Pell’s Ridelight was an expensive bike, it came in four (4) models: Pro $1,200 US, Elite $1,600, Race $2,300 and Team $4,450 USD! It appears the bike that Seth was restoring was the Ridelight Elite. Whoever got it for $525 got a great deal.
What I love about Seth is that he will never be satisfied with a half hearted job, he will always to do it to the best of his ability and it’s really great to watch.
Thats why you should never restore and product you are passionate about. You will spend way to much time and money one it, compared to what you get back in sales
@@04dram04 The whole point of passion is enjoyment, And he enjoyed restoring a bike back to full glory back onto the trails and made a couple hundred bux in the process. What's the issue?
Dude if this whole flip bike thing is going to be bigger you definitely need a ultrasonic cleaner. I wish I had bought this earlier for my motorcycle workshop.
@@silasmaxwell6745 I use vinegar personality for anything rusted, let it soak for 30min and the rust will come right off. For dirty parts I’ll wash them with mean green and spray them with WD-40 to get them shining like new. Easiest cheapest way I’ve found.
9:50 I've been a bike mechanic for a year and you just taught me how to more effectively use these guys so thank you. No more fiddling around trying to route the magnet end from the outside!
This may be a stretch, but hear me out. Back in 2006 there was a store called Backcountry Outdoors that lived under the giant salamander at Pisgah highway (this store has since moved across the highway and I believe is now the citadel called The Hub). They used to sell some home brand mountain bikes which from my memory were simple single pivot frames like this. Given where you live and the age of this bike, it is possible it came from there, which would be pretty cool!
didn’t even realize this was just posted. love the videos seth. you got me stoked to try mountain biking after i stopped bmxing as a teenager finally 4 years later i got myself a mountain bike and have been riding loads
This series, as well as other channels like comet restoration and old shovel, set a great example for a world where instead of repairing things, we tend to throw things out and buy new. I love watching these for tips.
@@BenHaskell oh I thought that was the watching the paint dry part. That's where I always mess up, every paint job I do has my fingerprint in it. Some might have gotten buffed away though. 🤔
Hey Seth, My family and I recently got into the sport due to our oldest daughter having been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Naturally, we started on big box bikes... Mine was definitely too small, I constantly felt like I was going otb. I stumbled across your videos while researching the common mods to make big box bikes tolerable and have found the flip bike and parts bin upgrade series' particularly inspirational. I found a Giant Pistol 2 (full squish circa 06) at my local used sporting goods store priced at $40, had an employee test ride it and it didn't shift so I scored it for just $15! I immediately returned my big box bike to order a new derailleur, hanger, shifter, chainring, chain, brake levers, stem, bars, spacers, pedals, grips, crank tool, top cap & star nut. I even pulled and greased all the bearings and IT TURNED OUT GREAT! So much so that my aforementioned oldest daughter asked why she still had to be on a big box bike and if I could build her one as well. 😅 I know I'll likely never stumble across another $15 full suspension Giant, but I was thinking the Northrock xc27 (mfg by giant) could make a quality, yet inexpensive platform on which to build her a good intermediate hard tale by adding a 1x drivetrain, air fork and hydraulic brakes.
I love these! I learn a lot from each one. They’ve helped me rebuild my old hardtail and build a budget fatbike. They’re both way more than they started as and they’re now prized possessions. Keep it up!
This looks like a late 2000's Diamondback Recoil. My only hesitation in saying that's definitely what it is, is the added gusset on the seat tube. But that may just be present in large and up size frames.
In addition to the seat tube gusset, I also see differences in the shape/design of the rear dropout space, as well as the rear triangle's "seat tube", both where it connects to the shock and also to the frame.
I am restoring a Marzocchi DJ Comp fork right now, and this video helped me confirm that it is a grease only fork based on the exact same internals as yours, as always, Thank you Seth for the information and the entertainment. I am hoping to visit NC in the future and have even been looking houses around Asheville and the surrounding area. Cheers!
Love your passion for the bikes. When I was a teenager, we lived near a county dump, I'd pass by periodically on my bikes and pick up some decent bikes. I sanded and painted them though. I never sold a single one, gave some away and had a few to myself. It amazes me how people just discard nice things. Brings to mind the old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure!"
Absolutely enjoyed the heck out of this video. From the commentary to the choice of background music... Just a really good video. Thanks for the hard work.
Thank you- I have been looking for a solution for spraying in my small shop, I had no idea there were pop up spray tents. Came for the bike entertainment, left with much more.
I think you nailed it...exact same rear triangle. Slight difference on the seat tube gusset and front triangle top tube/down tube gusset but that could be size specific. Finally...this has been driving me nuts.
Seth you should to timed runs with all the bike flip bikes on the same section of trail before and after to see what the upgrades do and compare the flipped ones to previous flips
Kinda hard in this case, considering the tires and chain were completely busted. But in theory it could be an interesting addition to the format, I agree. Even if quite often it would be a DNF before.
Always love watching yr restoration. I ended up restoring my 1996 Giant ATX840 last year. My 25year old bike is now almost brand new with all new parts. Next change is to upgrade the cable disc brakes to hydraulic brakes. Yahooooooo!
Greetings from Australia. Love the series. My 10 yr old is fkn obsessed with it. We are currently rebuilding his new 2nd had 24" Giant MTX. It'll be the only 24" Ive seen with a true 1x on it. haha. Kudos man. We salute you.
