GT Arrowhead - For Fork Sake + Machining - PG13

gt-arrowhead

TwellySmat wrote:

I will always be amazed at how much abuse I have seen hurled at this teenager and his bike yet he still remains chipper, friendly and positive.

I like the bike. I would be very surprised if it is 'really light' but it looks ok and you've done it on the cheap, which I always approve of. *dons flameproof suit*

Well, being friendly and positive is always better than going moaning to admins and getting all upset about it. I know its only banter half the time so its fine. Im happy with my bike so people saying stuff about it doesnt bother me. And even if i did try and argue back, i dont stand a chance. You guys are simply too good at cussing peoples mums.

It is surprisingly light but ofcourse not the lightest bike in the world and i did do it on the cheap, so not too bad for my needs.

Thanks mate

gt-arrowhead

chez_m356 wrote:

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

i think you've done a pretty good job of it so far, looks quite tidy, and as long as your happy with it, that's all that matters

Thanks. It will look alot more tidy with a bit of work and a new paint job

And your right about that

russyh

Mate,
Those Zooms that came on the chucker are dual crown 100mm travel things and they weigh loads! Why dont you search the classified sites on Retrobike? you should be able to pick up a set of old Judy's for next to nothing and they will work much better on your bike. I just gave a set away for free!!!

gt-arrowhead

Russyh wrote:

Mate,
Those Zooms that came on the chucker are dual crown 100mm travel things and they weigh loads! Why dont you search the classified sites on Retrobike? you should be able to pick up a set of old Judy's for next to nothing and they will work much better on your bike. I just gave a set away for free!!!

Dang! I could have done with a free set of judys.

Ill have a look on retrobike and im already keeping an eye out on eBay. But i cant go for anything too dear. I want to finish my Chucker! I want it for the summer and i still am missing loads of parts. Luckily i got helped out from PashleyRider who kindly donated many parts to me.

The forks arent that heavy at all. All aluminum so its not too bad. Especially considering its size.

But is either that or the yellow fork...LOLOL! And the yellow one weighs more than the zoom believe it or not...

russyh

What parts do you need pal? You are going about things the right way, so if i have anything i maybe able to help out. As long as it isnt anyting too pricey.

However if i were in your situation (and i have been in the past when i was younger) i would look at the type of riding you want to do and build one bike that does everything your after. That way you can concentrate all of you attention on building that up.

Do you want a bike for trails or jumps?

gt-arrowhead

Russyh wrote:

What parts do you need pal? You are going about things the right way, so if i have anything i maybe able to help out. As long as it isnt anyting too pricey.

However if i were in your situation (and i have been in the past when i was younger) i would look at the type of riding you want to do and build one bike that does everything your after. That way you can concentrate all of you attention on building that up.

Do you want a bike for trails or jumps?

Well, ive really been thinking about getting the Chucker to be an all rounder, then making my Arrowhead a commuter only bike. Ive been saving money up for my chucker but i saw a really good deal on eBay for these alivio cranks and i was tempted so used the pocket money on them, and my old tyres were giving me punctures all the time as they were worn, so i spent money on tyres and cranks. But now im trying to concentrate on my chucker...eventhough i havent done too much of a great job so far.

But i think im going to make the chucker more adapted to jumping, but i dont want to go single speed on it. Ive got a full deore gear set that i had in the spares, so they will go on.

Those raceface bars are actually for the chucker and will go back on at the last minute. I found the zoom stem so i payed nothing for that, but ive got a 40mm hussefelt stem on the way for the chucker.

What i need now for my Chucker is this:

Mechanical disc brakes (full set, apart from levers) was going to order them but my mum didnt get them in the end.

Front wheel. Ive got some crappy supermarket unbranded ones, but they will probably buckle on my first jump. LOL. Im going to get my mum to order me an Alex DH22 rear wheel as they are 50% off on eBay.

A seat. I dont have anymore decent seats left. My dad nicked the last one for his Marin.

If you are looking to get rid of anything at all for free, ill be more than happy to take it from you, ill pay for the postage ofcourse. Thanks alot mate.

Ouija

Said it before, it's not a bad bike for a bike knocked together from spare parts on the cheap. Better than most teenagers bikes (unless you've got parents who splash out on something decent, which they invariably never do). Probably weighs about 11/12kg so is probably quite quick with the skinny tyres on. Doesn't really need suspension forks fitting (the head angle doesn't look like it would accept one anyway), they'll only slow it down and aren't really necessary for most offroad stuff except the more extreme stuff.

