I just purchased a Lodestar yellow magnesium frame from ebay. I've been wanting to purchase something other than aluminum for a hardtail and because the lowest carbon.ti frame I could find was for around $5-600, I felt this was a better choice :thumbsup:
I do have a few questions though.
1. Is it possible to strip this frame down to repaint it? Or is it a problem because it's magnesium. I'm a little bit worried about using airplane stripper on a magnesium frame. What if there is a reaction.. Also, does it start to oxidize right away or can I wait a few days for it to be painted? banana yellow and christmas green are just really ugly frame colors!
rft:
I'm using an 8 speed cog and an integrated crank, so chainline won't be too hard to play with (I can use spacers to adjust, though I cannot use an E-type Derailleur with an frm cu2 crank.
What type of front derailleur works best? I believe mine is a top pull
XTR FD-M950. Is the derailleur problem only related to to problems with clearance with the waterbottle rivets? Are there 2 spots for waterbottles, or just one?
Is 1280g an accurate weight for a 17"? Everyone has these frames, but I've only seen a few numbers floating around. Weight of the Ti studs?
I know they come in 15", 17", and 19", so the numbers will be a bit different here and there. Also, I'm assuming all the frames are from the same manufacturer in russia. They all have that same fat tube on the bottom and same look to them.
Last but not least, the seatpost. The specs say 30.9 but other people say there is a built in seatpost shim. I have a 31.6 seatpost and just ordered a 30.9. What is the tube dimension if you took the shim out? Is it possible to fit in the 31.6 with a thinner shim?
So the checklist goes
Check the threads on the bb
make sure the threads and alignment is fine on the v brakes
Check the shim and seatpost and make sure it's easier to slide it in and out.
Any other problems?