Well Done again! Loving this "bike restore" series. You are a good man Seth for bringing all these bikes back to life, and then you turning around and selling them for quite a bargain. You are pillar for the biking community. The work you do on these bikes is very thorough and complete. I know of no bike shop as thorough and complete as the work you have done in all your bike restore videos. For some of the work you have put in, the local bike shop will charge at least $500 per bike for just the Labor Alone. Heck even a basic tuneup with really no work involved will be charge $100 these days for just the labor alone. A Bike Build where a shop builds up a brand new frame and uses brand new parts will be at least $250 these days; and the work you do is about 5 times more effort than that!
Love this. It's not just about the $$$ profit, you've reduced the need for a brand new bike by 1, and all that entails in terms of aluminum production, assembly, and transport. Cycling needs to be more sustainable and restoring bikes this way is a big part of that.
Great video. Love your outlook on keeping budget limits in mind and making things work. That bike was a work of art at the end. Glad to see it come back to life!
@@cloudsandcorrado mongoose used to have some bikes that were high end here in the states. I think they still sell good quality bikes in other countries but we get the trash Wal Mart stuff for some reason.
I wish flip bike happened at the beginning of covid. I learned the hard way. I scooped up a 2005 fuji hardtail for $100. Added pneumatic brakes, all new gears, wires ... Basically kept the shifter, bars, and seat post. The rest was new. Great learning experience for me.
You have an awesome shop, to protect it, you could throw some Danish oil onto the workbench. I have a similar plywood top workbench, put some oil on it and it'll help protect it and give it a nicer look. Just something to think about. Danish oil is awesome because it does everything all in one step and dries within a day, done and done.
Those other bikes can be some nice flips. That DK tracer is still worth a couple hundred. And that hardtail, turn that into a rad little dirt jumper. This was a nice rebuild on that full suspension.
Absolutely love the geometry of this bike. Whoever made this bike must have literally made this frame one single year and then never again. That rear triangle swingarm shape is so unique, cant find it anywhere!
Diamondback recoil. And yea it was a bad design mines rear swingarm snapped on both pivot points on the right side when I bunny hopped off a 2ft hill and I was only like 145lbs
It looks so similar to several bikes but the vertical brace in the front of the subframe is what really makes this unique. Also, the gusset where the top tube and seat tube meet, but as someone else said.... That could be specific to larger sizing. I wouldnt go by components. I'm betting those Avids were added later.
Real owner came home after so many years abroad. “Ma, where are my bikes?!?” But seriously this series really gets me to work on my old bikes. Thanks, Seth, for the inspiration.
I really don't think you should stress about selling it. Leaving the sale for the next episode is a good hook and it's much more satisfying to see the bikes sell for a decent price.
Dude. I love these videos. 🤘 Thank you for this series. I have been “refreshing” old bikes for a while now. I would like to be able to turn a profit, but have not been able to figure that out. Either way, I will keep doing it cause it is so much dang fun. Watching your videos makes me feel validated in my efforts. Thanks for this series, it is my favorite.
Looks like my Rockrider back in the day. But I think many brands used this same mold for their cheap full suspension bike. Also they kinda ride like shit because of the single pivot and the chaingrowth. Mine had a really good air shock back in the day and was feeling like a pogo stick, no matter what the shock was set to. :D
@@timmlpsk Refined? Mine was "Refined" when it was brand new in 1996... It flexes a little, but that doesn't bother me. With its Super Deluxe coil shock it just behaves like a champion. Pivot placement is obviously key, if you're running a triple like I am, then in line with the top of the middle ring for a neutral feeling on the trails. I even commute on it occasionally and it's just as fast as my commuter bike.
You are right that single pivot feels kinda like pogo stick but i cant agree they ride like shit. It depends what you expect. They are very sensitive, even on small bumps and nothing can beat it. I got some old rusty frame with super old rock shox sid for 20$, restored it and that thing is sooooooo smooth. Riding downhill in the forrest feels almost like asphalt road :D
The Atroz looks very similar, but the lower section of the rear triangle (near the pivot) is plated over on the Atroz. From that era there was also no internal routing through the chainstay.
Let me tell you... This flip bike series has me buying up old bikes and flipping them. I flipped my way up to a brand new bike for the wife, started off with a $150 bike, sold it for $400, bought a full suspension GT for $200, flipped it for $550, bought her a brand new $900 bike for $600 on offerup, swapped out a bunch of parts with quality parts from the parts bin and shes in a $1200 or so rig right now from my initial $150 investment.
I’ve been doing the same for years and just recently one of my local bike shops liked what I was doing and offered me a job. Now I have all mod cons at my disposal after hours and can flip bikes a little easier. Keep up the passion mate.
I'm hooked on this story. I had a small fleet of Rocky Mountain bikes going back to late 2000s and I think this is a late 2000s Rocky Mountain prototype! Rocky Mountain was handmade in Canada at the time and experimented with rear linkages quite a bit. The square tube was used on their thrust-link design for downhill bikes like the RM7 around the same time, but I can't recall if it had internal cable routing. I think this might have been an attempt to lighten the design for XC use. Also, the stem cap and handlebars are "RMB" - I believe this is the Rock Mountain house brand for generic parts, which they used extensively in mid-2000s too. Not to mention tru-vative stem and WTB wheels were staples for them at the time too. Seth mentions they used nice parts across the bike; a prototype engineer would have had the means to access these parts for a frankenbike like this. And yes: the wheelsmfg #49 hanger crosses to Rocky Mountain #7 ;) Seth, we need a follow-up video on this one!!!
