# Rebuild / Referb of 2000 Gary Fisher Big Sur



## andrewjjolly (Aug 22, 2020)

Hi,
_
tl;dr - I have a 2000 Gary Fisher Big Sur frame that I want to build up as my first bike building project and am looking for help.








_

I still have the frame for my first ever mountain bike (actually only 1 of 2). I started riding again recently, and I have also decided to have a go at building up a bike, I like the idea of doing an older frame as a bit of a project.

I really would like to build up my Big Sur frame as it is still in good condition and has some sentimental value, but I hadn't realised that 26 inch frames were no longer the norm and parts seem to be quite hard to come by. I have some questions regarding components - and would welcome any wisdom that people have.

I have been looking online for 26 inch wheels / forks and they seem extremely thin on the ground - I don't know how much of this is Covid and how much is that they just don't make much anymore. Can anyone recommend somewhere I should look? I presume all the 26 inch wheels didn't just disappear overnight and I'm happy to go 2nd hand if they are in good condition. The original fork was 80mm but I guess going up to 100mm wouldn't change things too much?

In terms of brakes, I guess I can get disc brakes for the front depending on the fork I get - but for the rear, there seem to be mounts (see picture) but despite quite a lot of googling (including finding the original GF catalogue) I can't for the life of me work out what brakes fit on them. Can anyone help me with what brakes would fit this mount - maybe the problem is that they too are obselete.










The wheels, forks and brakes seem to be the main problems to solve at the moment - I have also seen that the norm now is to have 1 chainring at the front which makes sense (not sure why they didn't do that before) so I'd probably look to do that.

Has anyone done a similar rebuild project and have any hints/suggestions for me?

Thanks!


----------



## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

I have no clue on the brake mount. Otherwise, get on ebay and craigslist for the parts you need. Definitely plan it out beforehand though, with the exception of that rear brake setup, you can spend as much as you want rebuilding this bike up. Unless you want to stick with rim brakes, I would definitely try to figure out that rear brake before going forward on anything else though.


----------



## andrewjjolly (Aug 22, 2020)

jestep said:


> I have no clue on the brake mount. Otherwise, get on ebay and craigslist for the parts you need. Definitely plan it out beforehand though, with the exception of that rear brake setup, you can spend as much as you want rebuilding this bike up. Unless you want to stick with rim brakes, I would definitely try to figure out that rear brake before going forward on anything else though.


Great thanks - so ebay is the way to go? Wasn't sure if there was a cycling only 2nd hand website or something. I found pinkbikes through google but I guess ebay is as good as anything.

I'll keep looking for the brakes / hope someone here will know what I need to look for.


----------



## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I owned a Gary Fischer Sugar years ago that I ran with a disc up front and rim brakes on the back. I suppose you could do that if you can't figure a way of mounting a disc on the back.

There is this:
https://www.ebay.com/i/383665477282...DIJTOn_IaWCDP5drrydfpiFXbwxaRGe4aAp9LEALw_wcB
I have no idea if it could be used for your purpose, though.


----------



## andrewjjolly (Aug 22, 2020)

MSU Alum said:


> I owned a Gary Fischer Sugar years ago that I ran with a disc up front and rim brakes on the back. I suppose you could do that if you can't figure a way of mounting a disc on the back.
> 
> There is this:
> https://www.ebay.com/i/383665477282...DIJTOn_IaWCDP5drrydfpiFXbwxaRGe4aAp9LEALw_wcB
> ...


Yes, to be honest, I would be surprised if this wasn't the first of a few bikes that I tinkered with / built up. I'm now of the age (38) where I'm more interested in spending time in the shed messing with things than I did when I was younger.

Although to be fair I didn't have a garage / shed available to me until very recently!

At some point I'll probably post about what I should be looking for in buying a hardtail frame / components.


----------



## Redlands R&C (Dec 14, 2013)

MSU Alum said:


> I owned a Gary Fischer Sugar years ago that I ran with a disc up front and rim brakes on the back. I suppose you could do that if you can't figure a way of mounting a disc on the back.
> 
> There is this:
> https://www.ebay.com/i/383665477282...DIJTOn_IaWCDP5drrydfpiFXbwxaRGe4aAp9LEALw_wcB
> I have no idea if it could be used for your purpose, though.


Good find on the A2Z adapter, that must be somewhat new because last time I looked there wasn't anything other than 1 NOS Shimano one.

I do have a 22mm Hayes mount adapter (unknown make) laying around here somewhere.


----------



## andrewjjolly (Aug 22, 2020)

MSU Alum said:


> I owned a Gary Fischer Sugar years ago that I ran with a disc up front and rim brakes on the back. I suppose you could do that if you can't figure a way of mounting a disc on the back.
> 
> There is this:
> https://www.ebay.com/i/383665477282...DIJTOn_IaWCDP5drrydfpiFXbwxaRGe4aAp9LEALw_wcB
> I have no idea if it could be used for your purpose, though.


