My Precious

It’s funny to think that this was one of the best downhill bikes in 1994/1995. How things have changed!?!

During my ‘off season’ I set myself a goal of restoring ‘My Precious.’

The hardest part was restoring the front forks (Rock Shox Judy DH) as the elastomers had disintegrated.  I got there in the end, thanks to someone selling a pair of Judy XC SLs that had springs in them which I was able to use.

Servicing the damping cartridge



Comparing elastomers to springs









New springs!

While this bike isn’t 100% accurate to when I raced it, it’s pretty close.  The tyres, Panaracer Smokes, were my favourite in the early 90s and I couldn’t resist putting them on.

Specifications:

Frame – Specialized FSR – First generation.

Forks – Rock Shox Downhill Judy with a whopping 3” of travel.

Forks - Rock Shox Mag 21s with 2 1/2" of travel.

Components – mix of Lx and Xt, 8 speed with a few anodised bolts.

Brakes – Magaura Race hydraulic brakes with break beefers to save the frame.  They still feel great.

Tyres – Panaracer Smokes.

Pedals –Shimano XT – First generation.

DCD – Dave’s Chain device was used to keep tension on the chain.

Chain – Sachs, great chains in the day.

Grips - ODI mushrooms.

Do you still have your downhill bike Mr Steve Owens?