DECISIONS, DECISIONS, WHICH DONOR TO CHOOSE!!!!

V

vegaspaddy

Member
ok, were to start i would like to build a conversion kit up and have found 3 possible donors to look over in the next couple of days

3 different bikes-

NO 1 : cheap walmart, parts can be upgraded later http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4232170 i can get this for $50

NO 2 : identical bike to flcruzbiker (trek y24 small frame) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cruzbike/photos/album/1724629081/pic/146646346/view?picmode=&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&count=20&dir=asc, i can pick this up for $150,but i am concerned about my height 6ft will i be too big

NO 3: gary fisher doner: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/1088553066.html, these y frames are the same as treks (same company) would not have to pay too much for upgrades but big bucks straight out of pocket.

ALL THOUGHTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED !!!! :roll:
 
admin

admin

Administrator
Staff member
No 2, yes you will be too big, you won't get arm room enough I think.

No 1, top tube too high I reckon

No 3, a few nice conversion on this out there. Buying good quality second hand parts in one go would be my vote, saves you a lot of messing around.
 
Mark B

Mark B

Zen MBB Master
cruzadmin wrote: No 2, yes you will be too big, you won't get arm room enough I think.

No 1, top tube too high I reckon

No 3, a few nice conversion on this out there. Buying good quality second hand parts in one go would be my vote, saves you a lot of messing around.
Click to expand...

+1

I think number 3 is your best long term bet. Trek second, but be aware you will probably have to do more messing around with it to make it work, bent seat post, etc. Number 1 will be waaaay too tall.

Mark
 
V

vegaspaddy

Member
thanks for the replys i had a feeling it would be the gary fisher, i hope the guy still has it for sale !!!!!!!

If not its, back to the drawing board to look for a new donor, i seem to be finding that alot of the newer bikes i think would be good for the conversion, have disk brakes on them which i know are not compatibile up front anywise so that is making the search for a decent bike harder !!!!!!!

I still might buy that y24 frame, see if i can it for a lower price and then pass it on to a fellow member
 
JonB

JonB

Zen MBB Master
Buy a finished Sofrider/Freerider.

vegaspaddy wrote: NO 3: gary fisher doner: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/bik/1088553066.html, these y frames are the same as treks (same company) would not have to pay too much for upgrades but big bucks straight out of pocket.
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$450? :eek: seriously? + $395 for the cruzbike conversion kit, and you are very close to the $995 Freerider. Or the cheaper Freerider V1 or Sofrider V1.
 
defjack

defjack

Zen MBB Master
Jon is right a Softrider will have a better seat position and will be lighter.My Joshua worked ok but it did weigh in at 39 lbs. Jack
69_09022756366b4b12a2b9b2e4307016c4
 
V

vegaspaddy

Member
the whole idea of buying the kit is to give me a chance too see if i like the front wheel drive or not, so if i dont like it i could easily recoupe some of my money buy selling the kit,i think it would be harder to get $800 to $900 back for a softrider...

Besides i love to mountain bike and at the moment only have a front suspension so getting a decent full suspension for under $500 is a good deal,

I have not contacted the seller yet so i dont even know if its available, too early still, so i will have a couple of hours to dwell it over !!!!!!!

Thats my logic all advice is welcomed...
 
JonB

JonB

Zen MBB Master
vegaspaddy wrote: the whole idea of buying the kit is to give me a chance too see if i like the front wheel drive or not, so if i dont like it i could easily recoupe some of my money buy selling the kit,i think it would be harder to get $800 to $900 back for a softrider...

Besides i love to mountain bike and at the moment only have a front suspension so getting a decent full suspension for under $500 is a good deal,

I have not contacted the seller yet so i dont even know if its available, too early still, so i will have a couple of hours to dwell it over !!!!!!!

Thats my logic all advice is welcomed...
Click to expand...
My experience is that once you go cruizbike you dont want to go anything else. But this means you have to learn the ride it. This can take some time and be a hard experience. But it is worth it.
 
Mark B

Mark B

Zen MBB Master
JonB wrote:
vegaspaddy wrote: the whole idea of buying the kit is to give me a chance too see if i like the front wheel drive or not, so if i dont like it i could easily recoupe some of my money buy selling the kit,i think it would be harder to get $800 to $900 back for a softrider...

Besides i love to mountain bike and at the moment only have a front suspension so getting a decent full suspension for under $500 is a good deal,

I have not contacted the seller yet so i dont even know if its available, too early still, so i will have a couple of hours to dwell it over !!!!!!!

Thats my logic all advice is welcomed...
Click to expand...
My experience is that once you go cruizbike you dont want to go anything else. But this means you have to learn the ride it. This can take some time and be a hard experience. But it is worth it.
Click to expand...

+1 The man speaks the truth. Once you go Cruzin', nothing else will do.

Mark
 
Doug Burton

Doug Burton

Zen MBB Master
Mark is right, you can make a nice bike with the Y24, but you'll be bendin' and swappin' and cutting, especially is you want to use 26" wheels, which I think you'll want at over 6'.

You might be able to scare up a Trek Y26, which was one of the bikes the kit was developed around. The frame is very well-suited to accept the kit components.

Mark is also right:

"Once you get to Cruzin', you won't want no more bottom bruisin'..." (my office is at the far end of the building from the marketing department, but I've never understood why.)

Bring all questions!

Best,
 
M

moorerp

New Member
My pickiness is your gain! I didn't buy it because the reviews say it's a heavy bike (I couldn't find the weight specs), but there's a 20" Y-26 on ebay right now for $175 (buy it now) + shipping. What with Doug's description, it sounds like the perfect bike for your needs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Trek-Y-26-Mountain-Bike-Suspension-MTN-Bicycle-21-speed_W0QQitemZ380112815799QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMountain_Bikes?hash=item380112815799&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
 
V

vegaspaddy

Member
wow thanks moorerp, i just searched around yesterday and couldnt find anything...

luckily for me i looking for a cruiser style setup, so weight isnt going to be my biggest concern, its funny i searched for a week and couldnt find anything and then all of a sudden a couple of possibilities show up.

I think Patience is the key when trying to find a suitable donor.

AS for the Gary Fisher, it belongs to a friend of a friend who i know threw my local lbs, so i am taking it out for a ride sat too see whats its like, the guys at the store told me they have installed at least $300 in upgrades..

TOO many bikes !!!!!!
 
Gromit

Gromit

Guru
Vegaspaddy

If you buy a Sofrider or Freerider from Cruzbike then you are covered by their "29-mile smile" guarantee.
This is how it works

From the FAQs section of the web site
What if I buy one and I don't like it? Can I send it back?
Yes. You can rely on our "29-mile smile" guarantee, if you are familiar with the bike from riding it a couple of miles about every second day for a month. In the unlikely event that it does not suit you we will take it back. Keep in mind it's better to ride a few miles per day over the course of a few weeks versus riding a bunch of miles in a couple of days before making up your mind whether the bike will be suitable for you. Once you are familiar with it, we are sure you will love your Cruzbike.

Hope that this is of help :)
 
V

vegaspaddy

Member
Well the bike is in the garage, the kit is on the way and hopefully in a week or so i will have a cruz conversion to blast around on....

many thanks to moorerp and teacher bill its help like this which make fourms the BEES KNEES!!!!! :mrgreen:
 
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