Is it worth restoring/rebuilding this?

mattwood

First and foremost, my apologies if this is in the wrong section! But I am a bit new to posting on here.

I sold my car last year to commute to work by bike and as such have become a more road-focussed cyclist. However, I am missing the days of hopping on my hardtail and shooting off down the trails with my friends like I used to.

The trouble is that having adopted the road bike as I have, my trusty old steed (2001 GIANT ATX 840) Similar to this one:



Has fallen in to a bit of a state.

Now, what I was wondering is; is the frame good enough to try salvaging? i.e. is it good enough to base a build/project on? It is worth noting that it 99% needs new forks anyway.

I would like to stress that I don't wish to plough money into it if its not worth the time/effort compared to buying a newer bike. Although I do really like the frame on this bike, I wouldn't rule out buying new.

If the frame isn't worth saving compared to a new bike, what would you value this frame at to sell, or is it a case of chuck it an start over?

Thanks for reading!

styxd

Not worth it for the amount it soundsl ike you're going to spend on parts to sort it out.

Buy a nice 2nd hand hardtail with your money.

diy

Unless its going to be a labour of love, then no. You are better off financially flogging it and then buying a more modern used bike.

craker

If you think the frame is the only salvagable bit of your bike then no, get a new bike or look sendhand. As someone who rides trails on a similarly aged mtb, you don't have to upgrade your bike to continue enjoying it. (There's not much that's original on my Y2000 Jamis ...).

FWIW bike geometry has changed and you may have a hard time finding suitable replacement forks - I think my bike came with 75mm forks, I've replaced them with 100mm forks which lifts the front up. Most new front shocks are bigger than this though.

mattwood

Thanks for your fairly rapid input so far!

Its not so much that the frame is the only thing worth saving, as the drivetrain, wheels, brakes etc are all in pretty good nick - I did in fact commute on the bike until October last year. The problem I guess is finding suitable replacement forks for the frame.

The idea was largely to smarten it up with a lick of paint, some new forks and to get out riding again for relatively low cost.

Certainly, I have things to mull over, so thanks!

Thewaylander

Everything has changed from these days,

Travel got longer and everything was changed to cope, personally i'd bi/sell it and work on something thats a bit more up todate. I can't even see any disc mounts on the rear and pretty much all brakes are disc these days.

supersonic

It will happily take a 80mm fork: if that is all it needs, and a service, I'd go for it.

mattwood

It would certainly need a service! and one or two other bits (new grips/pedals/bar ends)

Can anyone recommend a good 80mm fork that doesn't break the bank?
Thanks again for your input - having the advice/insight from some more experienced MTBers is certainly helpful!

.blitz

Up until fairly recently I had a Nail Trail from a similar era. Providing you accept that it's not a modern trail bike and don't expect it to huck to flat you will be OK.

Would also advise against spending lots of money trying to 'modernise' it or turn it into something it will never be. Like-for-like replacements with modern equivalents are OK but upgrades tend to be upgrades for newer bikes and not cost effective on older machinery where the balance between the components is difficult to maintain as stuff wears out.

And ignore anyone on retrobike who tells you the decals are in the wrong place

supersonic

Have a look at this fork:

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/116986.html

Grips are a fiver, pedals from a tenner and bar ends about the same, so wouldn't cost too much, and I think you'd have a better bike then most 3-400 quid ones that are new.

mattwood

Thank you good sir! That may well be a purchase!

1mancity2

supersonic wrote:

Have a look at this fork:

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/116986.html

Grips are a fiver, pedals from a tenner and bar ends about the same, so wouldn't cost too much, and I think you'd have a better bike then most 3-400 quid ones that are new.

X2

mattwood

Thank you all for your input. Has given me plenty to think about. No doubt I shall ask for more help/advice as I need it.

mattwood

So - Quick question, as its payday! I am in a position to buy some forks and as there are an abundance of 100mm forks on sale at the mo, I was wondering how a 100mm set would affect the bike.

I am considering the Suntours as suggested above or I have found Rock Shox and Marzocchi forks in my budget (100mm forks - new) and also some Pace RC38LT (100mm - Used).

Thanks for your help.

cooldad

Depends which RS etc. I would avoid old Pace.

mattwood

Choice is probably between:
These: http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FORSRETK/ro ... th_lockout
Or These (a bit more than I'd like to spend): http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FORSRECGLDA ... th_poplock
Or These (again, maybe a bit more than I'd like but can do for £135): http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=70299

supersonic

If you are prepared to spend a little more, I'd go for these:

http://www.farnhamcycles.co.uk/Shop/p/4 ... -wh-120mm/

Lighter and more adjustable then any other option.

mattwood

If I may display my lack of knowledge on this subject;

what are the suntours (either the Raidon or Epicon variants) like re: servicing/maintainence? Its just that I have Suntours (albeit low end ones) and they have swiftly gone the way of the dodo and I'd rather avoid this if I can.

Also, cooldad, why do you say avoid pace? from the reading round I have done, a lot of people seem very pleased with them??

cooldad

They were ok in the days of penny farthings, but are really outdated now - a new set of basic recons will leave them for dead.
Most are also trashed by now.
If you find a nice perfect set, they will do the job, but most would be more hassle than they are worth.

www.retrobike.co.uk is a good place to look if you want some decent ones.

mattwood

Thanks for that.

Retrobike is where I saw a set that seem OK for not a lot of money - hence why I mentioned them.
Although if a basic set of Recons will be comparable - perhaps that option would at least give some warranty aswell (and considering the price on-one are chucking them out for).

gards63

I know it's a while back now, but I'm interested in what you did about the forks in the end, as I have a similar bike, in excellent condition that I use as a spare (for bike-less friends or when my good one is out of action) that I've always wanted to do something with in regard to replacing the RST forks.

bbdhai

The bike shown has already some upgrades, Hollowtech ll and shadow derailleur did not exist in 2001. It looks as the whole drivetrain has been replaced. If your steerer tube is 1", go for a lightweight rigid fork. There is no decent suspension available nowadays for that size. Put some Maxxis Detonators on your wheels and you will have something nice to have fun on the road.
If you want to have some fun on the trails-forget it.