It's all right for all these people saying get better forks, wheels, tyres, drivetrain etc, but they obviously have a lot more money to spend than a 16 year old lad. I think a lot of them should cast their minds back to when they were 16 years old and try and recall how much financial muscle they had back then (none, probably).

Don't bother painting it. Just stick some decals on it...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GT-Bike-Decals-Stickers-set-of-5-Red-outline-with-White-inner-/321114227405?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Fragrances_Women_s_Fragrances_PP&hash=item4ac3e642cd

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GT-Bike-Decals-Stickers-set-of-4-ALL-COLOURS-/221220987550?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Fragrances_Women_s_Fragrances_PP&hash=item3381cc629e

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/gt-bike-stickers-decals-cycle-stickers-gt-any-colour-decals-stickers-1-/330915030488?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4d0c12a5d8

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-GT-BIKES-BIKE-STICKERS-mountain-BMX-frame-decals-set-Buy-2-Get-1-Free-/321116557714?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&hash=item4ac409d192

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8x-High-Quality-GT-Cycle-Bike-Decals-Stickers-Choice-of-colours-/330914002501?pt=UK_SportGoods_CyclAcces_RL&var=&hash=item4d0c02f645

gt-arrowhead

I tried doing my local trails the other day as it is (rigid) and i was losing shit loads of speed when i could have went alot faster. The reason why i wanna do it is because i want to get used to riding with a suspension, usually i find it really weird when i try. And i wanna get a feel for the suspension cause i havent used it yet.

I know what you mean sort of. I looked the XTR Vs that got recommended and i would NEVER pay that much for v brakes...i just dont see whats so good about them. But some people can and do because they can afford it i guess.

My parts come all from my saved up pocket money most of the time. But my parents do buy something for me when i ask sometimes. My mum understands it because its my only hobby and she says she would much prefer me being out and messing around with bikes, and buying me parts for that instead of having me sitting infront of the TV like a mong playing xbox all day. (like most of the people my age have as their main hobby. LOL.)

Its gonna need to be resprayed anyway... there are chips all over so its not really worth "touching it up" Ill respray it for sure but im not 100% sure ill keep it the same colour. White is the main colour i have in mind as an option though.

I bought the decals in the first link for my bmx (in blue) wasnt too happy with them. I thought it would be a nicer blue on the outside.

I like the decals on the 2nd to last link though. Never saw them when i was scouring ebay for decals before.

Thanks for the help mate

rgliniany

the thing with the xt and xtr v is the parallel push.... not the arc that the lower level v's have....

so in simple terms.... the lower spec pads will hit on an arc.... wheras the xt and xtr hit flat on thanks to the parallel push mechanism....

and if its fiscally possible look for xt over the xtr.... my mate had the xtr ones and they were only marginally lighter and a different colour to the xt i had.... but about 40 quid dearer...

gt-arrowhead

rgliniany wrote:

the thing with the xt and xtr v is the parallel push.... not the arc that the lower level v's have....

so in simple terms.... the lower spec pads will hit on an arc.... wheras the xt and xtr hit flat on thanks to the parallel push mechanism....

and if its fiscally possible look for xt over the xtr.... my mate had the xtr ones and they were only marginally lighter and a different colour to the xt i had.... but about 40 quid dearer...

Ahh...thats pretty good then. But Ive always thought that having two pads making flat contact with the rim results in screeching/squealing and adding toe made that problem go away for me when i had the screeching.

This might sound retarded, but on the front brakes ive always had the left pad with a ridiculos amount of toe (with the rear of the pad making contact first) and the right pad almost completely flat, and much closer to the rim than the left. And its probably the best set up ive ever had. You will always have alot of power, but you can still squeeze it a bit and have alot of power, but not too much...its really strange, but it works!

And as for v brakes, i think these look pretty amazing, and they are xt / xtr apparently. They looks so sexy!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aest-ULTRALIG ... 1c21524df9

rgliniany

they do look nice but they aint xt or xtr style.... no parallel push.... they have written that to get the xt & xtr shoppers on the page..... for $80 us you could probably get proper xt or xtr... they might be better performing than the shimano brakes.... but ive never tried them to compare..... their jockey wheels are a bit good tho.... got some red ano ones on my road bike... $4.50 each on dealextreme if i remember correctly, silent as and still nice and shiny

rgliniany

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

rgliniany wrote:

the thing with the xt and xtr v is the parallel push.... not the arc that the lower level v's have....

so in simple terms.... the lower spec pads will hit on an arc.... wheras the xt and xtr hit flat on thanks to the parallel push mechanism....

and if its fiscally possible look for xt over the xtr.... my mate had the xtr ones and they were only marginally lighter and a different colour to the xt i had.... but about 40 quid dearer...

