1999 Sintesi Bazooka

[olavxxx]

Ok, I did two trips down our mountain "ulriken".

The headset survived fine, but I killed my 21 year old mavic.

Or, it's semi-killed. It actually broke on the first run and I did yet another run. (624 metres high mountain). Still works though, but I need to fix it. Maybe I'll buy a new bike, but I'll fix the bazooka and continue running on it, untill I consider buying a newer and researching which to buy, if any.

 

[cyfa2809]

Wow must have taken a big hit?

Why do you need to buy a new bike if your rim is broken?

And i thought those rims were from around 98 onwards?

 

[ChrisR]

Looks circa 2000ish like the current ones on my missile. :?

 

[olavxxx]

Yeah, they are only 13 years old.
1999.

The thing is that i have 205mm brake up front. The rear hope is attached to the hub and uses 160mm disc.

 

[cyfa2809]

205mm is good. I run around that size on all my bikes - even if it is just for looks (although power comes with them!).

 

[olavxxx]

I posted a bit short yesterday, did it from my phone.

The thing is that the 99 bazooka is 13 years old And I imagine that riding on a newer bike should be way better? Of course the bazooka can handle a lot! However I would think a new bike with 200mm front and rear travel would eat more terrain. Also the newer bikes often have a "bent" upper frame part, so the weight of the bike sits lower and the bikes frames are now more compact.

Of course a new bike costs a lot So I think I'll fix upthe bazooka first and maybe fit larger brakes in the rear. Then I'll do some research about if I should purchase a new/newer bike.

I saw one bazooka 4 for sale, but the seller wanted 2000 euro.. LOL.. I said it was way too expensive and asked if it was negotiable. He asked me to give a bid.. But not sure what to pay for a 2005(?) bazooka 4 maybe 1000 euro is also too much? the bike looks in good condition, some paint damage and also it has the IS mounts for brakes. Maybe I should try to bid 600-800 eur? (I would need to pay 25% VAT on import).

 

[cyfa2809]

Your pricing is more realistic than his. I believe that there can be too much travel and anything after 6 inches or so is overkill for most things really.

 

[olavxxx]

Your pricing is more realistic than his. I believe that there can be too much travel and anything after 6 inches or so is overkill for most things really.

Have you tried a modern bike vs the 99 bazooka?
My bazooka is updated in the shock department though, 180mm travel front and OEM was also 150mm in rear. The rear shock is not the original one though (I have rebound and compression adjustment, so its not the kangoroo the bazooka was with the OEM rear shock).

I think that maybe the greatest improvement may be in the frame design, eg. the upper tupe and steer angles, as well as a the weight at a lower point. Howver I guess many new bikes may weigh more than the bazooka

 

[Mindmap3]

I have never ridden a Bazooka, but the biggest thing that has changed on newer bikes is the angles....your average trail bike is now slacker, lower and longer than the DH bikes of old, so is therefore more stable.

Don't get me wrong, I love old school DH bikes, but it amazes me how short things like the Lobo are and how steep therey are. No wonder they feel so twitchy compared to modern bikes. Bike Radar did a video comparison between a new GT DH bike and a Lobo and they mentioned the high front end, short wheelbase etc.

Weight has fallen big time - my Demo 9 was 40 odd lbs, which was pretty light for a DH bike back in 05, now some people are riding 36 lbs race bikes!

 

[cyfa2809]

I like twitchy though. Its has more feeling.

36lbs? Thats nothing. Im sure there is a build spec sheet going around for 26.1lb. On a SC v10c i believe. Not sure if it has been done.