Hi all,

New to the forum (and to mountain biking really!).

I used to ride around as a teenager on a 97 Kona Hahanna, however due to dislocating my knee caps (not bike related) several times, I ended up getting rid of the old bike and not returning to the sport.

I’m now 34 and getting fatter by the day so six months ago I bought a Large Voodoo Hoodoo and whilst it’s been fun, it feels like the bike is too big for me. Hard to describe but it just feels very cumbersome. Also the gears are crunchy, the wheels feel heavy etc etc.

I’m not really in any position financially to drop more money on a complete bike, so I’ve been thinking about continuing to ride the Hoodoo whilst building up a new bike part by part.

It may take several months, but I think it’ll be fun, and pretty rewarding when I eventually go out for the maiden voyage on my new bike.

Now, it just so happens that a family member has offered me an old bike for free that is size M. The components are worse than my Voodoo, but I was thinking I could strip it all down and gradually buy parts to make a decent bike (that fits me).

Link to bike is below, it’s the complete bike, used about 10 times on the road and been out in the garden shed for several years apparently. He said the chain will need replacing and the cobwebs will need dusting off but I’m welcome to take it for nothing.

I guess my question is about the frame, is it any good? Is it worth buying SLX/XT stuff and popping a half decent fork on the front?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/avalanche-30-disc-2009-mountain-bike-ec016368#features

Cheers!

If it’s free and the frame is the right size for you then I’d say yeah why not. At the end of the day it’s a never ending game of upgrading and should the time come you can always get a new frame and swap everything over.

Hi buddy. Welcome to the forum. The frame is ok, not too bad, but its a freebee…;)
You may struggle to get forks, I am guessing the frame is a straight steerer, so your options may be limited.
Best pace to look for parts is the forum classifieds and ebay.
If you are on a budget go for deore kit. If the frame is disc ready deore discs are brilliant. Research your contact points (saddle, bars, stem and grips) Charge saddles are very good. As for forks, try and get one with a lock out. That way you can use the bike on the road for some evening rides if the weather gets grim. Look on the used ads for a Reba 100mm and you won’t go far wrong.
Wheels- if you are on a budget try Superstar components for some deals.

Does it fit better than the Voodoo ?

If it’s free and the frame is the right size for you then I’d say yeah why not. At the end of the day it’s a never ending game of upgrading and should the time come you can always get a new frame and swap everything over.

Exactly, and if it does fit me well I can even rob a few bits off the old bike to get it up and running in the short term.

Hi buddy. Welcome to the forum. The frame is ok, not too bad, but its a freebee…;)
You may struggle to get forks, I am guessing the frame is a straight steerer, so your options may be limited.
Best pace to look for parts is the forum classifieds and ebay.
If you are on a budget go for deore kit. If the frame is disc ready deore discs are brilliant. Research your contact points (saddle, bars, stem and grips) Charge saddles are very good. As for forks, try and get one with a lock out. That way you can use the bike on the road for some evening rides if the weather gets grim. Look on the used ads for a Reba 100mm and you won’t go far wrong.
Wheels- if you are on a budget try Superstar components for some deals.

Thanks! Hopefully I’ll frequent the forum a bit more often.

I can see the forks will be a problem so second hand will be the way to go unless I can stretch to some new RockShox 30 Gold TK Solo Air Forks on Chain Reaction that look pretty OK for my needs.

Luckily I have a nice Charge Spoon Saddle on the Voodoo I will use, but will be looking for some wide bars and maybe a new stem depending on how long the top tube is.

Good shout on that Superstar site, looks like they have some deals on 26 inch wheels that are worth looking at.

Does it fit better than the Voodoo ?

Haven’t sat on it yet! But I’m down that way next weekend so if it feels alright I’ll bring it home next Sunday and get the spanners out.

How tall are you? How much stand over room do you have on the hoodoo.

How tall are you? How much stand over room do you have on the hoodoo.

I’m about 5 foot 10 or 11, I can straddle the top tube flat footed on flat ground, however the frank and beans are in contact with the top tube.

