[darlyj]

Thanks guys…..I’ve read some really good things about my frame as far as strength goes. Had no clue when I bought the thing, just bought it on the recomendation of the bike shop owner and the limitations of my college budget. I wanted to put a few better-quality (older and used) components on there to mainly feel the difference and see how much better I’m going to like the overall experience before delving into a four-figure bike. The old 4300 Alpha will be kept around regardless of whether or not I eventually get a full-suspension bike for downhill. With all of the hills and climbs in the area it’s kinda stupid not to have a hard-tail around and I’m more into it for fitness vs. racing so a heavier bike is not a deal-breaker. Besides, we probably couldn’t get enough for the bike to make it worth selling.

[darlyj]

Thanks for the responses guys – certainly stuff to think about. A friend of my husband’s is sending down an old Marzocchi fork that has just been sitting and collecting dust. I think it is 80mm, which should be fine for most of what I plan on doing over the summer. He said the fork should be fine with my frame geometry. It needs to be rebuilt but realistically I need to learn how to do that stuff anyway, if I plan on getting back into this – I can tear apart and rebuild my motorcycle engine so I should be able to handle a fork, right?? Yeah, yeah, famous last words. 😆

My main concern was wanting to do a couple small upgrades (yeah, I know fork can be a biggie) and see how things progress this summer…just could not stand to ride that bloody stock fork any longer than necessary. If all goes well then I’ll probably be cruising craigslist towards the fall/winter months for something full-suspension. We are up in the Prescott area and there always seem to be quite a few decent bikes in Phoenix and Vegas. I was thinking along the lines of Kona….heard they are good bikes with good components….

[Author]

Posts