Pocko

Interesting arch on the magura...

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

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

TimJ

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

9kBud

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

dminor 

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

wildpanda86

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.

joetronic

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

dminor 

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

craigcraigcraig

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.

dminor 

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:

ca7erham

Nice.

Pocko

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

dminor 

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

ca7erham

Mmm. . .

yellowjeep

Thanks D! Always cool to see.

ShogunMSB

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.

yellowjeep

How much travel does the Headshock have?

ed 

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.

ShogunMSB

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

dminor 

Wow. Cannondale technology advances at a blistering pace.

ed 

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.

dminor 

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

Pocko

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

ed 

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.

yellowjeep

Haha, Lefty-R. That was pretty good.

Pocko

Was this your own rumor?