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Conflicted....

Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
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Argh. So I bought a really cheap frame off the net kinda half thinking it'd be something different, but it wasn't what I wanted, but it had profiles, so I was happy, and I decided to build up the frame anyway, kinda for ****s and giggles.

Now it's nearly ready to ride I kinda don't like the look of it.



Itt's a Giant (03 I think) Mosh. It is designed as a race style frame but I want to ride street and ramp on it mostly. The head angle seems WAY slack. It is way long too. The back end is actually pretty short, the same length as my 05 GT frame, but the front is good 1.5" - 2" longer and as I said the angles are way slacker.

Old, heavy GT:



I'm actively looking for a nicer (higher quality) freestyle ride, but I feel like I should give the Mosh a chance until I find one.

The rear of the Mosh is nice~ish, in terms of angles and length, and as I ride MTB the extra length of the front end is OK with me, and I'm OK with the BB height too. I'm just worried about the head angle. And that it's aluminium.

The advantage of the Mosh that make me want to give it half a chance for a short while is that it weighs only 3lbs 15oz. The GT frame weights just under 8lbs. Ridiculous difference and even rolling it around the workhop the difference is amazing.

I think I'll ride it for a while to see the weight difference in effect, but I think the HA might screw it for me. I dunno. :bomb: I dunno why I don't like it so much.

Anyone wanna sell me a real cheap nice BMX frame from the US? :oink:
 
Enginerd A2

Enginerd A2

crappy
Feb 20, 2002
369
0
Ann Arbor, MI
You probably don't need me to tell you this, but you'll demolish those rear dropouts running pegs on that frame. I've got an older Volume Destroyer that I got hooked up with by a friend of a friend and it rides pretty nice, but every once in a while I get the itch to get a new frame with a longer top tube and more new school features (euro or spanish bb, integrated head tube). Newer bmx frames are sooo much lighter. Even my older Volume all built up is much lighter than the '90-something S&M Holmes is gave up for it. I personally could care less about Specialized bmx frames. I'm all about Fly frames, but there are a lot of nice bmx frames out there. Check out my local boys: www.albes.com
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
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I'd LOVE a Fly bikes frame, I also think they are the sh1t, but I just can't quite justify the expense once I have to ship it over and pay import duty etc etc, it'll end up costing me NZ$700 frame alone, which isn't much US but I earn in NZ$ unfortunatly.

You're right about the dropouts too. They probably wont last long. I've got 14mm axles on the thing though, and filled out the back dropouts of the Mosh to accept them (It's a 10mm naturally), and put a great big steel washer on the other side, so we'll see how it goes.

I'm actually thinking about a) Going for a nicer complete or b) trying very hard to find a nice secondhand model frame only.

The thing is I want that new school lightness and ideally a Euro or Spanish BB, and it's just really hard to get second hand at the moment over here.
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
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Also I went and rode a Haro Mirra Pro the other day, It was pretty nice. The frame is just over 6lbs though (although the complete is fairly light altogether) and I'd really like to break the 6 barrier, because I'm gay like that. I haven't found a Fuse to ride yet, but I was suprised how nice the Mirra was for an 'Off the shelf'.
 
Enginerd A2

Enginerd A2

crappy
Feb 20, 2002
369
0
Ann Arbor, MI
Yeah, I can see how shipping and import duties would inflate the price a little too much. Are there any decent Aussie bmx companies? You could also look into finding a frame source in south Asia - maybe even straight from the source, Taiwan. Does NZ have steep import duties in general?
 
Enginerd A2

Enginerd A2

crappy
Feb 20, 2002
369
0
Ann Arbor, MI
Premium Products is a Haro offshoot that makes a really nice and relatively affordable street frame. I was considering one for awhile. Since they're technically a Haro product, maybe you'd have an easier time finding one in your neck of the woods than you would, say, a Kink or FBM frame.
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
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Pōneke
Enginerd A2 said:
Yeah, I can see how shipping and import duties would inflate the price a little too much. Are there any decent Aussie bmx companies? You could also look into finding a frame source in south Asia - maybe even straight from the source, Taiwan. Does NZ have steep import duties in general?
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Yeah I might look into local companies. I really haven't so far..

