[op12389]

Hi everyone I'm new here and a noob at building my first mountain bike. I bought a fairly cheap mountain bike which is all I can afford and it has a threaded quill and I removed the quill which is stamped 25.4 on it. I want to convert the headset to threadless and change the suspension fork on it any ideas what I have to do. thanks for your help.

changed pedals/ seat/ painted standard fork white and painted rims black. and changed brake colour cables.

here is where I bought the bike from: Buy Vertigo Eiger 26" Dual Suspension Adult Mountain Bike, Men?s - 18" Frame from our Dual Suspension Bikes range - Tesco.com

 

[AZ]

No current suspension fork will fit, leaving you with very slim pickings for vintage parts that will fit. You would be better off using what you have and saving the money to put towards the next bike purchase imho.

 

[op12389]

No current suspension fork will fit, leaving you with very slim pickings for vintage parts that will fit. You would be better off using what you have and saving the money to put towards the next bike purchase imho.

Could I just buy and fit the correct threadless headset then remove the current threaded one and buy a new suspension fork and stem?

 

[bolandjd]

Could I just buy and fit the correct threadless headset then remove the current threaded one and buy a new suspension fork and stem?

No. Most threaded headsets are 1" and most threadless headsets are 1 1/8". So it physically won't fit. The best you could do is run a converter like this to run a threadless stem, but that's not going to do much for you. Your bike really isn't upgradeable at all and you'd be wasting your money to try. Better to save up for a better bike from a real bike shop. I know they are much more expensive, but they really are better. You get what you pay for.

 

[dru]

I beg to differ with my fellow posters here with regard to 1 1/8. If your stem has 25.4 on it you should have a 1 1/8 threaded steerer on that bike. I know this because my wife's bike (mid 90s Rocky) has a 1 1/8 threaded steerer. 1" steerers will have a quill stem stamped 22.5 on them (I have one of these too).

Best thing to do to confirm is to measure the top of the threaded steerer tube on the bike confirming that it measures 28.6 mm O.D.

If so, you can pick up a different fork and headset although as others have posted it isn't really worth doing so.

Drew

 

[op12389]

No current suspension fork will fit, leaving you with very slim pickings for vintage parts that will fit. You would be better off using what you have and saving the money to put towards the next bike purchase imho.

I beg to differ with my fellow posters here with regard to 1 1/8. If your stem has 25.4 on it you should have a 1 1/8 threaded steerer on that bike. I know this because my wife's bike (mid 90s Rocky) has a 1 1/8 threaded steerer. 1" steerers will have a quill stem stamped 22.5 on them (I have one of these too).

Best thing to do to confirm is to measure the top of the threaded steerer tube on the bike confirming that it measures 28.6 mm O.D.

If so, you can pick up a different fork and headset although as others have posted it isn't really worth doing so.

Drew

yes the quill is stamped 25.4 and replaced it with a new 25.4 adjustable bike quill.
Etc Adjustable Rise Bike Quill Stems 100mm 22.2mm or 25.4mm Bar. Black Or Silver | eBay

The reason why I want to change the headset from threaded to threadless is because the stock suspension fork that came with it is useless.

So does that mean I have a 1 1/8 steerer and then I can buy a 1 1/8 threadless headset and properly fix it on the bike and and buy a 1 1/8 threadless suspension fork, get it cut if needed and buy the proper stem?

 

[bolandjd]

The reason why I want to change the headset from threaded to threadless is because the stock suspension fork that came with it is useless.

Yes, it looks that way. The rear suspension looks equally useless. And the rest of the bike won't last very long either. I'm afraid that if you thought you were getting something more than a cheap department store bike, you got ripped off. Since it looks pretty new in your picture, maybe you can return it and get your money back. But if it's late and you can't get your money back, for love of God, don't throw good money after bad. For the cost of buying a new headset, fork, stem, and the installation for all that (and headset installations usually aren't cheap; it requires a special tool), you could buy a better bike. The only reason to even consider it is if you have a line on some cheap parts and you or a friend has the installation tools and will do the work for free. And then you'll still be saddled with crummy rear suspension and horrible mechanicals.

 

[op12389]

well it's all I can afford, I have a 1 1/8 suspension fork my friend gave me and a threadless headset and stem is not much, as for the installation tools I looked on youtube and can make my own one.

 

[op12389]

No current suspension fork will fit, leaving you with very slim pickings for vintage parts that will fit. You would be better off using what you have and saving the money to put towards the next bike purchase imho.

I measured the stock fork and its dimensions are:
fork tube diameter: 1" or 25.4mm
fork steerer length : 165mm
fork thread :45mm

Now instead of converting to threadless maybe I can purchase this 1" Suspension fork and add spacers to it as it is too long. It has 180mm steering tube length with 55mm thread??? 15mm longer than the original.

SR SUNTOUR XCT V3 ATB/MTB ! 25,4mm/1" THREADED ! BEST QUALITY ! SUPER PRICE ! | eBay

So what do you guys think??

 

[Vespasianus]

If you buy that fork for 40 pounds, plus 9 pounds for shipping and another 30-50 pounds for installation, you would be spending over half the cost of the bike to get something that might not be much better. I would save my money.

Where do you want to ride? The occasional bridleway? Trail centers? I don't want to sound like a dck but you can't buy a real MTB at a supermarket. Those bikes are made to be ridden on the street but look like they could do more.

 

[op12389]

If you buy that fork for 40 pounds, plus 9 pounds for shipping and another 30-50 pounds for installation, you would be spending over half the cost of the bike to get something that might not be much better. I would save my money.

Where do you want to ride? The occasional bridleway? Trail centers? I don't want to sound like a dck but you can't buy a real MTB at a supermarket. Those bikes are made to be ridden on the street but look like they could do more.

I just ride around parks and we have a little bmx/mtb mud tracks, I also use it for travelling to school sometimes. It is threaded and 15mm longer than the stock fork I have so I am assuming I just put the crown race on and add spacers to it secure it with the lock nut.

 

[bolandjd]

well it's all I can afford,

I beg to differ. A second-hand bike from a reputable manufacturer would have been better. In the States, those are easily available in thift stores, bike co-ops, and through ebay or craigslist. It can't be that different across the Pond. At low price points, rigid is ALWAYS better than cheap suspension.

I have a 1 1/8 suspension fork my friend gave me and a threadless headset and stem is not much, as for the installation tools I looked on youtube and can make my own one.

Sounds like you have it all figured out. Good luck with the project.

 

[Vespasianus]

I just ride around parks and we have a little bmx/mtb mud tracks, I also use it for travelling to school sometimes. It is threaded and 15mm longer than the stock fork I have so I am assuming I just put the crown race on and add spacers to it secure it with the lock nut.

If that is the case, I would just ride it as is or stick a big fat tire up front. Honestly, some tires are as good as cheap suspension!

 

[op12389]

jus bought a new mtb for £300 thanks for your help guys

 

[dru]

Well done, my friend!

Drew