Restoring a Rusty Bike - A Gary Fisher Mamba Gets a New Life

My son found this bike for me at the thrift store - it was not in good shape, it looked like it had spent a good chunk of the last 15 years in the rain and the sun. Rusted parts and faded paint, it was in need of a refresh.
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Music from Epidemic Sound bit.ly/30pwbOZ
There's a New Day - by Staffan Carlen

[@reapanomin899]

Ahh,nothing's better than starting the day with a cup of coffee and an Oldshovel video. The quality of the videos and content are consistent.The ASMR qualities of this video is aslo spot-on.Not to forget that every bike he restores here means one less bike to the junkyard.

[@davidjohn1056]

Hi from the UK! I had to comment as I've just binge watched most of your build videos. I love the way you shoot your videos, using the gentle twang of a spoke, the crack of a stubborn bolt or the threading of some new cables instead of a harshly voiced commentary or badly mixed stock backing track like some other you-tubers do. I love your honesty and charity in your approach to the builds and the philosophy you have in life generally. Please keep on doing these resto-mod / renovation themed builds, they are honestly some of the only KZbin videos I uncontrollably do an 80's rock ballad video powerfist to when they pop up. Also, your paintcan skills are definitely getting better and better each time; I'm thinking of trying one of my own frame resprays. Ciao!

[@oldshovel]

Awesome thanks

[@RoderickGMacLeod]

Areed. Few things bother me more than obnoxiously loud public domain music at three times the volume of voice narration.

[@petepalmere210]

Take pride in your skill, knowledge and generosity.

[@ernest4696]

When you did the thing with the plastic and paint i had my doubts if it would look good but after everything was put together it actually looked amazing, good job!

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@cal_hennesey6343]

Superb job. Very relaxing to watch. And very impressive that there was no swearing at all.

[@mikegeary8056]

I’m absolutely getting my 91 Rocky Mountain Blizzard back on the road. Very inspiring. Thanks.

[@keestoft250]

This channel has reawakened my love of mountain bikes, and a duey eyed nostalgia for 80s/90s era bike culture. When you gift a child a bike it's a metaphysical thing, you're handing them a key to their first experiences of freedom and exploration. It should never be underestimated, and your videos capture all of those feelings. Thanks

[@JoakimJohansson91]

I do love your work. It’s so beautiful to see all of these old bikes being resurrected 😍

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@tomszyb9096]

I'm working in recycling company and I am trying to do the same just finished balance bike for my friend's kid and took me just two after work days and bike already have a new home,👍🤪

[@azrulaminuddin9774]

never get bored of your restoration videos. such an inspiration. I hava an old school mongoose. but still don't have the time to restore it. looking for ideas in your videos. hahahaha. much salute all the way from Malaysia!!

[@KAVMCCESQ]

Big fan! Great to see you hit the refresh button on a perfectly functional bike. You have learnt to do it by the book I see, at this stage (compared to older vids). I would have regreased the wheel bearings but hey, where's my vids lol. I so enjoy your work. I've been doing this for 13 years, nothing new to me. I've definitely gotten plenty of fresh ideas from you, cheers for that. Keep them coming and happy trails.

[@prajwal.gautam]

I don't know why Rob but there's something in your videos that many of us feel soo calming & addictive 😄. I wish there was someone like you in my city region who could put more emphasis on giving Old bikes a new life and setting a trend for cycling culture. (Inspired of you , I'm too, seeking to restore my old bicycle :) But alas , restoration is damm heck of a task due to lack of spare parts, rebuilds & high cost in my city /country ) Thanks alot for giving all those bikes a new Life , Keep going Rob with your immaculate restorations 👌🏼👍🏼 Stay Healthy ,Stay Safe 😊

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@jasonroper7154]

This channel is my meditation

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@Puggy124]

Nice job bringing it back to life. And offering it to someone without will bring happiness to that individuals life..

[@steeki2518]

I love the new enviroment!

[@ltdees2362]

I always learn something new watching your channel...on this beautiful Sunday afternoon here is south Georgia I'm pilfering through my hoard of used spray paint cans while looking at my riding mower...I think this time next week I will have the most unique looking lawnmower in town...😎

[@oldshovel]

Best comment ever! If you do I want to see a picture. 😁😂

[@csttd1126]

Gary Fisher, the true pioneer of mountain bike

[@theshamanarchist5441]

From a rusty wreck - to a head turner. And all it needed was a little TLC. Job well done.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@dodthemod5678]

You truly are an Awesome guy and Dad and your videos inspire me so so much and being a cyclist from a very young age and learning to fix bikes from around 10years old and get into the mechanics of it all I am still as passionate now at 42 than ever in love what you do and how you help those in need by giving them your bike builds I have recently started a cycle hub in my local area for anyone to come along get involved and fix there bikes free of charge and donate old parts bikes also to fix up and get people out cycling keep up the good work God Bless From Peterhead Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@oldshovel]

Awesome awesome awesomeness. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@delazal0316]

Love the outdoor setting

[@antoniodecastrojunior6470]

Great job, Rob! The painting was absolutely beautiful and the bike was perfect. I think the little jumping spider that appeared at twelve minutes liked it too! Tchau!

