The mother of legends: MS Racing Pro Comp XT

[Obi-Juan]

And in case anyone thinks it's not true that it was my dream since my youth:
I went to a closet and after rummaging through it and getting covered in dust, I found the folder I took to college. Glued inside is the warranty card for my MS from 36 years ago.



Ps. I always wondered how this girl could ride a bike with nails that looked like elephant tusks...mystery!

 

[27motorhead]

Amazing you had a MS Racing bike back then.

That jersey is truly amazing!

Saddle wise it looked like they were similar shapes to the Avocet racing. I'm sure there are some members with original saddles on here. I assume they were made by a large manufacturer and just branded up with MS Racing logo.

 

[Obi-Juan]

Amazing you had a MS Racing bike back then.

That jersey is truly amazing!

Saddle wise it looked like they were similar shapes to the Avocet racing. I'm sure there are some members with original saddles on here. I assume they were made by a large manufacturer and just branded up with MS Racing logo.

I agree with you, it's probably a saddle from some manufacturer that they branded with their own name.
I hope someone can get their hands on it and show me the original. The bad thing is that the saddle is one of those elements that are often changed to suit our tastes and/or needs, so it's usually the first thing to go.

I had initially thought about putting an Avocet O2 on it, more my style, but I know it would look awful on the bike, so this morning I thought an Avocet Racing would be much more suitable... or a Ritchey Vector (I have some around here).
Well, I'll see. For now, I'll put the O2 Air back in storage. It was a crazy idea.

Ps. The maillot... Now for a Bell Image helmet and I already have a good retro aesthetic.

 

[27motorhead]

@gtturbo has x2 MS Racing bikes as far as I'm aware:
This one was fully original including tyres!

Thread 'MS Racing - New Project / Childhood Dream Bike'

Aug 11, 2022

In 1989 I was 14 years old and had just upgraded from a 23" Peugeot Laser 15 SIS to a Mongoose Iboc Comp. MBUK was the obvious go to read, in between finding discarded copies of Fiesta, Escort and Razzle in hedgerows!! I turned the pages to see and advert of the MS Racing fleet and immediately the CR2 was the dream bike. The pictures were pinned to my bedroom wall with blu-tac. Also a Cindy Crawford poster or two!
33 years later and after years of searching and near misses on other sales I have managed to locate and purchase this project. I cannot wait to get stuck into it and return it to...

• goshow
• Replies: 41
• Forum: Reader's MTBs --> 1997

• 
• 

This is the same as yours and he's mentioned the owner gave him the original saddle

C

Post in thread '1989 MS Racing Pro Comp XT'

Apr 15, 2023

great score
i have an 89 MS racing comp in the Mountain LX groupo
fantastic bikes for their age
and hard to find as well

• Coquitlam Geoff

Worth asking him about the saddle.

Bell helmet to complete the look would be cool. Hard tracking down old helmets, but worth posting an advert in the Wanted section. I've had quite good success sourcing various parts from people over the years...

 

[gtturbo]

@27motorhead I have 3 . A CR1 and a CR2 plus the Pro Comp XT. The only one which I believe has the original saddle is the CR2. I cant remember the exact brand but its something like 'comptur' off the top of my head. Next time I can get to it I will confirm but its certainly not something I had heard of before. I went with a turbo on my pro comp but equally an avocet would have worked.

 

[27motorhead]

@27motorhead I have 3 . A CR1 and a CR2 plus the Pro Comp XT. The only one which I believe has the original saddle is the CR2. I cant remember the exact brand but its something like 'comptur' off the top of my head. Next time I can get to it I will confirm but its certainly not something I had heard of before. I went with a turbo on my pro comp but equally an avocet would have worked.

3?????

Now that's beyond showing off!!!

I have a CR1 and will be looking to put a Turbo or Avocet racing on it when I get around to restoring it.

 

[7Speed]

That bike takes me back. I know Mike Kloser was the bigger star but Mike Kluge is who I always associate with this bike as the World XC Championship winner - well before the UCI got their hands on the sport.

 

[Obi-Juan]

@gtturbo has x2 MS Racing bikes as far as I'm aware:
This one was fully original including tyres!

Thread 'MS Racing - New Project / Childhood Dream Bike'

Aug 11, 2022

In 1989 I was 14 years old and had just upgraded from a 23" Peugeot Laser 15 SIS to a Mongoose Iboc Comp. MBUK was the obvious go to read, in between finding discarded copies of Fiesta, Escort and Razzle in hedgerows!! I turned the pages to see and advert of the MS Racing fleet and immediately the CR2 was the dream bike. The pictures were pinned to my bedroom wall with blu-tac. Also a Cindy Crawford poster or two!
33 years later and after years of searching and near misses on other sales I have managed to locate and purchase this project. I cannot wait to get stuck into it and return it to...

• goshow
• Replies: 41
• Forum: Reader's MTBs --> 1997

• 
• 

This is the same as yours and he's mentioned the owner gave him the original saddle

C

Post in thread '1989 MS Racing Pro Comp XT'

Apr 15, 2023

great score
i have an 89 MS racing comp in the Mountain LX groupo
fantastic bikes for their age
and hard to find as well

• Coquitlam Geoff

Worth asking him about the saddle.

Bell helmet to complete the look would be cool. Hard tracking down old helmets, but worth posting an advert in the Wanted section. I've had quite good success sourcing various parts from people over the years...

These threads are interesting.
I've been reading them; you always learn a lot.
By the way, the saddle is very similar to the Selle Royal Mountainer.

What I really like is the black seatpost. I was thinking this afternoon that with a lot of patience, I might be able to restore it to a decent size (not perfect, just decent). That would shave off a few tenths, but if I powder-coat it afterwards, I'd gain some, and possibly even out the measurement. They could even give me a varnish after painting and that way I'd gain more size (a matte varnish). So, I'd paint it black and it would match the stem, saving an original piece even if it doesn't retain the silver color.

 

[Obi-Juan]

In any case, the seatpost is ruined, so I'll either use it like this, replace it, or try the experiment. I've got nothing to lose by trying; the part is broken.

This afternoon I disassembled the stem, and it's pretty decent except for the very rusty top cap, which I've already polished to send off for painting. The pedal cages were badly marked with scuffs and scratches from a few falls, so I polished them too to remove as many marks as possible.
We're going to try to make it look a little nicer, although I've been lucky and there's not much work to be done on it.

 

[Obi-Juan]

@27motorhead I have 3 . A CR1 and a CR2 plus the Pro Comp XT. The only one which I believe has the original saddle is the CR2. I cant remember the exact brand but its something like 'comptur' off the top of my head. Next time I can get to it I will confirm but its certainly not something I had heard of before. I went with a turbo on my pro comp but equally an avocet would have worked.

!!
Incredible, you must have 10% of the MS left in the world.
Congratulations. I'll settle for this one, at least for now.

The idea of using the Avocet seems increasingly better. It's also the same saddle that came with the Al-Mega DX I'm currently restoring (for the past 4 months...), and it would be fun to have the whole family on the same saddle.