Wow, it’s great how this thread went from depressing to thoroughly inspiring.

Great work guys, the Edinburgh biking community is great! 😀

Don’t think I’ve got anything in my spares box that’s not already been offered!!

Hope you’re keeping the replacement inside now 😉

Fork wise if you are in need of some and think they will be suitable I have a pair of Manitou Nixon RTWD forks which are 115 – 145 mm adjustable travel, they have a 1 1/8 steerer and QR wheel fixing. They will need a little TLC as they haven’t been used in a while but the only problem with them i know of is that one of the disk mounts has stripped threads, there may be good threads further in but i have not checked.

If you want them my email address in in my profile and i’ll pop them in the post to you.

Slow getting back to this thread – I have felt rather overwhelmed by it all. In a good way.
I’ve given the Rockhopper a bit of a polish and fettled a few little bits that my very limited fettling skills allow.

Paul, I didn’t see your post this afternoon and I was waiting on a friend coming this evening who was going to have a look at unfreezing the forks though unfortunately he wasn’t able to make it tonight. I may have seen you around Easter Road – I’m on Albion Terrace, I’ve seen mtbers over the bridge a few times but never stopped to speak.

Those flats would be very handy, thanks.

Marti,if your throwing those bars away I’d gladly take them.

Cheers

Kunstier,

mail me al lockrobnkelatgmaildotcom and i’ll get the pedals in the post for you.

Kunstler, i’ve mailed you on the pedals mate

If Marti doesnt get back to you ive bars mind if needed, and stem etc….

Just over the bridge in Fife so not a problem getting them to you.

dirtdiggler +1, spare bars if needed.

Thanks guys. I’ll get back to you.

Kunstler – no probs mate. you have my number so give me a call if I can help. Out tonight but in thurs/fri.
Got a good selection of tools if you need help fitting anything.

Awesome thread – Biking community is alive and kicking

So many bikes getting stolen now a days, it’s an absolute joke.

You should post details of your bike on the TrailScotland forum – http://www.trailscotland.co.uk/forums there’s lot’s of Edinburgh people on there.

Hope you get it back mate!

Paul, I’m pretty tied up with work until Sunday but I might give you a bell then. It might just be fairly busy round this part of town that afternoon though I’m doubtful on that.

Trekstar, a funny thing is I had to (kind of) steal my own bike on Friday. I used my Aldi ‘five minutes while I pop in the shop’ lock as I dived into Scotmid. When I came out I couldn’t get the key to turn in the lock. Tried for ages. I went home (luckily just around the corner) got some oil and a spare key but the lock wasn’t having it so as time was becoming an issue, I had to take a hack saw to it.
It took me five or ten minutes and in that time nobody asked me what I was doing. I was prepared and thought I might be challenged, but not at all.

Anyway, yesterday I had a change of plan for work that took me out to a shift at Broxburn. I chose to bike back along the canal and felt really good. I have been like a kid with a birthday bike and I was just enjoying rolling along. There was no time I that needed to be anywhere so I was thinking about this sudden new experience of single speeding and how I might make a proper test of it. I was spinning a bit on the canal towpath and though it was nice, peaceful and sedate, I thought that maybe I should try some hills.

So I took a fairly direct route through Currie up to the Pentlands. The kirkgate was rather testing without gears but ‘that which doesn’t kill me etc…’ pushed me on to Maiden’s. At the top, a German girl came over and chatted. She offered to take a photo of me with the rockhopper and I told her how I came to be riding it. I tell everyone. Everyone smiles. She was pretty amazed too and told me that she rides in the alps but doesn’t feel it’s secure to leave a bike in Edinburgh. Hmm, yeah.

Finally coordinated that top.

Soon enough (in retrospect, probably too soon) I’m bouncing down the other side and rolling up the glen to one of those ‘I was just on my way home and somehow I’m now here’ moments.

The only braking was a minimal bit of front and some sticking pistons gave me cause to avoid using it too much. Eventually it got a bit too squeaky so when I got to Torduff Dam I had the wheel out and set about the callipers. It stopped the squeaking but it was a really stupid thing to have done at the top of a big steep hill – as I found out within ten seconds of setting off again and seeing a couple of people with several dogs coming up the road towards me. Pull the lever – nothing. Pump it frantically – still nothing. ‘I’VE GOT NO BRAKES!’ I shouted and watched them rugby tackle a labrador and a collie and bundle them onto the verge. I said sorry as I whooshed past. I didn’t hear a response if there was one.

