90s/00s Frankenbike beater: a rolling retro MTB parts bin

Every now and then the seasoned bicycle collector finds enough half decent old parts lying around their workshop to build a whole new bike just for fun. This is how the weirdest Frankenbikes are born.
This one was a pile of 90s and 00s MTB (and road bike) parts I put on an '03 Bianchi aluminium frame, and hey presto - my latest beater lives. Just a couple of finishing touches and it's become a really solid, usable, fun bike that I actually love far too much to abuse. Damn it, now I need another beater.

[@DaraM73]

What a load of ...enjoyable commentary on the pitfalls of pink dusting and the surety of friends that don’t own bikes.

[@red_dread]

That pink dust is absolutely everywhere.

[@badger67]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I started on my mountain biking adventure back in January 85 with a brand new (£285) Ridgeback XT which didn't last long as I replaced it with a Saracen Conquest (Nick Crane & Kilimanjaro model) which cost £750. So, from 85 until 2010 I've had 23 MTB's, all but 3 were new, the other 20 were second hand. 1n 2010, my girlfriend at the time had a 1989 Marin Pine Mountain 19" frame which was way too big for her, so I decided to get her a smaller frame. I bought a GT Aggressor bike ( 2006 model ) for £50 from the local bike shop which had been used to upgrade to a new bike the day before. They hadn't even looked at it, hence the £50 deal. It had a 14" frame, ideal for her slight frame. She didn't want to know, so I took off all the crap and kept the frame as it was extremely light and it had the rear bolted hanger dropout lug. To keep a very long story short, I still have the frame and has been my sole bike since 2010 and has gone through many transformations since. I hope to have it fully converted to a 21 speed Deore XT gruppo. It currently has 7 spd XT thumbshifters from 1989 ( which will never be replaced by anything ), hence the 21 speed. I love reminiscing with your video's. Fantastic channel.

[@red_dread]

Reminiscing is addictive isn't it? I can't believe how much the prices of Ridgebacks went up between 85 and 88 - mine was only a tenner more than yours and it only had Exage on it! The XT one was hundreds more by then. As for thumbshifters, I don't think I even tried anything else until the very late 90s.

[@badger67]

@@red_dread Exage? that's posh hehehe. Mine came with Dia-compe cantis, Shimano RD & FD gears, sugino(?) chainset, SR hubs on Araya rims. www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=325214&start=20 This is the closest pic on the net that I can find.

[@codyherriot3672]

Sir, this is quickly becoming one of my favourite channels. I appreciate the history of these bikes and your attention to detail. Yes, that handlebar is an abomination that requires you to grind away graphics that actually bring anger into an otherwise amiable conversation. I wouldn't count myself in the club of 'gentleman collectors' as my bicycle tastes are rather more, shall we say, eclectic (read peasant). Maybe more diverse. I love these 80's and early 90's mountain bikes and hope you continue giving us this wonderful education on these super-worthy bikes. Kudos.

[@red_dread]

Very kind. And clearly you share my rarefied tastes. All those early-00s flame graphics belong on a cage fighter's backwards baseball cap, they have no place in a historic collection, other than perhaps as a warning from history. Thank goodness craftsmanship is coming back into cycling.

[@hammeredscout]

Here Here

[@hammeredscout]

@@red_dread Check out my channel for a couple of retro rebuilds. And my Instagram: Pedal2theshin

[@red_dread]

Subscribed - some great craftsmanship on there!

[@DevonNroos]

I had a 1999 Kona Hahanna, now I've got a 1990 Marin Bear Valley for pub bike duties

[@red_dread]

The 1990 Marin Bear Valley is a stone cold classic! I hope you chain it up with an industrial-strength lock outside that pub.

[@dzoni8191]

That's one beautiful playground

[@nunoguerreiro785]

Well my parts bin was small.... So I started annoying my friends for parts and it works... Since the start of all this I'm on my third build and none of them cost me more than 90€ bikes included. It's an awesome and affordable hobby that your family and friends can enjoy also. Congrats for the chanel, you, old shovel and garys projects got me in to this.. PS the tip of the chopsticks for replacing grips with no damage works as advertised 😊😊😊😊 Brilliant!!

[@red_dread]

Delighted to be part of the reason you're doing this! I'm not sure about affordable though - wait until you decide you MUST have the complete first generation XTR groupset for some build, then things will start adding up. If you like Oldshovel and Gary, you should also check out Monkeyshred, db's retro MTB workshop and Lance Hatch.

[@nunoguerreiro785]

@@red_dread thanks for the reply... And no, no, no more ideas... I'm good with my restomods, parts bin!!! I will try to show you.

