Griff's Haro Master Build (Life begins at 40)

[griff]

Greetings radsters

So today I took the plunge and have sent payment for a lovely 85 Haro Master F/F in white - this is my first ever build as the only other BMX I owned was an 82 Silver Fox I had as a kid. My midlife crisis is therefore in full swing and so I am embarking on building my dream bike, not as a museum piece but something to ride now & again
Although I'd love to build it all up straight away, budget constraints say otherwise 

I have a good idea how I want it to look in terms of colour scheme etc, since I'm starting from zero bits though I did wonder if it would be worth getting a cheap donor bike and swapping stuff rather than buying each piece ( at least then I get to ride it sooner!) Going for blue tuffs and silver/chrome bits, although I love to look at anything that's been anodised blue I want to avoid the part worn look you get once they've seen a bit of action - esp on pedals & brake levers

I have a few n00b questions to kick off -

Gyro recommendations? Always fancied one of these since on my old bike the caliper would always catch (are there any stems in particular that work well with these or others I should avoid)
Brakes - would like locking levers like the old tech 6 but not vital that I go for period items - if anyone can recommend some stylish/more effective/cheaper? more modern ones that would fit I'd be grateful, not sure how compatible modern brakes are though?

As for other bits will be keeping it OS, hardest choice I have to make I reckon will be bars and cranks - budget constraints forbid flights so will have to see what options there are for one piece/disc that would be in keeping

Sorry about the long post but am buzzing about this - wish I hadn't waited this long to get back into it

Thanks to anyone for advice 

cheers

Griff

[bobafett]

Good stuff mate - sounds like you've got the bug 

If you are 100% that it's a rider build then I would say buy the new sealed tuffs - old school looks, cheaper to buy and sealed bearings so ideal as rider wheels since there will be less maintenance 

There's always some on UK ebay - these popped up in a quick search :

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Skyway-Tuff-II-20-Wheelset-Blue-BMX-bike-wheels-/260666786718?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3cb0f3839e

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/20-Skyway-Tuff-II-Mag-BMX-Wheel-Set-BLUE-/230476722885?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item35a97bb2c5


As for cranks - if you are going to ride it a lot I'd say get some redline twin pinch cranks. Same reasons as above - old school looks, relatively affordable, sealed bearings 

More ebay findings...........

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/REDLINE-Flight-Cranks-Chrome-180mm-Brand-New-/290396154829?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item439cf5abcd

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Redline-Flight-Cranks-180mm-Redline-Flights-BMX-Cranks-/150485727575?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item2309a5f957


Good luck with the build mate - keep us posted with some pics of your progress.

All voyeurs on here 

 

[Gashead]

Good luck for the build 

We all started where you are once ........................... 76 bikes later 


Now, blue tuffs you say for a rider ? Just may have a set which won't break the bank 


Nick

[griff]

thanks guys for the help

bobafett - I had a good trawl last night on the bay (for research purposes!) and saw those - are they any good? wasn't sure as from the description they looked like repros. anyway might have to go 3pc or will have to get rid of the sealed bb that's already in the frame
was going to go with sealed bearing tuffs for cost reasons, although alloy hubs do look nicer

Gashead was going to go for new ones just because they have such an effect on the look of the bike, if you're selling some and aren't in a rush let me know (am skint now after buying that frame!)

cheers

Griff

[bobafett]

They are fine for an old school rider mate - they are genuine redline just new 

As for the term "re-pop" well it's hard to say that in this case because they never really stopped making them. The twin pinch varients initially popped up many years ago with a few minor variations since.

You can read more about redline cranks here : http://www.radbmx.co.uk/forum/index.php'topic=26518.0

You may want to put up a wanted thread in the wanted section as you may get some new / hardly used ones from a RAD member for cheaper than the new ones on ebay just ask for "twin pinch redline cranks"

I have a set of the 180mm ones on my 82 supergoose rider and I much prefer them to the 175mm one peice I had on it initially and also to the alloy SR crank I had on it after that. Ideal OS rider cranks in my opinion.

This is them...........





 

[griff]

thanks - will see if i can save a bit extra! they do look nice 

can anyone recommend a good chrome headset that would fit and not need tightening up every 5 mins like mine from bitd

cheers

griff

[bobafett]

thanks - will see if i can save a bit extra! they do look nice 

can anyone recommend a good chrome headset that would fit and not need tightening up every 5 mins like mine from bitd

cheers

griff

Tioga beartrap 2 is about the best you can do for sensible money 

[griff]

cheers bobafett - that's what's on it now i think (in green)
going for chrome/silver as much as i can

can't wait for postie to deliver that frame!

right, back to working on a spec list.. how much is a kidney worth nowadays i wonder? 

