What can I do to make this better?

XxNo1ShooterxX

Im not sure if this should be in begginers.

This is my Saracen X-Ray, It is my fist real bike I've made, I am wanting to primarily use it as a Dirt jump bike, it needs a lot of work and has already had a small bit done to it. I know the basics of building, the names of parts, brands and technique to riding. But here is where you guys come in, I cant decide what need replacing/doing first! I got the frame free from a neighbour, as far as I can tell the frame is in good condition, I am on a tight budget as my parents (I'm 16) want me to show I will use it before I invest in the hobby some more, but I don't overly want to go out on a bike looking a wreck, Would you guys go out on it?. The only things I've done to it so far; New Axel (when I got it the old one was snapped) New Grips, New bearings in the hub/Re-lubed.
http://s1265.photobucket.com/albums/jj5 ... ShooterxX/ Two Pages of photos of the bike

Then I jet washed everything to get rid of all the muck, re-oiled the cassette, chain, and chain rings. Fixed and oiled Brake and gear cables. The forks had years of old mud stuck in them, got special oil re-oiled after I'd cleaned until water was %100 Clear (pictures taken before I cleaned the forks) The tyre was warped, so I adjusted spokes until it was good enough.

I'm not sure what any of the models of the parts are as there scratched off

Needs to be done over time:
I'm thinking of taking the front brake off, good idea or not
New bars
Pedals
Tyre tread replacing

Replacing Cassette,Chain and Chain ring, as they show the most wear, and converting it into fixie
Getting my Dads Firm to sandblast the paint off (the frame has slight scratches), should I get another powder coat or polish the bare metal

Any Help or advice appreciated

Seb

leaflite

Firstly, only lubricate the insides of the chain(the rollers). The cassette and chainrings should be kept clean but not oiled. If you havent already, get some decent chain lube(finish line, squirt etc). Dont use GT85 or WD40.

To convert to fixed gear you will probably need a chain tensioner etc-its not just a case of binning the gears.
I would keep the front brake on(I thought it was only removed on BMX bikes?)

XxNo1ShooterxX

leaflite wrote:

Firstly, only lubricate the insides of the chain(the rollers). The cassette and chainrings should be kept clean but not oiled. If you havent already, get some decent chain lube(finish line, squirt etc). Dont use GT85 or WD40.

To convert to fixed gear you will probably need a chain tensioner etc-its not just a case of binning the gears.
I would keep the front brake on(I thought it was only removed on BMX bikes?)

I thought you did it for the looks (remove front brake)
and i am aware that i will need a tensioner for the chain, i think my chain ring and chain and cassette are on their way out, would this be the first think to replace, or brakes, everything eventually (6 months) will need replacing, i have tried my best to lube and repair chain cassette and chainring thanks for reply

felix.london

You know when he said - "The cassette and chainrings should be kept clean but not oiled" ?

That means don't lube them! You'll just attract more gunk into the drivetrain. Clean everything then just lube the inside of the chain only

Careful with that jet washer too or you might end up blowing the grease out of the hub you just serviced!

(I presume when you say the tyre was warped, you mean the wheel and you can't replace the tyre tread once its worn but you can replace the tyres )

If the brakes are working then I'd leave them alone for now and work out what you're doing with the drivetrain first. If chain is slipping you may well need a new cassette or even just new jockey wheels. Didn't look through your photos as working on a very slow connection here

bails87

XxNo1ShooterxX wrote:

I thought you did it for the looks (remove front brake)

Do you want to ride it or look at it? I think BMXers remove the front brake because they don't need it much and it causes hassle when they do 'bar spinning' tricks.

What are you wanting to do on the bike? If you actually want to go mountain biking then:
-you need two brakes, and the front brake is the most important.
-you do NOT want it to be a fixed gear.

The bike doesn't look great, tbh. The forks are full of rusty water from the look and sounds of things, so what does that tell you about the inside of the forks? Open them up, clean them, regrease them and use. But they look like a very basic model, which at least makes maintenance simple.

I once had a vaguely similar bike (suntour XCT forks, Acera 7x3 speed gears) and the main problem will be weight. The gears work, they're a bit clunky, but they'll work. The forks look bad, but you can live with them and their savage rebound as long as you do nothing too crazy. I'll bet the frame, forks, wheels and finishing kit are all very heavy. Some basic alu bars along with a stem and seatpost would probably drop as much as a kilo off the bike, if the current bits are steel. But if it was me, I'd be looking at stuff in the following order:
-New tyres (lighter)
-New brake and gear cables (cheap and will improve the feel/reliability of them)
-Service the forks
-New finishing kit
-Grippy pedals to replace those plastic deathtraps.

And then I'd just maintain it. It's a poor base to start from and you'd be better off (if you decide you want to continue MTBing) putting your money into a new bike, rather than buying new wheels, drivetrain, brakes etc.

1mancity2

For dirt jumping remove the front brake as you don't need it if your converting to single speed i.e one chainring at the front and a single speed setup at the back you don't need a chain tensioner but if your using your existing parts a tensioner will be needed.

New pedals are a very good idea as are grips which you have already changed, get some decent dj tyres as these add a bit of comfort when your slamming in from 10ft up!!

It will get you started at dj too see if you like it.

cooldad

1mancity2 wrote:

For dirt jumping remove the front brake as you don't need it if your converting to single speed i.e one chainring at the front and a single speed setup at the back you don't need a chain tensioner but if your using your existing parts a tensioner will be needed.

New pedals are a very good idea as are grips which you have already changed, get some decent dj tyres as these add a bit of comfort when your slamming in from 10ft up!!

It will get you started at dj too see if you like it.