[@tonypotter9578]

Beater or not, thats actually a good looking and very useable bike! 👍

[@red_dread]

Thanks - it did end up being rather too nice to be called a beater! And it rides so beautifully too. So now I have the problem that I need another bike to use as a beater. Back to the bins…

[@andrewbaxter9395]

Love a good beater! 90’s Gary Fisher Wahoo here, only the seatpost and frame are original, it’s had more surgery than Cher 👍

[@red_dread]

It's the surgical enhancements that are the fun part of bike ownership!

[@simonflanders1296]

I ride a 94 Ti 2000 m-trax that was also built from parts that had been hanging around in my workshop and garage, rolling parts bin 🤣 I love it! What a great usable beater/work hack. Awesome job

[@red_dread]

My work hack is even more ratty - the 88 Peugeot Laser you might see in one of my earlier videos. If I rode this Bianchi around this city it would get stolen! But it will be so much fun for playing with the kids in the summer or going to the local shops. Might even attempt an adventure on it one day...

[@waltermelyon4300]

Bought my Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo in 97 and I'm enjoying the ubiquitous "out of stock" searching for replacement parts. Picked up a late 90's Ross Mt. Washington at a local pawn shop to sub for my commute to work.

[@red_dread]

Thankfully there's a decent market for those parts nowadays, plus the search is a big part of the fun!

[@waltermelyon4300]

@@red_dread True. It would feel unnatural to get whatever I wanted especially in 2020. Trying to restore a 23 year old bicycle is almost like a religious penance. Have a wonderful Christmas my friend.

[@BangTheRocksTogether]

I've been riding and upgrading my #1 Frankenbike for 10 years. For most of those year it was my only bike. It is on its sixth distinct configuration, and, for a steel hardtail it's more bike than I could afford new. We love each other dearly. [XTR/Raceface/Grimeca/on a RM Equipe.] Those Project 2 forks are beginning to pile up around here. They're the cheapest rout to a front disc conversion. ps: Bolany is by no means the bottom of the barrel. It's good value, and it's not trash. I think I'm using that very cassette.

[@BangTheRocksTogether]

Also, if you have a 7 or eight speed derailleur, a 9-speed shifter will operate it properly on a 9 cog cassette. won't it? it's only at 10 speed that the pull ratio is incorrect, yes? Set me straight?

[@red_dread]

Your Frankenbike sounds slightly higher class than this one! Yes, the Project 2 is an absolute industry standard, everyone should have at least one in their workshop. Also thanks for your words of reassurance regarding Bolany. This was a purely experimental purchase for the sake of the video - normally I'd have insisted on at least an XT-equivalent! But if it works and doesn't look hideous then I'd consider that a successful experiment. And finally, you're right, it's the 10-speed and up rear mechs that have a different pull ratio. The first incarnation of this Bianchi build had a very early LX mech on it from a 7-speed groupset and that indexed perfectly with the 9-speed shifter.

[@99EMERSONIC99]

Used to have a steel frame as a beater, but a kid down the road didnt have a bike and it spent most of the week at his house anyway so Merry Xmas to the kid. Im still looking around for a 90´s steel frame to build up into a 26 inch retro/gravel explorer bike.

[@red_dread]

A 90s steel will make the perfect all-round adventure bike. You could adapt it with drop bars, panniers, slicks, anything you like. What sort of thing are you looking for?

[@99EMERSONIC99]

@@red_dread im looking into getting either a Stumjumper or a Kona for frame.

[@NextInTheWorkstand]

Discovered your channel this week, right up my street! A Bomber with a 1” steerer, how strange given I have early bombers with 1 1/8” steerers… I recently rescued a 1993 Avanti Illusion touring bike from scrap for $25, bare metal strip down and then allowed to patina then sealed. It’s been rebuilt into a gravel bike for a 135km event in the Australian bush using a half parts bin, half trick carbon bits from AliExpress and of course, lots of anodised purple bolts in between. But it’s 1” steerer is a huge limiting factor for forks, especially as id love to have a front disc rather than the V-brake which needs a cable pull ratio adjuster to just about function with road levers. The search continues for a 1” with disc mounts!

[@red_dread]

Welcome to the channel! Yes, that Bomber is weird indeed - I'd never have expected to find such a fork with a bonded 1" steerer plus canti bosses and a disc mount. I will certainly recondition it and put it to good use before too long.

