Year 2k Fisher double-header

[xtaffa]

In my search to equal/better a '96 stumpy m2 as a woodland whip, I alighted on genesis era Fishers as prime candidates. Going by the catalogues over at vintage Trek I saw that I stand/sit right between small and medium sizing (5'7/5'8ish no-man's land). Usual quandary on which way to go until...

Retrobiker reluctant had a beautiful condition 2000 Big Sur frame, size medium, on here for £40... Then same time spotted a 2000 Mt tam, size small, on gumtree - bought off a lovely bloke for all of £30. Essentially the same frame geo-wise, great condition, in two sizes to try on for not much money. How often does that happen?!

Going to transplant all the kit from the '98 p7 frame that's going out the door onto the Mt. Tam, give it a go, then do same again with big Sur, see which (if either!) fits feels/best.

 

[xtaffa]

Got everything swapped across ... Desperate to get out so literally pulled off p7 and threw it on to the Mt. Tam, so this is not the prettiest 'build', with some pretty chatty indexing and out of sorts brakes due to sub optimal cable outer lengths etc...

But Christ what a bike! Even with me well out of shape it was a hooligan through the woods last night, snorting through twisty single-track, going like sticky sh!t off a stick out the saddle - and the thing hops like a march hare on a hotplate. Grinning from ear to ear rolling back into town...

Will run this probably to other side of Xmas, then give the Big Sur it's turn, but sorely tempted to stick rather than twist on current evidence!

 

[W7Ford]

Two for £70 is a bit of a result! Lovely looking frames.

 

[xtaffa]

Cheers; I like the detailing on these - I know Joe Breeze says minimising joinery is the holy grail, but I really like the chainstay bridge/gusset on these - sort of Victorian railway station ironwork chic!

DD, "alu-popes" is an idiom for sure--1991 is well before any papal Breezin'. As you probably suspect, the writer, like many of the day, was overly concerned with material. I've always found that STRUCTURE outweighs MATERIAL. Among steel, alu, ti, or carbon, all have their pluses and minuses. More important is structure, like trying to derive as little joinery with the most tubing. Tubing, the frame's holiness, is the star of the show.
Thank you for your props.
I'm writing from the Marin Museum of Bicycling, home of the MBHOF, in Fairfax, California. Please stop by if you're out this way!
JB

 

[xtaffa]

Dogs dinner - err, I mean bike spec:

Frame: 1400g of 2000 Gary Fisher Mt. Tam
Forks: 1998 Specialized Direct Drive 420 a-c, unbutted variety, from rockhopper
Handlebars: MangoBikes brandless 30mm riser, 600mm wide
Stem: 60mm Holdsworth Gran Sport
Brake Levers: Avid FR-5
Brakes: Dia Compe 987 from 1998 rockhopper
Brake Pads: Clarks cartridge
Shifter: Microshift 8 speed from decathlon, with indicator sawn off and blanked with sugru! Genuinely great shifter. All of £4.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT M739
Front Derailleur: Pfft!
Cranks: Jet Racing 160mm BMX race cranks
Chainring: On-One stainless 32T, 104bcd
Bottom Bracket: Shimano XTR UN-91, 73mm shell & 107 spindle
Pedals: HT p03a
Seatpost: Brand X Ascend II dropper, 27.2/125mm
Seatpost Skewer: brandless Allen bolt
Saddle: 1998 Specialized (off a rockhopper)
Rims: F= WTB Speed Master 23, R = Mavic X139
Hubs: F = Shimano Alivio FH-MC12, R = Shimano LX black (569?)
Freewheel Cassette: SRAM PG850 8 speed
Skewers: Shimano
Tyres: F = Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35, R = Hutchinson Toro 2.15
Grips: Easton, much tree be-bashed

 

[W7Ford]

I like the detailing on these - I know Joe Breeze says minimising joinery is the holy grail, but I really like the chainstay bridge/gusset on these - sort of Victorian railway station ironwork chic!

I know what you mean, I had a Coyote HT5 frame with a similar detail and always thought it looked nice.

 

[xtaffa]

Frame swap!

Finally built up/swapped over to the larger of the two frames, after mangling knee coming off the Mt Tam in the early January wet. Knee still dodgey, but been able to atke this out for a couple of shakedown rides around park/town - 1st impressions are its's really good, especially cornering.

Swapped 60mm stem out for 40mm as hands were feeling the extra length/lean forward and better for it. Sum total of ETT and stem length same as Mt. Tam, but 20mm more in the ETT. Quite sharp handling with that stem...suits me fine - but goes where you look instanter, so you need to be looking where you want to be going, always!




Dogs dinner/spec:

Frame: 2000 Gary Fisher Big Sur M
Forks: 1998 Specialized Direct Drive 420 a-c, unbutted variety, from rockhopper
Handlebars: MangoBikes brandless 30mm riser, 600mm wide
Stem: 40mm No-name
Brake Levers: Avid FR-5
Brakes: Dia Compe 987 from 1998 rockhopper
Brake Pads: Clarks cartridge
Shifter: Microshift 8 speed from decathlon, with indicator sawn off and blanked with sugru! Genuinely great shifter. All of £4.
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT M739
Front Derailleur: Pfft!
Cranks: Jet Racing 160mm BMX race cranks
Chainring: On-One stainless 32T, 104bcd
Bottom Bracket: Shimano XTR UN-91, 73mm shell & 107 spindle
Pedals: HT p03a
Seatpost: Brand X Ascend II dropper, 27.2/125mm
Seatpost Skewer: brandless Allen bolt
Saddle: 1998 Specialized (off a rockhopper)
Rims: F= WTB Speed Master 23, R = Mavic X139
Hubs: F = Shimano Alivio FH-MC12, R = Shimano LX black (569?)
Freewheel Cassette: SRAM PG850 8 speed
Skewers: Shimano
Tyres: F = Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35, R = Hutchinson Toro 2.15
Grips: Easton, much tree be-bashed

 

[xtaffa]

Based on a couple of furtive scrambles through the woods, this thing rides brilliantly. Think we have a winner for the double header.

Bonus ball is have decided to give single speed scrabbling a go for a few months...

 

[singlemalt]

Looks good . You can't go wrong with a bit of single speed scrabbling.