bshey

Hello everybody,

I have a trek series 6 from a few years ago. Disc brakes, 26 wheels, etc...

I am interested in a full suspension bike. I was thinking of dismantling my bike and replacing just the frame, with a full suspension frame. Is there a frame that anybody would recommend? I am also interested in selling the old frame. to make up for my spendings. I hope that somebody can help me figure this out and let me know if its even possible...

Cheers.

fietsbob

You will spend a lot more money.. Do you want to do that?

jimc101

Would sugest that this is not a good idea, there will be compatibility issues with any of the parts from your old bike, and also those parts will be worn, on top of this, buying complete is almost always cheaper than buying in parts, especially for full suspension frames / bikes.

For what type of frame, any 2011/2012 model will be great, suspension frame are a sorted design, unlike 10 years ago, it is pretty hard to buy a bad one now, for the value of you old frame, would suggest very little, as it is a mid range Alu frame, suggest looking on ebay to get an idea of what they are going for

fietsbob

Sell the old bike , buy a new one, will work so much better..

much easier to sell a complete bike than just the frame ..

bshey

ok, how much do you think i could sell the bike for? 2007-2008 model, trek series 6, flat black, great condition. For the money, what would be a good full suspension bike that i could buy new or used for around the same price. I don't want to spend extra. Cheers.

jimc101

Your giving too littile info for much help to be given here, where you are in the world make a difference for what you can get. Guessing you are in the US, if you have a 2007-2008 Trek 6000, it retailed at $600, if you can get half that back, you will be doing well, have you looked to see what they are going for on ebay or where ever you are going to sell it?

For a new bike, if you want full suspension, and something decent, would budget $1700 for a basic / low spec bike like the Trek Fuel EX5, if you want somthing good, you are looking at the $2000-$3000 range, Full suspension isn't cheap.

Going used will be cheaper, the better the suspension design, the higher it's value will be retained, but bike are meant to be used, so if you look at used, you need to know what wear to look at, and budget for replacement bearing, forks, shocks and other parts

blamp28

Generally speaking, the bike is worth about half of what you paid for it more or less. You may have to take less for a quick sale or near the end of the season etc.

As far as a full suspension replacement, used ones can be found but they are considerably more on average than what you have. That is a decent recreational level hard tail MTB. If you are looking for roughly the same level full susp bike, plan on at least double the price for a decent used one or triple for a new one. Don't be fooled by low cost dual suspension BSO (Bike Shaped Objects) sold at the big discount chains. These are a serious step down from the bike you have and would be a real disappointment pretty quickly.

Have you considered a suspension seat post? The Cane Creak Thudbuster is a great product that would only add $125 to your current bike and may get you the comfort you seek for far less than the other options we are all bringing up.

wrk101

Not going to happen, unless you score some megadeal.

bshey

ok, so i got the bike for the equivalent of about $1100 during the off season. Apparently it was $1300 during the biking season. I bought it in switzerland at a cycling specialty store while I was living there. How much do you think it could sell for. Its in seriously good condition, and well maintained. If it sells for about 1/2 the price, then it would go for about $600 right? Or was it just the pricy-ness of switzerland that made it that much in the beginning? Im really interested in a legit full suspension bike. What would someone recommend? Maybe the cheapest model of a high end brand? Nothing super intense, but more importantly, nothing too expensive...
Thanks.

blamp28

As stated above, half is a good asking price. That bike can be bought as a brand new bike currently for a little over $1100. You may get $600 but more likely, you may have to drop to $500 to sell. I don't know where you are currently so the local market conditions will effect this to. A legitimate full suspension mtb with the same level of components as you are used to will run $2000 for end of the year clearance to $3500 for brand new with a few more toys. You can see a variety of choices on this page but I highly recommend you make any purchase of this nature through your local bike shop. Service and adjustments and after the sale service will be worth the extra you may have to spend. https://www.jensonusa.com/store/sub/1...ension+Xc.aspx

bshey

what about this frame, He said a professional welder could fix it... Looks too good to be true. Would it work?


https://cgi.ebay.com/2005-Trek-Fuel-8...#ht_500wt_1156

blamp28

Buying this frame would be a huge mistake. This bike cannot be correctly repaired by a local welder. The aluminum is welded , stress relieved and heat treated. A welder cannot duplicate this process unless he has access to heat treatment furnaces and even then, he would have to process it according to Trek's proprietary specs if he hopes to get it close to right. There is too much at risk there for my tastes. I have the Fuel 90 and it is a great bike but the damage this seller describes is covered under the factory warranty so it would be replaced for free to the original owner which he clearly is not.