@@SethsBikeHacks That's too much of a coincidence to not look in to further! I think their production bikes all start with PR. They've done some high-profile prototype builds in the past... I'd drop them an email and see if it's theirs? Curious to know too... do you think the paint was original? Spray paint? Any evidence of decals?
cant be a heckler at all, they all had brackets external for cable routing. video shows clearly this bike never had those. internal cable routing through rear triangle.
WD-40 is not good for bikes. If you get it on the rotors they will be ruined. It's not a lubricant, it's designed for water displacement (that's what WD stands for)
There is REAL value in amateur mech’s getting a chance to do all this kind of work on a bike, where if you screw up, it’s not the end of the world. But seriously Seth - can you do a video on painting bikes? Who are you using?
I love the flip bike series! I’ve been watching all of them to try and price together a good plan for my bike. Not sure if you’d be interested or the view count would make it worth it for you but I’d love a series where you overhaul an entire bike with your favorite budget parts and have some in depth vids on how to service certain parts. So far flip bike is helping me a lot but I figure I’d put it out there in case you would be up for doing some vids like that! So glad I found this channel recently!
Not sure, but is it possible to replace the rear triangle, and combine 2 different frames? or is it how it came from factory? The forks could also have been a second purchase somewhere in it's 12 or so year life.
A good thing for cleaning up extra dirty bikes, WD-40 Bike Degreaser! I've used it to clean bikes that have been neglected for 30+ years outside and it makes the components look new
I love this series Seth. It would be cool if you start purchasing some high-end vintage bikes that were neglected and restore them to their former glory.
Really enjoying the Flip Bike Series Seth. One suggestion I have is wearing appropriate respiratory protection while spraying paint. Paint vapor/fumes are really harmful and I don't think anybody wants to see you get sick making these videos.
Just saw this, amazing video man I love you're showing people your progress in flipping bikes and also teaching people how to come up with ways on how to make bikes in generally better without buying new parts
What a strange bike, mechanical brakes paired with a Chris King headset?? Also I recognise those rims, my old 2008 Cannondale hardtail had those! A very strange mishmash of parts!
I recently picked up a really cheap Commencal Combi that had been sitting for ages. It's taken so much money to get it riding again and still needs so much more. It rated so badly when it was brand new I'm never going to be able to sell it but it really does ride awesome.
it could be an Orange? it just looks like there kinda styling and has the single pivot suspension, also the always stock high end fox rear shoxs on their bikes. Back in the day this will have been a high end shock. Just a thought.
I’ve ruled out all Orange bikes due to the derailleur hanger, and also design differences in the rear triangle, but the linkage does look very similar!
It's not an Orange, they use folded aluminium sheets to make the majority of their frames rather than premade tubing. Although linkage wise it's not a million miles away
I loved the video. I’ve restored my old 90’s cannondale hard tail. Found the right huge headset from woodman. Installed fox f100 RLT fork, mavic wheels. Managed to put a crank bro. Drop seat in as well. No easy trick. It’s a different bike for sure. I really did some fun work on a Gary fisher Joshua f4. New fox 36 fork, front disc, I also managed to put a crank bro. Dropper in by custom bending some small stainless tubing just right to run a cable to it and make the tight Y frame clearance. 😅 Adjustable damper coil over replacement. Completely different ride as well. Had a lot fun engineering it all and finding the parts I needed or made them.
My best guess is that it was a "big box" bike from a store like walmart or something and the kid that owned it raided his Dad's parts bin for "upgrades". There were so many single pivot frames like this that were stickered up as random brands like Reebok and Mongoose.
I've seen a couple older santa cruz bikes that look really similar to that frame. One was a heckler and the other was a blur. If I were to really try to guess at it I'd say it looks like a blur frame that someone rebuilt and added more aggressive parts to at some point around 09-10.
@@michaeldouglasmason could be. It did sound like there was a serial at indicated it might be an '06. But, it does sound like it's got parts from multiple years on it.
@@michaeldouglasmason Afte doing some more research, I think you're right. The closest bike I could find is an '03-'06 superlight. The rear triangle looks a little too beefy on this bike and the pivot point seems a little too far forward, but it's very similar. The only other bike I found that looked similar was an '06ish Haro.
As a nerd mountain biker I can definitely say it’s a late 2014 B’twin rockrider 520s. When I was younger, I really wanted to try out full squish bikes and this was a really good option. Those suspensions are definitely aftermarket and the owner added the marzocchi fork and fox shocks after purchasing it….
I found that the Santa Cruz Superlight model from that time period looked very similar, at least judging by the frame. Components do not match as well though, but maybe the bike you flipped was already upgraded. Anyway sick build as i expected!
Your spraypaint coats are too thick. There's lumpy buildup in some spots. Thin coats, barely thick enough to be opaque, are mandatory when spraypainting unless it's supposed to be a textured paint like "hammer finish" or "truck bedliner". Good to know about the Park magnetic cable fishing tool. I really could've used that back in 1998. I had to drop a piece of weighted thread through my swingarm and carefully tilt the swingarm until the thread dropped through the exit hole. Took me a good 30 minutes.
