doctorstewie
Senior Retro Guru
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Evening all,
Last Saturday, this came home with me:
Isn't she gorgeous? I originally had one back in the day ( around dec 96 ) and I was dumb enough to sell it around 2000. I've been after one for a while, and although they aren't exactly hen's teeth, I have two disadvantages, being: a) Skint, and b) a shortarse.
Okay, they don't go for massive money anyway, but current circumstances meant that "not massive" money would really have to be "nearly no money" until things improve/
Being a shortarse just meant I would have to be patient.
And Lo, did a 15 inch Boingy Marin Appear on the bay of E for fifty quid winning bid, and there was rejoicing in Chorlton.
After winning it, the seller decided to tell me that the fork was seized. ( Not that this would have stopped me bidding, but it would have been handy if this info had been on the listing, still, it seems churlish to wish it could have been cheaper as a result )
She has been comprehensively mucked about with:
Wheels are from a Dawes, with a nine speed cassette ( Dawes hubs, Rigida Sphynx rims, Continental traffic tyres ) Truvativ cranks, Titec Hellbent bar, Kona stem, Deore brakes, levers and shifters, LX rear mech. Spesh saddle. Joke pedals.
The frame, fork ( Manitou Mach 5 Pro C ) seatpost and shock are all original.
The shock, though never the best piece of kit still works fine, still damped and no leaks, so no complaints there. Bearings fine, no play or wag, and no sign of fatigue or cracking anywhere on the frame or swingarm. Most of the bolts are rusty though, and it had bought a couple of spiders back from St Albans with it. :shock:
First job was to get the Mach 5s moving. So I looked at the links to Manitou's manuals and it's NOT THERE! Cue weeping and gnashing of teeth: after all I may have to use my brain and improvise. So I looked at 4 other ones and figured that some of the parts must be common, and prepared myself. Here's what came out of the right leg:
The elsatomer / spring stack, not the South manchester Reporter.
So, much heaving, poking, and general farting about had both stacks and the damping cartridge removed or at least exposed. I still couldn't get the sliders off the stanchions though.
I appealed for help and Jon Tom came up with a brilliant idea: pour boiling water over the sliders: he said it worked for him after about five kettlefuls, and it's a fantastic way of doing it. I didn't see that solution until I tried mine:
*I* got a hammer.
I turned the fork upside down over a rag on the edge of my workbench, and rested the bridge on the rag, with the crown of the fork hanging over the edge, and using a piece of 1 1/4 dowel as a drift, very, VERY carefully tapped the crown until it started moving.
It worked! Stripped it all out, cleaned, regreased, reassembled, re filled cartridge and voila! Boingy fork, even the elastomers are fine. ( though if I can find a coil set for this fork, it's going to get one. )
The bike rides very nicely and over the next few months it'll be getting a few upgrades with the idea ofr moving closer to my old bike's spec. When I picked it up from the Bike Doctor it had a Bonty saddle and a pair of 636 spuds. Later it got a Planet X Azonic copy stem and an Answer DH bar.
Priorities:
Stem ( the Kona one on it is horrible, as well as too short, needs a 90mm ish one)
Wheels / Tyres( goodish ones)
Chainset ( Sugino White Industries branded one )
Brakes ( Avids)
Shiters.
Possibly an Air shock
But for now, the priority is to ride it. I'm off to Cardiff for a week or so tomorrow, and I'll be going to Afan.
Can't wait
Here are a few more pictures.
Oh, and Dia Tech Aheadsets. Who the hell thought THEY were a good idea?
Last Saturday, this came home with me:
Isn't she gorgeous? I originally had one back in the day ( around dec 96 ) and I was dumb enough to sell it around 2000. I've been after one for a while, and although they aren't exactly hen's teeth, I have two disadvantages, being: a) Skint, and b) a shortarse.
Okay, they don't go for massive money anyway, but current circumstances meant that "not massive" money would really have to be "nearly no money" until things improve/
Being a shortarse just meant I would have to be patient.
And Lo, did a 15 inch Boingy Marin Appear on the bay of E for fifty quid winning bid, and there was rejoicing in Chorlton.
After winning it, the seller decided to tell me that the fork was seized. ( Not that this would have stopped me bidding, but it would have been handy if this info had been on the listing, still, it seems churlish to wish it could have been cheaper as a result )
She has been comprehensively mucked about with:
Wheels are from a Dawes, with a nine speed cassette ( Dawes hubs, Rigida Sphynx rims, Continental traffic tyres ) Truvativ cranks, Titec Hellbent bar, Kona stem, Deore brakes, levers and shifters, LX rear mech. Spesh saddle. Joke pedals.
The frame, fork ( Manitou Mach 5 Pro C ) seatpost and shock are all original.
The shock, though never the best piece of kit still works fine, still damped and no leaks, so no complaints there. Bearings fine, no play or wag, and no sign of fatigue or cracking anywhere on the frame or swingarm. Most of the bolts are rusty though, and it had bought a couple of spiders back from St Albans with it. :shock:
First job was to get the Mach 5s moving. So I looked at the links to Manitou's manuals and it's NOT THERE! Cue weeping and gnashing of teeth: after all I may have to use my brain and improvise. So I looked at 4 other ones and figured that some of the parts must be common, and prepared myself. Here's what came out of the right leg:
The elsatomer / spring stack, not the South manchester Reporter.
So, much heaving, poking, and general farting about had both stacks and the damping cartridge removed or at least exposed. I still couldn't get the sliders off the stanchions though.
I appealed for help and Jon Tom came up with a brilliant idea: pour boiling water over the sliders: he said it worked for him after about five kettlefuls, and it's a fantastic way of doing it. I didn't see that solution until I tried mine:
*I* got a hammer.
I turned the fork upside down over a rag on the edge of my workbench, and rested the bridge on the rag, with the crown of the fork hanging over the edge, and using a piece of 1 1/4 dowel as a drift, very, VERY carefully tapped the crown until it started moving.
It worked! Stripped it all out, cleaned, regreased, reassembled, re filled cartridge and voila! Boingy fork, even the elastomers are fine. ( though if I can find a coil set for this fork, it's going to get one. )
The bike rides very nicely and over the next few months it'll be getting a few upgrades with the idea ofr moving closer to my old bike's spec. When I picked it up from the Bike Doctor it had a Bonty saddle and a pair of 636 spuds. Later it got a Planet X Azonic copy stem and an Answer DH bar.
Priorities:
Stem ( the Kona one on it is horrible, as well as too short, needs a 90mm ish one)
Wheels / Tyres( goodish ones)
Chainset ( Sugino White Industries branded one )
Brakes ( Avids)
Shiters.
Possibly an Air shock
But for now, the priority is to ride it. I'm off to Cardiff for a week or so tomorrow, and I'll be going to Afan.
Can't wait
Here are a few more pictures.
Oh, and Dia Tech Aheadsets. Who the hell thought THEY were a good idea?