[@tecdesigns8183]

My beater of choice is a grey Dawes Galaxy AL difficult finding much out about the model but its an alloy frame drop bars but with a frame that's more like mtb geometry, 18spd. When I found it, it was outside my daughters nieghours house I asked they said please take it away so I did. On closer inspection it had 26 inch cheap wheels (now in spares pile) it needed 700c wheels, no wonder the nieghour couldnt ride it. So I got on ebay looking for cheap wheels, luckily a post on a local freecycle group advertised a ladies dawes touring bike that needs work. Swapped the wheels onto mine along with seatpost which were the only salvageable parts but I still recycled the rest at a local tip bike charity. It's lived a harsh winter outside under a tarp and fence panel now dug back out to finish off with setting up the brakes then I'm off. Tbh I am getting more fun from this than my main bike. Its so cheap and ratty it's perfect

[@red_dread]

The Galaxy is a magnificent bike - built to last a lifetime and beyond. Sounds like you got a hell of a result there. They were never fashionable, but who cares about that - true quality shines through. I'm prepared to bet it has one or two real gems among its components, especially if it's the Deore XT version. So although it's a ratbike, cherish it!

[@tecdesigns8183]

@@red_dread I tried to research mine not much on it, just that it's alloy instead.

[@hughjaars2285]

Son’s beater is a cove frame, 1x9 using SRAM XO grip shift, unknown steel fork, Deore disc hubs with rim brake rims I had spare, avid bb7 brakes. Square taper bottom bracket and unknown 5 arm chainset. Runs 36 shimano cassette on rear and usually a 40T on the front for commuting but swapped it out for a 32T at the front for a cross Dartmoor bike packing trip. Want to build myself something similar but end up over complicating things.

[@red_dread]

Any beater built by an enthusiast ends up overcomplicated! Many would argue that a Cove is far too nice to be put to such use - mine's in the same category now. It has titanium, XT, WTB, Avid, Thomson etc, all far too nice to leave chained up outside a shopping centre. So now we need to start again and build new beaters.

[@tmayberry7559]

Another proper video enjoyable and of course not a dog's breakfast. I myself am beginning to really fall in love with the sun rays friction shifters as they will work with any derailleur of any speed I would love to see your beater with a friction shifter as opposed to the LX from Shimano

[@red_dread]

Those Sunrace shifters do look attractive, but the point of this particular build was to use up stuff I already had lying around, so I'm pleased to have found a use for this half-and-half LX/XT shifter which might otherwise never have seen the light of day. It works beautifully still.

[@andyheilmann1656]

My main beater is my workhorse hybrid -> road bike conversion raleigh Cadent 1 I added some drop bars and upgraded to a 2x10 hear set-up. I use the stock tires in the winter and they are plenty for dealing with northeast US trails

[@red_dread]

I'd love to try those North East trails on a vintage bike one day, sounds amazing.

[@joshstevens8276]

Your beater is better than my 2015........ Would love to see the suspension forks on this build

[@red_dread]

It is actually a really comfy and fun bike to ride! It's possible it may end up with a very nice Rockshox SID or Fox TALAS fork, watch this space...

[@BladeRicsi]

interesting project, big like for video.

[@red_dread]

Thanks! I do have quite a big affection for this bike - even though it's of no real value it is a really comfortable and easy ride.

[@GiotheGhreat]

I don't understand why some people love to have 0 suspension on old bikes, I understand back then we didn't have it but going to speed bumps or cracks is no fun and when you put a fork suspension it adds a more aggressive look to the machine. In the FB 90's group people love these rigid forks lol. Nice channel BTW.

[@red_dread]

I don't really have a strong opinion either way, I have a large selection of ancient and modern MTBs, some with suspension and some without. I still might put the Marzocchi fork on this Bianchi one day, but for its current use the Project 2 is perfect.

[@superdomestiquesd]

My general beater is a 1997 Kona Fire Mountain. Pretty much original except saddle and pedals. Scratch and Sniff tyres in full effect 😎

[@red_dread]

Always loved Konas - there's one or two in my bunker this very moment.

[@superdomestiquesd]

@@red_dread I have soft spots for old Kona, Marin (I lent my off-roading touring set up Bobcat Trail from ‘ 93 to a friend but he gave it to his cousin etc and I never got it back). My pride and joy is a Fisher (my first love of old MTBs) Celerity which I (showing my age) bought in my last year of secondary school. Now it is set up single speed and back to the stock stem (no more flex stem) but I do need to service the headset - any idea of bearing size? Plus it needs pedals - suggestions welcome! Keep the videos coming. Loving the channel 👍

[@red_dread]

Did your Flexstem die? I still love mine from the early 90s, it's now on a Raleigh that lives at my office, still looks awesome and you can replace the bushings and elastomers with ones from a skateboard truck. So it'll live forever. As for your headset, if it has loose balls rather than caged then I'd get a Vernier gauge on one then buy a load of replacements to match - impossible to guess otherwise. And finally re pedals - if you have the shoes then the absolute industry standard then and now is the Shimano SPD - the original DX (M535) ones were actually simpler and lighter than the XT so those are the ones to go for, and they're surprisingly plentiful and cheap. If you're looking for bear trap or cage pedals from the same era (Shimano or Suntour), then good luck - so am I!

