Good evening all, this is my first post so I thought I would say hello and put up a few pictures of my bikes, starting with my Orange MsIsle.
A bit of back story... I was really really in to mountain bikes and bike trials when I was a teenager and I had built up a big circle of friends in and around my home town and we all rode our bikes most evenings and weekends and for a long while, there was a good crowd of us. Eventually though, university, careers, families and travelling meant we all spent less time on our bikes and by the time I got my first car I had pretty much retired my Planet X Zebdi and Orange Patriot, infact I sold the Patriot to afford some ludicrous modification to one of the many Land Rovers I went on to own (a decision I regret to this day!).
Last year I fancied having a go at riding again so I dusted off the Planet X and started trying to do the sort of stuff I had been able to do ten years previous and to my surprise and delight, I could still manage some of it!
I wanted to rekindle some of that Orange Patriot magic but I wanted to build a decent hard tail first. A friend of mine way back when bought himself a brand new, gorgeous Orange MsIsle and I had wanted one ever since, I could never have afforded one new (I seem to remember they started at about £1100??) but nowadays, with the help of eBay, they can be had for much less. I had a fairly small budget for this bike as I already have lots of outgoings buying rubbish cars.
I bought mine from a chap in Derby, it was advertised as a 2003, and said to be in good working order and a bike he only rode to work and back a few times, I collected it and noticed immediately that the forks were shot (Marzocchi Dirt Jumpers which weighed more than the sun) the bottom bracket had so much play in the bearings the crank arms could be made to touch the frame and it all felt very very tired and looked rather sorry for itself.
I stripped the bike back to its component parts and checked the frame over, all seemed well so I had it powder coated gloss black and started buying a few bits to make it rideable again with a view to a maiden voyage at Cannock Chase a few weeks later (the last place I had ridden a mountain bike some years before). Cutting an already rambling and long story down as short as I can make it, I have been riding it and changing bits and bobs as and when time and funds allow and right now, it stands like this and I am really happy with how it rides...
I am sure if it were to be reviewed by a MTB magazine today they would moan about the stem being too long and the wheels being too small but I really like it, I am going to treat myself to a new full susser next year and I am pretty sure I will stick to what I know and go with 26" wheels again but that will be another bike for another long, rambling post.
A bit of back story... I was really really in to mountain bikes and bike trials when I was a teenager and I had built up a big circle of friends in and around my home town and we all rode our bikes most evenings and weekends and for a long while, there was a good crowd of us. Eventually though, university, careers, families and travelling meant we all spent less time on our bikes and by the time I got my first car I had pretty much retired my Planet X Zebdi and Orange Patriot, infact I sold the Patriot to afford some ludicrous modification to one of the many Land Rovers I went on to own (a decision I regret to this day!).
Last year I fancied having a go at riding again so I dusted off the Planet X and started trying to do the sort of stuff I had been able to do ten years previous and to my surprise and delight, I could still manage some of it!
I wanted to rekindle some of that Orange Patriot magic but I wanted to build a decent hard tail first. A friend of mine way back when bought himself a brand new, gorgeous Orange MsIsle and I had wanted one ever since, I could never have afforded one new (I seem to remember they started at about £1100??) but nowadays, with the help of eBay, they can be had for much less. I had a fairly small budget for this bike as I already have lots of outgoings buying rubbish cars.
I bought mine from a chap in Derby, it was advertised as a 2003, and said to be in good working order and a bike he only rode to work and back a few times, I collected it and noticed immediately that the forks were shot (Marzocchi Dirt Jumpers which weighed more than the sun) the bottom bracket had so much play in the bearings the crank arms could be made to touch the frame and it all felt very very tired and looked rather sorry for itself.
I stripped the bike back to its component parts and checked the frame over, all seemed well so I had it powder coated gloss black and started buying a few bits to make it rideable again with a view to a maiden voyage at Cannock Chase a few weeks later (the last place I had ridden a mountain bike some years before). Cutting an already rambling and long story down as short as I can make it, I have been riding it and changing bits and bobs as and when time and funds allow and right now, it stands like this and I am really happy with how it rides...
I am sure if it were to be reviewed by a MTB magazine today they would moan about the stem being too long and the wheels being too small but I really like it, I am going to treat myself to a new full susser next year and I am pretty sure I will stick to what I know and go with 26" wheels again but that will be another bike for another long, rambling post.
Hear what you're saying about the DJ forks though. I have a pair of 2003s - super plush but how freakin' heavy? :shock:
