I've read your thread a lot, it is part of the reason I'm here! The price is getting silly, I stuck some of the figures into Excel but stopped pretty quickly
There are a lot of 'only fifty quids' :shock: I can keep em both but really I need to shift one because of my expensive tastes. I can't believe how much MRP chain device is, also £70 for a bloody seat post? :| For childish self satisfaction I want it to be a fresh and new as possible, tracking down NOS or barely used is much more expensive. I'm just not counting now, ideally it would be sub £1000 but I think it'll end up £1500ish.
Frame arrived, great seller, pretty much totally honest and excellent packaging. This is the frame I should of had the first time around
So, two big dents but nothing else bar few chips. Feels like it could do with a bearing swap as its a bit stiff in motion (spring removed.) Stickers are under the clear coat but it doesn't look like paint, powdercoat? The stickers are wrinkled under there so there must have been a reaction. I don't know if this is original finish or not? I would guess its had a respray. The shock has a TF Tuned sticker, different spring (no markings) and the top and bottom out bumpers have been cut down. It appears to have been tweaked because it doesn't feel like either the new shock or the other one I have, not in a bad way, just like it has a different damping curve. Could be interesting...
Speaking of which I got what I really wanted :
Really is brand new but in all honesty it feels just like the used one I had so I probably didn't need it
The big dilema is here though, it is a smaller frame :
Ideally I'd take the shock and flog the black one back on, easy n quick. However I always wanted a small frame and its now clear I got a medium. I'm 5'10 but its no cross country bike so I don't think it matters, I just prefer the steeper slope of the top tube and the slightly more compact look. You lose the ability to fit a water bottle holder though!
So I may end up painting both, then selling the medium and keeping the small. What'll actually happen is by the time one is done I'll be bored and the second will stay for spares.
Few more bits arrived, shifter is really nice and the bearing was one thats not included in either of the two Lobo rebuild kits I bought. I asked Hope and got the answer I always seem to get, no. In the end after some hunting I spoke to Igus and they supplied those which are a perfect fit. They are designed specifically for this type of thing and deal with dirt well. They have a huge range and no doubt could supply all the other plain bearings, handy for the future cos the roller bearings are easy to get but these plastic things aren't. This one is a W350 - 1416-05.
This is the level of detail I'm at, I want to replace everything I can, the range of motion here is only a few degrees back n forth but if the brake didn't rotate the suspension could not move at all. I appreciate with 12 stone on it'll always move it but I want to know its perfect.
Stickers haven't arrived after two weeks also the polisher is on a go slow because the rear triangle isn't done. I need to get on with the painting..