The Vintage Mountain Bike Thread.

Thought I would post this picture of a bike a rode a couple of times in mid May just past. It's a Specialized prototype circa late '90's.
We were staying with a friend I had gone to school with and used to climb and mountaineer with. My friend was one of the founders of a gear company out of Bend, Oregon called Metolius. This photo was taken at his place about 20 miles north of Bend.
Metolius employed/sponsored a climber by the name of Jim Karn for quite a few years.
Turns out Jim was a pretty handy mountain biker and raced and tested bikes for Specialized.
This bike has no product markings except for the drive train. So I can't ID anything else on it.
Still fun to ride showing any bike is good bike for a day (or an hour) out.
I would be interested if any one knows anything about it.
Or maybe some climbers in RB may have heard of Jim.
Resized_20240511_164750001.jpeg
 
birddog69 said:
Thought I would post this picture of a bike a rode a couple of times in mid May just past. It's a Specialized prototype circa late '90's.
We were staying with a friend I had gone to school with and used to climb and mountaineer with. My friend was one of the founders of a gear company out of Bend, Oregon called Metolius. This photo was taken at his place about 20 miles north of Bend.
Metolius employed/sponsored a climber by the name of Jim Karn for quite a few years.
Turns out Jim was a pretty handy mountain biker and raced and tested bikes for Specialized.
This bike has no product markings except for the drive train. So I can't ID anything else on it.
Still fun to ride showing any bike is good bike for a day (or an hour) out.
I would be interested if any one knows anything about it.
Or maybe some climbers in RB may have heard of Jim.View attachment 410377
Click to expand...
Radial lacing on the front is surprising.
 
birddog69 said:
I would be interested if any one knows anything about it.
Or maybe some climbers in RB may have heard of Jim.
Click to expand...
Sure looks like a Specialized FSR from a distance but maybe Jim's one has some development special sauce. Loved these bikes and had a friend with one during BITD where the suspension looked like it was doing something right. I lusted after one of these.

specialized-fsr.jpg


Which in turn had a passing resemblance to the ever tasty classic Intense Uzzi.
Going from this to the era of all out matt black a few years ago seems almost criminal.

uzzi slx.jpg
 
birddog69 said:
Thought I would post this picture of a bike a rode a couple of times in mid May just past. It's a Specialized prototype circa late '90's.
We were staying with a friend I had gone to school with and used to climb and mountaineer with. My friend was one of the founders of a gear company out of Bend, Oregon called Metolius. This photo was taken at his place about 20 miles north of Bend.
Metolius employed/sponsored a climber by the name of Jim Karn for quite a few years.
Turns out Jim was a pretty handy mountain biker and raced and tested bikes for Specialized.
This bike has no product markings except for the drive train. So I can't ID anything else on it.
Still fun to ride showing any bike is good bike for a day (or an hour) out.
I would be interested if any one knows anything about it.
Or maybe some climbers in RB may have heard of Jim.View attachment 410377
Click to expand...
Looks like a Specialized max bone. I believe Palmer used race dual slalom on them.
 
Last edited:
Loving the LOBO!
Just needs some red rollers on the MRP guide, and chuck some MG1's or V8/12's on to replace those plastic pedals
Maybe a Works -1deg EC34 headset if it's going to actually be ridden
 
Live2DieTrying said:
Loving the LOBO!
Just needs some red rollers on the MRP guide, and chuck some MG1's or V8/12's on to replace those plastic pedals
Maybe a Works -1deg EC34 headset if it's going to actually be ridden
Click to expand...
The final pic was it stripped, I have big plans for this one. I have everything for a team replica even a blackbox boxxer that was rode in the 98 year. I just need 2 parts and I can build it back up, a cane creek s2 headset which is very rare as there was a red team only one so I may have to paint one and the shock I mentioned.

I know marco well he doesn't have what I need and even if he did he wouldn't sell it unfortunately
 
I admire your dedication to getting these builds so period accurate. You're a patient man!
 
Tubbsy said:
I admire your dedication to getting these builds so period accurate. You're a patient man!
Click to expand...
Thanks mate I am a patient man which clearly uses it all up as outside of waiting months and years for parts to pop up I have zero patients at all haha, I like to think I do thinks perfectly so getting these builds perfect to race spec can be very time consuming and I am not willing to pay over the odds for parts
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top