[hunterc4]

A friend of mine got into mountain biking, and so now I'm getting into it. I have a Raleigh M-400 I have had since 6th grade still in great condition. I recently was walking around my uncle's barn and found what's pictured below.

2001 Gary Fisher Sugar 3, lots of rust, barely ridden. The pictures don't really show how bad it is. He has never taken it on a trail. Just cruised on the road when he first got it (I know $1500 full suspension and he's never mountain biked in his entire life). So he let me take it to fix it up--I love restoring things.

So attached are pictures of the bike when I first got it.

As of now, the bike is completely broken down.

I'm having the frame powder coated next week. I'm also getting a new seat post as the bolt on the original had rusted so bad it won't budge (tried heating up, rust remover, wd-40). I need to have the cables re-done. I went to my LBS and they said for both shifts and brakes they would do cables and housing for ~$65. Does this sound like a good deal to y'all? I'll update this thread as things progress.

 

[hunterc4]

This is the current state.

 

[FeltDH]

nice find, lots better than some of the bikes I've restored

$65 sounds kinda steep for just cables and housings, but it depends where you are, it's not a rip off, just not a good deal.

 

[Berkley]

Watch the rear tri on that - buddy of mine had his crack on the chainstay just behind the yoke.

 

[Mr. Blonde]

Watch the rear tri on that - buddy of mine had his crack on the chainstay just behind the yoke.

They ALL break there eventually. When I worked for a Trek dealer we got one every couple weeks. On the plus side They're still warrantying them and have a good stock of swingarms.

 

[hunterc4]

They ALL break there eventually. When I worked for a Trek dealer we got one every couple weeks. On the plus side They're still warrantying them and have a good stock of swingarms.

I actuAlly noticed a dark spot in the metal right there when I was sanding it down. Unfortunately, I don't think they are going to warranty it after I paint it. And I've already sanded it down. Any suggestions?

 

[hunterc4]

Here is a picture of the spot. I wire brushed most of the dark off.

 

[zebrahum]

I actuAlly noticed a dark spot in the metal right there when I was sanding it down. Unfortunately, I don't think they are going to warranty it after I paint it. And I've already sanded it down. Any suggestions?

It doesn't look cracked from that picture so it might just be something left over from their manufacturing process. Keep your eye on the chainstays by the hole near the bottom bracket for cracks. Until you find a crack you're in good shape. No, they won't likely warranty it once you've repainted it but they may sell you a replacement rear triangle, so not all hope is lost. Nice to see a forgotten bike brought back to life!

 

[Acme54321]

It's fine, those rear triangles are bonded. Basically glued instead of welded.

 

[John Kuhl]

Glued instead of welded? Why would they do that, am
I missing something?

Best, John

 

[Carraig042]

Bonding can be very strong. Lotus has been doing it on their car's aluminum frames since the late 80's I believe.

BTW: Bonding is different than gluing technically.

-Brett

 

[hunterc4]

I brought the frame in for powder coating today. Quote was $100 for blasting and coating. Pretty good deal, I thought (Baton Rouge Powder Coating). I went with "True White," which is basically an off-white.

In the mean time, I'm going to work on getting all the nuts and bolts rust free, as well as the crank and cassette. Then Disney World for the weekend. I'll post pictures when I get it back from powder coating. Here is a picture of the frame before I took it in.

 

[Blksocks]

This is gonna be fun!

 

[bridgestone14]

Those frames were pretty popular when they came out and well worth the rebuild. As for bolts, there is alot of info on where to get bolts. Jersey cycles and toronto cylces are good place to start. Saving the v-brakes might be hard and are pretty cheap to replace. You can check pricepoint.com or search ebay for avid or xtr vbrakes. You might be able to find replacements for the shock hardware at the hardward store.
http://www.jerseycycles.com/

 

[hunterc4]

I stripped the decals off the fork. The decals were pretty beat up and I don't like the sparkly blue color of the marchozzi's. I'm going to paint them myself. I already have plenty of sand paper, steel wool, etc. Just going to grab some duplicolor engine enamel primer and paint. Probably two coats of primer with some high grit sanding, then three or so coats of black paint. Then a clear coat or two, depending on how dull they look. I ordered some new decals I'll stick on before the clear coating.

The reason I'm doing these myself is because I figure I'll be getting new shocks sometime in the future. I'd like something with a lock out feature. So I'm not too worried about messing them up. Also, I have some experience painting with rattle cans.

EDIT: Also, I emailed Trek a picture of the back triangle and they said I had nothing to work about. When I first emailed them without the picture they were very willing to work with me. So that makes me feel better.

 

[b-kul]

just keep in mind that less and less forks come with v brake bosses these days.

 

[hunterc4]

Yeah that's a good point. If I upgrade the fork I'll keep that in mind. The brakes are avid single digit 3's if anyone was wondering. They were sticking pretty bad. I think after cleaning up the rust they should work fine, though. Pads are in excellent condition!

 

[Berkley]

The pads are the part I'd be most worried about. They have a tendency to dry up over the years. Might want to think about new ones...

 

[hunterc4]

OK guys so I'm back from Disney and ready to get back to the project. I have done some rust removal to the brakes and derailleurs. I ordered some new derailleur jockeys last night from jerseycycles. One was missing a tooth and the other the bearing seal; so I went ahead and ordered a set. I ordered red ones to look good with the red cable housing I plan on doing.

I'm picking up the frame from powder coating tomorrow and will post pics as soon as I get it.

I need to get a new seatpost. The bolt on the OEM one I had was rusted shut. Any suggestions? Need to keep it cheap, and, again, I don't plan on doing any hardcore riding right now. I was thinking the Easton EC70.

 

[b-kul]

a seatpost is a seatpost pretty much. get the cheapest one in the size you need with a good clamping system. i like easton too.