[@superdomestiquesd]

@@red_dread thanks - it is a bear trap style I’m after I think so the hunt begins! As for the flex stem, it is very much alive but it didn’t seem to gel as well with the single speed set up. I also have a pair of Manitou 2 forks (from a GF Supercalibre that died with a cracked HT) that need a full overhaul but might go in in the future. Sadly much of my retro kit (and modern) got stolen about 18 months ago 😢

[@landyr71]

Looks good 👍🏼

[@ronwhite8503]

The forks on my mid 90's Cinder Cone are original and suspension corrected......now on the hunt for the others!

[@red_dread]

Konas changed beyond recognition between the early and mid 90s. The difference in geometry between the early and later forks might be something to do with the involvement then departure of Joe Murray. But also sus forks were the norm by 95 so geometry had changed across the board by then. I reckon if you put a 91 Project 2 on a 95 Kona frame, for example, you'd find the handling very strange indeed!

[@ronwhite8503]

@@red_dread Good point....but then I am a very strange person. Still haven't found the forks.

[@daledubose3032]

I like the rigid fork.

[@red_dread]

Me too - looks clean and cool, feels nice to ride, minimal fuss or maintenance.

[@vincent79956]

Next of many! Prospect are 2004 kona fire mountain in raw aluminium frame blue decals 1x9 set up and rigged fork mix of parts from 2000 era parts bin parts 🙌🤙🙌

[@red_dread]

Well if you're going 2000-ish era and 1x9 then I think this "Bolany" cassette could be a good idea. Throw in an extender and you can run your 20-yr-old shifter, derailleur and everything else like I did, while getting enough range of gears to do pretty much anything.

[@vincent79956]

@@red_dread Is the mr bolany still alive?

[@red_dread]

I haven't ridden it yet! I'm pretty confident it'll be decent though.

[@vincent79956]

@@red_dread do you have the link to the mr balony

[@red_dread]

I got it off Amazon - very easy to find! Actually really pleased with it so far.

[@RobertWilliams-ox4hz]

I'd leave your beater fully rigid. Less to worry about.

[@red_dread]

Agreed. Keep it clean and minimal. It's so nice to ride, feel like a kid trying to think of stunts to do!

[@RobertWilliams-ox4hz]

I literally just built a 96/97 Trek ZX6500 up out of parts i had laying around.

[@red_dread]

There's nothing more satisfying than making a pile of random parts sing in harmony.

[@cccpkingu]

The dosser! :)))

[@RetroToonsOfficial]

Thank Yo

[@theejoeylee]

I can't even get a 90s TREK mountain track frame for that cheap.

[@red_dread]

You probably could, but not on eBay! I'm finding occasional bargains on Facebook Marketplace, but you have to be quick.

[@theejoeylee]

@@red_dread EBay is overpriced for sure. Even my local FB marketplace and craigslist thinks 90s mtb frames are worth more than complete bikes!

[@matthewlewis9356]

I got 2 Hybrid bikes ones a cannondale the other is Giant which i updated it. If you're interested i got a pair of 700c wheels for sale came off the giant i will advertised them on Ebay in a couple of weeks time. The wheels will take a cassette not a freewheel

[@red_dread]

I really like those early generations of Cannondale hybrids, even though I've never been the biggest fan of hybrids in general. Thanks for the offer but I have no need for any more 700c wheels, however if you clean them up and put them on eBay with a decent description I'm sure you'll make a few quid for them.

[@robsymes4356]

This is how I got into bikes. By using old parts I was either given or would save money up for to buy on eBay or Facebook. Love your videos they always make me laugh. I’ve just picked up a 97/98 P7 frame. If you check out my Instagram feel free to share what you think would be fitting to go on. I was thinking about a P2 fork. Ideally I’d have a Pace RC30 but don’t think I can justify putting the money into it 😂

[@red_dread]

P7 is a fantastic solid frame - would work fine with a P2 because those go with anything, but for authenticity it would be the Pace RC-31 that's period correct and has the appropriate geometry. The earlier RC-30 would be too short for your suspension-corrected frame (it was designed for a higher front end) so the steering would feel weird. I got my latest Pace fork for £100 and have been tinkering with it ever since, I highly recommend for that true North Yorkshire vibe. If you paint it, hope you do a better job than I did.

[@mr.gigitix]

🤔👍👍👍👍👍

[@laifsoks]

HAHAHAHAHA limp bizkit fans, I love your parts bin bike

[@red_dread]

That bit has sparked some conversation - the whole flame thing looks straight out of a Crazy Town video! No place for any of that in my collection, but I wonder if in another decade we'll be all nostalgic for it?

[@myplaymckollolist]

Aww man I thought the handle bar graphics were cool :'(

[@red_dread]

Ha, gross. You'll be glad to hear I've yet to bother sanding them off.