[@oldshovel]

Lol 😂

[@VladimirSaldes]

I like your videos and the personal way you tell the story. Me and my brother we are getting old now, we have been building bikes for different purposes since we were kids. Our kids are grown and most of the everyday worries has been polished away so we had really gone into restoring old bikes again and I can really relate to the satisfaction on your builds, thanks for posting!

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@voodoo7008]

A frame worthy of restoring. Your cable routing is so nice. The paint job was wild, and your signature on the bike is cool as heck.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@Gearhead1432]

That paint really turned out awesome!

[@Honir4]

i love this videos with no music so relaxing

[@HeuerAndy]

Can't stop watching your restoring Videos. All these unique pieces of art as result, made with passion, creativity, a Know-how in perfection - simply great.

[@thisismycoment3251]

I'm jealous you do this with such ease I hate doing bottom brackets and wheel bearing but you just do stuff so easy but good on you you rock as always 😉👍 great video

[@dominicdominic242]

thank you for save the vintage mountain bike. nice and love it.

[@davebrutalmetalfan4244]

No other word for it. You are a master craftsman.

[@Fixingeverthingwithaengine567]

People putting thumbs down must be people that don't ride bikes at all. Nice build. I might do something similar to my 97 trek mountain track 820 and my 2011trek navigator 1.0. Right now they sit on my wall with no wheels or gears just the frames and forks. The 97 still has it original paint and decals just a few dents in th ed frame. Saved it from going to the dump and rebuilt it a few ago to ride to work. Now I ride my 29 trek marlin 5 that I built myself. I like buying frames and building them up. I have given away about 5 bikes in the last 3 years.

[@dominichui8280]

Great idea to explore old things and gave them new lives. This Gary fisher is a classic restoration. Hope it would turn into the hands of the neighbourhood kids👍

[@esch66]

I like guys, who don't wear gloves and talk too much. Great work, every step explained by itself.👍🏆

[@bananasstuff3344]

oof

[@joueurnil9785]

These MTB restorations inspired me to restore a Cannondale SM2000 from 1991.

[@coreyreeder2321]

I just got this exact bike. Not sure I’ll do a full restoration but this has me dreaming

[@ritchietarling1960]

Another great build, keep up the good work 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@donaldfranklin5391]

That was a very awesome build and very awesome paint job 👍

[@oliveratienza5020]

Nicely done. I'm a bmx-er since the early 80's and restored my '81 CYC Ames Stormer just last year. Now, I'm planing to restore my old early 2000 MTB and this video gave me an idea on how I will (probably) do the paint job. Thanks for being an inspiration to many.

[@DelSevenNine]

Fantastic videos, what a talent! All the best from Scotland

[@18arm]

That is really awesome frame colour, hope you can show us more how to do that spray plastic trick

[@classicfords8171]

Love the paint mate

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@jamescrossley7784]

That’s just stunning very awesome job

[@ak1920]

You do the best quality work. Very cool watch you are wearing too 👍

[@marcianodemidof7135]

Damn. Beautiful rebuild👌. Brother loves bikes. That's for sure.

[@SuperJerot]

12:50 the smallest spider ever

[@oldshovel]

Lol 😂

[@henrybutchy3242]

Good spot!

[@RanouttaTalent]

I had a gary fisher very similar to that one. I rode it to school every day and all summer for years. I even took it to college with me. Eventually i outgrew it physically (long ago) and as a rider, and gave it away to a new mountain biker who adored it. I love my carbon trek 9.8 but sometimes I still think about my gary fisher and wonder where it's ended up.

[@blipsnchips4492]

I remember this coming out when I was in middle school. A few kids had them and I was pretty jelly. It was cool to see it get restored

[@AndrewGibson22]

I have just finished restoring the first of two fully rigid 1997 Gary Fisher Wahoo's in copper metallic. Paint was really good and with some cutting compound and polish it now looks like liquid metal.

[@oldshovel]

Sounds awesome

[@snakeubowski]

Your style of editing videos is on point. No unnecessary music, great scene cuts to different camera angles und of course your craftsman skills are really good too.

[@ericgonzales854]

It’s always a treat watching.... thank you!

[@hamdanabdullah827]

Good for touring :)

[@elyesertandilino6480]

Nice work, I really love the paintjob

[@BikeItUK]

Great work as always and yet another bike saved for many more years to enjoy. Very retro paint job looks great

[@oldshovel]

Thank you my friend.

