[Closed] Curious novice ?

Chainset, stem, bars, wheels should all swap over. You may need a, depending on the tube diameter of the new frame a new seat post, front mech and possibly a different fork depending on what travel the frame requires.

My forks apparently are 120 travel (suntour epicon 120)so do I just need a frame which suits ? Also what do you mean by front mech ? Thanks btw

Front mech, the thing that changes the gears at the front. Depending on the diameter of the tubes and the cable routing on the new frame means you may have to change it. "Most" front mechs are dual pull (cable can come from above or underneath) and can have shims added or taken out to fit the frame.

If your fork is 120mm then try and match the rear travel. This will give a more balanced ride.

You may also have to alter the brake hoses when you swap the brakes over as the distance between the rear brake calliper and the brake lever may be more or less than what you have got now.

Ah right , well thanks for the advice I think I'll look further into this now I know it's possible

Can I ask why you want full suspension? Are you unhappy with your Carrera? Just trying to get a picture. 🙂

Word of warning, as you're new to all this you're probably well advised to tread carefully here. Whilst it is possible to swap bits between bikes, it's often a case of opening a major can of worms to achieve this. You may also find yourself requiring the services of a local bike shop to help you out and so will incur labour charges, or if you choose to go down the DIY route, you will need to lay out a certain ammount of money for certain specialist tools: chain whips, BB removal tools and sprocket lock-nut removal tools being a few which spring to mind immediately.

The carrera has been fantastic to be honest , I've ridden it on pretty much all the trail centres , and off piste so to speak , all year and not had one single problem with it , BUT , not being the lightest of people I am always a bit wary whenever I jump anything ( tiniest of jumps tbh !! ) of the frame snapping . I suppose it's more a lack of confidence in the bike , despite never being let down . Also virtually everywhere I go everybody seems to have full suss so I just presumed they are the better bike to have ??

The grass is always greener.

It would be pretty amazing if you snapped your frame by jumping tiny jumps. Frame designs have to go through CEN testing where they slam the frame at great speed into stuff.

You might snap yourself of course...

Also virtually everywhere I go everybody seems to have full suss so I just presumed they are the better bike to have ??

It's not as simple as that!

Not necessarily better, different. Jumping is more to do with tecnique than than frame strength. Yes a 40lb plus 200mm travel DH rig allows you to plough through or off most things but a skilful rider on a hardtail will be able to ride nearly as much.

From what you've posted above I'd suggest you're not ready for effectively building a bike from scratch (which is really what you're planning), It's also easier if all the parts are brand new, no seized items to unseize etc. You also need more stuff than you expect, i.e. cables, seat post clamp plus much of the stuff mentionned above. Then there's tools, wrong tool for a job can be a nightmare and end up writing components off or even the new frame. If you're on a limited budget it could get expensive quickly.

Final thoughts, all the parts on the Carrera were specced for that bike by someone who understands bikes, also the new parts you buy will be at retail and effectively cost a lot more than if bought as part of a complete bike. You don't need thousands for a reasonable entry level full suss, £ 1200 to £ 1500 is fine (although still a lot of money).

Arguably a hardtail is better suited to jumping than a full sus, but I wont get into that arguement here!

Riding a full sus will instantly make you feel faster and more in control, and these are certainly benefits. I went back to hardtail after full sus because I found most of the riding that I did, did not need rear suspension, and it was just extra weight that I was dragging around.

Travel wise, its easy to get caught up in the "more travel is better" arms race, but to keep costs down, keeping travel down will help. there are plenty of older full sus frames about on here and on ebay etc which will be more than adequate, and as most people said, you should be able to move most of your components around. Lots of frames are sold with a seatpost, front mech and headset anyway, as if its a weird size, chances are it doesn't fit their new frame!

In your position I'd probably be looking at older konas, but only because I've ridden a few and enjoyed them. plenty around at a good price but I'm sure anything from a decent brand will be ok.

Another thing to consider, it is somertimes better value to buy a complete bike... If you got a new frame, then decided that a new fork was needed, then some new brakes and a new rear wheel, you'd have probably been better off buying a complete bike (plus you can sell off all the bits you don't need from the old bike to offest cost?

seems to me you only want to change your frame because you are worried of breaking it. Dont hold me to this, but i can pretty much guarantee that you wont break that frame. I can remember when i thought i was going to break my gt avalanche from doing the various trails around south wales, but it just kept on going.

The worst thing that will happen is the frame will break (which it wont) and you can upgrade then.

If you go for a full susser, get one with an air shock - it may float better if you have another canal incident 😉