I'm a vintage roadie enthusiast putting in 200-250 miles a week with commuting and a weekend ride. I want to have a Nice MTB to train for and ride Leadville. I recently got a "bargain" priced 97 Stumpy M2 and was introduced to vintage suspension forks(yuk). If I put a rigid fork on the Stumpy that preserves the geometry, would it be better than some other mid 90s rigid race bike? The cost of a BB and fork for the Stumpy might equal a complete and original rigid craigslist bike.
I've been focusing on originally rigid bikes equipped with Deore XT which seems to be the Ultegra/Dura Ace equivalent but I don't have the budget for a collectable like a Ritchie or Klein.
What makes and models should I look for?
What was seriously raced during this period that?
Nice Diamond Backs seem pretty rare. What about a Marin Pine Mountain or a Paramount PDG70?
Those Stumpy M2s are great bikes. Maybe find a 1st gen 80mm Reba for it or even a Fox 80mm travel fork? My wife rides an M4 from the early 00s and my daughter rides a mint 98 or 99 M2 that I got for pennies.
The best rigid 26in racing mtbs are the ritchey P series: tailor made for roadies. not common and quite expensive. Another expensive rigid racing queen is the Klein Attitude: Fast fast fast. Bontragers are great racing bikes but are front suspension bikes.
I'm a vintage roadie enthusiast putting in 200-250 miles a week with commuting and a weekend ride. I want to have a Nice MTB to train for and ride Leadville. I recently got a "bargain" priced 97 Stumpy M2 and was introduced to vintage suspension forks(yuk). If I put a rigid fork on the Stumpy that preserves the geometry, would it be better than some other mid 90s rigid race bike? The cost of a BB and fork for the Stumpy might equal a complete and original rigid craigslist bike.
I've been focusing on originally rigid bikes equipped with Deore XT which seems to be the Ultegra/Dura Ace equivalent but I don't have the budget for a collectable like a Ritchie or Klein.
What makes and models should I look for?
What was seriously raced during this period that?
Nice Diamond Backs seem pretty rare. What about a Marin Pine Mountain or a Paramount PDG70?
The recommendations so far make a lot of sense, but what is your price range and do you live in a large metro area? Those answers will help, as shipping can be $100 plus if you're not able to find something local, and that might be close to your whole budget if you're talking about cheap CL bikes.
Depending on what you can find, a Bridgestone MB-1 or MB-2 might work for you, though they're a little older and perhaps a little heavier. A Schwinn Paramount could be good, too, although there are a lot of models. As a very general rule, look for Prestige tubing (sometimes high end True Temper or Reynolds) and XT or XTR components (possibly Suntour XC Pro, if older and possibly SRAM 9.0 or 9.0SL if newer) on high-end bikes...assuming steel. If you're talking budget, I assume you're not talking titanium, though there are some great 90s examples.
M2 is a fun bike, they made a steel version which I'd definitely prefer but it's hard to find, voodoo hoodoo or bizango, bontragers are great but the 1in headtube sucks, you think it's hard to find a good fork for the m2, try finding a good 1in suspension fork for under $300 or so. They did make them in 1/18in the last year of production, but they're hard to find. Fox F80 is a great fork but again finding one is nearly impossible unless you want to pay $$$.
Budget is LOW. 300 max. I'm in L.A. so there is quite a selection on CL. I need to be patient. Thanks for the suggestions. There is a MB-2 frame set in poor condition that I was considering putting the M2 parts on. The drive to pick it up is holding me back.
Why not just buy a rigid fork? A kona p fork in 410mm would sort it out. Even the Surly fork would do it. You would spend 50 to 80bucks. Salsa had a susp corrected rigid fork for 26in as well. There is also Vicious cycles but expect to pay 200 for the Vicious fork. Finding something better than the M2 but costing less than 300 bucks won´t be easy.
I considered making the M2 rigid. If the AC of the M2 with the Manitou is 450, I was thinking that the 440mm P2 would be better. I can't tell what the sag would be if the fork was operating as new. If nothing turns up in the next couple months, I'll get a fork. The M2 is pretty light even with the original fork.
Those bikes had 63mm to 80mm travel forks. Racier builds would go w/ a 63mm sid. Rigid forks for them would navigate in the 415 to 425mm AC. KOna is 415mm. The 1x1 Surly is 420mm. Salsa is 425mm. Vicious is 425mm. Those lengths will keep the bike sharp. A Kona fork should cost 60 bucks. They were easy to find everywhere. Not anymore but if you search around you will find it.
I had the green S-works version of that bike when it came out and immediately took the Manitou fork off, swapping it for a Specialized Direct Drive rigid fork that I think was even a little shorter than Colker recommends. It was a really, really light, quick handling and fun to ride bike in that configuration.
Thanks for all the guidance. This is the result. I need a longer Seatpost (26.8?) and thinking it deserves a Thompson set back. Then some serious tires and I can start getting ready for Leadville Qualifying.
Nice! That looks to be in great shape. Loved my Paramount, and I sold a bunch of them in my shop.
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