We have 15% import duties on things that the government considers are made locally to protect the local market, which unfortuantley covers' bicycles' - there is no differentiation between a DH rig or Road Bikes or BMX. Because we have a crappy local manufacturer (Avanti - Thnk Raleigh type of thing) they all get slapped. :rolleyes:
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
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Enginerd A2 said:
Premium Products is a Haro offshoot that makes a really nice and relatively affordable street frame. I was considering one for awhile. Since they're technically a Haro product, maybe you'd have an easier time finding one in your neck of the woods than you would, say, a Kink or FBM frame.
Click to expand...
Cheers, I'll look it up.
 
bikenweed

bikenweed

Turbo Monkey
Oct 21, 2004
2,432
0
Los Osos
Dang, I woulda sold you an old S&M CallGirl, but it got stolen.

I have one of those Mosh frames, and while it hasn't broken, I retired it after about five years of solid racing use. If you really want to ride street and trails on it, go ahead, but the head tube will break off sooner than later. That Mosh of yours is the same frame, seat post and headset as what I bought in 1997. That bike is probably a 1997 model, not a 2003.

There are sooo many good BMX bikes out these days. It's pretty easy to get below 6lbs on a freestyle frame. I'd shoot for an FBM PWmoto style frame, something light ~6lbs and with very neutral, no frills geometry. There's a lot of great deals on eBay, you can get used BMX frames for like $100. Go for something well known, like a TerribleOne, DK, Standard, FBM, etc. I've seen a lot of We the People, Volume, S&M, and Fly frames crack/snap in the last few years.

Check out some new wheels. Your parts are heavy, minus the cranks, and newer, lighter stuff rides really well compared to older, tankier stuff. Have fun, BMX rules all.
 
Changleen

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,356
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bikenweed said:
I have one of those Mosh frames, and while it hasn't broken, I retired it after about five years of solid racing use. If you really want to ride street and trails on it, go ahead, but the head tube will break off sooner than later. That Mosh of yours is the same frame, seat post and headset as what I bought in 1997. That bike is probably a 1997 model, not a 2003.
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****, I hope it's not an 97... Anyway I finally overcame my negativity and finished building it yesterday night, and what can I say... It sucks. It feels 'dead'. The handling is slow and despite being a good 3-4lbs lighter than the GT frame, it feels so much less lively. You have to yank it back SOO hard to bunnyhop it's not funny. It's nearly impossible for me to manual. I doubt breaking it will be an issue for me because I doubt I'll ride it more than 10 more minutes.
There are sooo many good BMX bikes out these days. It's pretty easy to get below 6lbs on a freestyle frame. I'd shoot for an FBM PWmoto style frame, something light ~6lbs and with very neutral, no frills geometry. There's a lot of great deals on eBay, you can get used BMX frames for like $100. Go for something well known, like a TerribleOne, DK, Standard, FBM, etc. I've seen a lot of We the People, Volume, S&M, and Fly frames crack/snap in the last few years.
Click to expand...
I am a pretty smooth rider if I do say so myself and I'm also not too heavy. The problem I have here in NZ is getting a good frame without paying through the nose for it. **** I just paid JBP US$30 to ship some fvcking pint glasses here. Have a look at this, and remember I earn my wages in NZ$.... http://www.burkescycles.co.nz/catalogue.asp?catid=609
Check out some new wheels. Your parts are heavy, minus the cranks, and newer, lighter stuff rides really well compared to older, tankier stuff. Have fun, BMX rules all.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I know, I know. The more I look into it the more I think my best option might be something like the 06 Mirra Pro.
 
bikenweed

bikenweed

Turbo Monkey
Oct 21, 2004
2,432
0
Los Osos
Buy a used frame from the US. Will customs rape you or something? How much is $600NZ in US dolluhs?

A brand new frame around here is $300-350, and used is less than half that. There are also a lot of good completes out there. I haven't seen the Mirra, but Felt, Specialized, Fit, DK and Volume all offer awesome complete bike deals. If you want to get on some lighter parts, it'll be cheaper to get a complete. Anyhow, good luck.
 
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