I'm new to this and looking for advice. My kid needs a bike for trail competion at school. I don't have the $$ to get a good new bike. I'm looking into adding a suspension fork to my older mtb. What do I need to do?
Old bike needs new forks
- Thread starter sadshapedlump
- Start date
You're getting into an area that may not be cost effective. Many older mountain bike used 1 inch threaded headsets. You're not going to find telescopic forks for these too readily. 1 inch non threaded forks are even difficult to find, although Marzzochi sells a conversion kit for all their forks, but their forks aren't cheap and probably exceed the value of your bike. The common 1 1/8 inch forks won't fit your head tube. So lets say that you decided to go the Marzzochi route, you would have to do the following:
1 Buy the forks
2 Buy the 1 inch conversion
3 Remove your old headset (requires special tools)
4 Buy and install a new threadless 1 inch headset ( special tools)
4 Cut the stem on the new fork to the correct length (special saw guide)
5 Buy a new threadless stem
6. Buy new bars.
Minimum estimated cost would be about $500 excluding tools if you did your own labor.
Suggest you keep your old bike as is and go out on ebay and find youself an inexpensive used MT bike with fork. Specialized, and Gary Fischer low end used models can be had in the mid $200 range
One more thing. Avoid the Wallmart temptation to buy a cheap Schwinn or Mongoose with a telescopic fork. In most cases these forks are heavy, and rely only on rubber damper inserts. There are high end forks that use rubber dampers (Rock Shocks e.g.) but they also have valved hydraulic elements and air pressure or springs. You need real forks for your intended purpose, and the bikes in Wallmart AINT GOTTEM.
1 Buy the forks
2 Buy the 1 inch conversion
3 Remove your old headset (requires special tools)
4 Buy and install a new threadless 1 inch headset ( special tools)
4 Cut the stem on the new fork to the correct length (special saw guide)
5 Buy a new threadless stem
6. Buy new bars.
Minimum estimated cost would be about $500 excluding tools if you did your own labor.
Suggest you keep your old bike as is and go out on ebay and find youself an inexpensive used MT bike with fork. Specialized, and Gary Fischer low end used models can be had in the mid $200 range
One more thing. Avoid the Wallmart temptation to buy a cheap Schwinn or Mongoose with a telescopic fork. In most cases these forks are heavy, and rely only on rubber damper inserts. There are high end forks that use rubber dampers (Rock Shocks e.g.) but they also have valved hydraulic elements and air pressure or springs. You need real forks for your intended purpose, and the bikes in Wallmart AINT GOTTEM.
That's what I think too. If you have a limited amount of money to spend, it doesn't make sense to me to blow it on a low end suspension fork that isn't going to help very much anyway.garage sale GT said:
Depending on the age of your "older mtb" there is actually a good chance that it has a 1 1/8" steerer ... that is, if it was made in the last 10 years AND a fairly well known brand available through a bike shop.sadshapedlump said:
BUT, the real issue is the frame size ...
The cost of a GOOD, after-market fork is as much as a new, but inexpensive, hardtail (e.g., JAMIS) ... last year's model should be less than 80% of the 2007 prices ... if you can find a NEW 2005 in the shop, it should be even less (perhaps, 60%-or-less).
FWIW. I think the size on a MTB is even more critical than the size for a road bike, especially for a younger rider.
Great feedback - thank you very much!!! The bike is a Maxam Warpdrive III - What do I measure to determine the frame size? I bought the bike used and don't know its age. What do I measure to find the "steerer" size?
Please post a pic or look up the difference between threaded and threadless, tell us what you got, and we'll tell you what to measure.
When it came time to upgrade my old mtn bikes... I sold the frames & a few parts at a garage sale 
, then dropped the 1" rock shoxs (one original and a magnesium - one each) off at my local Salvation Army ... It just wasn't cost effective to do the upgrades I wanted , especially when combined with the actual amount of mtn. biking that I would be doing. I still have a Cannondale Super V that is probably bound for my local aluminum recycling center near Tarpon Springs (They told me I had to hacksaw/Dremel off the non-aluminum pieces), since a front and rear shock replacement is wacko expensive for someone that will be riding ... ummm... maybe 100 miles of sandy hills per year.
NOTE: I ride more road now that I am in Florida - and you have to consider that the origin of mtn biking for me was spent in Northern NJ, Catskills of NY (with nothing as enjoyable to me than the hill climb at Overlook Mountain! ) and Vermont's Mount Snow - YES, disappointment here in FL may have been huge, but road miles are awesome - well, that is unless you fear headwinds .
, then dropped the 1" rock shoxs (one original and a magnesium - one each) off at my local Salvation Army ... It just wasn't cost effective to do the upgrades I wanted , especially when combined with the actual amount of mtn. biking that I would be doing. I still have a Cannondale Super V that is probably bound for my local aluminum recycling center near Tarpon Springs (They told me I had to hacksaw/Dremel off the non-aluminum pieces), since a front and rear shock replacement is wacko expensive for someone that will be riding ... ummm... maybe 100 miles of sandy hills per year. NOTE: I ride more road now that I am in Florida
- and you have to consider that the origin of mtn biking for me was spent in Northern NJ, Catskills of NY (with nothing as enjoyable to me than the hill climb at Overlook Mountain! ) and Vermont's Mount Snow - YES, disappointment here in FL may have been huge, but road miles are awesome - well, that is unless you fear headwinds .Similar threads