Hey seth, i've rounded off my t25 on my brake discs trying to get them off, any reccomendations to get it out it's 2/6 that are rounded i got the other 4 off
Penetrating oil and heat can help get them looser, then you should pickup a round-head remover from the hardware store. It’s basically a rudimentary tap that bites into the mangled heads and allows you to extract them.
Plus one on the “speed out”. It’s tough to proceed without buying a new tool but a good screw extractor can save you money for decades. For a rounded t25 it should be pretty easy. Just drill out the center of the bolt a little deeper, and then go slowly in reverse with the extractor until it bites.
Your first and best option is to try and force an allen key roughly the right size into the stripped bolts (try both imperial and metric), push down as hard as you can and turn. Otherwise you can also try use an angle grinder, dremel, or hacksaw to cut a slit into the stripped bolt heads and try to use a flathead to take them out.
I had exactly this, I had to cut a slot with a saw, got a massive flat head screwdriver and used brute strength. Since the hub is alu and the bolt steel, use boiling water to help split it open. Good luck!
Pell’s Ridelight was an expensive bike, it came in four (4) models: Pro $1,200 US, Elite $1,600, Race $2,300 and Team $4,450 USD! It appears the bike that Seth was restoring was the Ridelight Elite. Whoever got it for $525 got a great deal.
charles the detective's got it!
Damnnn you good well done detective, just searched it and found it.
Nah Man that's a Santa Cruz Superlight
@sge4r513 No, it really isn't...
It actually is an early 2000s Santa cruz superlight which does look a little like the pells ridelight
What I love about Seth is that he will never be satisfied with a half hearted job, he will always to do it to the best of his ability and it’s really great to watch.
◈◈
Thats why you should never restore and product you are passionate about. You will spend way to much time and money one it, compared to what you get back in sales
@@04dram04 The whole point of passion is enjoyment, And he enjoyed restoring a bike back to full glory back onto the trails and made a couple hundred bux in the process. What's the issue?
Dude if this whole flip bike thing is going to be bigger you definitely need a ultrasonic cleaner. I wish I had bought this earlier for my motorcycle workshop.
What cleaner do you use?, Best thing I've found is the purple simply green industrial degreaser, it cleans almost anything.
@@silasmaxwell6745 I use vinegar personality for anything rusted, let it soak for 30min and the rust will come right off. For dirty parts I’ll wash them with mean green and spray them with WD-40 to get them shining like new. Easiest cheapest way I’ve found.
More useful videos without expensive tools
@@joatmon_313 CLR in the ultrasonic works great for rust.
i came here to say the same thing
9:50 I've been a bike mechanic for a year and you just taught me how to more effectively use these guys so thank you. No more fiddling around trying to route the magnet end from the outside!
This was more of a rescue than a restoration, love seeing bikes get sent on the trails instead of to a landfill!
Bike rescue indeed.
This may be a stretch, but hear me out. Back in 2006 there was a store called Backcountry Outdoors that lived under the giant salamander at Pisgah highway (this store has since moved across the highway and I believe is now the citadel called The Hub). They used to sell some home brand mountain bikes which from my memory were simple single pivot frames like this. Given where you live and the age of this bike, it is possible it came from there, which would be pretty cool!
The fork is from 2008 tho
@@midastico could be a 2008 model or the forks were upgraded
@@fetB yeah true
The Harvey bike!
Its a pells ridelight
didn’t even realize this was just posted. love the videos seth. you got me stoked to try mountain biking after i stopped bmxing as a teenager finally 4 years later i got myself a mountain bike and have been riding loads
you should feel lucky man. same story here but "15 years later" so i didn't get to ride in my invincible 20's lol
This series, as well as other channels like comet restoration and old shovel, set a great example for a world where instead of repairing things, we tend to throw things out and buy new. I love watching these for tips.
Paint job on this one came out amazing, definitely shows what you can achieve at home with patience and a bit of prep!
And a heated garage the size of a house... ;)
A bit of prep? A damn full couple days worth of a bit of prep.
@@Adroit1911 that's the patience bit 🤣
@@BenHaskell oh I thought that was the watching the paint dry part. That's where I always mess up, every paint job I do has my fingerprint in it. Some might have gotten buffed away though. 🤔
Hey Seth,
My family and I recently got into the sport due to our oldest daughter having been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Naturally, we started on big box bikes... Mine was definitely too small, I constantly felt like I was going otb. I stumbled across your videos while researching the common mods to make big box bikes tolerable and have found the flip bike and parts bin upgrade series' particularly inspirational. I found a Giant Pistol 2 (full squish circa 06) at my local used sporting goods store priced at $40, had an employee test ride it and it didn't shift so I scored it for just $15! I immediately returned my big box bike to order a new derailleur, hanger, shifter, chainring, chain, brake levers, stem, bars, spacers, pedals, grips, crank tool, top cap & star nut. I even pulled and greased all the bearings and IT TURNED OUT GREAT! So much so that my aforementioned oldest daughter asked why she still had to be on a big box bike and if I could build her one as well. 😅 I know I'll likely never stumble across another $15 full suspension Giant, but I was thinking the Northrock xc27 (mfg by giant) could make a quality, yet inexpensive platform on which to build her a good intermediate hard tale by adding a 1x drivetrain, air fork and hydraulic brakes.
thats sick!!!!!
I love these! I learn a lot from each one. They’ve helped me rebuild my old hardtail and build a budget fatbike. They’re both way more than they started as and they’re now prized possessions. Keep it up!
This bike would have been better if he replaced the brakes with Shimano MT200: cheap and reliable.
