I dont . ITs a mountain bike. A couple of us have noted that our local trails havent really changed that mucg in 20-30 years in some cases. These bikes are what we rode

We also used to wreck a whole lot more back then.:lol:

Bikes were designed like that because people just didn’t know any better. I remember well thinking that a 135mm stem, 560mm bar, 71 deg head angle all sounded like a good idea.:foo:

This bike is interesting for what it is: An old classic mtb. IMO, trying to modernize it with a different front end in an attempt to make it a better mtb is a waste of money and of the bike, IMO.

If what you want is a better mtb, start with a more modern bike. The problem with this bike is not the components, it is the geometry.

Boy - you hit the nail on the head there !

In my case, and being 50 now with a ton of old injuries -- but for me i wonder if thats more a function of being in my 20's and trying to push the limits everytime the trail angled slightly downward and attempting to achieve lift on almost any bump, stump or creek crossing. Today i have a far more capable machine, but i also ride it much more cautiously. Quite a conundrum

Very good catch. If the Headshok is working (?) I'd keep it for sure.

Maybe loose a couple of pounds, or ...

Just keep it as your gravel bike. Perfect for that. I'm not that far behind you weight wise and I just rebuilt a V-500 with a Headshok for my granddaughter. Yeah, if I don't preload it for my weight and pump up the Fox Shok it's a bit too springy. But yours will be much more forgiving on most surfaces with solid stays :)

I had some pretty nice hardtails in that era and I took them some wild places.

If I had this back then, I would have likewise taken it wild places.

Any bike that comes specd with XT/XTR is going to have pretty good components everywhere else. It’s a great bike.

It’s old school though, the sport has fundamentally changed, I would not expect this bike to perform well in what the modern definition seems to be (gravity driven and aerial).

that was top of the food chain in the day.
enjoy

Self-absorbed, careless, throwaway society lacking in consideration of those in need and the amount of completely useful stuff they throw in the landfill as waste.

Yes. We are heathens.

I educated the attendants at the landfill about quality bikes they should be diverting. Turned into a treasuretrove for me. Great pickup.

A good number probably, but nothing wrong with that. Being self-absorbed, ignorant, and wasteful, however, does very real damage, regardless of making jokes about it. ;)

Is there a delete/workaround for the Headshock that makes it just a regular setup? :foo:

Wow! I should be so lucky.

I agree with those who say tune it up, swap tires if needed, and then ride it.

There was but finding a good suspension fork for 26” with V bosses and QR isn’t that easy either any more.

Great Score!

Great find! I'd clean, and tune it up then ride it. I've been eyeing Craigslist for a diamond in the rough though I think the wife will kill me (or wearing it as a bowtie Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd style) if I snagged another bike. No room in the garage as it is.

wow great find Velogoth !

used old-school 26" forks are available

many will require service though of course

agree - old 7 and 8 spd XT (etc) stuff works well and is very durable

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ed6548176.jpeg
in addition - a few less expensive options to the Compass or Rene Herse tires include Panaracer Pasela 1.75, Maxxis DTH 2.15 / 2.3 and Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 2.15 (although the DTH and Bonkers are not inexpensive)

attached pic of a bike with DTH 2.15

You would have left it at the dump? The rear derailleur is worth more than $100 alone. Please let us know when and where you are dumping your vintage bikes.

Great score!!

here’s my ‘98 F900
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b771e0d5e.jpeg

"It's still good, it could be worth X" is how people get to be hoarders. For me this bike for "free" would be about as profitable as a "free puppy" but I am not a bike flipper.

Hoarders? Profitable as a free puppy? Where do I start?

Good grief - i saw an episode of that show (Hoarders) and youre right

That was an over-lying theme
"I cant believe they want me to throw out such and such ! It still has value ! "

---- says the guy who has waaaay too many C&V road bikes :foo::lol:

I'm guessing that most of you folks who advocate leaving it at the dump or returning it to the dump because it's no good on the trails have forgotten how to ride a NORBA geometry bike? Just how often were you crashing "back in the day"? Or did you ever learn how to properly ride a mountain bike? I can count on one hand the number of crashes I'd had on my old 95 Kona Kilauea due to "bad geometry" and "subpar components" and still have 4 spare fingers. Sure, maybe modern geometry is better (MAYBE!) but is it so much better that it relegates this very sweet hardtail to the ranks of absolute trash? Come on folks, bikes aren't that complicated and advances in technology aren't that ground-breaking as to render anything more than 6 months old as obsolete. Regardless of what current advertising may tell you and you may mindlessly believe, 26" wheels are viable, V brakes are capable of effectively, efficiently, and controllably stopping a bike, and chromoly steel actually is a good material to build frames out of. Don't get me started on 1X drivetrains. Because a properly tuned 3X up front is such a horrible problem....

That Cannondale is sweet, and I wouldn't hesitate to ride that down any rocky, gnarly, steep, scary, impossible trail you care to put me on all day long. If I crash it, it certainly isn't because of some limitation imposed by the bike itself.

Yes, just leave a functional bike in the trash... it's the American way. Nobody ever had fun on a rigid 26" wheel bike with cantilevers, not once, not ever. The sport of mountain biking wasn't worth participating in until modern suspension, disc brakes, and slack geometry were offered.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...77dc834f85.jpg
A stolen pic of my first real MTB, it was a big step up from the single speed Schwinn Typhoon with Arya aluminum rims and a single massive rear side pull brake.

Hoarders are not people who pick stuff up. They are the people who won’t let it go once they have it.

I have zero interest in owning the bike in question, but I would totally grab it. I’d either sell it or more likely give it away.

I would like to find one of those Ross MB's one day. Never know.

Good for the OP. They drop bikes off at my local dump that get picked up by a person who disperses them throughout south east Asia. Met him once, good guy.

You can't take anything out of my local dump, nor buy it from them either. Zip, nada.

Closest thing I have to the 2000 is this thrift find from 2020. Did have to pay $120. Seat peddles, riser, and tires brought it to $280. The seat is on the Grizzly for now....

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5e27748fe8.jpg

agreed about the headshock rebuilt, it will serve a very long time