A bit more lever pumping and I had a workable brake again and some very valuable hindsight.

I’m not convinced about single speeding for me. I’ll just stick to some stubble for now before I get gears on. But it is good to be on a bike. Oh yes.

Fantastic to see you out on your new bike.

Such a good thread, kudos to you all for getting Kunstler back on the hills.

Really glad to see you got it going again – there’s life in the old girl yet!

This is the first time I’ve seen this thread. Can’t be sure, but I think I saw a bike like the OP’s yesterday in Polwarth, near the Santangello shop. Not 100% but certainly was similar – similar colour, think it was a Giant, and DEFINITELY had one of those panaracer tyres with the red stripe. I’ll be extra vigiliant from now. Good luck!

MrK mkII – that’s interesting. I’ve not seen a giant the same colour as mine anywhere other than in Norfolk a few years ago – and I ride about in Edinburgh a lot. I also notice when I see one of those tyres on other bikes. There is someone selling the same model and colour bike on Gumtree but it looks like new (I had changed a lot on the bike over the years). I ride along that street quite often. Yeah, please keep an eye out. I’ll contact the police and let them know that it may have been ID’d. Thanks.

Alasdair – it’s been brilliant. Going to try and get some maintenance done on it today. You wouldn’t happen to know what year the Talas fork is? I’ve got a friend who’s going to have a look at them but it’s new territory for us (very much for me as I’m certainly not much of a mechanic).

Cheers again.

It’s a 2004 RL, originally shipped with a Specialized Enduro. Are you getting any travel from it at all?

The fork doesn’t budge – hopefully get a chance to take them apart and check the insides over with a friend but he has commitments that make his time precious at the moment. He did however help me look at the brakes yesterday. Spent a couple of hours on them – bled the back (still waiting on pads) and tried to free up the pistons on the front which are sticking but not with any success. They still stick and are noisy with it. It may be the seals that are caput. If anyone has an old deore calliper I’d be very grateful.

I’ve replaced a couple of broken spokes and now have some flat pedals. I have a chain in preparation of putting gears back on. I thought I’d run it as 1×9 to save on needing the extra hardware but realise that I need a chain device – I’ve looked at one on Superstar but it’s to fit an internal bb. Confused. I also probably need a chain ring.

I’m waiting to hear back from the police – seems I have to chase them up.

Been lurking on here for ages, just signed up to say what a great example this is of people just being nice!
I’ve got a spare deore front caliper and lever you can have for the cost of postage, fully working afaik. From around 2004 I think.

Murf – that would be fantastic. Thanks very much. I don’t see an email in your profile so could you email me please – robertjtuck (at) gmail.com. Cheers.

I’ve finally had the police call this morning for photos and a detailed description and are currently ‘making enquiries’ of folk on the stair but I’m not sure who’s going to be around at 9am on a Tuesday morning. They did tell me about the current drive focussing on bike theft and that there has been a large increase in numbers of stolen bikes in Edinburgh.

So be extra careful folks!

Slight highjack but just saw this on Edinburgh Gumtree

http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/scott-bike-frame-for-sale/102875362

I have a pair of Manitou stance flow 1.5″ if they are any good to you.

Great thread, very refreshing to see people pulling together.

Email sent….

Cheers murf – and welcome to STW.

That’s interesting dunsapie – bike nicely planted in the turf too. Maybe he really knew what he was doing by avoiding turning the bike upside down. Maybe…
I’m hoping to have the Talas fork dissected and see if it’s servicable. I might get back to you on the Manitou if it’s not, thanks very much.

I’ve now replaced a crank that was making unsettling cracking noises and am now very keen to get gears on as soon as possible because the chain keeps wanting to derail from the tensioner. This makes me nervous. I don’t want an over the bars in town (or anywhere I guess).

It’s become a little less straightforward as I now need a replacement gear hanger. Has anyone got one for a 2006 Rockhopper?

I’m also in need of a chain device if anybody has one. I know they’re not cheap and I’d be prepared to give you something for it – making some financial adjustments this month as a running bike is a bit of a priority.

Cheers

Sorry I never got back to you about those bars, haven’t been on here in a while. You can still have them if needed, best to mail me direct, emails in profile