Ahh...thats pretty good then. But Ive always thought that having two pads making flat contact with the rim results in screeching/squealing and adding toe made that problem go away for me when i had the screeching.

This might sound retarded, but on the front brakes ive always had the left pad with a ridiculos amount of toe (with the rear of the pad making contact first) and the right pad almost completely flat, and much closer to the rim than the left. And its probably the best set up ive ever had. You will always have alot of power, but you can still squeeze it a bit and have alot of power, but not too much...its really strange, but it works!

And as for v brakes, i think these look pretty amazing, and they are xt / xtr apparently. They looks so sexy!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aest-ULTRALIG ... 1c21524df9

oh god my eyes..... i just scrolled to the bottom of that ebay page............ if you go for these..... one colour only.... please

tarbot18

TwellySmat wrote:

I will always be amazed at how much abuse I have seen hurled at this teenager and his bike yet he still remains chipper, friendly and positive.

I like the bike. I would be very surprised if it is 'really light' but it looks ok and you've done it on the cheap, which I always approve of. *dons flameproof suit*

what he said +1 , good on you kid for learning to fix and make do.
Its easy for a lot of people on these forums to cast advice about just going out and buying stuff when they have a 3 grand zesty sitting on the roof of their 40 grand tosserwagon, doesnt mean they have taste or know anything about bikes. If you lived nearer id help you out with some bits but im up north , as you where.....

gt-arrowhead

rgliniany wrote:

GT-Arrowhead wrote:

rgliniany wrote:

the thing with the xt and xtr v is the parallel push.... not the arc that the lower level v's have....

so in simple terms.... the lower spec pads will hit on an arc.... wheras the xt and xtr hit flat on thanks to the parallel push mechanism....

and if its fiscally possible look for xt over the xtr.... my mate had the xtr ones and they were only marginally lighter and a different colour to the xt i had.... but about 40 quid dearer...

Ahh...thats pretty good then. But Ive always thought that having two pads making flat contact with the rim results in screeching/squealing and adding toe made that problem go away for me when i had the screeching.

This might sound retarded, but on the front brakes ive always had the left pad with a ridiculos amount of toe (with the rear of the pad making contact first) and the right pad almost completely flat, and much closer to the rim than the left. And its probably the best set up ive ever had. You will always have alot of power, but you can still squeeze it a bit and have alot of power, but not too much...its really strange, but it works!

And as for v brakes, i think these look pretty amazing, and they are xt / xtr apparently. They looks so sexy!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aest-ULTRALIG ... 1c21524df9

oh god my eyes..... i just scrolled to the bottom of that ebay page............ if you go for these..... one colour only.... please

They come in other colours too, i think blue and red look the bollox.

I am really considering these as a future upgrade for the Chucker...maybe as a Bday present. I think they are meant to work with those V brakes.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aest-Pro-V-Br ... 19d645980f

gt-arrowhead

tarbot18 wrote:

TwellySmat wrote:

I will always be amazed at how much abuse I have seen hurled at this teenager and his bike yet he still remains chipper, friendly and positive.

I like the bike. I would be very surprised if it is 'really light' but it looks ok and you've done it on the cheap, which I always approve of. *dons flameproof suit*

what he said +1 , good on you kid for learning to fix and make do.
Its easy for a lot of people on these forums to cast advice about just going out and buying stuff when they have a 3 grand zesty sitting on the roof of their 40 grand tosserwagon, doesnt mean they have taste or know anything about bikes. If you lived nearer id help you out with some bits but im up north , as you where.....

Thanks mate

tarbot18 wrote:

40 grand tosserwagon

This was pretty epic, made me chuckle

gt-arrowhead

Finished fitting the fork today. Started yesterday night but after some reasearch i found out i was short of some spacers...so got it all done today.

Took all the wires off and re lubed them, fitted the Tiogas again and tightened up my cassette which somehow managed to work the smallest gear slightly loose. After a few minutes of tinkering with the limit screws and tension adjustments ive managed to get the gears spot on. Not too bad for a Shimano Acera rear mech that hasnt been replaced before.

The bike has gained a bit of weight as a result of the suspension, but it doesnt feel heavy at all when im riding it. Didnt get a chance to test it offroad today since i got a slow puncture on the way there so i turned back as soon as i noticed, made it back with enough air in to ride it. Just. Well dissapointed about that... Have to wait until tomorrow to test it properly.

