Interesting arch on the magura...

Ahhh, Gold Psylo... good memories...

Where did you get your KTM colored grips? What brand are they?

Lizardskins. You can get them lots of places I think, I got mine from chainreaction cycles

I love those Panaracer Fire XC tires. They are definitely the grippiest tires I've used on my XC application.

Mix a little burnt umber in some epoxy and drip a run down the leg - - permanent drip .

After much debating, I decided to give my old bike a new lease on life... 1999 Gary Fisher Kaitai.

It's got a 2003 or 2004 Manitou Black Comp fork & Xt front DR from years ago & ritchey spd's from years ago.

The new stuff is the SLX crankset, SRAM PG990 cassette, SRAM X-9 rear DR, SRAM X-9 shifters, SRAM PG991 chain, Avid Single Digit 7 V brakes + levers, Easton Monkeylite XC carbon riser, Oury grips, & 90mm Thomson X4 stem.

Not in the picture is a WTB Pure V race saddle & Thomson setback seatpost.









Rides so much nicer than before, the SRAM 1:1 shifting is pretty slick, the carbon riser bar is very light and comfy, the Avid V brakes are great!!!

Handling & climbing improved. The bike feels lighter as well... I'm am very happy with how it all turned out.

Still sorting out the geometry... might go with a 70mm Thomson stem.

Nice bike, and nice FJ. I miss mine. was a 79 FJ7. How does the new ones drive. Been thinking about one...

^^ I'm looking for an FJ45 but the darned things are collectors' items and pricey when you do find 'em.

the FJs are pretty sweet, i see a flat black one around town quite a bit. makes me jealous but ill stick to my chevy. Oh and nice bike too.

Promised someone I would post a chronology of the DH bikes I have owned, beginning with my very first non-DH/DH bike. My lust for speed and my addiction to gravity began when I plunked down for a FS Mongoose D50i at my local Costco ().

It ended up getting a dual-crown Judy fork, Bontrager Crowbar bars, Rhyno-Lite/LX rear wheel, a Fox Alps5 shock and 2.35 Kenda Kinetics:



Then came my '00 Specialized BigHit frame that I fleshed out with my first sponsorship parts, courtesy of RST and FSA (one year with a 6" RST Alfalfa, the next on an 8" RST Sigma):





(note my home-fabbed "YZ" long moto-style seat - - an early DIY experiment)

Next was my Yeti AS-X. I loved that bike:





That made way for my first Transition - - a Gran Mal. My first ground-up build where I got to use all new parts:





. . . and, of course, my curent steed - - Transition Blindside. Last year:



This year:

Nice.

^^ I thought you were sponsored by Kenda. Did you go back to Maxxis?

^^ Those were last-season's leftover Minions before I got on with Kenda. Has a set of 2.5 Excavators on now.

Mmm. . .

Thanks D! Always cool to see.

Nice F5 ca7erham! Here's my F400 I just picked up. It's my first Cannondale and first time using a headshock but I really like it, and its amazingly easy to lock for climbs.

How much travel does the Headshock have?

Mine was 60, but the Fatty was 70. I think the newer "Super Fatty" or whatever they are doing these days is up to 80mm.

Yeah, the "Super Fatty" has 80mm of travel.

Wow. Cannondale technology advances at a blistering pace.

2010, they will be offering a new fork similar to the Lefty but with the stanchion on the other side b/c most people are right-handed and inadvertantly tend to land with 68% of their weight toward the right half of their body. The Lefty will actually be discontinued. The Lefty hubs will still work, but they will be offering a special SI (system integrated) brake rotor that will be mounted on the right side with the rotor spokes still pointed the right direction.

^^ Will it still be able to withstand Cedric boosting a 40' gap at Sea Otter on it? That, friends, is on a Lefty .

Looks like Paul Bunyan crushing motor homes while doing a stoppie...

Umm....yeah, I'll have to get back to ya on that one. Rumor has it...they're either going to call it the "Righty" or the Lefty -R.

Undecided.

Haha, Lefty-R. That was pretty good.

Was this your own rumor?