[griff]

couple more questions...

anyone ever use one of these saddles? any good? thought might save a bit of weight and not a bad price (was after a chrome layback/black saddle)
would it fit the frame?

also what size pedals fit a 3pc crank? 1/2" or 9/16? thinking haro fusions in silver would look nice

cheers

Griff

[stu27]

9/16 for a 3 piece mucka

[griff]

thanks Stu! 

that's handy as the guy selling the pedals only has 9/16

might do a rethink on the gyro thing and just run the cable through a hollow stem bolt n out the fork
any recommendations on a suitable stem or brakes welcome

cheers

Griff

[griff]

thanks - will see if i can save a bit extra! they do look nice 

can anyone recommend a good chrome headset that would fit and not need tightening up every 5 mins like mine from bitd

cheers

griff

Tioga beartrap 2 is about the best you can do for sensible money 

re: above - just had a search for info on beartraps and came across this thread on another site http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/lofiversion/index.php/t4001122.html

don't want to risk buying one that won't fit - anyone know cheapest place to get one?
found one on amazon.com for $11 but would get stung for p&p, only found 1 uk site so far vertego but they are 25 didn't even check for postage

[MartyC]

thanks - will see if i can save a bit extra! they do look nice 

can anyone recommend a good chrome headset that would fit and not need tightening up every 5 mins like mine from bitd

cheers

griff

Tioga beartrap 2 is about the best you can do for sensible money 

re: above - just had a search for info on beartraps and came across this thread on another site http://www.vintagebmx.com/community/lofiversion/index.php/t4001122.html

don't want to risk buying one that won't fit - anyone know cheapest place to get one?
found one on amazon.com for $11 but would get stung for p&p, only found 1 uk site so far vertego but they are 25 didn't even check for postage

A Tioga Beartrap 2 will fit just fine, the guy in the thread you posted has been told a proper Jackanory about a custom crown race; that's just bulls1te.  If the Crown race is a little loose, electrical tape or a shim made from some thin tin (like a coke can) will do the trick.  Have a look on here in the for sale section, headsets do come up quite often.

There are different cup diameters but the Tioga Beartrap 2 is a bmx specific headset made to bmx standard sizing and has been for nearly 30 years  .

[griff]

thanks Martyc will keep an eye out

just stumbled across this stem on ebay, not a big name (in fact no name at all as far as I can tell) but to my untrained eyes looks ok
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180562285327&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT#ht_500wt_1156
what do u guys reckon?

cheers

Griff

[tobytyke]

thanks Martyc will keep an eye out

just stumbled across this stem on ebay, not a big name (in fact no name at all as far as I can tell) but to my untrained eyes looks ok
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180562285327&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT#ht_500wt_1156
what do u guys reckon?

cheers

Griff

I'd personally wait & see if something turns up on the forum

It's up to you of course..  depends if your on a budget or not 

[griff]

couple more questions...

anyone ever use one of these saddles? any good? thought might save a bit of weight and not a bad price (was after a chrome layback/black saddle)
would it fit the frame?

also what size pedals fit a 3pc crank? 1/2" or 9/16? thinking haro fusions in silver would look nice

cheers

Griff

just realised the link to the saddle didn't appear before  
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Elina-UL-Cosmic-Seat-Post-Seatpost-Black-Bmx-Nos-/260607303480?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item3cad67df38#ht_503wt_1140

these any good or am I likely to end up with the seat at a stupid angle?

[tobytyke]

It's a matter of taste. Nothing wrong with them

Personally i would buy a  laid back seat post & seat seperately

Lee 

[griff]

thanks Martyc will keep an eye out

just stumbled across this stem on ebay, not a big name (in fact no name at all as far as I can tell) but to my untrained eyes looks ok
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180562285327&ssPageName=STRK:MESINDXX:IT#ht_500wt_1156
what do u guys reckon?

cheers

Griff

I'd personally wait & see if something turns up on the forum

It's up to you of course..  depends if your on a budget or not 

I am on a budget after I made the mistake of listing all the bits I need and adding a total at the bottom  

[tobytyke]

http://www.differentpath.co.uk/

Check out Different path, that seat & post combo youv'e seen on ebay is £10 more than on this website

Also it's a member on here jtsmooth so you can't go far wrong

Prices include postage ( correct me if i'm wrong ) which is even better 

[griff]

haha confession time

I actually did see that first on DP site after checking out the recommended links here
~Only reason I put that link up was in case someone else went in and bought it before I had chance 

I dunno u guys don't miss a trick do ya

but thanks Lee for the kind thought - I'm planning on getting a few bits from his ebay list too next week (if they haven't already gone of course)

cheers again

griff

now I think I'll spend the next hour looking at brakes - god my wife thinks I've gone mad 

[tobytyke]

yep my wife thinks exactly the same 

Now get it built & get some fookin pics up 

Good luck with the build
 

[griff]

cheers all for advice / support!

now I've bitten the bullet and bought my first bits - thought I'd better get probably the biggest-ticket item out of the way first

so have some twin pinch redlines on the way these were def not part of the original budget!

tech 77s in silver/black
bulldog calipers in silver
haro fusion pedals in silver
elina ul with layback post

still need to find everything else but apart form headset think I'm going to have to wait a bit

pics will follow as soon as stuff appears for the voyeurs

[lammychop]

the way i look at things and im a tight git you can buy haro fusion pedals ect and basickly there worth nothing second hand so buy the decennt stuff dx and xc and when you come to sell you will get your money back or even make some

[MartyC]

Maybe have a rethink on the Elina UL with layback, they tend to look pants  .

Straight or Layback (no brace) seat post with a good Kashimax, Shotgun, Ariake or Elina seat always looks good  

[griff]

I knew I was going to upset the purists! too late to cancel order now anyway with DP

If I build this thing with every part I want will be too scared to ride it - orig DX in silver would be very nice but for occasional riding thought the fusions would be ok
I know I'm taking a gamble with the seat n post but will see how it looks on the bike - have seen plastic saddles going for over 100 quids and I just can't justify that kind of outlay! (my good wife already had a few words to say about the redlines LOL)

will try and save some money with an old stem (that maybe I can clean up n polish myself) and hopefully the other bits I can get without breaking the bank

nobody slagged the brakes though so can i assume they're not too offensive? 

cheers

Griff