ATTN: Riding Hardtails is Dangerous. Do not attempt...

**pechelman** · 08-05-2008, 10:29 PM

...unless you want to have fun!

Recently gave some TLC to my 1996 Gary Fisher Hookooekoo.
Took of the crappy 2001 Marz XFly80 and put on my old AM1 that I had on my ellsworth moment. Put on a disc front wheel, a bb7, and a shorter stem, and it was ready to roll (thanks Dobish!)

Built it up 3 days ago and already have about 35mi on it.
Yeeeehaw!

Its fast and fun and making me rethink my current trail bike.

Important specs for kidwoo
67*HA, 13" BB @ 130mm fork travel. (can dial it down to 110 but i wont cause i like the slackness)

Probably going to get some better tires now that i know ill ride it a lot, a qr seat clamp, and maybe a new saddle.

here are a couple photos

HA Proof!

Complete Build with 80% 1998 era components

that is all
carry on

**kidwoo** · 08-05-2008, 10:38 PM

Important specs for kidwoo
67*HA, 13" BB @ 130mm fork travel. (can dial it down to 110 but i wont cause i like the slackness)

Approved.

**XtrPickels** · 08-05-2008, 10:44 PM

my eyes!

Those bar ends are burning my eyes!

**pechelman** · 08-05-2008, 10:48 PM

ha!

I have a new stem and bar in the mail as i type!
dont worry, theyll be gone next week.

**Sirshredalot** · 08-05-2008, 10:51 PM

Avid Speed Dial Levers (pretty sure), V-brake booster, Ritchey clipless. Pimp!

**pechelman** · 08-05-2008, 10:54 PM

those are the avid ultimates with the speed dials (first model they ever made with them afaik) with the ti hardware, salsa brake booster, and as you suspected chromo ritchey wcs from 1997!
needless to say
stoked again to ride it

**Sirshredalot** · 08-05-2008, 10:58 PM

Damn! The Avid Ultimates! How I lusted after those back in the day.

I think Gary Fisher himself kicked my ass in a xc race on a similar rig back in '97 or '98.

**brettf** · 08-05-2008, 11:01 PM

LOL - I don't think yo said anything about the bar-ends! Been looking forward to seeing it - nice! Looks like a fun time!

**Rideski** · 08-05-2008, 11:02 PM

This would be the reason I ride such a limited travel bike. After riding a hard tail for a dozen years or more, I just don't understand why people need more than 4 inches of travel and full body armor to ride the Mt Falcon before it got "sanitized" Maybe if they would switch back to hard tail they wouldn't be so bored.

I do entirely understand the different sport of downhill, and that is fine and fun. But shuttling Falcon or Apex makes me laugh.

**pechelman** · 08-05-2008, 11:06 PM

its not a matter of need, just preference really

according to my motionbased data, my top speed today was 5mph slower and overall time 5 minutes slower, all of which was lost on the DH and Flats on roxy. not that i care at all, because i had fun, but just interesting info (to me at least)

admittedly, im comparing my best time on the enduro from a couple months ago when the trail wasnt so loose and sandy as it was tonight, but that gives you a good idea.

also, while overall climbing speed was a little faster, i think my overall pace was the same cause i suck and im used to sitting and spinning and letting the rear soak it up with little body english.

anyway, yea.

**teleposeur** · 08-06-2008, 12:29 AM

I'll take the moment, my back can't handle this hardtail sheet anymore

**gravitylover** · 08-06-2008, 06:01 AM

Twice over the years after adding a long travel fork to an old steel frame I've folded the down tube a few inches below the head tube. Be careful on drops and straightlines! When I say drops I don't mean 4+ footers just the regular stuff that you encounter on any good trail.

**Binky** · 08-06-2008, 06:31 AM

Hardtail love!

I ride with a 130 mm fork on my hardtail, and I love it!

**uncle crud** · 08-06-2008, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by pechelman

ha!

I have a new stem and bar in the mail as i type!
dont worry, theyll be gone next week.

That's good. Long stem + barends + slackish HA = strange handling.

That Marzocchi will be so plush in its first 2" of travel that the effective HA with you on the bike will probably be a nice 68-69 deg. Just watch for the super-steepening of the HA when you reef on the front brake as you dive into a descending corner -- that can be a recipe for over-the-bars in an unexpected fashion.