[@jasonroper7154]

I would love to find an old small mtb and do this for daughter, looks amazing

[@ardruino]

Really amazing job. Thanks for sharing.

[@dazzasp3]

Nice job 👍

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@bnick25352535]

memories had a Gary Fisher with the same seat.

[@fredsanke4070]

Nice rebuild...nice advocacy...

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@sylrecyclevelos8999]

Good job.!And new life for the bike 👍

[@uwekallenbach6510]

Great Job..👍👍 Greetings from Germany 🙋‍♂️

[@paulwatson-work3544]

Love your videos, they relax me so much. I like that it's all low cost and upcycling, so pretty much how most people build up old frames. It inspired me on my build.

[@ochamadodamontanha]

I started to restore my old GT '94 and, inspired by you, I even made a video. I hope to inspire someone too. Man, keep it up, your work is gold.

[@jasonroper7154]

Did anyone else notice the tiny spider crawling down stem while putting it back on🤓

[@oldshovel]

Lol 😂

[@bruce5799]

I took my bike apart for repairs and cleaning and it took me four days.

[@jlw92178]

I still have this exact same bike. Going to take it to get serviced soon to do some riding.

[@mountaintime4276]

Working on a Gary Fisher Hee Koo E Koo. Not repainting but I refurbished the Rock Shox Quadra and polished the cranks up good!! Thanks for the inspiration.

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@PeopleVoicesForObama]

Nice work particularly the paint job. Giving it away? That's awesome man.

[@oldshovel]

Already gave it away now to a deserving girl in the neighborhood. It was a perfect first mountain bike for her.

[@guymorris6596]

I bought that same exact Gary Fisher model mountain bike from a maintenance manager at some apartments in Houston, Texas near the ship channel a few years ago. I had found it listed on Texas Bicycle Exchange in Houston for $70. The ad online stated it was a nineteen inch frame, my size as it turned out. Judging by the color photograph in the listing it seemed to be in decent condition. I called the guy, asked if he still had it and he said yes. I told him I was headed over to get it and got the address. I finally got to Houston and saw they were going through a big thunderstorm but got to the apartments. He led me to the bike, I liked what I saw and asked if he could take $60. I didn't think he would do that but he accepted it and I headed back home. It was a third bike for my cycling quiver. It's going to be a rebuild project but won't be stock because I'm adding components I want. I just installed ODI Rogue lock on handlebar grips so I can hold on tight when I'm trail shredding. A friend of mine who owns the local bike shop gave a pair of Continental Trail King 2.2 tires to me for free. Another friend who is a mechanic there donated a decent pre-owned saddle to my effort. The wheels, that I'll keep and use for now, are Matrix 550 and I'm using Presta inner tubes. I'm replacing the SR Suntour suspension fork with a RockShox 30 Gold RL fork. I need to check the SRAM website and see if this fork has remote lockout. The Shimano V Brakes are getting replaced with SRAM Level hydraulic disc brakes for good stopping power. The flat pedals are getting traded for a pair of Shimano XTR pedals for trail/cross country. I'm looking at either Shimano XTR I-SPEC EV 12 speed or Shimano Deore XT I-SPEC EV 12 speed shifters. The present drivetrain is Shimano Altus 7 speed and I'm planning on upgrading to a Shimano Deore XT 1 X 12 long cage, including the chain from that same group. All of the current cables are getting trashed and replaced with Jagwire Mountain Elite Shift high performance cables kit. I'll leave the paint scheme stock for now until I decide on the new custom look. First thing to do is take it down to the frame with the exception of the new grips and do a real good cleaning job including bottom bracket overhaul. Then the rebuild project will be able to get underway. I can't wait to get the project successfully finished and ride her on dirt for the first time.

[@guymorris6596]

It has a Bontrager stem but I'm not sure about the handlebar and seat post.

[@jacobteeples4164]

Have you seen the painting technique where you put dish soap on top of the dry base paint and then spray a different color top coat over the wet dish soap? Once the paint is dry you are able to spray off the dish soap and it leaves a cool splatter like paint job. I would enjoy watching you do a paint job like that in the future if that’s something you’re interested in I always love watching these videos and I almost always learn something, thank you.

[@oldshovel]

I have, it looks fun, I may try it some time on a similar build.

[@terryr4648]

Great to see you bringing these old bikes back to life and even better still donating some for the kids in your local area, keep the videos coming 😄

[@bobryan6123]

Great job on breathing new life into an old bike. Don’t be afraid to talk once in a while. These un-narrated repair videos are tougher to maintain attention all the way through.

