Photos of the FSR from 1995

Yesterday I called my Mom and asked if she could find any old photos of the 1994 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR.  She found and scanned six for me, all taken in 1995.

In all her glory.

Jack in the Box head for extra mojo.

Downhill race at Donner Ski Ranch, 1995

Downhill race at Donner Ski Ranch, 1995

Downhill race at Donner Ski Ranch, 1995

Mike Skuce, Me, Neil Jost.  I was 17.

1994 Stumpjumper FSR Revival

The story of my 1994 FSR started long ago when I bought it new while working for a Specialized dealer in high school.  I rode and raced it for a couple years, sold it to my dentist/neighbor (Chuck), and moved on to a Mrazek hard tail.  A couple months ago, I decided to contact Chuck and see if he would be interested in selling it back to me.  We agreed to meet next time I was in town to visit my parents.  Last month I met with Chuck to see the bike, and he gave it to me.  Free.  In return, all he wanted was for me to tune up his (freaking amazing) 3Rensho mountain bike and send him a photo of the bike restored.  The FSR had been ridden hard and put away wet and needed a lot of attention.  I decided to completely strip it, apply frame saver, rebuild the shock, and will be slowly building it back up.  This might irk some retro grouches, but I'll be rebuilding it with modern components since I plan to actually ride it frequently.

This is how the bike looked when I picked it up from Chuck.

The seatpost was very stuck.  I inverted the frame and poured white vinegar through the bottle boss and let it sit overnight.  Since the seat was already trashed, I wedged a long aluminum tube in the rails and twisted the post free.  Surprisingly, it buffed out very well and will stay with the frame since it is an odd size - 29.2mm.

Here is the bottom bracket.  I'm pretty sure it had never been removed.

Fox Alps 4 rear shock, freshly rebuilt by Risse Racing.

Cleaning out the threads.

Here is the bare frame.  Without the shock, it weighs 6.19 lbs / 2810 grams.  Portly.

As for the rebuild, I will go with either XT or SLX parts for the drivetrain.  The fork is a 1996? Judy SL Ti in yellow with speed springs, which might get the Risse Racing makeover after I ride it a bit.  It spins on the frame with a Crank Brothers Sage SL headset.  For wheels, I found NOS Stans ZTR 355 rims, have ordered green Circus Monkey hubs (really want green but don't want to pay for King), and will use (probably) silver Sapim Laser spokes with green alloy nipples.  I'll run Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires because I love them and the other bits are TBD, but will be silver to keep the retro feel.  Oh, and I found a NOS Control Tech seat binder bolt in silver to replace the stock quick release.


I'll post progress photos as I get on with the rebuild.

Video: Cross Conversation with Emily and Chris

This is a great video with Emily Kachorek and Chris Namba talking about cyclocross and SRAM CX1 components.  I trained, traveled, and raced with Emily when were on the UC Davis Cycling Team.  She is simply an awesome person.  Check out Squid Bikes, her little bike frame company out of Sacramento, Ca.