All in all it feels fine with new suspension, not bad at all. I expected it to compress like crazy every time i pedalled down hard but no such issues. So on the road it felt totally fine. Absorbed all the normal bobble i used to get going over pavements at high speed.

Looks really really nice now too, and im happy with the new headset, no problems with that. Although i did order the red anodized one and they sent me the black...but i actually think red ano would have seemed a bit odd on there looking it at now.

Was fun doing all of it though, and now i know how to threadless headsets. Easy Peasy! I cant tell if its a downgrade or an upgrade just as yet as i havent tried it on the terrain ive modified it for...trails. Hope the weather stays nice tomorrow.

gt-arrowhead

Ohh, and massive thanks to PashleyRider for the tyres and fork. Much appreciated mate!

Chunkers1980

The tyres that are on there? They look like they are good for the skip..... Wait a minute..

nicklouse

Oh dear the old fork had better damping.

Well done for fitting it but what I th travel meant to be? And what is th distance from the top of the tyre to he crown?

Ouija

Hydraulic rim brake

gt-arrowhead

Chunkers1980 wrote:

The tyres that are on there? They look like they are good for the skip..... Wait a minute..

The tyres are nearing the end of their life, yes... They are Tioga Factory DHs. Thats what it says on the side. (2.1)

I prefer them to the supermarket bike tyres i have, these are the best offroad ones ive got...or, notice that Maxxis tyre on the right of one of the photos? Id rather use that offroad than the other spare tyres i have. (btw i didnt make it bald, i got it on a bike like that)

gt-arrowhead

nicklouse wrote:

Oh dear the old fork had better damping.

Hahaha

nicklouse wrote:

Well done for fitting it but what I th travel meant to be? And what is th distance from the top of the tyre to he crown?

Thanks.

Apparently they have 100mm travel. I havent bottomed them out yet, jumping off of pavements and ramping off some bumps in the park, so they are alright. (btw, im not turning this into a jump bike )

Ill give it a proper test tomorrow on proper offroad stuff and see how it goes.

Just measured it now, from the top of the tyre (directly beneath the crown), to the bottom of the crown is 11.5cm. What does measuring this tell me?

By the way, ill come to a verdict on whether ive fucked the bike up or not tomorrow. Though im sure everyone will say ive fucked it up. I like it so far though.

gt-arrowhead

Ouija wrote:

Hydraulic rim brake

Thanks for the suggestion, but my mum wont let me buy 2nd hand parts from ebay. :roll: I just find something thats less than 5 miles away and message the guy and come to an agreement on a price, then go pick it up.

Or i get parts from amazon and ebay shops. And ive bought parts from people on here a few times.

gt-arrowhead

Quick update, but not an upgrade as such.

Changed back to the rigid fork and slicks. Need the speed on the way to school, and i cant ride in my spare time because of exams that i need to revise for.

Didnt have any satin black to respray my fork. I stepped on it when it was lying against the ground and it got massively damaged. :roll: The only colours i had left was blue Renault paint, or satin red.

Will be all metallic/candy red in less than a month!

bennett_346

You really ought to sort that cockpit out. The bar/stem combo is just weird and all wrong.

gt-arrowhead

Whats wrong with it? Its a straight stem with very little rise and the bars have a small amount of rise aswell.

Eventually, the bars are going on the Chucker, the stem is going into the spares, and this will have a completely flat stem with completely flat bars. (turning into a commuter)

bennett_346

The stem looks a bit long (as if the bike is too short and you're having to use a long stem to compensate), and the bar is just a really odd shape. It seems to tilt inwards ie your wrists will be bent constantly.

gt-arrowhead

Its either that stem or the black one that was on there before The handling is really good so theres nothing wrong there.

The bars have a 5 degree rearward sweep. They feel completely fine, and they didnt feel weird when i first put them on either.

bennett_346

The bar you used to have seemed to be a better shape. The part of the bar where your hands go should be flattish to the ground, not tilted upward towards the sky.

gt-arrowhead

The red PlanetX bar from before needed shims to even be 25.4. Lmao! And they were properly thick and heavy. You couldnt get a bar end in them because they were so thick.

I just had a quick look at it and i found out what the problem is. The bar moved down, probably when i was tightening up. You can see in the picture, either side of the stem, the white alignment lines are not in the centre of the stem, they are more towards the bottom. So instead of having a backsweep ive got more of a half back sweep and half upward sweep...Gotta sort that out! Thanks alot for pointing that out mate, probably wouldnt have noticed it myself.



Cockpit view from above.