with U-Turn, so you can wind down the travel on your GT frame, and wind it out when you get a more suitable frame.

Also, what is going on with the Burberry hat!!?? :shock:

Chaz.Harding

Or if you want an UBER strong frame FOR LIFE, and don't mind shelling out some hard-earned for it - quality is quality afterall - try Curtis Bikes. They are SO well made, and IIRC they offer a free lifetime repair service!!

Awesome bikes. I REALLY want one, but already have 4 bikes, so can't justify it!

fred2003

Im an ex chav... (this chav has a good few brain cells though)
I can get some nice RockShox Sid sl's for £290 ish they have u-turn, not to sure about them because of my psylo experience though.

Chaz.Harding

SID's are all-out top-end XC race forks. If you do some self-confessed dodgy drops, and weigh 23 stone, you will almost certainly kill them on your first outing!

I suppose Marzocchi Dirt-Jumper forks. These are the top-of-the-range model. There's a cheaper one for about £165, with less adjustemnt. These are pretty damn tough forks!

fred2003

So much to choose from and tbh i usually just buy from looks, as in that looks sweet, next thing im sat on it. Seems like everthing i have had upto now like the i-drives have been xc related so my own fault when i kill them.

Im looking at the downhill/freeride type build this time just with the sintesi frame holding it all together until i find a nice pre-loved full sus with monster travel on the front and back.

More a life choice for me at the minute as well, just found out in the last few months that i have type 2 diabetes and just last week that my liver is gonna fall off lol, the weight needs to come down sharpish so im throwing everything i have at the new build and hoping i can shed some curves.

The jump style bikes with the lower/sloping top tube always put me off with being 6ft4 i look odd when riding one.

The dirt jumper forks look good but again low travel wouldnt be all that good for a full sus with 7-8inch at the rear.

Thanks for helping out though m8 its appreciated, my favourites links are filling up like mad lol.

borderboy

We were given an upgrade from 55r,s to pike 426 uturns what a differance I would never buy marzocchi again. If something does go wrong with them and you have them warranted the windwave service I got was dreadful. They sent them back to me with other problems than the original. Go rockshox and tf tuned you get what you pay for. They also give very good advice on all models (with a slight bias towards rockshox).
Here endeth todays lesson!!!!

Chaz.Harding

borderboy - Marzocchi have a crap reliability streak at the moment, but the 888 and the Dirt-Jumper range has always been reliable, IMO. Especially the D-J forks! All it is (pretty much) is a spring!!

fred2003 - I suggested the Marzocchi Dirt Jumper forks, because they have short travel. If you put anything that will be even remotely suited to a big, 7, 8, or 9inch full sus, the fork length will have too much levereage on the frame, and simply rip the headtuvbe off.

IMO, no cross-country frame would be able to handle an appropriate fork. Sorry mate, but that's how it is. Either save up for a complete bike, or get some sesnsible forks for your Sintesi!

fred2003

I bought the 55'r as i got a deal i couldnt refuse (£199) and will be building a xc bike with the sintessi frame. Now i am on the look out for a dh/freeride style full sus that is practically indestructable if anyone has any ideas?
So far the commencal supreme dh and the 24 seven dark angel are they only ones i fancy but i havent looked all that hard yet. (i dont mind importing if i need to)
Thanks for the advice guys and if anything goes wrong with the 55r's ill send them to tftuned instead of windwave.
Neil.

fred2003

Heres how the sintessi looks with the bits on, i still dont think it throws it out too far but i wont risk it just incase:

infoxicated

I think you'll be fine - like you say, you're a big lad and your weight will naturally level it out once you're on it.

Back in '97/98 I ran a Giant hard tail with stupidly big RST Mozo Pro forks on the front of it, and although it did throw the geometry out initially, once I dialed in lots of sag it was fine.

OH NO Dan

Hello mate. Were you at sherwood pines last weekend? your face looks familiar

fred2003

No m8 sorry not me, i havent really rode for a while with health issues but im gonna get back into it soon as the new build is finished, ill need to take it easy for a while (atleast 3 maybe even 4 minutes lol) but cant wait.
Once i get my confidence back ill be looking for a few nice spots to injure myself if anyone has some favourites let me know or if there is a section i havent found on here yet can someone point me in the right direction.
Cheers, Neil.