..im turning 49 this year..and still love to ride bikes especially on the trails because of you Seth..love your videos❤️👍😊😉
This looks like a late 2000's Diamondback Recoil. My only hesitation in saying that's definitely what it is, is the added gusset on the seat tube. But that may just be present in large and up size frames.
In addition to the seat tube gusset, I also see differences in the shape/design of the rear dropout space, as well as the rear triangle's "seat tube", both where it connects to the shock and also to the frame.
The head tube is to long to be a diamondback recoil
Looks like a recoil to me 2008 or 2009.
It also might be an old yeti. Pretty much everything before 2005 looks exactly the same though so who knows.
@@bobohunter1776 yeah after looking up more pre 2010 bikes, the frames are all very similar.
Love your flip bike series! Doesn't get old no matter how many times I watch it!
Looks like a Santa Cruz Heckler. Awesome video! Keep them coming!
I am restoring a Marzocchi DJ Comp fork right now, and this video helped me confirm that it is a grease only fork based on the exact same internals as yours, as always, Thank you Seth for the information and the entertainment. I am hoping to visit NC in the future and have even been looking houses around Asheville and the surrounding area. Cheers!
These videos make my day 10x better.. Loving this series seth!
Love your passion for the bikes. When I was a teenager, we lived near a county dump, I'd pass by periodically on my bikes and pick up some decent bikes. I sanded and painted them though. I never sold a single one, gave some away and had a few to myself. It amazes me how people just discard nice things. Brings to mind the old saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure!"
Sick, love the rebuilds!
Mad respect. not everything has to be new and the best tech to ride. Not everybody is pushing the limits of their components. Some kid will be stoked.
Absolutely enjoyed the heck out of this video. From the commentary to the choice of background music... Just a really good video. Thanks for the hard work.
Thank you- I have been looking for a solution for spraying in my small shop, I had no idea there were pop up spray tents. Came for the bike entertainment, left with much more.
IT is a PELL's RIDELIGHT Elite or Pells Thor FS150 Elite from 2009 it was a 1500 up to 4000 USD MTB. Frame is 100% same but components are differents.
I think you nailed it...exact same rear triangle. Slight difference on the seat tube gusset and front triangle top tube/down tube gusset but that could be size specific. Finally...this has been driving me nuts.
@@mosslager thanks :) Yes the frame Is definitely the right one. It was an expensive bike for the time :)
How did you figure it out?!
Yup, you nailed it. I guess you're Czech? Don't believe Pells were ever sold in America. Most have been bought off eBay or somewhere online.
Nailed it!
Bike saver! Love witnessing the restoration process! I still have my 2002 Bianchi Boardwalk. Old bikes are awesome.
Seth you should to timed runs with all the bike flip bikes on the same section of trail before and after to see what the upgrades do and compare the flipped ones to previous flips
Seth wouldn't fit on half these bikes so I think it would be a bit unfair!
Most bikes don’t ride when they are new
Yes
Kinda hard in this case, considering the tires and chain were completely busted. But in theory it could be an interesting addition to the format, I agree. Even if quite often it would be a DNF before.
I'd be a bit skeptical riding a trail with non working brakes just like in one of the previous episodes.
Always love watching yr restoration. I ended up restoring my 1996 Giant ATX840 last year. My 25year old bike is now almost brand new with all new parts. Next change is to upgrade the cable disc brakes to hydraulic brakes. Yahooooooo!
Greetings from Australia. Love the series. My 10 yr old is fkn obsessed with it. We are currently rebuilding his new 2nd had 24" Giant MTX. It'll be the only 24" Ive seen with a true 1x on it. haha.
Kudos man. We salute you.
The most important thing about this is it’s one less bike in the landfill. Putting new life into old bikes is noble work.
I really like this series. It has inspired me to buy a used bike for my son and restore it for his birthday.
Well Done again! Loving this "bike restore" series. You are a good man Seth for bringing all these bikes back to life, and then you turning around and selling them for quite a bargain. You are pillar for the biking community. The work you do on these bikes is very thorough and complete. I know of no bike shop as thorough and complete as the work you have done in all your bike restore videos. For some of the work you have put in, the local bike shop will charge at least $500 per bike for just the Labor Alone. Heck even a basic tuneup with really no work involved will be charge $100 these days for just the labor alone. A Bike Build where a shop builds up a brand new frame and uses brand new parts will be at least $250 these days; and the work you do is about 5 times more effort than that!
Love this. It's not just about the $$$ profit, you've reduced the need for a brand new bike by 1, and all that entails in terms of aluminum production, assembly, and transport. Cycling needs to be more sustainable and restoring bikes this way is a big part of that.
Great video. Love your outlook on keeping budget limits in mind and making things work. That bike was a work of art at the end. Glad to see it come back to life!
It’s looks like an old mongoose. The rear swing arm design looks extremely similar to the older mongoose models.
Imagine paying $325 for a mongoose in that condition 😂
@@cloudsandcorrado mongoose used to have some bikes that were high end here in the states. I think they still sell good quality bikes in other countries but we get the trash Wal Mart stuff for some reason.
Mongoose used to have high end bikes I have one
@@Coolshortsvideo1 they still do! I’ve been contemplating getting their DH bike it’s a very good deal
@@Madmehican in Australia it's really only their BMXes that r good
I wish flip bike happened at the beginning of covid. I learned the hard way. I scooped up a 2005 fuji hardtail for $100. Added pneumatic brakes, all new gears, wires ... Basically kept the shifter, bars, and seat post. The rest was new. Great learning experience for me.
never heard of a bike with pneumatic brakes before...think you mean hydraulic !
