I bought this bike for my wife and swapped out the headset for a Cane Creek, kept it straight steerer and used a Manitou Markhor 100mm fork I had in the parts bin. Frankly, I got a little carried away and you might say I paid $250.00 for a frame; I've swapped and upgraded almost everything...
@chubsound Hey! Nothing wrong with that at all if it is what you wanted to do! I bet your wife has a very nice bike she enjoys riding and that is all that matters 😁
I think all the upgrades are worth if you use the bike and have a good time building it up. Sometimes you don't have all the money at once so upgrading a bike little by little as you get the cash is a must.
@Souzaphotos That is a great find! Definitely if you have the extra money and time keep an eye out on the used market. Can find some great deals if you are patient and check frequently 😁
@@chickensendies Facebook marketplace always has new stuff popping up, I've seen plenty of gravel bikes for the same price as the Ozark...now if you live in the middle of nowhere I can understand being stuck on choices... I'm sure things like the derailleur hanger would suck to break on that Ozark.
@Souzaphotos yep, I get what you are saying. IL is definitely hit and miss for marketplace, but I've had good luck on different mtb swap pages or even just waiting for good deals or coupons on websites. I do a big mix of budget stuff like this or my main steed is a Ti Binary maniak with very nice parts. I just enjoy working and building bikes and sharing my experiences on here 😁
Walmart is now selling G1 explorer with flat handlebar for those who want that option. I replaced mine with flat bar... feels like I have more control and no more back pain.
A more appropriate upgrade maybe a stem and seatpost suspension . A new wheel that accepts tubeless a bit wider front tire and which will allow lower tire pressures
@stevencole7331 definitely agree with what you recommend 😁😁😁 I just prefer to do out of the ordinary or more unique upgrades. Simply because I can HAHAHAHA
I've always used a pipe cutter for aluminum and steel steerer tubes(not a good idea on carbon tubes). I've always gotten a perfect cut. You do have to clean up the cut edges with a file, but I've never had an issue. You can get a pipe cutter for about 15 bucks at the hardware store. Edit: posted before you showed the pipe cutter....lol.
I'm looking to get these same ones in a straight steer but the orange ones with 120 mm of travel 3 months ago I bought a brand new specialized 2024 rock hopper sport and has a coil fork on it and it sucks I really wasn't paying attention It was an impulse bike cuz I was excited but I'm going to swap it out with these bolany forks
After riding my ozark G1 explorer in bumpy gravel trails I definitely need this fork. Thanks for doing this video. Could you also share the tools you use? I can’t wait to see your comments in a video for this fork. Thanks!!
There is a flat mount to post mount adapter that you can use which would allow you to keep the stock brakes. The adapters run $2.00 to $5.00 each from China. If you want to save money. A $5.00 part vs a $20.00 part. Although, the new brakes would be a great improvement over stock.
I bought a baloney 38 with 180 mm of travel for giggles it came with foam rings and half decent Teflon lined bushings, it's a still a non serviceable damper cartridge and the air side had stuff lying on the air piston seal head but the really improved a ton since the dirty inside first inverted fork I got two years ago, still not up to par with RST or suntour QC but they might come to Rock shox judy levels in a couple of years 😂
I must add if you order the 38 version and it develops extreme sticktion issues after a ride or two bushing might be out of alignment 😂 ask seller for a replacement... Also the ports behind the legs on the lowers are NOT bleed ports they are just filling entry point for fork oil. For best results use 20 to 25 ml of yamalube S1 (5wt) type suspension oil after cleaning and moisturizing the foam ring, 38 flangeless skf low friction seals do fit (MTB-38FN)
What brand of headset is that to make it where you can use taper forks on straight steer? I got a 2024 specialized rockhopper sport that I bought brand new 3 months ago I'm not too thrilled with it as it does have a coil fork on it in my opinion should have came with an air fork but I want to swap them out, I was also looking at the bucklos Fork or the bolany ones I just like the colors but I don't do crazy jumps and stuff I mainly ride wheelies
This one specifically is a risk one off of Amazon. About $20 and I have installed a few now and have been very impressed with them! As I have a bit of miles on this specific fork I would not recommend it sadly. I will make a video here soon explaining why but it looks nice but the internals leave something’s to be desired.
Will be interesting to see how you like the handling and ride now. This fork is longer so it will slacken the head angle and raise the bottom bracket ? Also imagine its a fair bit heavier ? Good experiment tho as a lot of the high end gravel bikes are coming with suspension forks now.
@inthebush3 only about .4 Ibs heavier so not by much which is nice. Since the travel is not much, it shouldn't raise too crazy but it will slacken it a bit 😁😁😁 Appreciate it!
