[soft-compound]

So I have decided to sell my lovely avalanche MTN-8 fork to fund a Brooklyn racelink build.
I have my eye on one right now but I do t understand all the jack shaft stuff.
And were they not prone to breaking on the rear end?

Also do they suffer like aluminium frames with fatigue?
What should I look for when buying? Bear in mind it will be getting a full strip down and powder coat.

Is rust an issue also , I understand Brooklyn no longer makes frames or has closed is this true?

 

[Jm_]

Like any used FS bike, make sure all the pivots are tight, no slop. If there is play, it will usually only get worse as the bearing receptacle is usually ovalized at this point. If the guy thinks he can fix it with new bearings, let him try, but I would never accept a used FS bike with any play. It's basically dead at that point.

 

[soft-compound]

Like any used FS bike, make sure all the pivots are tight, no slop. If there is play, it will usually only get worse as the bearing receptacle is usually ovalized at this point. If the guy thinks he can fix it with new bearings, let him try, but I would never accept a used FS bike with any play. It's basically dead at that point.

So if there is any movement at all is that the frame itself or the bearings?
So let's say there is play in the jack shaft , does that not have a replaceable sleeve in it?

 

[Jm_]

So if there is any movement at all is that the frame itself or the bearings?
So let's say there is play in the jack shaft , does that not have a replaceable sleeve in it?

It might, but if you ride a bike with loose bearings/bushings it will often ovalize the hole that the bearing or bushing goes into (think of the fact that there is "free space" for the bearing to slam against the frame with every impact), then no amount of new bearings will ever make the play go away, it will just continue and the suspension will feel horrible. This is why you don't buy a bike with play in the suspension.

 

[HardtailHack]

Have fun contacting them when you need bits, as they sell pretty much only fixies now a website was deemed to passe so it was left to die.

Blame this guy-

I did see a 27.5" hardtail frame on the net somewhere so they might still make some MTB stuff, those Racelinks did seem to break quite often.

 

[ianjenn]

Get one of those instead throw light parts on it. May be able to get a mid 30's semi DH short travel bike....

 

[csermonet]

one of my friends has a racelink, pretty useless by todays standard because of the sheer weight of the bike. not to mention xc steep headangle, and a >15inch bb height. you are a passenger on that bike, can't actually "ride" it. just point and plow

 

[dump]

(tangentially related to the discussion)

This is a great photo:

 

[kidwoo]

Brooklyn racelinks are the primary reason I don't trust anyone from new england. It has been long enough now that I can say that outloud.

Whew......that feels good.

 

[HardtailHack]

one of my friends has a racelink, pretty useless by todays standard because of the sheer weight of the bike. not to mention xc steep headangle, and a >15inch bb height. you are a passenger on that bike, can't actually "ride" it. just point and plow

You just gave the OP a chub, that's all music to his ears.

 

[yd35]

Brooklyn racelinks are the primary reason I don't trust anyone from new england. It has been long enough now that I can say that outloud.

Whew......that feels good.

I'm missing something here (A joke perhaps? In which case, yup, I killed it). What does Brooklyn have to do with New England?

 

[kidwoo]

I'm missing something here (A joke perhaps? In which case, yup, I killed it). What does Brooklyn have to do with New England?

Just all the new england guys on this site who used to talk those things up. I just never understood it.

Should I have just said 'northeast?'

 

[Toshi]

hcor.net for life?

 

[yd35]

Just all the new england guys on this site who used to talk those things up. I just never understood it.

Should I have just said 'northeast?'

There's a strange, imaginary border, kinda like the Mason-Dixon, called Connecticut that is the boundary between New England (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI) and the rest of the northeast (NY, NJ, PA). CT has long frustrated scientists attempting to discover whether it is New England or Northeast. Even CT residents can't properly decide amongst themselves; sports loyalties are evenly skewed amongst the Yankees and Red Sox. Only the UConn Huskies are a unanimous favorite.

Oh, and Maryland and Delaware don't count.

 

[Sandwich]

Brooklyn racelinks are the primary reason I don't trust anyone from new england. It has been long enough now that I can say that outloud.

Whew......that feels good.

It's okay, I don't trust us either.

To op, if you haven't owned one of these bikes already, then don't buy one unless it's in brand new condition. Spares are impossible to find, the rear ends crack, often, and at the same location. The jack shafts are difficult to reassemble, and there are a multitude of bearings that will get water in them and rust out.

Even if that's all okay by you, the bike still has a 67* head angle, 17.75" stays, a 22" top tube, a 15.5" bottom bracket, and weighs 14lb for the frame set. It was designed almost specifically to be hucked at low speeds off extremely steep rocky trails, not to go fast down hills. I was recently looking into one under the presumption that I'd get a custom front triangle welded up which would fix the geometry issues, as the rear suspension really is pretty great, but there are better bikes out there...

 

[Samoto]

it makes more sense to weld the whole new frame. Plenty of amateur wielders in Britain can do it. Maybe create a brand and market it as "huckn flat retro race linkey".

I love the look of steel tubes welded.

 

[HardtailHack]

Keeps saving, get a Bulls-

 

[konastab01]

They still make bike and all though someone said they are only interested in fixes, they don't make the fixes in the US anymore. Ironic really, they are making a sort come back but the CS is woeful….. You are sometimes lucky to get a email reply and no chance anyone will answer the phone…

 

[Lelandjt]

There's a strange, imaginary border, kinda like the Mason-Dixon, called Connecticut that is the boundary between New England (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI) and the rest of the northeast (NY, NJ, PA). CT has long frustrated scientists attempting to discover whether it is New England or Northeast. Even CT residents can't properly decide amongst themselves; sports loyalties are evenly skewed amongst the Yankees and Red Sox. Only the UConn Huskies are a unanimous favorite.

Oh, and Maryland and Delaware don't count.

The division is the Connecticut River. East of it you're a New Englander. West of it you're a commuter.