The transformation

[Capricorn]

seen his handiworx first hand.. damn Myles. Simply superb work. (wtf is the noworthy smiley when u need one: ADMIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

 

Keen to see how you set it up after a few outtings on her. Still a damn fine DH whip. No doubt of it. You've breathed some serious life into that frame Myles.

[Chubba]

Should be a lekka day tomorrow. Saw a bunch of guys running DH1 today, impressive stuff.

[Flowta]

AAAAAAAAAAAAND.....

 

DONE!

 

I just want to re-cut the derailleur housing, as it is a bit skeef at the moment. Also, just need to adjust the brakes, and I will be fitting my 180mm disc to the rear. Managed to jimmy-rig the adapter so that it fits the frame, and that it will accept a 180mm disc. That's going on tomorrow morning. There are also a couple of chips in the paint that happened whilst assembling. I'll be putting the bike next to the heater tonight, so that it can harden. I'll also touch it up tomorrow morning.

 

So, here she is. In all her glory. And I must say - I'm pretty chuffed with her!

 

Now to go for the test ride! But first - bed. It's been a long day...

 

 

 

Good Job!!!

 

How tight is the derailleur cabling/housing going under the BB shell. You should leave a bit of slack so that when the suspension compressed it doesn't pull and start changing the gears.

 

I know this from personal experience when GT Ruckus Flowta went in for a service and the mechanics had it too short.

 

Trust me you will enjoy that bike, and it pedals uphill well. Did Eselfontein on it a few years ago with a 180mm Marzocchi 66 on it.

[(Deon)]

Good Job!!!

 

 

Trust me you will enjoy that bike, and it pedals uphill well. Did Eselfontein on it a few years ago with a 180mm Marzocchi 66 on it.

 

 

..and he IS married. The prints on the cranks should convince any skeptic..

 

Wish I could be out there for the first ride.. It will be like missing the end of the movie.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Good Job!!!

 

How tight is the derailleur cabling/housing going under the BB shell. You should leave a bit of slack so that when the suspension compressed it doesn't pull and start changing the gears.

 

I know this from personal experience when GT Ruckus Flowta went in for a service and the mechanics had it too short.

 

Trust me you will enjoy that bike, and it pedals uphill well. Did Eselfontein on it a few years ago with a 180mm Marzocchi 66 on it.

Shot guy

 

Derailleur housing goes OVER the BB housing, so no concerns there... it will just compress when the suspension activates.

 

And she is a bit springy - definitely need to set the rebound properly! Cap almost got bucked from going through a 10cm deep "dip" in the driveway!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

seen his handiworx first hand.. damn Myles. Simply superb work. (wtf is the noworthy smiley when u need one: ADMIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

 

Keen to see how you set it up after a few outtings on her. Still a damn fine DH whip. No doubt of it. You've breathed some serious life into that frame Myles.

 

Shot bro!

[thenoodle]

WOW! Besides the awesome bike, I think this must be the first totally positive (no dumb comments) thread that the Hub has seen in a long time. Well done bro!

 

Could you please give some details of the painting process. ie. stripper used? Was it normal "spray paint" or something else? etc. etc.

 

Shot!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

WOW! Besides the awesome bike, I think this must be the first totally positive (no dumb comments) thread that the Hub has seen in a long time. Well done bro!

 

Could you please give some details of the painting process. ie. stripper used? Was it normal "spray paint" or something else? etc. etc.

 

Shot!

Shot bro... I certainly am proud of her!

 

Process:

 

1) Strip paint using stripper (use Genkem Nova 8 - the ones I used - Build It house brand and another one which I cannot recall - were useless and had to be applied multiple times to the same layer of paint)

2) Facilitate stripping with small paint-scraper for stubborn pieces, and a normal hard plastic-bristled scrubbing brush for the rest.

3) Prep the bare frame with steel wool - this makes the contact patches SLIGHTLY keyed, as well as super shiny. Primer sticks better to the metal if it's been cleaned of all stripper residue (think sequins, push up bra and black negligee... OOPS! Wrong stripper!)

4) Prime the frame with 2 coats of primer, lightly sanding down with soapy water-paper (1200 grit or higher) between each coat. I used Rustoleum's white Stops Rust primer to provide the basecoat.

5) Apply colour - I used Rustoleum's metallic ENAMEL paint. Colour is Black Midnight. 2 to 3 coats of that, again sanding down between coats to get an even finish. Check for missed spots by running your hand lightly across all surfaces. You WILL feel where you have missed in your sanding down! Check for missed sections where you have to apply more paint.

6) Apply clearcoat. I used Rustoleum's clear enamel clearcoat. WARNING - BE VERY CONSERVATIVE WITH THIS PRODUCT! It WILL RUN, and in the process REMOVE SOME OF YOUR PAINT. Use LIGHT coatings of it, rather coming back every 10 minutes to apply a new coat than trying to put one moerse thick coat on. I say again - if you put too much on, it WILL run and WILL ruin your paintjob, forcing you to come back to touch up after you have finished. I didn't sand between clearcoats, but I did apply too much in places, and this means I will have to touch up where the paint has run.