Constructive criticism: look at the lens, not the preview off to the side. Outside of that great video and interested to see what people keep doing with this bike!
I've actually never thought about that HAHAHA I just look at the screen to make sure I am in frame. Appreciate the input and glad you enjoyed the video!
i remember when i thought i didnt need to use a torque wrench. then, after years of wrenching on bikes, i realized i was wrong. well done video, though, cheers
I'm seriously thinking about buying this bike just to use it in the city and go to work but I don't like the 7 speeds, if you make a new video updating the 7 speeds, I would love to see it, greetings from El Salvador✨
It's a 7speed. So it's going to have a freewheel not a cassette. Meaning there's no good upgrade path for the drive train. You'd have to replace the entire rear wheel to one with a freehub. And compatibility is sketchy below about 10speed, especially frankenbiking across different brands. This isn't a bike to bother upgrading. Especially not the drive train.
Cut your steerer so that you have a small spacer on top of the stem. Better to be long, and have more strength and adjustment, than to have a fork with too short of a steerer tube!
@fifthcircle1 I mentioned it in the video but I like the length it was at with it all so I just matched what it was😁 But, yep, better to have more than less and you can play around with spacers that way as well.
You can but in my experience it is a little hard to get them perfectly matched up. You would be better measuring the original then just putting that on the new one.
@mrgoatbeard Yep! They make nice stuff but definitely not needed by most. I've got a good mix of cheap and parktool. I'll typically grab parktool stuff on sale 😁
Only type of bike I’ve found similar to the ozark is a Kent brand bikes which used to be sold at Walmart (not sure anymore) slightly differences in shifters. But comparable
Maybe technically doing the upgrades isn't worth it but what if you only have $250 to spend but a couple months down the road you can spend some on upgrades it's not only fun to do but I think it would be worth it in that case
@DavidBrown-iy2pl I was looking at the grit a bit ago but passed on it. Nice looking bike but when I saw this one I decided it would be fun to mess with 😁
I like the orange ones that have the same orange look as fox shocks I'm thinking about doing this on my straight steer specialized rockhopper check out my other comment I asked a question
if your mountain bike purchase is to explore the concrete jungle, such as False creek, the seawall, or paved paths anywhere, don't watch upgrade videos.
@reneelove7513 but, You can always watch upgrade videos if you want 😁 I enjoy seeing all the different ways people take their bikes with upgrades. One of the best parts of biking is making it your own 😁
Almost a perfect build and video, except for... SAVE THE NUB! FORGET ZERO STACK! Millions of forks end up in landfills every year, too short to be of any use to future riders too tall to want to hunch over shortened stems. Unwilling to use stem extenders. It's amazing the quality of ride that can be delivered for such a price! Great video!
Josh don't spend all that Walmart cash in one spot brother lol ha ja, I had to laugh at that comment, ain't nobody giving us money or even parts or gear for these videos. SMH
I just wanna point out the depth does not matter that lip on the inside of the bike is at most a millimeter that the bottom cup has about 10mm in from where the bottom bearing sits it would never hit considering the bikes not tapered i just realized 1 year later and you still think it's gonna hit no worries there
I like the orange ones that have the same orange look as fox shocks I'm thinking about doing this on my straight steer specialized rockhopper check out my other comment I asked a question
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I bought this bike for my wife and swapped out the headset for a Cane Creek, kept it straight steerer and used a Manitou Markhor 100mm fork I had in the parts bin. Frankly, I got a little carried away and you might say I paid $250.00 for a frame; I've swapped and upgraded almost everything...
@chubsound Hey! Nothing wrong with that at all if it is what you wanted to do! I bet your wife has a very nice bike she enjoys riding and that is all that matters 😁
Still probably a lot cheaper then a lot of other worse bikes
Just ordered this bike! Can't wait to see your future videos on it.
@FineVisionz definitely gonna get experimental 😅😅😅
Looking forward to seeing your review after your first ride
Hoping for an update here soon!
I think all the upgrades are worth if you use the bike and have a good time building it up. Sometimes you don't have all the money at once so upgrading a bike little by little as you get the cash is a must.
@@JoseLimon-vj9iw Absolutely! I think that is a great option and what quite a few people do. Appreciate the comment!
If it's all you can buy than sure...I got a complete in mint condition Canyon Grizl for $600 used...
@Souzaphotos That is a great find! Definitely if you have the extra money and time keep an eye out on the used market. Can find some great deals if you are patient and check frequently 😁
@@chickensendies Facebook marketplace always has new stuff popping up, I've seen plenty of gravel bikes for the same price as the Ozark...now if you live in the middle of nowhere I can understand being stuck on choices... I'm sure things like the derailleur hanger would suck to break on that Ozark.
