Swap out rock shox on 97' f300?

[LucyV]

I love my bike but I got it second hand (am in UK) with this rather clunky looking v-brake setup on the rock shox. I am not very bike fixit savvy, but I was wondering if it might look less of an eyesore if I swapped rigid forks, or put a headshock in there. Or maybe revert to cantilever brakes?

What do you all think? It's a daily run around bike in a seaside city.

If I bought some new-old bits - what do I search on ebay to make sure I get one that fits?

 

[JohnnyD]

It would look a lot less of an mess of parts with an originally equipped Headshok. Finding one would be the biggest challenge , as you can still buy the bearing cups and bearings that fit the frame if you wind up going that route. 1998 F series bikes came with V-brakes though, not canti-lever.
Take a look over at
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/forums/ . It's a UK based forum and has a decent for sale thread that could possibly help you source a Headshok locally.

 

[letsbike]

V-brakes (Linear Pull) have more stopping power than cantilever brakes. For that reason I wouldn't change that part of your setup. It would look better if you got rid of the rust however.

 

[black lightning 1987]

That model actually came with a RS Quadra 5 and Acera X V-brakes. I could see putting a rigid fork on it, but you'd want to find one with an axle to crown distance that's similar to the Rockshox so the handling doesn't change much.

 

[LucyV]

That model actually came with a RS Quadra 5 and Acera X V-brakes. I could see putting a rigid fork on it, but you'd want to find one with an axle to crown distance that's similar to the Rockshox so the handling doesn't change much.

Hi! Thanks for this. I know my RS Quadra isn't an outlier but I've seen fxxx models with the headshox and they look so much nicer. I did not know they came with the v-brakes though, always assumed something prettier. Ha Ha.Yes, the rust @letsbike needs to be addressed. I wonder too, can you put decent mudguards on an old mountain bike for winter? I was going to get a beater for winter but I've no space for a second bike. Thanks!