Mongoose Amplifier 2 FTW 1995 - Purists beware

[Mr. Elixir]

Hi Nigel,

Nice ride you have there! I recently acquired an Amplifier II of my own from a friend who had it hiding in their garage for many years. This one is also polished aluminum with the box section rear triangle and also has the FTW "Frank the Welder" foil sticker and is labeled made in USA on both the frame and rear triangle. I had dated this frame as a 1995 model from various resources and found your post while doing some additional online research.

I have already removed the original components and it's stripped down to the bare frame with rear shock. This will also be my first retro rebuild and I am really looking forward to giving this bike a second life. I was fortunate enough to find one that already had a Risse Genesis rear shock installed which is still holding air for now. I have almost enough spare parts for a complete rebuild. The original RockShox Quadra21 fork was beyond salvageable but I have a Manitou coil spring fork I will borrow from an old Rockhopper that I plan to turn into a rigid mtb instead.

But I was actually hoping you or anyone else could offer a little guidance? Some of the hardware holding the rear triangle together is rather corroded. I wanted to see if you had to replace any of the bushings or anything during your restoration and if so, did you have any trouble locating replacements or do you have any suggestions for easy to find substitutions? I hope to get away with simply cleaning everything up and reinstalling but want to be prepared in the event some parts are beyond repair.

Also, what seatpost size does your frame use? The seatpost that I found in my frame was 26.2 but it was obviously a replacement and a bit too small as the clamp was overtightened and slightly bent out of shape. It appears to need a 26.8, could you confirm this with your model?

Thanks

 

[nigelb]

Hi nice to see another Amplifier 2 frame being saved, good luck with the build.

You are correct with the seastpost mine is 26.8mm, though not many of that size around these days, found one on ebay.

I didn't replace any of the bushings as they were not too bad, just cleaned up and greased. I don't think my frame has done much mileage for an oldie. I may have replaced them (preventative maintenance) if I was able to find any, but didn't fancy having a set custom machined.

Is your build going to be an accurate resto or a mongrel like mine. Any intersting parts going on it? I enjoy riding it but if I want proper full sus I use my Giant Anthem. The Mongoose gets lots of comments on the trail though - mostly 'WTF is that!'.

Lets see piccys though!

Nigel

 

[nigelb]

Forgot to mention there's been a few changes since first posting. Didn't really like the old Alivio stuff so replaced shifters, mechs and cassette with modern Deore. Crankset is now FSA K-Force Light 2x9 as I needed more carbon lovelyness on the bike, BB now FSA Ceramic and pedals have been finally replaced with light Wellgo B185s. Gearchange now vastly improved and lost 1.5lb (bike, not me!) in the process. Still need to get the rear shock sorted but Risse not responding to my e-mails.

So bike now even more 'modern retro'.

 

[Mr. Elixir]

Thanks for the follow up. I took it all apart the other night and the bushings seem to be in good condition but I am in the process of trying to source some replacement fasteners with stainless steel bolts from some local hardware suppliers. My Amplifier II will be a mongrel as well with a motley of parts from the spare parts bin, but I think it will come together nicely.

It'll be a 3x7. The cranks had already been replaced sometime before I even received the frame and they are in decent condition... Deore LX triple octalink crankset with matching cartridge BB. I'll borrow an old Alivio 7 speed freehub from my first real MTB from 94 or 95 (a steel Mongoose Hilltopper.) I had done some minor upgrades on that one not too long ago and bought a new 11-28 7speed cassette before they were discontinued but haven't put many miles on it. The Hilltopper has been repurposed for more urban/townie use and I put a spare 7 speed freewheel on the back of that bike to free up the cassette hub for the Amplifier build. Trying to do this on a budget and use up as many of my existing parts as possible.

I'm borrowing a Manitou SX suspension fork from a 2000 Specialized Rockhopper Pro that I am simultaneously building into a 1x9 rigid with a Surly steel fork.

I found an affordable new 26.8 seatpost from Kalloy (the laprade style.)
I have a mix of shifters/levers/derailers to use and although I'd like to use the original flatbars I'm 6'5" and might need the extra height from a set of riser bars. A friend also gave me a nice set of old XT v-brakes that I will use on the rear but in front I'll use an Avid BB7 Mechanical disc brake with a spare front wheel that is only for disc brakes.

I hope to snap some photos soon as I get further into the process.

As for Risse Racing, I have no personal experience dealing with them but if you check out the MTBR forums there are several reviewers who have criticized their lack of responding to emails or voicemails. Try calling during their regular business hours (U.S. Pacific Time) and try to get hold of a live person.

 

[Mr. Elixir]

If costs were not an issue I'd like to build this up with with a brand new air suspension fork to match the Risse Genesis air shock in the rear and get them tuned up to work in unison.

For the components I'd like Motolite V-brakes and Love Levers from Paul Components and a White Industries MTB Double crankset. Both Paul Comp and White Industries have good reputations here in the states for making quality products (although costly) and I think they would go well aesthetically with the box section rear section of the frame and I prefer the understated labeling of all their products. Maybe those are upgrades worth saving for, along with a new wheelset, but for now I'll work with what I have available.