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Convert trail bike to AM/FR, should I go for it?

2K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  David C 
#1 ·
Hey everyone! First post here in a while, so excuse me if I am putting this in the wrong section or anything. I am not a beginner rider, and I know my parts pretty well, but I've never tried to swap a frame on a bike before so I figured this would be a good place to post.

I just bought a brand new 2011 Haro Flightline Trail with a 17" frame from a local bike shop for a really great price ($600 before tax). The bike feels great and is a definite upgrade from my last setup, but I need something a little different. My type of riding falls into the all-mountain range, but you could even consider it free-ride I guess. A hardtail is not going to cut it for me, I bent the back rim within 10mins of riding the bike out of the shop and I was barely doing anything.

My typical ride includes lots of intense climbs and switch backs in combination with super fast downhill slaloms, with huge drops and jumps thrown in all over the place. I also ride my bike on campus here at App State and I like to jump stair cases, walls, etc. So I need a bike that can withstand all that. Maybe I am asking too much out of one bike, but it seems like a good free-ride setup would cover all of that.

Here's the specs for the bike I have:
- RST Gila Pro 100mm with LO
- Tange headset, Pivit bar and stem, WTB Moto grips
- Truvativ EC400 3.0 42/32/22 crankset, Truvativ BB
- Shimano Alivio FD-M431 front derailleur
- Shimano SLX RD-M662-SGS rear derailleur
- Shimano Deore CS-HG50-9M cassette
- Shimano Deore CN-HG53 chain
- Shimano Alivio SL-M430 shifters
- Shimano BR-M445 hydraulic disc brakes, 160mm rotors
- Pivit hubs, Weinmann XT-24 rims, Kenda Kadre tires
- Haro MTB race saddle, Pivit seatpost and clamp

There's a brand new 2009 Haro X6 Extreme 16" frame on craigslist for $200 that seems like a perfect fit for me. It has a Marozocchi Roco coil-over rear shock, Synchros seatpost and zero-stack headset. At first, it seemed like an awesome $200 upgrade just by swapping the frame, but then I realized I'd need to swap a few more things in order to make it worth it. I figure I need a new fork with more travel, maybe a Marozocchi Bomber 44 TST2 fork? But then I'd have to convert to a 15mm through axle instead of the QR9mm I have now, what would be the best way to go about doing this? New front wheel? New wheelset? Adapters? New hub? Of course, I'd probably need a new bottom bracket and cables and whatnot. Would any of this be worth it?
 
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#6 ·
You will be better served getting the right bike in the first place. Buying a used bike that isn't what you really need (and then pouring more money into it) is usually not that economical when all is said and done.

The type of riding you are describing will require very sturdy wheels, frame and fork. Cheap CX or 'trail bike' stuff will not last. Cheap freeride bikes will be sturdier and heavy as hell, but it beats breaking while riding risky stuff.

You might try looking for something like an old Kona Stinky or Coiler or maybe a Giant AC that isn't terribly thrashed.
 
#16 ·
Sometimes I'm unapologetically rude, so here I go: If you bent a wheel straight out of the shop then you're probably a hack.

Take a step back and work on technique instead of just trying to bash your way through things. You can ride trials on road bikes, you can do backflips on 60's kid's bikes, and you sure as hell should be able to do a few drops on a regular mountain bike if you know what you're doing. Yes, you will be better served with a more appropriate bike, and it will probably make learning cheaper but you need to work on your skills at least as much as you need to upgrade your bike.
 
#17 ·
Sometimes I'm unapologetically rude, so here I go: If you bent a wheel straight out of the shop then you're probably a hack.

Take a step back and work on technique instead of just trying to bash your way through things. You can ride trials on road bikes, you can do backflips on 60's kid's bikes, and you sure as hell should be able to do a few drops on a regular mountain bike if you know what you're doing. Yes, you will be better served with a more appropriate bike, and it will probably make learning cheaper but you need to work on your skills at least as much as you need to upgrade your bike.
Part of the reason I ruined it so quickly is because I am so used to riding a shitting full suspension bike for the past year or so. On my old bike, I rode it without paying any attention to how I could possibly damage it, hence why its pretty destroyed now. I rode the new bike again today for a few hours and this time I actually paid attention to what I was doing and found the bike to suit me well. I agree that I need to work on my skills, but I wouldn't say I am a "hack" but whatever. My typical ride consists of lots of roots and rocks with 1 - 3ft high jumps and 2 - 4ft drops mixed in. Very little flat and level sections anywhere, most of the ride is spent going up steep inclines or declines. I wouldn't call it freeride or downhill by any means, much more in the all-mountain category. The bike I have would be fine, but I also like to hit some more intense stuff from time to time. Any jump I hit always has a smooth transition to land on and I usually don't get over 5ft of "air". After thinking about it a lot more and riding my bike again with a new rim, I think I'll stick to the hardtail for now and learn to ride better ;)
 
#3 ·
I am trying to keep this as cheap as possible, I'd like to keep the upgrade to less than $500. Hopefully I'd be able to sell the parts I replace since they're brand new. I realize that there are tons of awesome bikes if you pay the price for them, but I don't have that kind of money.
 
#4 ·
Oh sorry, I'm drunk, forgot to answer your question. um...no.

I would take the 500.00, try to save up (or barrow, what I dio sometimes) a few more hundred bucks and buy a used bike off CL or eBay.

My Craigslst (If I was in the market for a FR bike I would buy this)



$569

KHS DH-100 Downhill Bike 7''Travel Front/ 5'' Rear
 
#8 ·
How about a good condition 2005 Kona Stinky? A guy is selling one for $700 on CL. He listed these specs:

05 Kona stinky (medium)
Marzocchi Drop Off 150mm
FSA maximus cranks
FSA pig headset
Kona Stem and riser bars
Sun Ringle Ditch Witch wheelset
Shimano XT shifters and front derailleur, LX rear derailleur
Clarks Skeletal Hydraulic brakes F/R
FSA seatpost
WTB cheap seat

I'd put a link to it, but I guess I don't have enough posts yet.
 
#10 ·
Well it looks like I am going to work out a nice trade for my Haro for the Kona Stinky I mentioned above. Except I am keeping my brake system and wheelset, the ones he has are apparently crap from what I've read online.

Would it be worth it to upgrade to larger/better rotors? Is the Marzocchi Drop Off 3 150mm fork any good? Any recommendations on a good wheelset for about $200?
 
#11 ·
Not to be rude but think about what you're asking. You want to do 'big' stuff yet you want a $200 wheelset. A good hub cost that much, yet you want a entire wheelset that can stand up to the punishment you describe for the price of a single hub..

If you're really doing big drops and going cheap on everything, I hate to say but you're going to get hurt when something fails.
 
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