@@bill7853 you would be correct. My other hobby involves pneumatics
You could use the old bike for the thumbnail, it's fun to watch the video until the end to see how the bike end up looking
Good suggestion!
Seconding this.
Actually a great suggestion. Upps the intrigue a little more!
Looks like a Berm Peak special to me which makes it priceless knowing the shenanigans involved. If I had saw this I would have bought it.
Old school! It’s hard to overcome that geometry though. Love the restoration!
29/27.5 fork and 27.5 wheelset
@@plokmko0 ?
You have an awesome shop, to protect it, you could throw some Danish oil onto the workbench. I have a similar plywood top workbench, put some oil on it and it'll help protect it and give it a nicer look. Just something to think about. Danish oil is awesome because it does everything all in one step and dries within a day, done and done.
Those other bikes can be some nice flips. That DK tracer is still worth a couple hundred. And that hardtail, turn that into a rad little dirt jumper. This was a nice rebuild on that full suspension.
damn, Seth. You can restore bicycles like no one! I'm always impressed how you can turn garbage into pure beauty
Absolutely love the geometry of this bike. Whoever made this bike must have literally made this frame one single year and then never again. That rear triangle swingarm shape is so unique, cant find it anywhere!
Diamondback recoil. And yea it was a bad design mines rear swingarm snapped on both pivot points on the right side when I bunny hopped off a 2ft hill and I was only like 145lbs
"Sweat equity" ... love it! Perfect description.
always a good day when seth uploads another flip bike
This has to be my favorite restoration! Graphite was absolutely the right choice. Nice job!
The feeling of watching a bike gets restored is unexplainable!
Try restoring one - even better! I never knew I could fall in love with a machine.
It looks so similar to several bikes but the vertical brace in the front of the subframe is what really makes this unique. Also, the gusset where the top tube and seat tube meet, but as someone else said.... That could be specific to larger sizing. I wouldnt go by components. I'm betting those Avids were added later.
Man, I really like this series! Epic restore man, looks like a real nice bike now!
Real owner came home after so many years abroad. “Ma, where are my bikes?!?”
But seriously this series really gets me to work on my old bikes. Thanks, Seth, for the inspiration.
I really don't think you should stress about selling it. Leaving the sale for the next episode is a good hook and it's much more satisfying to see the bikes sell for a decent price.
watch till the end
I just heard it's sold for $525!
I'm glad it got into a hands of someone who can appreciate bicycles like we do!
Dude. I love these videos. 🤘 Thank you for this series. I have been “refreshing” old bikes for a while now. I would like to be able to turn a profit, but have not been able to figure that out. Either way, I will keep doing it cause it is so much dang fun. Watching your videos makes me feel validated in my efforts. Thanks for this series, it is my favorite.
IMHO putting this much time into a bike can never be about the money but about labour of love.
Looks like my Rockrider back in the day. But I think many brands used this same mold for their cheap full suspension bike.
Also they kinda ride like shit because of the single pivot and the chaingrowth. Mine had a really good air shock back in the day and was feeling like a pogo stick, no matter what the shock was set to. :D
I think it's the same frame. They're very popular in my country
Single pivots are the best. The only time I notice chain growth on my heckler is in the granny ring, when I want it to stand up straight anyway.
@@Metal-Possum Yeah expensive singlepivots are good. The orange bikes are also loved by many. But these cheap single pivots just dont feel refined
@@timmlpsk Refined? Mine was "Refined" when it was brand new in 1996... It flexes a little, but that doesn't bother me. With its Super Deluxe coil shock it just behaves like a champion. Pivot placement is obviously key, if you're running a triple like I am, then in line with the top of the middle ring for a neutral feeling on the trails. I even commute on it occasionally and it's just as fast as my commuter bike.
You are right that single pivot feels kinda like pogo stick but i cant agree they ride like shit. It depends what you expect. They are very sensitive, even on small bumps and nothing can beat it. I got some old rusty frame with super old rock shox sid for 20$, restored it and that thing is sooooooo smooth. Riding downhill in the forrest feels almost like asphalt road :D
Excellent re-build, thank you!!
It definitely looks like it could be an older diamondback atroz especially with that rear triangle design
The Atroz looks very similar, but the lower section of the rear triangle (near the pivot) is plated over on the Atroz. From that era there was also no internal routing through the chainstay.
@@SethsBikeHacks its really bugging me i cant figoure out what bike it is now 🤣
I think it’s a Jamis can’t call the model out but looks like one
I thing GT had a similar bike back than, but idk to be honest
@@itaymazor9335 in all honesty just about every full suspension from around 2010 looks pretty much the same
This is my favorite Flip Bike so far!!! It looks so good!
Great Job!
You are the Bike Flip g.o.a.t., my friend. This one is one of your best!
Let me tell you... This flip bike series has me buying up old bikes and flipping them. I flipped my way up to a brand new bike for the wife, started off with a $150 bike, sold it for $400, bought a full suspension GT for $200, flipped it for $550, bought her a brand new $900 bike for $600 on offerup, swapped out a bunch of parts with quality parts from the parts bin and shes in a $1200 or so rig right now from my initial $150 investment.
