Shockwave 9.5 Rebuild Requirements

ApolloB

Hi to all,
I have joined this site hoping you guys can advise me. I am from South London UK. No Mountain bike experience but did race Speedway bikes.

I started off just wanting a cheap mountain bike to ride around with the kids and also hoping it would be a way of keeping fit until I saw a red Shockwave 9.5 and fell in love with it. Next thing I know a bare frame came my way unexpectedly, I couldn’t resist so I bought it. I probably paid far too much money for it but my heart ruled my head. Now I’m feeling a bit like O dear what have I just done????

Right my question is, I know I’m going to need things like wheels, forks, Hydraulic Brakes, handlebars and all the other parts, but which parts can I use or fit this frame? I’m not sure how generic parts from other DH bikes are. Is there any chance someone could point me in the right direction on what will fit the frame and be good without spending a fortune? I will be buying second-hand parts from UK eBay.

The bike will only be used for mild DH/XC and rides around the park with my kids, it will be ridden on the road too. I know this bike might be a bit of over kill for my use.

I have and will be searching online for some of these answers but have limited access to internet, no connection at home and because I don’t know the names of some of the part it’s all a bit double Dutch to me at the moment. A list would be good.
Please help if you can?

Thank You

cooldad

Welcome.
What's your budget? That is a DH frame and will be absolutely useless for XC or on road.
Without trying to sound condescending, I think you may have Downhill confused with riding down hills.

warpcow

Agree with Cooldad. It's a classic bike though, if a bit old-fashioned.

The manual is available here: http://www.mountaincycle.com/downloads/2005.pdf

Looks pretty standard: 73mm bottom-bracket, traditional 1 1/8" headtube. The rear dropout (where the rear wheel axle sits in the frame) could be one of two standards, so a photo of that area would probably help identify it. When you say 'bare frame', do you mean there's no rear shock? Then you just have to worry about the parts themselves working with each other, which you'll probably find to be a much bigger problem in the end (it's not really that hard, there's just a ton of different parts from different manufacturers, quite a few of which insist of using their own 'standards').

ApolloB

Thank you so much for the help guys.

I have now added some pic's of the frame in my album.

Thanks for the Manual download.

The Shock is a Progressive Suspension 5th element 240 x 76mm and supplied with frame. I think I found out this was not probably the best shock for this frame but it should be OK for my used?

The 73mm bottom-bracket is a part I don't understand, would that be where the Crank goes meaning all I would need to look for is a 73mm Crank Set and it would fit my frame?
My understanding is I need a set of forks with a traditional 1 1/8" headtube? Is a threaded or unthreaded just a preference?

As there are to standards for the rear dropouts will that dictate which wheels will fit the frame and will that also affect which brakes, chain, front/rear derailleur, chain tensionor I can use or are these parts pretty much standard and I just take my pick. How many teeth on the front sprocket is best?

Guy’s I know many question, I hope you don’t mind too much?

I don’t really have a set budget, I'm just going to buy parts as and when I have the money but as cheap as possible. I do not wish to sound rude saying this as I'm not confused but must admit my intended use of this bike will not be the same as its intended use, it would have been better if I said I was only going to ride it around parks and then home. I know this bike was not designed for this use.

I have sat looking through eBay for weeks looking at all the modern Mountain Bikes and Downhill Bikes and was amazed at the cost and quality of some of them, but I still find it hard to view this bike as a bit dated. I think it can still look amazing. But then again you guys also look at the performance of these Downhill bikes as well which I’m not really doing.

I can feel myself getting sucked into this sport.
Many, Many Thanks

Chunkers1980

Read park tools and as much of Sheldon brown as you can take, you'll learn a lot.

warpcow

ApolloB wrote:

The 73mm bottom-bracket is a part I don't understand, would that be where the Crank goes meaning all I would need to look for is a 73mm Crank Set and it would fit my frame?

Most modern chainsets with external bottom brackets fit 68 and 73mm frames.

My understanding is I need a set of forks with a traditional 1 1/8" headtube? Is a threaded or unthreaded just a preference?

Threaded is a pretty much dead standard on MTBs. You'll almost certainly need a dual-crown fork if it's to match the frame.

As there are to standards for the rear dropouts will that dictate which wheels will fit the frame and will that also affect which brakes, chain, front/rear derailleur, chain tensionor I can use or are these parts pretty much standard and I just take my pick. How many teeth on the front sprocket is best?

The rear axle won't change anything else, just what wheel you can use (though some wheels have interchangeable axles). When it come to gears, as long as you stick to the same manufacturer (Shimano or SRAM) and the same 'speed' (8, 9, or 10 gears), you should be ok. The different brake-fitting standards can be found in the FAQs here, or Parktools. Front sprocket is personal choice based on how and where you're going to ride. As a starting point I'd say 32 or 34-teeth.

Guy’s I know many question, I hope you don’t mind too much?

No problem

I still find it hard to view this bike as a bit dated. I think it can still look amazing. But then again you guys also look at the performance of these Downhill bikes as well which I’m not really doing.

In terms of suspension technology Mountain Cycles were often way ahead of the game. Saying it's dated is mainly down to the geometry of the frame, which will actually make it suit how you're going to use it more than a modern DH bike would. It'll still weigh a ton though.

When it comes to parts, keep an eye on the classifieds here too. Plenty of bargains to be had. Just double-check you know what you need first.

Read Parktools website, as Chunkers said. It's got all the basics and more, and will give you an idea of specific tools you'll need (though only expensive Park-branded ones of course).

Good luck with it! Be sure and post pics as it gets built.