Had a few GTs in the past and found they do come up a bit on the large side, hope it’s not too big as it’s cool for a freebee 🙂

Not sure how much you will have spent when all said and done but I would avoid trying to ‘polish a turd’. Not trying to be rude but I would consider one of two options:

1) Save up until you have about £800, for that price you will be able to get a high end 26″ bike fit for a multitude of ridding. We’re talking Cotic Soul/Bfe Stanton Slackline Dialled Alpine/Prince Albert Genisis Altitude/Alptitude etc. For that I’d expect excellent condition with Reverb dropper/good wheels (hope/crossmax) and a set of Pikes, and yes these prices are out there I seen many!

2) Buy a great second hand frame and buy your build kit around that buy once buy right if you buy 100mm forks and decide at a later date to get a Soal/Bfe etc your bound to want 120/140mm forks.

If not you may risk sending a lot on the GT only to decide you want to upgrade again and lose most of theoney you’ve spent. Sorry probably not what you wanted to hear but honest advise.

I’d go in a different direction (against the thread title), I wouldn’t spend money on a 26″ bike with 1 1/8″ headset
I’d be looking at buying a 650b frame in medium and transferring the parts from your voodoo over and upgrading those parts over time
Wheels are heavy, try tubeless? Crunchy gears, service or go 1×10 for a few quid?

Have you tried a shorter stem or shifting the saddle forward? Or is it the top tube height that makes it feel too big.

Personally if altering the contact points didn’t help I’d be looking to buy a frame that all the components from the voodoo would fit on. Sites like on-one do reasonable frames for not silly money or you might get something in the sales from one of the bigger chains.

Welcome.

The freebie seems a good place to start an upgrade project. I’d suggest you give the chain a good soaking in say WD40 and see if you can losen it up (I assume your mate has let it go all rusty).

You can buy straight steerer 26 forks still, just there is less choice new now than tapered 27.5 (there where a couple of threads recently on the topic) For the rest of the kit standard Shimano Deore is very good for what you want if you do want to change chain/gears etc – online sites often have sales on full group sets inc brakes if you really do want to change.

My 2 cents would be to try and losen up current chain and give the bike a ride and see what you think. It might ride OK as is. Also suggestions for looking for a frame to put the voodoo bits on is a good idea. If the GT is smartened up a bit and ridable you or your mate could sell it for a few quid (£50, £100, £150 ?) and split the money and put that into the other bike

Had a few GTs in the past and found they do come up a bit on the large side, hope it’s not too big as it’s cool for a freebee

As long as a medium GT is a bit smaller than a large Voodoo I’ll be alright! If not I’ll pass on it.

Not sure how much you will have spent when all said and done but I would avoid trying to ‘polish a turd’. Not trying to be rude but I would consider one of two options:

1) Save up until you have about £800, for that price you will be able to get a high end 26″ bike fit for a multitude of ridding. We’re talking Cotic Soul/Bfe Stanton Slackline Dialled Alpine/Prince Albert Genisis Altitude/Alptitude etc. For that I’d expect excellent condition with Reverb dropper/good wheels (hope/crossmax) and a set of Pikes, and yes these prices are out there I seen many!

2) Buy a great second hand frame and buy your build kit around that buy once buy right if you buy 100mm forks and decide at a later date to get a Soal/Bfe etc your bound to want 120/140mm forks.

If not you may risk sending a lot on the GT only to decide you want to upgrade again and lose most of theoney you’ve spent. Sorry probably not what you wanted to hear but honest advise.

Funny you should use the phrase “polish a turd”, as I was actually considering stripping the paint off the frame and giving it a good polish!

I’m sure I’ll want to upgrade at some point in the future, but I really would like to feel a bit more comfortable off road in the short term whilst I save up.

I think the answer is probably see if this frame fits me, and maybe transfer over as much from the old bike as possible so i’m keeping the spending down to a minimum.

I’d go in a different direction (against the thread title), I wouldn’t spend money on a 26″ bike with 1 1/8″ headset
I’d be looking at buying a 650b frame in medium and transferring the parts from your voodoo over and upgrading those parts over time
Wheels are heavy, try tubeless? Crunchy gears, service or go 1×10 for a few quid?

I reckon you’re right about not spending money on a 26″ bike, however I’ll be getting the frame for free and I think I can transfer most of the bits from the Voodoo.

I also think that the crunchy gears are probably a result of the Halfords setup, so when I move the parts I can give them a good clean and learn how to set them up properly.

