Sunn Xircuit Plus 998

jsbean

Dirt Disciple
This is my Sunn Xircuit Plus from 1998 as it is now. Over time I'm going to try and restore her to something resembling her former glory, but it will take time as I have neither pots of cash, nor pots of old bits hanging around.

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Immediate priority (after cleaning) is to do something to make it more comfortable (the frame is a little small for me), by bringing the handlebars up. This will necessitate a change in forks as I don't have enough steerer tube length left. Thinking of going fully rigid if anyone cares to swap a 42 cm fork for some Bombers in need of a service.

Original kit:
Avid SD brakes.
XT mechs.
Grigripz grips.

Not original:
Wheels (though the front has a Mavic 221 rim, as per original spec)
Marzocchi Bomber Z3 Light 1999 (have lifted front end about a cm higher than it should be)
Kore stem.
XTR brake cables.
Seatpost (26.4 mm!) and Bontrager saddle.
Club Roost handlebars (you can see where I took the brace off).
Cheapy Shimano chainset and cranks rather than Truvativ original.
Maybe the shifters as I believe it would originally have had gripshift ESP 900s.
Commuting tyres.

Immediate priority is to get it vaguely raceworthy, as I'm planning on entering some Adventure Races, but need to do so on the cheap. I usually do running races, but fancied a bit of a change before focussing on training for next year's London Marathon. So tweaking the position, knobbly tyres, and servicing the drivetrain are priorities.
 
Looking at the pics i was going to suggest getting it riding as it is but i see further down thats your plan anyway :) , nice base for a re-build/upgrade as and when though, the frames are very Kona esque, i think a pair of Project twos would suit it well ;)
 
Yeah, I do ride it a fair bit, but if I'm out for any great length of time the position just causes me all sorts of problems. Hence the need to give it a bit of an overhaul.

Also, I'm feeling guilty for neglecting it for so long and letting it get in a bit of a state.
 
Nice to still have your original bike, dont worry about the neglect, you've come back to it now!

Replacing all the rusty bolts/or at least wire brushing the surface rust off them will make it look a lot better. Half an hour degreasing and cleaning the drivetrain likewise.

Can't you just change the stem for a higher rise and likewise a higher rise stem rather then changing forks?
 
Sweet frame. I don't actually think a huge amount of work is needing done to get it tidy.
 
Yeah I suppose I could just replace the stem and bars, but i'm not certain that the small amount of travel offered by the forks justifies the extra weight (plus the 2cm increased fork length from the originals).

Can anyone recommend a bargain bar with a 2" rise, or very sharply angled stem?

I'll look at what I need to service the Bombers (at least they're of the right era) and give them another go.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement.
 
The steerer on those forks is easily replaceable as it just unbolts from the crown (see the two bolts at the back of the crown in the first pic). Replacement steel steerers used to be about £20, could be an option if you like the bounce and want to raise things up a bit.
As you've mentioned that the frame is too small for you perhaps you could sell it (to me ;) ) and get something a little bigger?
 
Ha, i'll see if I can make do with the frame i've got, but if I do decide to sell then I would be certain to mention it here.

No idea how much I could get for it... Any thoughts?
 
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