Actually that looks like it is about the correct size. Googling this afternoon leads me to believe it is a mount for a Hayes Disc Brake - but it seems that the mount is no longer standard for more modern brakes so using an adapter seems the way to go.


----------



## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

andrewjjolly said:


> Yes, to be honest, I would be surprised if this wasn't the first of a few bikes that I tinkered with / built up. I'm now of the age (38) where I'm more interested in spending time in the shed messing with things than I did when I was younger.
> 
> Although to be fair I didn't have a garage / shed available to me until very recently!
> 
> At some point I'll probably post about what I should be looking for in buying a hardtail frame / components.


Yeah, I had edited out the comment on a different frame, but you were too fast. I'm 68, so I don't have time to fiddle with stuff!


----------



## drkway2esc (Oct 8, 2020)

*Rear disc brake solution is elusive...*

Hi, I'm new here but I've been studying the rear brake solutions available for this vintage chariot. I've got a 1999 Trek YSL200 which has the same 22mm mounting position the chainstay, which I'd like to update/upgrade after 21+ years of riding the wheels off. It's time to get new wheels and rim brake wheels are hard to find - I think limited to SunRingle Rhyno Lite and Velocity Cliffhanger and some no-name brand Chinese offerings.

These 22 mm mounts were for a now obsolete Hayes disc brake caliper. There are some adapters out there which allow you to convert the 22mm span into the IS (International Standard) 51mm or the post mounting standard 74 mm for current disc brake formats.

The 22 mm span seems to be the most elusive thing since the jackelope in the wild. I'm personally in search of the 22mm to 74mm adaptor. - though it appears that I may need to fabricate something. The 22mm to 51mm adaptor appears to be offered by A2Z Components, though some say it won't work on Fishers, Treks or Kleins but I suspect it depends on the size of the brake caliper you choose to employ.

If you look at older threads dating back in the 2009 timeframe, there seems to have been alot of discussion about 22mm adaptors. There's also a member or 2 that have access to the 22 mm Hayes calipers should you want something vintage (NOS or refurbished).

Good luck ... that's going to be a fun project!


----------



## Rojote (Jun 21, 2020)

First off congrats on rebuilding a great frame. You will have to just source some wheel sets from various places on the net. Ebay has some pretty cool vintage stuff although sellers get really greedy on the $$$.

I would just stick to v brakes as they work just as good as most disc brakes within the realm of reason. I just re-adjusted my original 1999 Shimano LX v’s with new pads/shoes. Brakes harder than my hydraulic discs Cannondale. 

I just converted my 99 K2 into a street bomber this summer. It has been a lot of fun reconnecting with a 21 year old bike that I bought new. No problem keeping up with a few buddies on high $$ road bikes for short rides. They cannot believe it. lol. 

Best of Luck. Take your time and search.


----------



## Mr_Whiskerz (Mar 25, 2006)

The bike looks to have come with v-brakes factory.

http://www.vintage-trek.com/Trek-Fisher-Klein-Lemond/2000fisher.pdf

I rode a bike for years that had a disc in the front and a v-brake in the back. It was fine. The front does most of the work anyway, I'd see if you could find a fork that would allow a 180mm rotor up front. That, a BB7, and a spacer would provide plenty of braking for the front. I'd get some kool-stop salmon pads for the rear v-brake, and be done with it.


----------



## Elray12 (Feb 19, 2021)

I've went for the A2Z, the other A2Z didn't fit after a lot of hours wasted trying ? I'm going for a single chain ring but I want to change the bottom bracket and obviously get new cranks. I have no idea the sizes of these though so a bit stuck 











andrewjjolly said:


> Hi,
> 
> _tl;dr - I have a 2000 Gary Fisher Big Sur frame that I want to build up as my first bike building project and am looking for help.
> 
> ...


----------



## Jefflinde (Mar 26, 2015)

Any mountain bike crankset should work on this bike as long as the BB interface is compatible. ie. BSA or whatever thread pitch you have. just make sure you don't get a Boost crankset but any modern non-boost crankset should work. I have rebuilt a few older GF bikes and they were all standard BSA threaded BBs. I like the shimano interface as it is easy to locate a BB and they are inexpensive.


----------



## reido (Apr 15, 2012)

Similar situation as you. Not sure I'm going disc brakes, but hoping for a fork upgrade. Any idea here about how to go about sizing a new decent quality shock upgrade? And should I expect to need a larger front wheel and new brakes too? I'm on a limited budget...
Thanks


----------