Not that it's ever happened to me, of course.

Riding the HT is good for line selection, as I'm sure you know. This season I rode a fully-rigid bike for all my riding up until 4 weeks ago, when I got a suspension fork for that bike. Then just last Thursday I got a new FS bike. I'm still finding myself unweighting at the smallest ripples in the trail, out of habit.

**scrublover** · 08-06-2008, 10:03 AM

Looks good, but watch that headtube/downtube area. That's a lotta' extra fork on a 10+ year old frame not meant for such.

Speaking as someone who ripped a steel frame in half by doing just such a thing.

**pechelman** · 08-06-2008, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Twice over the years after adding a long travel fork to an old steel frame I've folded the down tube a few inches below the head tube. Be careful on drops and straightlines! When I say drops I don't mean 4+ footers just the regular stuff that you encounter on any good trail.

O RLY? which frames?
its something ive been thinking\wondering about
i dont really ride too aggressively on this bike and never on really techy rides
ill also say that while this AM1 fork is ~1.5" taller than my xlfy80, it also has a good bit more fore\aft compliance.
anyway, ill be vigilant on my inspections. thanks

Originally Posted by uncle crud

That's good. Long stem + barends + slackish HA = strange handling.

That Marzocchi will be so plush in its first 2" of travel that the effective HA with you on the bike will probably be a nice 68-69 deg. Just watch for the super-steepening of the HA when you reef on the front brake as you dive into a descending corner -- that can be a recipe for over-the-bars in an unexpected fashion.

well there is a 90mm stem on there now
the bar ends dont really do anything that i notice and arent a danger of hooking since the stock bar (answerlite or something) is so narrow.
they make nice places to put my hands though on the 7mi approach up a dirt road.

as far as the fork being plush, yea.
i pumped up the air preload quite a bit as i noticed it was diving too much
feels really good now yet still compliant enough when i want it.
was at ~15-17psi before and now closer to 35.
may add more oil to the ETA side and bring the pressure down to 30 though.

as it is though, ive never really gotten more than about 3.5-4" of travel out of that fork ever, and only when i really NAIL something hard.

**toast2266** · 08-06-2008, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by pechelman

O RLY? which frames?
its something ive been thinking\wondering about
i dont really ride too aggressively on this bike and never on really techy rides
ill also say that while this AM1 fork is ~1.5" taller than my xlfy80, it also has a good bit more fore\aft compliance.
anyway, ill be vigilant on my inspections. thanks

I took the headtube off of a GF x-caliber (old steel version) back in the day after I put a longer travel fork on it. Those bikes don't have much (if any) gussets to beef up the HT area. If you're really worried about it, you could probably get some local frame shop to throw on some simple gussets to strengthen things a little bit (although it would mean sacrificing the stock paint job).

**pechelman** · 08-06-2008, 10:26 AM

what year frame and how tall a fork\what fork?

now im worried

**toast2266** · 08-06-2008, 11:01 AM

I think the frame was a '96 model. I'm not sure which fork really did the HT in. The bike came with a Judy, which I upgraded to a long travel version (same fork, different internals). I probably had some other forks on there at some point - I don't quite remember. That was back in the days of pretty short travel forks, so I don't think I ever had anything over 3.5" on there. I think the frame snapped in 2000-ish - so it lasted about 4 years.

I rode that bike pretty hard, so I can't say that I was really surprised when the frame broke. These days, I'd probably be pretty reluctant to put anything over a 4" fork on one of those old frames. In all likelihood, the frame will probably be fine, but if its not, you're in for a baaad crash. I do think that if you really like the way the bike is riding, you could probably get someone with a welder to gusset up the head tube - even just a two plates that link the top and downtubes together would probably do the trick, and it should be pretty cheap (less than $50 if you cut the metal and do the prep)

**pechelman** · 08-06-2008, 11:10 AM

cool
thanks for the input

feel a bit better now
bike has really low miles and almost no real trail miles before 2 days ago.
also dont plan on riding it hard at all

anyway, also put an email out to gary fisher
so im curious to see what they will say. will post when they reply