[@kikiexp3777]

Luar Biasa skill nya Mister, kwalitas Sepedanya juga Muanteb. Sukses terus Channelnya (y)

[@giedrius4310]

i realy enjoy your videos. u are dong great!!

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@arq.abrahamgrajeda9143]

Great job man! but that tiny spider steals the show!!! Oh! and NEVER put grease on a seat post!!

[@gmdelrosario8256]

Very love your works dude. Your awesome. We always watch your videos.

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@theworldsokayestmichigande851]

It's because of your channel that I've found my love for restoring bikes, as of now I've completely rebuilt three Worksman Newsboys, they're industrial grade cruisers. Each one weighs no less then a f@#$ ton but the weight makes them super comfy to ride around in a super relaxed position. My first one "The big press" when from looking like a piece of scrap to the nicest cruiser I've seen. My third one "Kozmo" is the only one I personally own, when I acquired kozmo it didn't have a front rim, seat post, tires, or a chain. If I could send photos I would but I don't know how, Sorry if this just runs on and on... English was never my strong suit. ANYWAY thank you old shovel for teaching people the importance of "give them old things new life" cuz there's always a bike in there, you just need to put in some work to find it.

[@acetylcholine3]

I'm in awe at how the frame turned out!! Nice work, man!

[@davidenglish2003]

Great job!

[@danielorozco3607]

Oldshove felicitaciones eres un maestro de la restauracion y pintura .eres un modelo a seguir , me inspiro en tus diseños y me motivo a seguir mi proyecto .. Dres Bikes .desde cali Colombia saludos y que Dios te bendiga ese talento brother ..es pero poder abrir mi canal algun dia..

[@Lububrn]

A great calming way to start my Sunday morning. I have always wanted to be that guy in the neighborhood that all the kids come to to get their bikes fixed and you my friend have actually done it. The kids will always remember you and the fun adventures you helped them have. Keep up the good work.

[@oldshovel]

It is fun to that guy. 😁

[@adammackenzie]

yup, watching on a Sunday...ride safe everyone !

[@tecdesigns8183]

Great recycling

[@bernieherana120]

nice bike 😉

[@dannyvisitacion8975]

You are very generous I love to watch your video it is very cool 😎

[@james-xq4ke]

Nice

[@magusanrafael]

Love tour job. Greeting from ARG

[@bennyt.christensen3970]

Very nice job once more, i really like your work with old things getting a new life! Keep on doing your magic. 👍😎

[@MrLikerBiker]

You may be familiar with this technique but I'll describe it anyway. To get grips on that are held on by friction, use hair spray as a lubricant. It dries quickly and then acts as a mild surface contact adhesive holding the grip very securely in place. The grip can be removed by lifting it up with a small screwdriver at one edge and dribbling water in and then massaging until the grip frees itself from the handlebar

[@fmende87]

I love your restoration videos! Keep up with the good work!!! Greetings from South of Chile!

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@yulmp2]

If only I could go back in time and roll up to my boys on this sweet ride. Circa 1996. Definitely a step up from my no suspension Univega I had then.

[@terencedally1845]

I love the paint job on the fork

[@oldshovel]

Thanks

[@guillermoqueirolo6533]

Ready to a new dream!!✨

[@rogg2020]

I love your builds and they have encourage me to start bike building

[@oldshovel]

Awesome

[@steeki2518]

I love the paint work! The front side is like old milk and new. Lol That was on my brain the whole time

[@JonathanNeighbors]

The used bike market is crazy right now. I've been searching for a bike for my son since March. I've either been too late, out bid or straight up lied to. Luckily, he is big enough to ride my bike, but it would be nice to go on some father and son rides.

Me dan ganas de subirme a todas las bicis que reparan. Un genio!!! FELICITACIONES

[@dusty80]

I love the paint scheme that was awesome definitely a unique paint job

[@oldshovel]

Awesome thanks

[@ualdrivr]

That was awesome. Very well made video and your work is fantastic. I still have my Gary Fisher Mamba, but it is in a lot better shape than the bike you found to restore, :) Great work my friend!

[@drewsenthused6079]

Caught the stream after the fact, good stuff! I enjoyed the night painting and the close up of the premium plastic pedals 😄

[@karloslowry9043]

Great job Bravo

[@gulfcitynd]

That would be a great town bike for some people

[@charlieamos6640]

hi great video i have two gary fisher mamba one was dumped i put a new seat post,and bottom bracket and new schwalbe tan commuter tyres it looks and rides great red and grey cromo frame

[@gergoolle5773]

Its a fine build. I know...its only me, but I would have disassembled the hubs as well.

[@shannonbene7220]

I was also thinking that shock could use some freshin' up. But if it's squishy and the hubs roll, then well sometimes that's good enough.

[@luskars7732]

great job