I’ve been doing the same for years and just recently one of my local bike shops liked what I was doing and offered me a job. Now I have all mod cons at my disposal after hours and can flip bikes a little easier.
Keep up the passion mate.
You are a Super hero on this channel 👍
I'm hooked on this story. I had a small fleet of Rocky Mountain bikes going back to late 2000s and I think this is a late 2000s Rocky Mountain prototype! Rocky Mountain was handmade in Canada at the time and experimented with rear linkages quite a bit. The square tube was used on their thrust-link design for downhill bikes like the RM7 around the same time, but I can't recall if it had internal cable routing. I think this might have been an attempt to lighten the design for XC use.
Also, the stem cap and handlebars are "RMB" - I believe this is the Rock Mountain house brand for generic parts, which they used extensively in mid-2000s too. Not to mention tru-vative stem and WTB wheels were staples for them at the time too.
Seth mentions they used nice parts across the bike; a prototype engineer would have had the means to access these parts for a frankenbike like this.
And yes: the wheelsmfg #49 hanger crosses to Rocky Mountain #7 ;)
Seth, we need a follow-up video on this one!!!
Damn, Seth should be pinning this
We looked into Rocky but didn’t find anything that looked like this. Maybe it was custom?! The serial number starts with BC, could that be a clue?
@@SethsBikeHacks That's too much of a coincidence to not look in to further! I think their production bikes all start with PR. They've done some high-profile prototype builds in the past... I'd drop them an email and see if it's theirs?
Curious to know too... do you think the paint was original? Spray paint? Any evidence of decals?
@@SethsBikeHacks it's a Rockrider Btwin 6.3... Look them up. Frame is exactly like this one..
EDIT, Pell ridelight, somone in the comments got it
That paint job turned out fantastic!
A Suntour damper in a Marzocchi fork?! That's certainly interesting
Suntour made/makes the dampers for a lot of brands, i heard even Öhlins uses suntour made dampers
It’s surprising how much stuff Suntour actually makes. At the time they may have sold dampers to Marzocchi.
Suntour actually bought Marzocchi in August of 2008 (then sold it in 2015 to Fox), so thats why it has a Suntour Damper
Suntour makes stuff for almost everyone. Similar to Sunrace in the drivetrain world eh, Seth?
Suntour OEMs for a lot of brands, including Rock Shox and DVO.
No honest effort is ever wasted. Do what you love 💞 to do for a happy life!
the full squish appears to be a 98 Santa Cruz Heckler
It looks more like a heckler version 5 because they switched to a more square linkage with the version 5
Looks more like a Decathlon bike. Rockrider
the 98 Heckler had a different connection at the seat post and would have mounts for v brakes. NO WAY it's a 98, maybe a newer version?
cant be a heckler at all, they all had brackets external for cable routing. video shows clearly this bike never had those. internal cable routing through rear triangle.
Its not a 98 Heckler, and I dont think its a v5 heckler either - the rear triangle looks different.
Such a great video! God I wish my Mt bike was never stolen, even a bike like this would get me riding with my friends again. Such a beautiful job
What happened to the other bikes Seth? I need the story of all of them, especially the BMX one because it looked good.
That’s what I’m saying!!! That Subrosa is worth at least a couple hundred.
1st time ive seen your show, bloody good. I even like that 'spray tent' great for size bike-packing.
Crazy restoration! I would have just sprayed some WD-40 everywhere that looked old and been done with it 😂 Great job!
WD-40 is not good for bikes. If you get it on the rotors they will be ruined. It's not a lubricant, it's designed for water displacement (that's what WD stands for)
This would be a great father/son project!!! Great content!!!
There is REAL value in amateur mech’s getting a chance to do all this kind of work on a bike, where if you screw up, it’s not the end of the world. But seriously Seth - can you do a video on painting bikes? Who are you using?
I love the flip bike series! I’ve been watching all of them to try and price together a good plan for my bike. Not sure if you’d be interested or the view count would make it worth it for you but I’d love a series where you overhaul an entire bike with your favorite budget parts and have some in depth vids on how to service certain parts. So far flip bike is helping me a lot but I figure I’d put it out there in case you would be up for doing some vids like that! So glad I found this channel recently!
Not sure, but is it possible to replace the rear triangle, and combine 2 different frames? or is it how it came from factory? The forks could also have been a second purchase somewhere in it's 12 or so year life.
A good thing for cleaning up extra dirty bikes, WD-40 Bike Degreaser! I've used it to clean bikes that have been neglected for 30+ years outside and it makes the components look new
I love this series Seth. It would be cool if you start purchasing some high-end vintage bikes that were neglected and restore them to their former glory.
Great restoration
Really enjoying the Flip Bike Series Seth. One suggestion I have is wearing appropriate respiratory protection while spraying paint. Paint vapor/fumes are really harmful and I don't think anybody wants to see you get sick making these videos.
Just saw this, amazing video man
I love you're showing people your progress in flipping bikes and also teaching people how to come up with ways on how to make bikes in generally better without buying new parts
What a strange bike, mechanical brakes paired with a Chris King headset?? Also I recognise those rims, my old 2008 Cannondale hardtail had those! A very strange mishmash of parts!
It seems to have had a storied history for sure
We should ask Gordon Freeman, he must know.
I recently picked up a really cheap Commencal Combi that had been sitting for ages.
