Muddy Fox Pathfinder 1990

Arrived today, eagerly anticipated as well. Not disappointed at all, it's taken nearly 2 weeks from winning the auction to it arriving but mattbrown collected from deepest Devon for me and popped it in a box and sent it up to me. Big thank you to Matt.
This is my 3rd Fox and the difference from the 2 1991 models are clear. the frame is very different in both angles and contruction and both years have some nice touches and some simularities (wishbone seatstays for one).
Overall for 21 years it's in great condition having been used enough to warrant a replacement rear tyre and brake pads, unfortunately these were both cheap items, but I have some nice CST skinwalls to go on that will look right an be good for the commuting duties I bought it for.
The rear hub has quite a bit of play in it but it just feels like loose cones and doesn't feel gritty so hopefully a clean and regrease will see that right. The bottom bracket is also a bit loose but I have a new UN54 I bought for the Montage to go in here.
The brake levers are a bit past their sell by but I picked up some nice XC-Pro ones on here last week from Konadad so they are going straight on.
The shifters are x-press and they work but they were shit then and time hasn't changed my mind so they are going to be replaced with some XC-Pro thumbies I got from ebay for £13!
The XCT Cantis are plastic and will serve a purpose for a few weeks and then hopefully be replaced around my birthday with some NOS XC SE ones.
Mech wise I will hopefully be acquiring some XC Comp ones in the next week or so. I think that will do then, unless an XC Comp chainset comes up at reasonable money.









Carl.

i notoced the rear axle was in 2 parts??? so used the q/r to keep it all together, also was tempted to keep it myslf when i saw it

Hmm, snapped axle eh. Never done it myself but I have bent them before.

Off to the LBS tomorrow for a new one then.

Carl.

I have one of those! love it had it for about 10 years now in many many guises, now its a SS cruising about bike.

Can see it here sort of:

Seems to be a lot of love on here for the humble Pathfinders and Courier Comps considering they were at the bottom of MF's serious range everyone who has one is really attached to it.

I am sceptical about the riding position but will give it a go.

Carl.

i am liking seeing a few muddy fox bikes at the mo, i don't mind at all that most of them are mid range (like my courier comp) it's cool to see them as these are the bikes we were actually riding. mine still hasn't gone to the painters yet but i have almost all the parts for it.

looking forward to getting it done though

Rear axle is replaced and some fresh bearings are installed with new teflon grease. Not Shimano smooth but better. It looks as if it has been run for a while with just the QR holding it together! :shock: .
Bottom bracket has been replaced for a UN54 and the old one fell apart as I was removing it. Next job is to replace the headset with a 1" YST I have lying around as the top nut is stripped :shock: and wont hold it together.
Fitted the XC Pro parts as well and the quality is obvious stright away.

Bike looked good on the outside but has held some real horrors for the uninitiated, still worth the £50 I paid all in though I reckon.

Carl.

Fitted some XC Comp mechs that I acquired through Wold Ranger on here and the YST sealed headset and took it for a spin on the river path. OMG first time off road on a fuly rigid in a year, oww!
Went a bit further than my commute will take me until I got to a heavily waterlogged area that the centreridge tyres couldn't cope with.
Still not finished with the mods and the steel n plastic XCT cantis (they do work really well though) will be swapped next month for some NOS XC SE ones.
Some muddy (and crappy hpne cam) pics:









Carl.

Looking good dr. Its funny but the rear axle on mine was the same, the qr even became bent!

I need to change the headset, again, sounds the same issue. Did you find this was a JIS headset or standard?

the_duke":31nk7ul1 said:

Looking good dr. Its funny but the rear axle on mine was the same, the qr even became bent!

I need to change the headset, again, sounds the same issue. Did you find this was a JIS headset or standard?

Click to expand...

Standard headset in mine, well i presume it was a set of cups taken from the 1993 Kona Hahanna were pressed in no probs. Overtightened alloy top nut was the cause of the loosening problem.

The reason the axles go is that there is a large unsupported section as it uses the dreaded 7 speed 'freewheel' rather than a freehub. I read on Sheldon (I think) that these were prone to axle failure. I have another set of Suntour/Mailard hubbed wheels from the Montage I had with pretty much zero wear and they use a cassette so I may change (the black Alesa rims made suit the tyres better too).

Carl.