@Souzaphotos yep, I get what you are saying. IL is definitely hit and miss for marketplace, but I've had good luck on different mtb swap pages or even just waiting for good deals or coupons on websites. I do a big mix of budget stuff like this or my main steed is a Ti Binary maniak with very nice parts. I just enjoy working and building bikes and sharing my experiences on here 😁
It's nice when they standardize things. I picture in my mind a group of guys who meet in Denmark just for that purpose. 🤗
@@BonafideToolJunkie HAHAHAHA I can picture this now 🤣
Walmart is now selling G1 explorer with flat handlebar for those who want that option. I replaced mine with flat bar... feels like I have more control and no more back pain.
@@BonafideToolJunkie I saw that and I'm glad they have that option now!
A more appropriate upgrade maybe a stem and seatpost suspension . A new wheel that accepts tubeless a bit wider front tire and which will allow lower tire pressures
@stevencole7331 definitely agree with what you recommend 😁😁😁 I just prefer to do out of the ordinary or more unique upgrades. Simply because I can HAHAHAHA
I installed a fox gravel Fork on mine. Between that and the carbon parts on it it definitely gets some looks😂
@shawndunn4285 that is terrific HAHAHAHA I think it's great all you can do with this bad boy 😁
I did something similar to a giant escape. Had to knock out the existing cups and machine off the inner lip.
Fits perfect
@CL-yx7ly nice to be able to do this and snag a tapered if you want 😁
ahhhhh waiting for the final review ;D
Hopefully soon! I finally got the new place all settled in!
When I didn't have a press I used a long bolt and nuts with large washers. Not the best but it applies even pressure and worked!
@@creativenatureadventures9338 Yep! That absolutely works and is budget friendly!!!
I've always used a pipe cutter for aluminum and steel steerer tubes(not a good idea on carbon tubes). I've always gotten a perfect cut. You do have to clean up the cut edges with a file, but I've never had an issue. You can get a pipe cutter for about 15 bucks at the hardware store.
Edit: posted before you showed the pipe cutter....lol.
@gtrklem HAHAHAHA I totally forgot about it until I saw it on my board. Been a bit since I had to use one 😅😅😅
Im new to the bike upgrading world! Love your videos! I have a quick question what brake disc would i need to run with that wheel?
I use that brand on my hybrid and have no issues with it. Been riding with it since 2000 but I do street riding and some curb hoping it works great
@@DavidBrown-iy2pl very nice and glad to hear!
I'm looking to get these same ones in a straight steer but the orange ones with 120 mm of travel 3 months ago I bought a brand new specialized 2024 rock hopper sport and has a coil fork on it and it sucks I really wasn't paying attention It was an impulse bike cuz I was excited but I'm going to swap it out with these bolany forks
After riding my ozark G1 explorer in bumpy gravel trails I definitely need this fork. Thanks for doing this video. Could you also share the tools you use? I can’t wait to see your comments in a video for this fork. Thanks!!
Great video man!
@ventureall-terrain2297 appreciate it man!
There is a flat mount to post mount adapter that you can use which would allow you to keep the stock brakes. The adapters run $2.00 to $5.00 each from China. If you want to save money. A $5.00 part vs a $20.00 part. Although, the new brakes would be a great improvement over stock.
@@jeffbergford4724 I was looking for those and could not find any 🤣🤣🤣 Might need to look harder next time. Appreciate it!
I think that work was a good choice. I've been thinking about trying one on my "gravel" bike
@chrishorbatt3504 thanks and I appreciate it, Chris!
Risk make some really handy tools too.
@@husky0877 ill have to take a look! I did not realize they make tools as well!
@@chickensendies I have one that holds a square taper BB tool in place so it doesn't slip off and chew the splines. Most handy.
@@husky0877 That sounds very nice! Appreciate the heads up on it!
Great video, if I wanted to go to a Ridged Carbon Fork, what type and size would I need to be compatible with the Ozark Gravel bike.
I bought a baloney 38 with 180 mm of travel for giggles it came with foam rings and half decent Teflon lined bushings, it's a still a non serviceable damper cartridge and the air side had stuff lying on the air piston seal head but the really improved a ton since the dirty inside first inverted fork I got two years ago, still not up to par with RST or suntour QC but they might come to Rock shox judy levels in a couple of years 😂
I must add if you order the 38 version and it develops extreme sticktion issues after a ride or two bushing might be out of alignment 😂 ask seller for a replacement...
Also the ports behind the legs on the lowers are NOT bleed ports they are just filling entry point for fork oil.
