I was going to buy a new bike at first... But I was suggested by a veteran MTBR to start upgrading components and work myself up from there to eventually upgrade the frame... He told me no matter how expensive of a bike you get you will always have a stew of parts. The only way to have a bike like you want it is to build one yourself. He said the most expensive is the drivetrain and that could always be transplanted to another frame. Having had OK to bad performance with my stock Deore componentry I started with the drive-train; RD then it snowballed to the FD, shifters, cables, brakes, handlebar, stem, headset, fork, rear shock, seat post, and finally the wheels...though, I'm still waiting for those...

I would have loved to get a 3lbs Fox fork, but the prices are way too high... And they didn't offer all the features I was looking for. The Tora is great, does exactly what I need with very little maintenance...although its a little heavy compared to the higher end forks.

I'm no pro-rider or even remotely close to that... I wanted reliable, smooth, and consistent shifting which XTR goes greatly...and save some weight at the same time. Seeing how much other components cost, XTR was not that much more...so I said hell, why not...

Now, I'm thinking to take all my XTR stuff and install it on my GF's Hardrock comp and upgrade to the new shadow line...

sadly, this is actually my bike (please don't kick rocks at me)

Whats the weight?

There's nothing wrong with your bike...and I really like the stack'o'log obstacle behind it.

+1

Vanno, are those trails in the Kingston area?

For those who don't know, Kingston is in a pretty area right between Montreal and Toronto. It's also the hometown of the Tragically Hip.

yes that trail is in Kingston. We don't have many trails at all (that I know of anyways). It is located out in Collin's Bay. It's not too bad. It's definetly suitable for my skill level. There are quite a few parts that scare the poop out of me lol

...he...he .....you said "poop"......

Who would have thunk it i log on BF see my local favorite trail i try to get there every chance i get. I hope to get in there tomorrow morning 8/26/07 throw me a PM if you like.

Your bike is great for in there but avoid the rock gardens!
Cheers

Wow, so many awesome bikes! I've seen a few great early '90s bikes as well, but this thread still doesn't have enough old school.







And to a lesser extent:

mtb's have come such a long way in such a short period of time.

those classics are amazing

I love the look of that Specialized, that's a true classic. Crowns on rigid MTB forks make the bike look so much better. I think the lugs have the same effect. I used to ride an old Ross Mt. Rushmore and I had more fun and took more chances on that thing than any other bike I have ever owned.

Old and busted

um, your wiper is out

Holy cow!
More info, for sure, and alsow hy the hookworms?

I do mostly city riding, and although they slow me down a bit, they also have great gripping power and help VERY much with potholes and such Ive been thinking on going with a smaller tire, just havnt found one that does what the Hookworm does, heres a link for specs on the 4500, https://www.geocities.com/k2bike_files/k2_spec1998.html if your wondering what happened to the pics I deleted them due to the moderator making a comment about me posting the pic three times on the site, guess its against the rules.

So here it is. I put this together in 2000. Frame/fork, seatpost, stem, Grip shift, saddle are from the original build and have 9,000 miles on them mostly off road. It's been a great bike and I ride it year round.

that's mine


pimp my bike

The 160 weighs 91.8 grams and the 180 weighs 112.9 grams.
The 203 weighs in around 140 or so grams if I recall correctly...

Nothing much changed on the cannondale really, just the addition of a lot of dust from very little use this summer....




Scored a free fork off my brothers friend, so i took the rigid Kona Project 2 fork off, and stuck it on the Kona. I believe its a 2001 Marzocchi Bomber Z1, but i could be wrong.

sweet kona, hideous tires. maybe red would be nice?

maybe.

The current ones do the trick, i rarely use it, its mostly my ride to work bike when im not out in the field.

Hush your mouth. That bike is perfect just like it is.

word up