Have you tried a shorter stem or shifting the saddle forward? Or is it the top tube height that makes it feel too big.

Personally if altering the contact points didn’t help I’d be looking to buy a frame that all the components from the voodoo would fit on. Sites like on-one do reasonable frames for not silly money or you might get something in the sales from one of the bigger chains.

Tried both, currently running a 50mm stem and I feel pretty stretched out when can be a little uncomfoertable, the main thing is the top tube though. It may be because I’m a novice but I just don’t feel confident having no standover.

I’m gonna have a look and see what will transfer over from the free Avalanche frame this weekend.

Don’t fit wide bars whatever you do 🙂

(this is a joke)

Welcome.

The freebie seems a good place to start an upgrade project. I’d suggest you give the chain a good soaking in say WD40 and see if you can losen it up (I assume your mate has let it go all rusty).

You can buy straight steerer 26 forks still, just there is less choice new now than tapered 27.5 (there where a couple of threads recently on the topic) For the rest of the kit standard Shimano Deore is very good for what you want if you do want to change chain/gears etc – online sites often have sales on full group sets inc brakes if you really do want to change.

My 2 cents would be to try and losen up current chain and give the bike a ride and see what you think. It might ride OK as is. Also suggestions for looking for a frame to put the voodoo bits on is a good idea. If the GT is smartened up a bit and ridable you or your mate could sell it for a few quid (£50, £100, £150 ?) and split the money and put that into the other bike

Good advice, thanks!

I’m going to have a little ride on the GT this weekend, I’ll also take a few measurements and see if it’s viable to just transfer all the parts from the Voodoo and only upgrade where needed (Deore brakes, some new tyres etc). I can probably do without a new fork for now as the Raidon on the Voodoo isn’t really THAT bad.

Fork wise go 2nd hand not new base model ones.

You can get some cracking bargains at the moment on Rebas (100-120mm travel) and Revelations (100-160mm) and a lot of new forks are hard to get in straight steerer that you might need.

I recently bought a lovely set of Fox Vanillas with a straight steerer from here, the oil was ready for changing but the stanchions are perfect, £110 posted. They were for a friend on a budget and he’s happy as

So the general consensus seems to be, don’t spend too much money on building up the GT frame, and instead save up and buy something more future proof.

I will probably take the freebie (rude not to) and use existing parts to build it up to keep me going for the months it’ll take to get a half decent new/used bike.

Thanks all for the advice! No doubt I’ll be back at the weekend wondering what the hell to do with the rusty old piece of crap I’ve ended up with 😆

Back again!

So I’ve been having a good think and have decided that if I’m going to go to the trouble of replacing my frame, it may as well be for something that I actually want, and can upgrade.

I’ve spotted this one which looks a good price, will take my current 1 1/8 120mm Raidon fork, and my current 26 inch wheels, but can also accept a tapered fork and 650b wheels for whenever I need/want to upgrade.

And I like the green colour 8)

I can hardly find any reviews on though. Has anyone owned an NS Surge Evo before? Does this frame look a decent deal?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ns-bikes-surge-evo-frame-2015/rp-prod127516

just to complicate things, Im building up this frame. A Dartmoor Primal. £195, lots of colour choice if important to you.

Takes 26 or 27.5, tapered headset to take tapered/ straight steerer.

http://slam69.co.uk/dartmoor-primal—26650b-frame-7439-p.asp

A review of it:

Watch the Tea & Biscuits Trailer Here.

The NS is more freeride than the Primal though, you after that type of frame? Sorry only skim read thread.

The Dartmoor Hornet is more “that way” if thats what your after? Slam69 sell both.

http://dartmoor-bikes.com/hardware/frames/hornet

A built up Hornet taken off web:

EDIT: Good luck with the build whatever you choose and sorry if Ive just complicated things further!

Sorry, too late to edit above, wanted to highlight a difference between the Primal and Hornet: Hornet isnt 135×10 like the Primal and NS are, its 135×12 if thats important depending on the wheels you already have.

Thanks for the input Poopscoop. I hadn’t heard of the Dartmoor brand before, they seem quite well liked from that review.

Not 100% sure but I think the wheels I have will be 135X10 so I should probably stick to a frame that matches that?