There are another couple of similar frames currently for sale on Ebay. All used frames would come with no warranty of course so bid accordingly.


This one is slightly damaged but not in a high stress area

https://cgi.ebay.com/Trek-Fuel-90-Frame-and-Manitou-SR-X-Fork-/300578804733?pt=Mountain_Bikes&hash=item45fbe493fd

This would be a good frame if it is a good size fit

https://cgi.ebay.com/Trek-Fuel-ex5-Frame-/120752555091?pt=Mountain_Bikes&hash=item1c1d69c453

bshey

Would the trek fuel frame fit with all the components of my trek series 6? eg: disc brakes, wheels, fork, pedals, sprocket, seat... How much would my trek frame sell for on ebay? Its a flat black. Would I make up for my losses?

jimc101

It's worth the going weight for scrap aluminium, no shock, and a multiple time re-welded part, you would be wasting money, you really need to up your budget to a realistic level if you want full suspension.

bshey

actually, after inspecting the first frame more carefully,

https://cgi.ebay.com/Trek-Fuel-90-Fra...item45fbe493fd

,I noticed that it is meant for standard brakes... Isn't there come sort of conversion component That i could use? Oh and, whats wrong with it? You said it was damaged. Where?

I also plan on using my original fork. I really like it... Would it fit? Thanks.

bshey

sorry, also, how hard is it to carry out this project? I am quite handy with tools and have done basic work on my bike before...

blamp28

The top tube has a dent in it. But this is in a lower stressed area. Mine was damaged the same place due to a race crash and it has been fine for five years so far.

The rear triangle has threaded holes on the left for an adapter for disc brakes. As far as the fork fitting - maybe. It would depend on the length of the head tube on your current frame compared to this one. If you are considering this purchase, you would need to measure yours and ask the seller. You should also expect to pay around $100 - $125 for a professional to build up the bike. Based on the questions you are asking, I would guess that you do not have the experience or proper tools to do this yourself.

blamp28

You would need bottom bracket tools, head set cup removers and a headset press as well as the assorted hex wrenches and screw drivers. It can be done by a first timer but it would be wise to budget for some help by a mechanic with this being your first time.

Have you compared the frame size to make sure that the frame would fit YOU? This is the most important part of the purchase.

Also, you would need an adapter to fit your disc brakes. Mine was bought through my local shop to fit Avid BB7 Brakes. You should make sure one is available for your brakes before you bid on this frame.

There is plenty of risk here to go along with the prospective savings so beware.

Your old frame would sell in these parts for $50 - $75 tops. For camparison, I paid $100 for one like it not long ago but that one was brand new - from a shop never before sold so I am the original owner thus it came with a full waranty.

jimc101

It's not that simple to just use the forks you already have, frames are designed for different travel lengths, you need to get the frame and fork to match in length, similar to their orginal spec, otherwise the geometry and then the ride will be off. Also there is the steerer tube lenght to consider, would your current one be long enough?

You haven't said what you current bike is, Trek made multiple bikes in the 6000 series each year so we don't know what you have at present.

For building the bike yourself, there is more to being handy with tools, you need multiple specifc tools, do you have these, as you would need to take their cost into account if planing to do the work yourself.

blamp28

Fuel frames of this vintage were designed for fork of 80 - 100mm travel. They will accept both with little effect on overall geometry. The Trek 6000 sereis all came with 100mm travel forks.

bshey

trek 6300. looks exactly like this one. how much would the frame go for on ebay?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreychan/952501997/

bshey

it does not say the frame size on the ebay listing does it? I will contact the seller. My current size is a 22. I think i could go for something a little bigger...

bshey

it does say the frame size actually. Its an 18... Would that. I think i made a mistake on my frame size... 22 is the biggest. Let me check again. Where would i look for the frame size?

blamp28

It does say "You are bidding on one used Trek Fuel 90 Medium Frame and Manitou SX-R fork"

If I remeber correctly thier frame sizes on these bikes are
Small - 15.5"
Medium - 17.5"
Large - 19.5"
X Large - 21.5"

jimc101

21.5" is the largest size they make, if you are tall / need somthing bigger, so that the frame is too small, would suggest at looking for a custom frame, which will limit you to hardtails.