It's taken so much money to get it riding again and still needs so much more. It rated so badly when it was brand new I'm never going to be able to sell it but it really does ride awesome.
it could be an Orange? it just looks like there kinda styling and has the single pivot suspension, also the always stock high end fox rear shoxs on their bikes. Back in the day this will have been a high end shock. Just a thought.
I’ve ruled out all Orange bikes due to the derailleur hanger, and also design differences in the rear triangle, but the linkage does look very similar!
It could be a 06 santa cruz superlight or 05?
@@stephenkimesdicul7976 or a heckler
@@tsargiske488 maybe. it has the same geometry
It's not an Orange, they use folded aluminium sheets to make the majority of their frames rather than premade tubing. Although linkage wise it's not a million miles away
I loved the video. I’ve restored my old 90’s cannondale hard tail. Found the right huge headset from woodman. Installed fox f100 RLT fork, mavic wheels. Managed to put a crank bro. Drop seat in as well. No easy trick. It’s a different bike for sure. I really did some fun work on a Gary fisher Joshua f4. New fox 36 fork, front disc, I also managed to put a crank bro. Dropper in by custom bending some small stainless tubing just right to run a cable to it and make the tight Y frame clearance. 😅 Adjustable damper coil over replacement. Completely different ride as well. Had a lot fun engineering it all and finding the parts I needed or made them.
My best guess is that it was a "big box" bike from a store like walmart or something and the kid that owned it raided his Dad's parts bin for "upgrades". There were so many single pivot frames like this that were stickered up as random brands like Reebok and Mongoose.
Добрый день,смотрю постоянно ваши грамотные видосы ,супер 👍. спасибо за такие подробности очень помогает.
I've seen a couple older santa cruz bikes that look really similar to that frame. One was a heckler and the other was a blur. If I were to really try to guess at it I'd say it looks like a blur frame that someone rebuilt and added more aggressive parts to at some point around 09-10.
I think you're right. 2003 superlight maybe?
@@michaeldouglasmason could be. It did sound like there was a serial at indicated it might be an '06. But, it does sound like it's got parts from multiple years on it.
The blur used VPP so definitely can't be that. The early hecklers looked very similar, but hecklers from this time frame look vastly different.
@@michaeldouglasmason Afte doing some more research, I think you're right. The closest bike I could find is an '03-'06 superlight. The rear triangle looks a little too beefy on this bike and the pivot point seems a little too far forward, but it's very similar. The only other bike I found that looked similar was an '06ish Haro.
Nice work !
Bike restoring can be a nice hobby
looks so close to the 06-07 santa cruz heckler my brother had. could be a 07 cannondale rush or gary fisher procaliber 07 as well.
As a nerd mountain biker I can definitely say it’s a late 2014 B’twin rockrider 520s. When I was younger, I really wanted to try out full squish bikes and this was a really good option. Those suspensions are definitely aftermarket and the owner added the marzocchi fork and fox shocks after purchasing it….
I found that the Santa Cruz Superlight model from that time period looked very similar, at least judging by the frame. Components do not match as well though, but maybe the bike you flipped was already upgraded. Anyway sick build as i expected!
Or any early Santa Cruz Heckler!
Another vote for an early Santa Cruz. Rear triangle and dropout design are spot on.
@@BYin541 true it looks even more accurate!
Brooooo we need more of these flip bikes videos. I like these types of videos.👍🏻👍🏻
Your spraypaint coats are too thick. There's lumpy buildup in some spots. Thin coats, barely thick enough to be opaque, are mandatory when spraypainting unless it's supposed to be a textured paint like "hammer finish" or "truck bedliner".
Good to know about the Park magnetic cable fishing tool. I really could've used that back in 1998. I had to drop a piece of weighted thread through my swingarm and carefully tilt the swingarm until the thread dropped through the exit hole. Took me a good 30 minutes.
Best bike series on youtube hands down
Hey seth, i've rounded off my t25 on my brake discs trying to get them off, any reccomendations to get it out it's 2/6 that are rounded i got the other 4 off
I’ve had luck using speed out style bits. You can also cut a straight slot with a dremel and use a flat headed screw driver
Penetrating oil and heat can help get them looser, then you should pickup a round-head remover from the hardware store. It’s basically a rudimentary tap that bites into the mangled heads and allows you to extract them.
Plus one on the “speed out”. It’s tough to proceed without buying a new tool but a good screw extractor can save you money for decades. For a rounded t25 it should be pretty easy. Just drill out the center of the bolt a little deeper, and then go slowly in reverse with the extractor until it bites.
Your first and best option is to try and force an allen key roughly the right size into the stripped bolts (try both imperial and metric), push down as hard as you can and turn. Otherwise you can also try use an angle grinder, dremel, or hacksaw to cut a slit into the stripped bolt heads and try to use a flathead to take them out.
I had exactly this, I had to cut a slot with a saw, got a massive flat head screwdriver and used brute strength. Since the hub is alu and the bolt steel, use boiling water to help split it open. Good luck!
I freaking love this series!
me encanta tu trabajo, ok, enhorabuena
Flip bike is the best part of my day Seth great job
6:09 you shure? it has a sr suntour damper in it!
I`m 99% sure that`s a marzocchi bomber or drop off.
Yeah a lot of brands use Suntour dampers
@@chadb2077 ahh ok didnt know that.
FINALLY! I've been waiting for another "Flip Bike" episode! it's finally here.
EDIT, Pell ridelight, somone in the comments got it
Glad there is biking videos here again!!!