I suppose I’m looking for a bit of an all rounder really. I like to do a bit of XC, and mess around on the local pump tracks with small jumps. I’m not a serious biker by means but want something that’ll be comfortable on a half day ride, but still a bit of fun with a playful nature.

If the NS is strictly freeride then I may be better going with that nice looking Primal, around the same price too.

I suppose another option would be an on one 456 or inbred which would come in even cheaper.

My head hurts, I really wish I had waited a few more months and bought from a proper bike shop that could recommend a proper fitting bike in the first place! Lesson learned.

For xc you probably want a slightly longer top tube for comfort. Freeride usually has a shorter top tube. That said I bet lots of people will use the NS or Hornet for longer rides. I would buy a frame aimed at what you will do most of the time perhaps?

When building the Primal my frame choice criteria were limited by the parts I already had laying around. In a way, similar to your predicament.

My frame choice had to take tapered steerer though and I think that’s why One Ones relevant frames had to be excluded from memory?

That said,I would buy a frame that takes a tapered fork off the bat as even second-hand straight steerer forks will be in short supply soon. In good nick anyway. So, if you want too perhaps go 27.5 one day you don’t want to be limited by fork choice for sure. Defeats having the wheel size”upgrade” option I reckon.

I bought the Dartmoor headset with the frame as it has fitment for both straight and tapered forks, so your laughing. The Dartmoor also has a fully integrated headset. So no going to a bike shop to have the cups fitted in the frame…. Or risk mullering the frame doing yourself. Not saying you would, I’m just saying, you know? This style headset just need the race fitting onto the fork which is genuinely a doable diy fit. Though bike shop would fit it for you if you really wanted.

The frame had to also take 26″ wheels too. That brings me to your wheels. Check the rear wheel as if the hubs aren’t easily converted that could turn out to be a real annoyance/extra expense if you find the able type is different.

Hope there isn’t too many typos, and good luck. I went round and round looking at options till I just sent on gut instinct the end or I would never have ended up with a frame.lol

Oh, the Dartmoor site has a very handy sizing chart for both the Primal and Hornet depending upon your intended use for the frame. Xc, all mountain, free ride etc.

That little extra bit of info just nudged me that little bit more toward a Dartmoor in the end.

Hey, it’s only a chart and it’s not going to be the same as sitting on built up bike but hey, what you gonna do? 😀

Sorry, used mobile so a couple of predictive errors in there.

Think you get the idea though.

Resurrecting an old thread here…

I wasn’t going to bother, but I discovered that the GT Avalanche in question was going to be taken to the tip so I thought it best to take it and give it some TLC.

When it arrived nearly every component was rusted/rubbish so I stripped it all back to the frame, stripped the paint and gave it a quick polish.

I had some CRC vouchers for Christmas so I used them to get what I needed to go 1×10, and got a cheapo BB and headset.

Everything else came from the Voodoo Hoodoo.

I think it turned out quite well other than me taking a couple of links too many out of the new chain!

looks great!
get some end caps on the bars and tip the brake levers back.

Oh. fence wants paint, tarmac wants swept and grass needs a trim. 😉

Looks nice polished! Shameless hawking if you are still looking for a fork!!

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-brand-new-unused-boxed-rockshox-sid-rlt-26-black-with-black-stanchions

We love a resurection (us Christians 😉 ) that looks really fabulous 😀

I need to get some motivation, have a brand new 2012 frame, 1yr old full groupset and old wheels, seat etc waiting to be put together. @beagle your fork has too little travel for me and fyi is the same price as I can find on ‘web brand new

Jambalaya – whereabouts out of interest?

OP – how did you get the paint off? NM? And a lot of hard work? Any secret method?

Wilkinsons paint and varnish stripper! £3 and doesn’t stink to high heaven. Brushed it all over the frame and left it overnight, then did he same again the next day. Used a scraper and wire wool to get the remaining paint off.

Then different grades of sand paper and a tube of Autosol with a rag. I have only been over it once with the polish though as I’m quite happy with a nice sheen rather than a mirror.

Slow process but I wasn’t in any great hurry.

Hahanna you say…

This was rescued from a skip (my brothers), slowly bringing it back to life.

Like the avalanche – although I prefer a paint job.

IIRC it’s a 44mm headtube on those Avalanche frames. Should be possible to fit a tapered fork if you use an external lower cup…