4000 gets new lease on life

[BCRider]

Hi all.  It's been months since I was last in here but I'm back with good news.  I finally redid my 4000 to bring it up almost to a new "freeride" status.  The old Girvin forks are now doing yoeman's duty on an old rigid frame and Marzzochi EXP Pros have taken their place.  Out back the lovely but short travel shock has been swapped for a cheap DMN one that ups the travel to about 5 inches and has damping adjustment plus a 900 lb rate spring to take on my 200 lbs of sinewy muscle... OK, OK, would you believe sinewy lard?

Anyway the bike and I toured into work today for a shakedown ride with lots of curb hopping, running down a few stairs and general bunny hopping around to get a feel for it.  I really like what I got here now.  The front is a trifle higher than before but at the expense of a LONG stack of spacers to get the bars up to where I want them for the downhill intensive trails we have around here.  The ride up the 4 parkade levels to get to my parking spot felt pretty good.  Although the bars are set for descending it seems decent enough on the climbs so far.  Besides if the uphill gets REALLY serious for more than a short sprint I'm off and walking/huffing anyway.  It hurts to be 51....

Pics to follow when I have some daylight to work with.

Kit so far.  Marzz EXP Pro's, Deore crankset with bash ring, Deore/Alex rims with Kenda Kinetic 2.35 kevlar bead tires, 8 inch rotor on front, V's on rear pending a disc adapter, Axiom riser bars and Serfas coffin shaped Lola saddle.  Plans call for the rear disc adapter and a set of the clear out Hayes hydro brakes from Supergo.  8 inch rotor on front and 6 on the rear.  Total weight as of now is 31 lbs.  

I'm all a'giggle with my new toy.  The ride with the stiff rear spring is firm but it soaks up speed bumps (roots?) and curbs (rocks?) with just a bit of a thump through the saddle.  Pedalling is K2 stable with no noticable bobbing unless you stand and REALLY hammer it with deliberate bad style.  All the good things about the 4000 have stayed and the old cross country flavour has been replaced with what seems to be the heart of a mountain goat.  If I JUMP on the pedals I get a nice even front and rear compression to about 2/3 of the travel.  The rest of the travel is being saved for that serious stuff.

[Dave]

Where did you get the rear shock from and how much did it cost.  I have a 4000 also, that has gone alot of mods. including a Marzochi 100 mm up front, but the rear is a pogo stick with the original nr.

Thanks [smiley=diaper.gif]

[Old Proflexer]

sounds like a guy in love with his old girlfriend,
after she's had extensive plastic surgery and read a few books on how to please a man -

OP

[BCRider]

OP, you make it sound like I'm so.... so .... DESPERITE...  [smiley=laughing.gif]

It's not far off the truth but the transformation is more due to my realizing the realities of my local riding scene around the North Shore area here.  I'm never going to be up to the stuff you see in the movies or even close but I still have to deal with some serious downhilll and rough sections even in the easier trails.

Dave, the shock came out of a box o' parts at the LBS.  Cost was about $40 as I recall and DNM is not a big name in shocks although this one sure seems up to the same quality as a similar Fox Vanilla that came stock on many bikes.  If you're interested I'll see if they have any more with the same spring rate and if so they can mail order it to ya.  The shocks are new but unboxed.  I think they came from our local Norco plant as OEM stuff that didn't work out for them.   I suspect that as long as you ride not too harshly they'll last fine.  But I doubt it'll stand up to much jump landing of bigger than 5 to 6 footers for long.  It's got a rebound damping adjuster and works upside down as well as right side up (not all can do this as I found).  I mounted mine upside down to fit into the frame mount plates without interference.  It needed some new bushings and spacers that I made up.  The stock stuff off the Noleen may work but I couldn't find mine as the frame was apart for so long.  It sure helps to have a metal lathe in the shop...    Post here or PM me if interested.  Oh the prices are in Canadian bucks.

Should have some pics for ya this weekend.

[Dave]

Wow sounds like an economical option. I am so impressed with the 4000 mainly for it's light weight and impressive trail capabilities.  I will have to dig up some photos to post.

Thanks and let me know if your lbs has any more of those around [smiley=diaper.gif]

[BCRider]

The new look.  Now that it's been out for a couple of rides I'm feeling pretty good about carrying through with the next mods.  I'm a bit worried about all the bar spacers but being 6 ft 1 in tall it just doesn't feel right anymore if I go with less.  That's the 100 mm travel version of the fork too so it's not possible to get much more lift in the front.  But as I said I'm not into big time jumping so it'll be fine for me.  The feel when riding is still cross country accurate but with a higher degree of stability from the slightly laid out geometry compared to the super light but slightly nervous feeling Nollen/Girvin forks that came with the bike.

The saddle is shown in the lower serious trail position.  For smooth trail, uphill or just towny riding I pull it up so the saddle is just a hair above the bars.  The tail light is left over from the inaugural shakedown ride to work the other day.  It's not THAT dark on our trails...

The bike.....



The new upside down rear shock.  Travel is now somewhere between 4 1/2 to 5 inches from the rough measurement I did.

[kiwi]

save some weight and cut that seat tube off just below the frame when in the highest possible position,then you wont have to polish it,glad your rebuild has worked for ya,is that frame a standard colour???

[BCRider]

Thanks Kiwi. Yep, that's stock blue and markings from the 1999 or so model year that I got it.

The seat post IS cut already.  It's in the lowest spot because I was "playing" like I was a trials rider around the backyard and alley before I took that pic.  For long cross country uphills it goes up to where the end of the post is already about 3/4 of an inch up the seat tube.  Right where the little hole is in the back of the tube.  It's too bad the post is such a small size that I can't rig up a two part telescoping seat post like I have on my VPS.

The fugly stuff on the seat tube is White Lightning chain lube.  The stuff is useless for chain lubing around here as it's too wet but for lubing clipless pedals on my commuter bikes and exposed seat tubes like on the 4000 and my Norco VPS it works great.  Mud and dirt doesn't stick like with grease but it still provides some protection to the metal.  But it's messy.  Next time I may just try some car wax.  Really the idea is to just have something in there to prevent the metal galling if it twists or slips.

[BCRider]

Update...

I got out for a real trail ride last week and the bike felt great.  For those in the lower mainland it was the lower part of Burke Mountain.  

Perhaps a bit nervous in the steering but then so was I since it's been a while since I've been out.  The downhill portions and smaller rolloff steps didn't upset the bike at all and I did a two foot drop with it (big for me at my skill level) and it handled it like a champ despite a slightly nose heavy landing.   This particular trail has no real uphill portions.  Just the odd bit of short 5 to 10 foot roll ups.  Most of them it handled fine but by that time I was getting tired and fell afoul of rocks and roots in my path.  Certainly my fault rather than the bike.

So far I'm ecstatic with the conversion and I'm going to go ahead with the disc adapter for the rear and the hydro Hayes for it.  That should add about a pound to it but that'll still be a nice light weight.  I'll also be adding a fender to the front to keep the mud out of my face and a short front side fender to the rear to help keep the mud out of the suspension pivots and off the chainrings.

[Mark Rivera]

Does your LBS still have any of those shocks?  I assume if they fit your 4000 that they'll fit a 2000 Evo 4.0?



Sounds like you're just up North from me (I'm in Washington)? I travel up to Vancouver from time to time -  Where's a good place to ride if I'm just on a day trip?



Thanks!

[jinder]

NICE!     [smiley=nod.gif]

Just need some Clipless pedals!