building an old school race bike......advice please

[medved]

hi all,

i'm interested in getting myself an old school bike to race in the southern regional series.

now i need a bit of help regarding which sort of bikes are eligible to race in the series and which ones can withstand the tracks about nowadays.

i'm not too fussed about having to built it up from accumualted parts, and would actually apprecuate learning how to build a bike up.

can anyone give me some info regarding common parts available and brands to go for that are still reasonably easy to get hold of  ( i dont want to start building a gold plated collectors item....i want to ride it) alongside tips about which new scholl stuff can be put on to make it ride a bit better.

thanks

[zed4130]

there is some nice robinsons around, there as hard as nails, 

[Kaner]

I agree that 'Robbo Pro' Complete bike or the Black and Silver F/F in the For Sale Section both look a beaut! All being well you will be racing me next year???

[JD_76]

Just try and use as many O/S parts as possible, as for tyres comp3 tread pattern is cool, you can buy them in Halfords for buttons (£5 each I think) if your on a tight budget.
N/S tread pattern tyres are for N/S bikes IMO.

I guess the owness is on the individual to decide what he/she thinks is fair to race in the O/S series, my opinion is that things like pedals, grips, seats and even wheels dont matter too much, but anything that will give you a distint advantage like running a pair of intense micro knobbly tyres would be a bit unfair.

Just do your research, go to a race meet and talk to people to see what they are using. 

[zed4130]

you cant go wrong with a robbo, mine was great to race on, i must admit i had a mixed bag of parts, but then im over 16stone and liked the trails ,

paul

[mr.magoo]

top tube length is crucial, and get it right first time to save having to replace frames, cos they aint long enough now we're older.
20.5- 22 " depending on height.....so frame nearer the 90's

yeah, comp III copies, wilkinsons for 4.99, think halfrauds are nearly double that


new school tyres on old school , now i understand why you get front end wash out glen

[Zippy]

It's not that Glen, it's just you insist on having a fatty up front when your riding style says you should use a thin. More grip from a thin. 

[Zippy]

I've never lost the front on a thin, I always lost the front with a fat so I ditched them.

If fat tyres are so great how come motorcross bikes run thinner tyres up front?

[jake7877]

I've never lost the front on a thin, I always lost the front with a fat so I ditched them.

If fat tyres are so great how come motorcross bikes run thinner tyres up front?

for the ruts ,,and u got more power from the back end to level it out

[mr.magoo]

personal preference, said it before if i gotta have a fatty, its gonna be in front of me, but my preference is a nice shapely well formed skinny

too mucjh technical info above, i just think with  a fatty too much rubber to move around under force, find that side walls on skinnies dont move side to side tooo much.

[big kev 40]

magoo you sure you talking tyres   

[medved]

ok so i'm tempted to buy a set of Haro group 1 frame and forks that i've seen on ebay.  to add to them i'd probably get a set of the haro kneesaver bars, but from then on i'm a bit stuck as to what to get regrding cranks, chainrings, wheels and brakes

[rooski]

buy my haro group 1, really good nick, an excellent choice for racin

[oldschoolib]

mongoose californian or redline 600 me and my brother cleaned house bitd