For best results use 20 to 25 ml of yamalube S1 (5wt) type suspension oil after cleaning and moisturizing the foam ring, 38 flangeless skf low friction seals do fit (MTB-38FN)
@LaurentiusTriarius Good information to know and I appreciate it! Definitely excited to see how this bad boy goes! HAHAHAHA
@@chickensendies it's good cheap fun, just might be hard to sue anyone if ish goes wrong.
We're the test pilots here 😅
@@LaurentiusTriarius Give me my pilots license then... It's go time! 🤣🤣🤣
Can’t wait to see this bike out to see how it does with the upgrade fork
@@ae86one hopefully will be this or next week! 😁😁😁
What brand of headset is that to make it where you can use taper forks on straight steer? I got a 2024 specialized rockhopper sport that I bought brand new 3 months ago I'm not too thrilled with it as it does have a coil fork on it in my opinion should have came with an air fork but I want to swap them out, I was also looking at the bucklos Fork or the bolany ones I just like the colors but I don't do crazy jumps and stuff I mainly ride wheelies
This one specifically is a risk one off of Amazon. About $20 and I have installed a few now and have been very impressed with them! As I have a bit of miles on this specific fork I would not recommend it sadly. I will make a video here soon explaining why but it looks nice but the internals leave something’s to be desired.
Will be interesting to see how you like the handling and ride now.
This fork is longer so it will slacken the head angle and raise the bottom bracket ?
Also imagine its a fair bit heavier ? Good experiment tho as a lot of the high end gravel bikes are coming with suspension forks now.
@inthebush3 only about .4 Ibs heavier so not by much which is nice. Since the travel is not much, it shouldn't raise too crazy but it will slacken it a bit 😁😁😁 Appreciate it!
That's great I thought it would be much heavier 🙂
Would never buy any gravel bike with a suspension fork.
I've also seen people use pipe cutters on this with a good pipe cutter you can get a very decent cut
Yep! Pipe cutter is a great budget option!
Did you get a rear caliper to match the front?
@@BerserkerNick I did not but am interested in getting another since this one looks so nice!
Constructive criticism: look at the lens, not the preview off to the side. Outside of that great video and interested to see what people keep doing with this bike!
I've actually never thought about that HAHAHA I just look at the screen to make sure I am in frame.
Appreciate the input and glad you enjoyed the video!
@ no worries. As a professional TH-camr consumer it’s something that jumps out at me 😂
@@EricStorms I love it HAHAHAHAHA Thanks again!!!
i remember when i thought i didnt need to use a torque wrench. then, after years of wrenching on bikes, i realized i was wrong. well done video, though, cheers
@zkipa oh, I definitely have torque wrenches that I use 😁 Glad you thought it was well done and appreciate the comment!
I'm seriously thinking about buying this bike just to use it in the city and go to work but I don't like the 7 speeds, if you make a new video updating the 7 speeds, I would love to see it, greetings from El Salvador✨
@@josealejandroortizvalencia7142 I am currently looking into drivetrain options 😁😁😁
It's a 7speed. So it's going to have a freewheel not a cassette. Meaning there's no good upgrade path for the drive train. You'd have to replace the entire rear wheel to one with a freehub. And compatibility is sketchy below about 10speed, especially frankenbiking across different brands. This isn't a bike to bother upgrading. Especially not the drive train.
Cut your steerer so that you have a small spacer on top of the stem. Better to be long, and have more strength and adjustment, than to have a fork with too short of a steerer tube!
@fifthcircle1 I mentioned it in the video but I like the length it was at with it all so I just matched what it was😁 But, yep, better to have more than less and you can play around with spacers that way as well.
I would really like to see microshift 1 by 10 group set on this bike
With a fork cutting can't you just put your stock fork and new fork side by side and cut them at the same length or measure the fork length?
You can but in my experience it is a little hard to get them perfectly matched up. You would be better measuring the original then just putting that on the new one.
So basically just bought a long bolt and made my own headset tool with a bolt and some square blocks of wood...works perfectly.
@@mrgoatbeard absolutely spot on! If it works it works! HAHAHAHA
@@chickensendies I mean tbh park tools are for people who need to do a lot fast...way cheaper solutions when you need it every once in awhile.
@mrgoatbeard Yep! They make nice stuff but definitely not needed by most. I've got a good mix of cheap and parktool. I'll typically grab parktool stuff on sale 😁
What's the max tire width the frame handles?
Hey, There!!! Sadly I have not tested this out so I can not be of much service in this department.
Can you put a 7x11 transmission on it?

