lowe1677":120dazni said:
just picked up a 89 muddyfox pathfinder which is pretty much standard factory components from its time(exage country).The bike is excellent to ride as it is and i love the paint job crackle effect,but the thing is the components are a little ugly and plastic looking.
I have an al carter black panther with full deore dx components and was thinking of transfering all the al carter parts on to the mf frame,so really sacrificing 2 bikes for one
. i cant afford at the moment to buy all new parts for the mini project so stuck in two minds what to do,would i just be wasting my time?
what would you do?
legrandefromage":120dazni said:
Al-Carter were posh Emmelle if memory serves and no, they werent any good back then either as they often weighed mmore than their counterparts, even Claud Butlers.
legrandefromage":120dazni said:
Its one of those, Townsend, Emmelle, Falcon, they were all a bit too late in making up a posher name to up their brands.
By then it was too late - we already knew that Yaksmaka too well...
rusty scrubber":120dazni said:
You know something LGF, you're just a guy in a chair at the pc like everybody else, only you're a bit less intimidating in real life than the cinematic hard man in your avatar.
Why don't you quit with the bike snobbery, and stop telling Al Carter bike owners that their Al Carter bikes are shit?
Have you ever thought that I or anybody else might love their Al Carter bikes, and don't need some forum big shot with the sensitivity of a stone putting us down?
Who cares if you think it looks like a bike from Littlewoods?
Who cares if it doesn't have XTR components and super duper wheels?
Who cares who Al Carter was?
The guys Al Carter Black Panther in this thread is stunning in my opinion, and the Hot Rock I've just restored is equally as stunning in my opinion, so who cares if you don't like them?
I suppose this guys bike was a bad Photoshop too?
You're waay to sensitive and should take a breather. Perhaps re-read the above before getting in a lather and mis-quoting. No-one said they were shit, just not that special. Wheres the heritage behind the name? Was it race proven frame geometry? If so what races? Who won what? What gives these bikes their profile? Was there a famous designer behind these bikes? You were asked but just decided to complain rather than educate. I am guilty too, your example is not the best promotion of a brand that you clearly love and I couldnt resit pointing out those obviously pixelated decals.
They were heavy bikes when new and the ride wasnt inspiring, not when compared to a similarly priced Kona or Specialized - components aside, the frame is the most important part of a bike and if that doesnt inspire confidence, it forms an
opinion . Its these that stay with us just as long as the bikes we liked, and when asked some 18 years later, we can then make an educated guess as, perhaps,
some of us had the same model.
That was what was asked by lowe1677, an
opinion. It was given, clearly a balance was had as there was not quite the universal praise you were expecting. Rather than ask why you just went off and wasted time on silly pictures that did you no favours whatsoever, reaffirming opinions about yourself from your now deleted posts in other threads.
RB homepage":120dazni said:
Retrobike is the World's #1 site dedicated to vintage, retro and classic mountain bikes, road bikes & BMXs.
The site is an education. There are members who are some of the founding fathers of that shape of bicycle you pictured. It was they who gave us the fat tyre look, multiple gears and wide bars. Thats why this site is so important. There are also 100's of members who have owned and raced 100's of different brands, plus collectors of exotica, forever seeking out the finest frames or components produced. That is not snobbery in any way, its part of the education that this site brings to the cycling enthusiast.
Now back to your bike. I would just make a few safety checks:
Is that stem past its safety mark?
You have 6spd shifters on a 5spd block - have the end stops on the rear mech been set properly? If not, a swift upshift may end up with the mech in the rear wheel damaging spokes and possibly causing an accident. A downshift may jam the chain between the frame and block too.
Staying with that back wheel, is it 130mm or 135mm wide? Squeezing the rear end together can sometimes damage the frame at the rear stays.
Is the rear hub steel? On budget steel hubs the finish can be a little sharp and you can end up with the hub literally cutting through the spokes when riding.
Maybe I should have started out like this but, its the internet, its a happy go lucky site and a smartarse response is usually the norm here.
As for me in person, there were complaints the last time I changed my avatar so it has stayed for some years now. Also, I have far worse hair than the Anton Chigurh character. Its my fault as I am too lazy to get a haircut - children often point and laugh, but hey, I dont fret, I just laugh and
go on the internet to complain about it.