A conundrum.

[fyrstormer]

So, the spare frame I ordered arrived yesterday. It's got a bunch of ding marks on it, looks like it went through a couple of house-moves along the way, but there are no scuffs inside the headtube or BB shell so it definitely wasn't ever built. It's gloss-red so it's not too difficult to touch up, I just gotta swing past the hobby store and get a little jar of red paint. The NR-4 shock will need service, it looks like the seals cracked and the nitrogen leaked out, but for something that probably sat in an attic for a decade, that's to be expected.

It is, however, a large frame, and my 756 is a medium. The actual difference in size appears to be minimal, but given that I'm 5'7" with shortish legs (no, I'm not a midget, but I always drop my office chairs all the way down), whether even a medium frame is appropriate for my size is debatable. My dad's saying maybe he'll pay me a couple hundred bucks to build it into an exercise bike for him. He's 5'10" on a good day, so it would probably fit him alright, but he'll probably ride it twice and be done with it, so it would be nice if I could re-appropriate it as my spare rig, but I'd need a medium frame to do that.

Anyone have a medium 857 frame that's a little too small for them? I'd be interested in swapping front triangles with you.

[shovelon]

Question. What fork are you going to run?

I found that a crosslink shortens the wheelbase on braking and turning, so you may like it.

Also, a large would fit your dad perfectly. I say give him a chance. He would be so proud to have his son build him a bike.

Terry

[fyrstormer]

I've always found my 756 to be a little twitchy, though I finally got that sorted when I installed the Manitou Black fork I have now. Not sure why the old SX-R I had wasn't as good in that respect, since it has the same amount of travel (80mm), but whatever -- I guess the Black has more rake from the position of the dropouts. Might be that a large frame would add just enough extra length to make it feel nice and relaxed, but that's not what I'm worried about -- what I'm worried about is the extra height. The standover on my 756 is just low enough that my...um...manhood doesn't get pinched against the top tube, but only just barely.

I'm sure my dad would appreciate it if I built him a bike, and I don't mind doing so, and aside from installing the headset I can handle it just fine. My concern is this: When I say he'll pay me a couple hundred bucks to build it for him, what I mean is he'll expect me to get a complete set of parts for that much, which just isn't going to happen unless I want to pull the parts off a used Huffy or something. So, if I'm going to have to spend some of my own money in order to get a respectable set of parts, I'd like to put them on a frame I can ride when he almost certainly decides biking is too much trouble and he'd rather run instead, which he also doesn't do because his knees can't take it anymore. He's 56 now, and he hasn't ridden a bike in the 27 years I've known him. I'm just trying to be realistic; a medium frame would fit him well enough and fit me a lot better.

[fyrstormer]

Alternately, I suppose I could troll on Craigslist for a hardtail with halfway decent parts, and swap them onto the frame I have. That seems like a decent solution.

[fyrstormer]

Found one and told the owner to hold it for me, I'll buy it if they'll let me look it over first.

Thanks, this conversation was really helpful.

[shovelon]

Alternately, I suppose I could troll on Craigslist for a hardtail with halfway decent parts, and swap them onto the frame I have. That seems like a decent solution.

I have bought donor bikes myself. Post pics of the finished build. Always nice to see.

Terry

[Willie_B]

I have a  med. red 857 frame I am not going to use. Swingarm also, the pivot parts/strut are not there though. Be glad to send it your way for you. I am down in Georgia so shipping is not a problem.

[fyrstormer]

You have my attention.

When you say "send it my way", I assume you're referring to a trade? That's fine, obviously, but I figured I'd make sure I know what you mean.

Are the swingarms different between the large and medium frames? I assumed they were the same, in which case all I'd need is the front triangle; otherwise, if they are different somehow, then I guess I'd need the whole thing.

[Willie_B]

Don't want to trade. I bought this bike just for the carbon fork. You can have it for the cost of shipping to help build a bike for your dad.

[fyrstormer]

Wow, thanks. 

[kiwi]

be aware the front mech may be different than a donor bike...i cant remember what you need but i dont think they are that common

[fyrstormer]

The "front mech"? 

[orange]

the bit that shifts your gears at the front between the chainrings. You'll need a 31.8 for a Proflex, but other bikes may be 28.6 or 34.9.

[fyrstormer]

Oh, the front derailleur. Yeah, I remember trying to replace that once on my 756 and I kept guessing the wrong size. Good to know what the correct size is.

Unfortunately the donor bike I was scoping out got sold already; back to square one.