My GT LTS XR-1000 - how do I put v-brakes on RC35s?

current status 13|09
ordered .. pace rc35 (ebay, couldn't resist!), mavic 117s on deore (thanks big-one), new horst bearings (ebay), new trunnion chips and lower shock bolt (betd)
looking for .. money to pay for all this


Hello everyone in the '98+ forum.
As far as I can tell my LTS is a '98 frame so I just qualify

Here she (is this a swearbox offence?) is:



I already posted, and had a most helpful reply, in BobCatMax's LTS 2000 (gorgeous!) thread regarding my lost linkage bolt. The replacement for that is on it's way from BETD, thanks for the tip!

Unfortunately I have more problems before I can get my beloved bike ridable again, before starting the whole 'making it look nice' process.

When I bought the frame it came with this unusual (to me) FOX air shock. My previous LTS-1 had one of the more traditional sprung rock shox delux jobbies, but some wretched arse swapped that for a tenner's worth of heroin several years ago. The shock loses air very quickly these days, despite my attempts at a service (bought an o-ring kit that turned out not to fit, cleaned the existing and in fact intact o-rings and changed the oil for some nice new stuff) it's pretty much had it.





In the CR sale that my inbox was spammed about I couldn't help but notice a familiar looking FOX shock designed for the Cannondale Jekyll, with a very similar thread on it's body. Internet research abound, and I saw an STS where the chap had replaced his shock with this very same FOX. So, at £40, I bought one.



It arrived like this... is that o-ring meant to be inside? Or is it a spare? Latter seems very unlikely, former seems very worrying.

Anyway today I started to remove my old shock (which I have removed before, see above) and, horror, the shitty little bolt holding it in to the trunnions now has a round hole at the end of it rather than a nice allen key shaped one.



I also discovered that the bolt through the bottom of the shock is snapped in half. God knows how long this has been broken.



It never rains but it pours eh?

Does someone know how I should go about removing the worn bolts, and where I can get a suitable replacement, and also a like for like replacement for that long bolt.

Also, I plan to 'sex up' the bike a little. I built it from a frame I found on eBay (£80ish, screwing because a full build went for £88 the week before!) a few days after my beloved was stolen from me, and I didn't really have a plan in mind. I think I would like to go white and black with the components. Maybe someone knows of a nice bike that could inspire me (imitation is the fondest form of flattery and all that).


Please do not be too disgusted by my build. I am not a rich man by any means; I love my bike but I cannot afford to buy the top flight components. I built it with what I could buy at the time, and I have slowly tried to improve parts (for example the rear derailleur (sp?) was originally an old Altus that I had laying around and has been replaced with an SLX which I think is reasonably decent...?)

I like to trawl ebay for bargain bits, and I will probably be doing so in the for sale forums here too although I have a horrid feeling even peoples castoffs will be too rich for my blood!

Thanks all!

I'm not an especially patient man so I formed my own method of removing the buggered bolt, with my trusty Jim Duggan. Cut a groove in the bolt head and used a wiiiiide screwdriver to ease it out. In theory I could re-use this bolt but I think I'd better get a new one.



It worked, I got the trunnion off and, I guess not that surprisingly, the threaded portion is ever so slightly too narrow for the shock. I guess the one I saw must have had some jiggery pokery done. I do have access to some fairly meaty machinery, being a [mature] student of industrial design, so I might see if the workshop chaps reckon we (they) can rethread the inside of the trunnion.

the o ring on the shock you bought is designed to work out the sag ( sit on the bike and see how much the shock is moving ) . it is prefectly normal . there always should be a little bit of oil on the shock .it is not leaking .

cchris2lou":1v7gzec5 said:

the o ring on the shock you bought is designed to work out the sag ( sit on the bike and see how much the shock is moving ) . it is prefectly normal . there always should be a little bit of oil on the shock .it is not leaking .

Click to expand...

thanks!

looks pretty good to me
whats the other bike (blue) in the background?
erm i think you need a trunion(the top bracket bit), you could probably get another spring for that rock shox. they pop up sometimes, there might even be another shock around
see gadros threads i think he did a custom one.
could be interested in the fox shock you bought if you dont end up using it

The bike in the background, condemned to the balcony and all the harshness the weather can throw at it, is my flatmate's embarrassingly awful supermarket full sus bike. He was bought it by his sister in all good faith. It weighs about as much as me.

Please don't ban me for showing this, I was asked!

** image removed to save your eyes **



Now back on track.

I don't wish to harm British businesses and all that but I found some replacements for the linkage bolts cheaper than BETD, these may interest people or may be common knowledge.

http://cgi.ebay.com/GT-Bike-LTS-Drop-Ou ... 5885764982

They look more like the original GT part, perhaps they are I'm not entirely sure. They are approx. £21 with postage, whereas BETD comes to £27.50 or £30. Postage is $12 for as many kits as you want (I asked). Every little helps...

I also visited icycles usa (love the name) and saw the bushings they have there, not entirely sure which is which though?

http://store.icyclesusa.com/categories. ... d=gt%20lts


One more thing, can anyone identify these for certain?

http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main ... cts_id=302

I believe the big one is the bolt which sheared, the one that connects the base of the rear shock to the rear triangle. The other ones, though...?

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
just delete the picture!!!!!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

cyfa2809":24zdppx4 said:

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
just delete the picture!!!!!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHA it's a crime against bicycles isn't it? I'm sorry. It'll teach you to be so inquisitive

Does this need to be made of kryptonite or is a stainless steel bolt perfectly adequate? BETD has an m8 stainless bolt for a quid that I might as well add on to an order for new trunnion chips and screws (2000 more of my hard earned pennies!)

Bike is almost back in one piece. Replaced the spring on my old coupe deluxe with one from a FOX so it looks a bit ghetto. Will be rethreading a new FOX AIR shock next week at the workshop, hopefully it will work.

The new bolts and bushings are in place. The new wheels are tyred up and ready to go.

I am having a little trouble... well, confusion, with the PACE forks. It took me a fair while to work out that, for reasons unknown to me, the brake bosses are backwards on purpose. :roll:
Now.. when they arrived, they had a canti hanger with them. I have not had canti brakes for about 15 years and, whilst I understand the retro-ness, I have no longing to go back to using them. The brake bosses attached to the fork don't have the 'hole' in them that the pin on the brake arms goes into, is this because they are pre-v? What can I do about this? If I just tighten them right down, will it not matter?

It took me about a million years to get the crown race off my old marzocchi forks :evil: :evil: never again.