Swoofty Posted December 15, 2022 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 I got a bit of a wild hair yesterday and decided to see if my old Moab can trials a bit. The bike was given to me by a neighbor a few years back because her son had outgrown it. After that it was my son's first MTB until he outgrew it as well (and got a sweet Santa Cruz!). Then it became a dirt jumper of sorts for a bit. It went back to XC form for me to ride with my son while I was building up my Ibis. Now it's just been sitting in the garage unloved for months. For no reason in particular, while out riding on my Czar 26 yesterday, I thought it might be fun to throw some old trials parts at it and see what happens. The frame's got disc tabs, but for the first go round I'm going with V brakes to make it a proper 2001 trials-ish thing. Also, I've had this old Echo rim waiting for a project like this for about a decade. But, I also have 2 unused carbon 26" rims that might be interesting... Not sure what to do about the fork yet. The Manitou is dead, but replacing it seems silly and most of the rigid options are too long or too short. At any rate, it'll give me something to play with over the winter. I'm open to suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tharun Shiv Posted December 15, 2022 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 4 hours ago, Swoofty said: I got a bit of a wild hair yesterday and decided to see if my old Moab can trials a bit. The bike was given to me by a neighbor a few years back because her son had outgrown it. After that it was my son's first MTB until he outgrew it as well (and got a sweet Santa Cruz!). Then it became a dirt jumper of sorts for a bit. It went back to XC form for me to ride with my son while I was building up my Ibis. Now it's just been sitting in the garage unloved for months. For no reason in particular, while out riding on my Czar 26 yesterday, I thought it might be fun to throw some old trials parts at it and see what happens. The frame's got disc tabs, but for the first go round I'm going with V brakes to make it a proper 2001 trials-ish thing. Also, I've had this old Echo rim waiting for a project like this for about a decade. But, I also have 2 unused carbon 26" rims that might be interesting... Not sure what to do about the fork yet. The Manitou is dead, but replacing it seems silly and most of the rigid options are too long or too short. At any rate, it'll give me something to play with over the winter. I'm open to suggestions. I think a identiti rebate xl 1420 forks would be perfect for this bike, check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Song Posted December 15, 2022 Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 (edited) Looking forward to seeing it done! Not a lot of options for 26 inch straight headtube. Are you looking for period correct or just whatever that fits? I ended up getting a Manitou Circus Expert DJ fork for my trials bike, but Manitou Markhor is also a great option that can be had between $200USD to $300USD. If you are feeling spendy, Rockshox Reba RL lowered to 80mm could be a great option Reba RL | FS-REBA-RL-A6 | RockShox (sram.com) Edited December 15, 2022 by Sam Song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoofty Posted December 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2022 29 minutes ago, Sam Song said: Looking forward to seeing it done! Not a lot of options for 26 inch straight headtube. Are you looking for period correct or just whatever that fits? I ended up getting a Manitou Circus Expert DJ fork for my trials bike, but Manitou Markhor is also a great option that can be had between $200USD to $300USD. If you are feeling spendy, Rockshox Reba RL lowered to 80mm could be a great option Reba RL | FS-REBA-RL-A6 | RockShox (sram.com) Yeah that's the silly part. I don't want to spend much on a fork because it won't change the overall value of the bike and I certainly won't be able to use the new fork elsewhere. Carver makes a few rigid forks that are suspension compensated that I would at least be able to turn around if this project fails. The first build will include the Manitou as locked out as possible. Ordered spokes for the wheels today ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Bourde Posted December 16, 2022 Report Share Posted December 16, 2022 I think this bike could be a fun all rounder. As you said you can jump with, but also have fun at the skatepark or just during commuting or chilling through the city That is why I recommend you to go for a front suspension like a rock shox Reba or sector with a travel reduced to 80mm. The weight is close to a Rebate. The stiffness of the fork won't be great. Maybe you can buy an EC44/40 headset bottom cup to fit the tapered version of the fork. It makes a big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoofty Posted December 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2022 So here's the weekend update. I changed all the usual stuff - taller stem, brake booster, single speed kit, extra light saddle etc. I tightened everything down and took it for a hard ride and it's definitely the fork that kills this whole project. There's no way to lock it out and with the adjuster full tight, it's still a noodle :-( Carver haven't gotten back to me about a rigid option and I really don't want to drop $200 - $300 for a fork that will really only suit this bike. I already have a kick ass 26" street bike so this one's never gonna rise too high. My wild hair is leaving me. I'll have to think hard about continuing this one. It was quite fun to ride and surprisingly light. I definitely noticed the long chainstays and that fork gotta go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoofty Posted December 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2022 Carver got back to me and they're hooking me up with the perfect rigid option for this bike. Which is a real relief because this project was in jeopardy otherwise. I've already gone back to disc in the rear and now I'll probably rebuild the wheels to the carbon hoops to make this the most ridiculous Moab ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoofty Posted December 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2022 Christmas Eve update - Got the fork late today, but managed to get it installed between the million other things I still have to do today. Only managed a driveway ride, but now it feels really nice. I built up the carbon hoops for it and now with carbon bars and fork it might be the most carbon 2001 Moab out there. Should get a real ride in tomorrow and then I gotta clean up the frame; and that rear brake hose. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swoofty Posted October 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2023 Figured out pretty quickly this was not to be a great trials bike. It does make a great all arounder though. I finally found a good deal on a Rock shox for the front and I put the gears back on too. It tips the scales at 23 pounds/10.4kg and it's a blast to ride. It has become my go to bike for errands around town. Gonna take it to the new pump track and see what that's like next. It needs a better saddle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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