 

As for can vs gun - I used cans. I also bought Rustoleum's trigger adapter, which goes on top of the can and essentially transforms a spraycan into a budget spraygun, and gives you FAR more control, with a bigger contact patch on which to apply pressure. Which is critical. It also prevents onset of tagger's finger, which causes your index finger to be more crooked than Granny Mavis's

 

Total cost of paint & stripper etc - R 500. R 70 to R 90 per can, with the primer at the low end and the enamel at the high. I used 2 cans of colour and 2 of primer. 1 can of clearcoat.

[Flowta]

Shot bro... I certainly am proud of her!

 

Process:

 

1) Strip paint using stripper (use Genkem Nova 8 - the ones I used - Build It house brand and another one which I cannot recall - were useless and had to be applied multiple times to the same layer of paint)

2) Facilitate stripping with small paint-scraper for stubborn pieces, and a normal hard plastic-bristled scrubbing brush for the rest.

3) Prep the bare frame with steel wool - this makes the contact patches SLIGHTLY keyed, as well as super shiny. Primer sticks better to the metal if it's been cleaned of all stripper residue (think sequins, push up bra and black negligee... OOPS! Wrong stripper!)

4) Prime the frame with 2 coats of primer, lightly sanding down with soapy water-paper (1200 grit or higher) between each coat. I used Rustoleum's white Stops Rust primer to provide the basecoat.

5) Apply colour - I used Rustoleum's metallic ENAMEL paint. Colour is Black Midnight. 2 to 3 coats of that, again sanding down between coats to get an even finish. Check for missed spots by running your hand lightly across all surfaces. You WILL feel where you have missed in your sanding down! Check for missed sections where you have to apply more paint.

6) Apply clearcoat. I used Rustoleum's clear enamel clearcoat. WARNING - BE VERY CONSERVATIVE WITH THIS PRODUCT! It WILL RUN, and in the process REMOVE SOME OF YOUR PAINT. Use LIGHT coatings of it, rather coming back every 10 minutes to apply a new coat than trying to put one moerse thick coat on. I say again - if you put too much on, it WILL run and WILL ruin your paintjob, forcing you to come back to touch up after you have finished. I didn't sand between clearcoats, but I did apply too much in places, and this means I will have to touch up where the paint has run.

 

As for can vs gun - I used cans. I also bought Rustoleum's trigger adapter, which goes on top of the can and essentially transforms a spraycan into a budget spraygun, and gives you FAR more control, with a bigger contact patch on which to apply pressure. Which is critical. It also prevents onset of tagger's finger, which causes your index finger to be more crooked than Granny Mavis's

 

Total cost of paint & stripper etc - R 500. R 70 to R 90 per can, with the primer at the low end and the enamel at the high. I used 2 cans of colour and 2 of primer. 1 can of clearcoat.

 

Could you apply a the clearcoat directly to bare metal?

I have a steel frame which has a chrome finish.

The lacqeur that is on there is flaking off, so would like to sand it down, put new decals on and then clearcoat it again.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Could you apply a the clearcoat directly to bare metal?

I have a steel frame which has a chrome finish.

The lacqeur that is on there is flaking off, so would like to sand it down, put new decals on and then clearcoat it again.

 

I would imagine so, yes. It is an enamel product, after all. Just don't sand the existing finish down! Use stripper rather. Chrome finish & sandpaper / steel wool do NOT mix! And don't use a scraper either then. They can leave scratches that would stay visible.

 

I'd use just plain stripper & a scrubbing brush. Nothing else. It will take longer to finish, but will be well worth it.

[Chubba]

How was the ride?

[thenoodle]

Thanks for the detailed info. Now go and ride down table mountain

 

Cheers

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

How was the ride?

 

Going at 4! Morning was spent chaperoning the wife to her run, and just had a lunch at the Brass Bell. Fish n chips n beer. Need that ride now!

 

I'll report when I've ridden her hard and fast!

[DJR]

I'll report when I've ridden her hard and fast!

I hope no news is good news.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I hope no news is good news.

 

Good news indeed!

 

Glad to report that she rides like an absolute dream... shock is perfect, fork could do with a bit of tuning, but still needs the oil replaced so I'll tune her when I've done that.

 

My only complaint - she's a BITCH to ride up to level 5! I got there eventually, but damn. What a workout!

 

Coming down though, she was perfect. I, on the other hand - was far from. If we were playing a certain gameshow, I would have been first off the stage. Goodbye!

 

I'm still a pu55y on the jumps. But it was the fastest I've ever been coming down, and it's the first time I've ridden flats since my teens. Early teens.

 

But I'm FAR more confident on the gnar than I am on my little XC machine. I was saved NUMEROUS times by the bike. The brakes - OH. My. WORD! How sweet!

 

In a nutshell - SSSSHHHHHHHIBBYYYYYYYYY!

[Danger Dassie]

Ah awesome man.... stoked, nay super stoked for you!