Really?
Always nice to be comfortable before the bike disintegrates and you die

The Rookie

As the bike has verticla dropouts you WILL need a tensioner, imancity hasn't thought about how you'd get exactly the right chainlength otherwise.

bails87

The Beginner wrote:

As the bike has verticla dropouts you WILL need a tensioner, imancity hasn't thought about how you'd get exactly the right chainlength otherwise.

+1

Also, I missed some bits in my earlier post. I didn't see it was going to be used for Dirt Jumping.

Is it a DJ frame (guessing not if it's got 3*7 gearing and xc forks) or will it just fall apart?

1mancity2

The Beginner wrote:

As the bike has verticla dropouts you WILL need a tensioner, imancity hasn't thought about how you'd get exactly the right chainlength otherwise.

Sorry didn't spot that!!

1mancity2

cooldad wrote:

1mancity2 wrote:

For dirt jumping remove the front brake as you don't need it if your converting to single speed i.e one chainring at the front and a single speed setup at the back you don't need a chain tensioner but if your using your existing parts a tensioner will be needed.

New pedals are a very good idea as are grips which you have already changed, get some decent dj tyres as these add a bit of comfort when your slamming in from 10ft up!!

It will get you started at dj too see if you like it.

Really?
Always nice to be comfortable before the bike disintegrates and you die

Is he really gonna get 10ft of height, doub't it, the frame is not designed for DJ and neither are the other components.

XxNo1ShooterxX

Thanks for all the reply!!! Okay I am going to keep that in mind about the jet washer (I only cleaned frame, Bars etc) and only oiling the inside of the chain.
What's a finishing kit?
Wheels and tyres: Yes I meant the wheel was warped and I adjusted the spokes to get it as near as I could to straight, it inst too heavy but I'm sure there is a lot of weight I could loose, recommend me some cheap tyres for DJing, but I dont know if i want to buy new parts for this, as i think id be better saving my money for my new bike, but my parents wont let me buy a new bike as they want me to show i will use it and will be a good investment
Drivetrain: it appears the jockey wheels are fine i think its just the front chainring that's slipping. So how much would it cost for single speed conversion if its under £20 it may be worth it
Brakes: I'm not going to remove front brake (unless i upgrade to single speed)
Forks: I have since re-greased them and are functioning 10x better
Frame: is apparently a DJ frame
Pedal: Bought some DMR v12s, so i can use them when i upgrade in a few months
Have you got any suggestions for a new bike £200- £300, hard trail or dirt jump

The Rookie

Finishing kit - anything attached to a frame to finish it into a bike, but usually used in relation to stem/bars/seatpost.

Cheap tyres for DJ - Crazy Bobs (not just becuase I have some for sale....), DMR moto (Erm and one of them), there are lots really!

felix.london

Plenty of decent (looking) DJ bikes on eBay for £200-£300

bails87

RE: singlespeed. If it's a screw-on freewheel then converting to SS might be a problem.

1mancity2

felix.london wrote:

Plenty of decent (looking) DJ bikes on eBay for £200-£300

have a look on pink bike as well, you should find a decent bike for your budget.

The Rookie

bails87 wrote:

RE: singlespeed. If it's a screw-on freewheel then converting to SS might be a problem.

Why, just screw on a single speed freewheel....

mrmonkfinger

The Beginner wrote:

bails87 wrote:

RE: singlespeed. If it's a screw-on freewheel then converting to SS might be a problem.

Why, just screw on a single speed freewheel....

problem is, getting the old one off...

bails87

Ah, I thought there would be chainline issues, as you can't move the cog across like with a converter kit for a freehub. I seem to remember being warned off it by nick when I thought about doing it to my freewheeled bike, but perhaps I'm wrong.

XxNo1ShooterxX

Yes its a screw on free wheel, i have a tool that can unscrew it, i bought it from my bike shop when i went for the Axel. So im looking at replacing tyres and cassette, is that all i need for me to last couple more months for my new bike

Im looking at the stuff in my budget for a new bike, is there anything i should look for inn the bike eg. Weight etc?

The Beginner wrote:

Cheap tyres for DJ - Crazy Bobs (not just becuase I have some for sale....)

how much are you looking for for both tyres

1mancity2

In your new bike, don't worry too much about weight as it will not be the lightest available due to your budget, if your after a dedicated dj bike, look at the frame for damage etc.

XxNo1ShooterxX

For my new build im looking at a budget of £300:
Frame: Kona Shred/Scrap £60 Would Love a 'stuff' but just isn't in my budget or 24Seven Dark angel
Forks: not sure, somewhere around £60?
Brakes:Disc Brakes not sure?
Bars: Nukeproof Warheads £40
Pedals: DMR V12s £15
Tyres: Crazy Bobs £20
Wheels: Can you Reccomend any?
Stem: Something Cheap?
Grips: Superstars

delete_my_account

Never seen a bike with two sets of handlebars...

XxNo1ShooterxX

MichaelMLFC92 wrote:

Never seen a bike with two sets of handlebars...

I meant grips lol

Greer_

Wheels:

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/w ... lizer.html
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/w ... -pair.html
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/w ... -sale.html
http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_ ... cts_id=535

Some of the hubs are centrelock so these rotors will do the job - http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/BSSHRT52CR/ ... disc_rotor

XxNo1ShooterxX

Just bought this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190698189850? ... 500wt_1202

1mancity2

XxNo1ShooterxX wrote:

Just bought this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190698189850? ... 500wt_1202

Decent starter bike, ride it then when parts start to wear/break replace with parts more suited to your style of riding.

XxNo1ShooterxX

Decent starter bike, ride it then when parts start to wear/break replace with parts more suited to your style of riding.

Thats the plan!