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1996 DiamondBack WCF 4.0

12K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Glasvegas77 
#1 ·
I bought it as a NOS frame in 1999 in a bike shop in Houston, TX, when I was on holiday. I was skint at the time, but it was so cheap I had to have it. I couldn't really afford the forks either, so got some Indy S as they were the cheapest.

I had most of the parts from my old Jamis, that hadn't been rideable since 96 when my mate got knocked of it, snapping the chainstay (he was fine). He never paid for the replacement, and we fell out over it. I haven't seen, heard, or thought of him since, until now. Luckily the wheels and some of the parts survived so I was able to transfer them over. That being said, I had run out of money when finishing the Jamis (I was still at school then) and it had an STX chainset. I also seem to remember buying Deore V brakes for the WCF when I got it too. I know I've just taken them off, so I must have. Unfortunately in 2000 I folded my front Stheno in half landing a 6' drop off I landed everyday for 5 months (but never again ;) ), and replaced my wheels for Hope front and M750 rear on 517s. I had also long ago put M739 front and rear mechs on her. She did have M740 shifters, Ules grips, a 45cm handlebar, a tatty Black Kalloy seatpost, all gone now.

Apologies for lack of build photos, it's been a slow burner, and I forgot to take them

Today she looks like this, the build I always wanted, although there are still things to do, as always. I bought the forks, chainset, seatpost from Retrobike members. M739 brakes and lever/shifters from Retrobike members but on ebay, and the bars were passed to me by way of karma. I also got Fork English to fully service my forks. I also bought the rear wheel from a Retrobike member, but my old M750 wheel is stripped, and will be rebuilt with the M737 hub on the wheel pictured. This mainly because the wheel pictured is built incorrectly, and is black, not silver. I will eventually put a ti stem, and seatpost on her, and I have some Stheno rims, so may build them up on some old Hope hubs and throw them on for weight weenie-ness. I also think she deserves a new paint job, as she's covered in chips, but no rust.

Weightwise, she's lighter than the Axis and R, and I've ordered the means to weigh them, so will update in due course.



















Spec
Frame: WCF 4.0 19"
Forks: Pace RC35 MXCD
Mechs: M739 XT
Brakes: M739 XT
Shifters/levers: M739 XT
Bars: Ti
Stem: Acor
Headset: Acor
Seatpost: X-Lite ZE360
Saddle: Flite Ti
Wheels: Hope Suspension Ti & M737 on Mavic X517
Cassette: M737
Chainset: M737
BB: Can't remember
Pedals: Onza HO Ti
Tyres: Dart II & Smoke
Grips: Onza Porcipaws

As always, comments and critiques welcome :)
 
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#4 ·
I bought a WCF Vertex way back in 1995 with XT front/rear derailleurs, X-Ray 800 shifters (remember them - they were rated better than Shimano's XTR shifters when they came out and they still shift as well as the first day) and the Manitou Comp shock. I rode it a heck of a lot until 2002 and put it away till a few months ago as I did not ride. Now I am back into riding and the WCF works fine. I have only had to replace the chain (many times), tires, brake pads and elastomers in the fork. The bike looks mint despite having done over 35,000 miles in dusty humid conditions. I seriously doubt the newer bikes and components having this quality of build and durability.
 

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#5 ·
, X-Ray 800 shifters (remember them - they were rated better than Shimano's XTR shifters when they came out and they still shift as well as the first day) .
Jack, I like the WCF Vertex, nice example, but don't ever tell me the Gripshit were better than even Altus on the Shimano range, let alone XTR. I bought 1st gen Gripshit in the early 90s, and binned them a month later, despite costing over $100 IIRC new. My Axis R had SRT800X on them, and I sold them for about £10 ($16) and replaced with XT, at a cost of £45 ($70). That's how **** they are. Sorry, pet hate.

Your bike looks great though, but is there something wrong with the fork?
 
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