New member, needing advice and help. Need a first project!

Hi, firstly I'm not sure if I'm in the wrong forum, so apologies to the Mods if so!

Great site by the way..

Haven't done much riding in the last few years, but recently did a bit of light forest riding...hooked again..

Now, I would love to have a project! Not so much for hard riding, more of a show bike for pootling to work, round town etc.
I'm no expert on MTB models etc, just enjoyed the riding, so bare with me if I ask daft questions!

I do like the look of the downhill bikes, also the fat framed MTB's..would like to strip it down, repaint, restore etc.

How would you advise I go about it? Pros and cons ?

Ebay I guess is a good start? Which models would you recommend etc?

I would like reasonable quality, daft not to right?

Build from a frame or get a complete bike and restore?

Sorry for the repetitive questions!

And also, budget isn't sky high but I do know that you get what you pay for!

Thanks in advance!

Yeah, eBay local collection is a good start, but also look at Gumtree, and the sale forums here.

http://www.gumtree.com/bicycles/suffolk

You should be able to pick up something interesting for about £40 or so, then just have some fun rebuilding and riding. If you get hooked, have a word with your Bank Manager

Regards

Thanks for the advice.

Guess I should really decide on what I want and start from there?

As said in original post, I like the look of the downhill bike..and I like the look of some of the ss bikes I've seen on the forum..absolutely cracking restorations.

This project is only going to be for a show bike/commuter really, as its my first crack at it.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated..

If you definitely want a DH bike, my £40 suggestion won't cover it unfortunately. DH bikes aren't really my thing, but there are plenty of others on here who are very knowledgeable on the subject. More of a hardtail/rigid man myself.

If you see anything that you like the look of, post the details here, and I'm sure you will get loads of feedback on it.

Regards

firstly, welcome to the forum. Its a great place for advice and also buying and selling parts when building.

I would recomend you build a hard tail, if you only want a bike it to be pretty and just town/work riding. and a bit of forest riding and small trails and single track. Hard tail would be best. although some of the Downhill bikes look pretty smart, sometimes they are just best for the job they intend. take a look round the forum and find something you like then picture how you would like to differ your own build.

When im building, i end up buying parts that i think will look right but when i get them on they just dont cut it. so all i can say is dont rush it and if your not sure ask on here and we will all give you our opinions. Just remember also that the bike has to be comfortable for you. So a stem that might look smart may be too long or low etc. And bars that may look cool may give you aches when riding.

So good luck with your build and keep us all updated. And we love piccys.

Thanks both..

Hardtail makes sense yes..would like one thats compatible with the long forks, to give it that 'look'!

Is that possible?

Will have another look around.....!

Pic's no problem..as soon as I start there will be pics!

Welcome to the slippery slope, I mean forum !
I'd see if you can find something complete rather than putting together from bits and pieces as that can be quite time consuming and often complete bikes are better deals when the costs are added up. Also means you can get riding sooner rather than later. Stick to a known brand hardtail like Cannondale, Specialised, Kona, Giant etc from a couple of years back as it will more than likely be made of aluminium to give those nice fat tubes you like, come with 100mm+ front suspension and disc brakes and be a good base to build on. After a while you'll get more of a feel for what you want and then can start looking to change things around.
Downhill bikes look great but are really designed with going downhill only in mind, a hardtail will be a lot lighter, less complicated to look after and better for trails and road riding.
Ebay and local area searches are good for complete bikes as many people don't want to post them and bargains can be had or this forum is a good place to find a decent bike which will be represented honestly.
All this is IMHO of course, if you fancy getting down and dirty with building from scratch then go for it as there's a wealth of knowledge and experience here for you to draw on - don't try a Cannondale Scalpel for your first go though !

I would second all the above advice re. a downhill bike. They are built strong, weigh an awful lot and handle horribly on anything other than the downwards slope of a mountain.

Ironically the only ride my RC500 downhill bike has ever had was back from my central London Office, where I built it, to my north London house. A ride I did twice daily normally. However the one time I took the 500 home, was the hardest, most impractical journey I have ever undertaken on a bike. It has the turning circle of a steam barge and the speed to match.

My various rigid builds are all far better for the job. Downhill bikes don't make a good road bike.

Thanks guys..

Yeah, can see the impracticalities of a downhill..!

Have found a couple of options on ebay...would appreciate a second opinion if you have time

Thanks

red12":1nu0nvqv said:

Have found a couple of options on ebay...would appreciate a second opinion if you have time

Click to expand...

Let the dog see the rabbit then

Regards