Buscar
Only type of bike I’ve found similar to the ozark is a Kent brand bikes which used to be sold at Walmart (not sure anymore) slightly differences in shifters. But comparable
the work fine i have so many of there parts get a pump
@CreativeFishDesignsCharlotte already have a shock pump. Definitely not my first air fork just my first bolany branded one. Thanks for watching!
I cut forks with a big tubing cutter or my grinder with a cut off wheel
@@chrishorbatt3504 there you go!
Maybe technically doing the upgrades isn't worth it but what if you only have $250 to spend but a couple months down the road you can spend some on upgrades it's not only fun to do but I think it would be worth it in that case
Yep! This is a great option imo for people on a budget wanting to get into riding now and slowly upgrading it over time.
I wish I could have got the Ozone Park over the Mongoose Grit price wise
@DavidBrown-iy2pl I was looking at the grit a bit ago but passed on it. Nice looking bike but when I saw this one I decided it would be fun to mess with 😁
The best bike for 253$ and it true 👍 thank
Please upload the rest of this upgrade. I’m impatiently waiting.
@kangeo Very soon my friend.... I was in Canada riding Whistler this week so been a little busy 😁😁😁
God bless you.
Always check your grease lol
@@yardsalecycles Always!!!! HAHAHAHA
Synopsis, synapsis is a very different thing
@@generalruler That is definitely my bad 🤣🤣🤣 Not doing any biology over here lol
If you bought a wheel for $60 that's a killer deal you can't even lace one up that cheap
@@chrishorbatt3504 it seems to have gone up since I snagged it. Guessing they were trying to move product.
Can't you just buy a different amount for the caliper instead of buying a whole new caliper? I thought they sold different types of mounts
Yep, you can do that but with this fork specifically the old caliper would not fit so I had to get a new one.
I like the orange ones that have the same orange look as fox shocks I'm thinking about doing this on my straight steer specialized rockhopper check out my other comment I asked a question
if your mountain bike purchase is to explore the concrete jungle, such as False creek, the seawall, or paved paths anywhere, don't watch upgrade videos.
@@reneelove7513 Yep! I think this bike stock is great for any form of paved trails. I just enjoy tinkering and seeing what all I can do with bikes 😁
@reneelove7513 but, You can always watch upgrade videos if you want 😁 I enjoy seeing all the different ways people take their bikes with upgrades. One of the best parts of biking is making it your own 😁
Almost a perfect build and video, except for...
SAVE THE NUB! FORGET ZERO STACK!
Millions of forks end up in landfills every year, too short to be of any use to future riders too tall to want to hunch over shortened stems. Unwilling to use stem extenders.
It's amazing the quality of ride that can be delivered for such a price! Great video!
NUBS MATTER!!! HAHAHAHAHA
Appreciate the love and thanks for the comment!
I have heard of people clearing 29x2.125 on stock fork
@@modalsoul4748 Good to know!
If one truly wants to get the most out of their money, buy used gear. The best way to save on upgrades.
@@raceface_m2579 Absolutely! I love Facebook marketplace for new takeoff stuff 😁😁😁
It's pronounced ball-ah-knee
@therealjeff8086 Interesting..... The styled of meat is much more fun to say for the brand 🤣
Putting a shock fork on this bike is most definitely not an upgrade.
@JosephHartley-u8j honestly more of an experiment 🤣🤣🤣 Main point of this video was to show that this bike can take a tapered fork 😉
I wish the mountain bike fork looked like this. The MTB is ugly as hell.
“Today Walmart sent me more money so here’s another video about this POS Walmart bike! Don’t forget to like and subscribe!”
@maitaioe9455 HAHAHAHA Definitely not getting any money from Walmart. But, whatever makes you feel better! 😁
Josh don't spend all that Walmart cash in one spot brother lol ha ja, I had to laugh at that comment, ain't nobody giving us money or even parts or gear for these videos. SMH
@@trailmonster It is what it is HAHAHAHA People cant seem to understand that in 2024 decent budget bikes exist... 😄😄😄 Appreciate you Brother!
Gotta be an absolute POS to even post a comment like that in the first place.
I just wanna point out the depth does not matter that lip on the inside of the bike is at most a millimeter that the bottom cup has about 10mm in from where the bottom bearing sits it would never hit considering the bikes not tapered i just realized 1 year later and you still think it's gonna hit no worries there
@armyfreak1367 there are some bikes where it is not that deep. That is why I mention to check it if you are looking to do this on a different frame 😁
Is the bike fast
@@armyfreak1367 I'd say fast enough for most 😁
I like the orange ones that have the same orange look as fox shocks I'm thinking about doing this on my straight steer specialized rockhopper check out my other comment I asked a question
I just responded to the other one. Appreciate all the comments!