Bicycle Mechanics - new forks?

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airpressure
03-15-06, 05:50 PM
Well I got me a junky ole pacific elete SX series bike and I'm trying to get it into good condition (modding it) ANd I'm thinking a new fork. What Fork can I get that is fairly nice for under 100? Also what would be some good Off-road tires?

sch
03-15-06, 07:36 PM
Not sure why you would want to on a sub $200 bike unless the old one is broken. A change of elastomers in the fork might rejuvenate it if it is soggy. Since a new equivalent bike is $130-200, just get a new bike. Cost about the same as fork and new tires. Other sources would be local thrift shops, garage sales, the bike rack at any large university at the end of the school year, police auctions. Walmart also sells forks and tires, just remove the frame and handlebars and you have a nice new fork.
Ditto tires, just remove the rest of the wheel and tire + tube is right there.
Steve
rat_factory
03-15-06, 09:08 PM
pacific bikes are all hi-ten steel and yours probably weighs 40+ pounds. take your money and go to a pawn shop. buy a trek, specialized, haro, gt, cannondale, etc bike. it might be old, but the frame, fork, shifters and all that stuff are about 100,000,000,000,000 times better than anything pacific cycle makes. then you can clean it up and smoke your friends riding their huffy's and pacifics on the trail!

airpressure
03-16-06, 07:01 AM
OK could reccomend me a good Trek or specialized for about 300-500? Also my Pacific is aluminium.

Is this one (http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1019600&f=19) any good?
sch
03-16-06, 06:25 PM
The trek would be a very good choice for non technical off road riding and if slicks were substituted for knobbies, for road and civilized trail riding. If you anticipate not much unimproved (pave/gravel) trail riding a comfort bike would be a better choice.
Sticking to the major manufacturers (Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, Fuji plus half dozen others, at a given price point most of the bikes will be quite similar with minor variances only in bolt ons. The frame gets to be important only at the more expensive levels where lots of engineering is brought to bear on suspension theories.
Sub $1000 bikes are almost universally made in 1000-10000 bike batches in Taiwan or mainland Chinese factories with very heavy automation resulting in high quality low cost frames. There are exceptions in the 800+ range, but not many.
Steve