1997 Specialized Ground Control FSR Comp

[Bartsimpsonhead]

Hi guys,

Finally thought I'd get round to posting a few pics of my old FSR on here, prompted by popping into my LBS with it a couple of weeks ago (a rare outing for it) and one of their staff commenting on how good its condition was for its age.

I've had it since new, first reading about it in MountainBike Action magazine (they'd made it their 'Bike of the Year '97') and then bought it from Leisure Lakes in Daventry after seeing one on their stand at Bike '97 and giving it a test ride.

I've upgraded bits and pieces of it over the years, hence the specs list below:

Frame: 1997 Specialized Ground Control FSR Comp ('Cosmic' colorway (black/dark green/aubergine depending on the light direction)) - Size M.
Fork: 2000 Rock Shox SID 100 dual air (originally RockShox XC LT (80mm))
Rear shock: 1999 Rock Shox SID dual air with BETD shock linkage (the shock was bought second-hand from Leisure Lakes in Daventry) (Originally shock was a Fox Vanilla RX coilover)

Headset: 1 1/8" WTB New Paradigm GreaseGuard headset
Stem: RaceFace 'System' stem
Handlebar: O'Neal/Azonic double-wall riser bar
Grips: Yeti
Barends: Yeti

Brakes: Hope Mini disks (Originally Shimano XT)
Brake Pads: Hope
Brake Cables: Hope Hydro
Brake Levers: Hope Mini
Misc: '99 Specialized 'shark fin' disk brake adaptor (though the packaging says 'A-Z adaptor' - is there a difference?)
'97-'98 MountainSpeed needle roller bearing kit (replacing all of the plastic PU bushes)

Shifters: SL-M750 XT shifters (changed at the time the Hope disks were fitted)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT FD-M750 35.0mm – might still the the original item?!?
Rear Derailleur: '97 Shimano XTR RD-M950 SGS – deffo. the original, and still going strong!
Derailleur Cables: maybe GoreTex (can't remember)
Cassette: Shimano CS-M750 Type aQ (11-32T)
Chain: SRAM PC59
Cranks: 1998 Specialized S-works - I bought from a little cycle shop on a long weekend in Las Vegas!
Crank Bolts: original frame items
Chainrings: Specialized (22, 32, 42) - I think?!? Came with the crank arms from Las Vegas (baby!)
Chainring bolts: Came with the cranks/rings.
Bottom Bracket: XTR (I think?!? Bought one 2nd-hand off of a local shop rider, which I think I fitted it to this bike - haven't had it out in a while)
Pedals: Shimano PD-M747 peddles (with Altec aluminium collars instead of the grey plastic ones)

Hub Skewers: Shimano XT
Rims: Mavic X317 disk specific
Hubs: Hope XC front & rear
Nipples: DT (silver)
Spokes: DT DoubleButted (black)
Tyres: Panaracer Fire XC pro
Tubes: Some make of blue latex tube

Saddle: 1997 Flite Titanium
Seatpost: Ritchey alloy 30.9mm (more for vanity as that's my name)
Seatpost Binder: original Specialized alloy item

Original 1997 specs from Bikepedia: http://tinyurl.com/36y25e5
I still have the original seat stays, front fork and rear shock, though everything else I took off it went onto another frame which I later sold on to a mate (1994 Specialized S-works Stumpjumper FSR)


An early y2k photo with some upgrades (Shimano carbon fibre v-brake boosters, Mavic 217/XT wheels, Azonic riser bar, etc)


As it is today







More pictures of it are on Flickr here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjuv3JW8
as well as pix of my daily commuter ('96 Gary Fisher Montare) and my current project bike (Klein Pulse Pro)

 

[swos]

Nice bike. I've just bought a 1997 Specialized Ground Control A1 PRO which I picked up for £150 at a local cycle shop and the bike is like new with hardly any scratches or marks on the frame. The bike looks like it has only been used a few times. Here's a pic of my bike.

How did you manage to get disc brakes on your bike? I was told by the chap in the shop that the bike couldn't take disc brakes. I would love to upgrade mine to use disc brakes as the V brakes aren't quite as good.

 

[Bartsimpsonhead]

Hi swos,

Nice bike, and in such good condition too

As I think I said I got my FSR in 1997 from new, and didn't think of upgrading to disks for a couple of years, instead adding Shimano Carbon Fibre v-brake boosters to boost it's breaking power by stiffening up the seat stays (which worked really well)

Wanted to upgrade to Hope Mini's in 1999/2000, but as the 97's didn't have the necessary mounting hole for disks on the bottom of the left-hand seat stay I contacted Specialized UK in 1999 and bought a new BigHit seat-stay assembly from them which had the necessary hole on it, which you see fitted to the bike.
I seem to remember that at the time it was suggested in magazines (or maybe by Specialized themselves in the A2Z (or 'SharkFin' as it's also known) disk brake adaptor instructions) that people just drill a hole in the frame to fit disks (via the SharkFin), but I didn't want to take the chance of screwing it up and drilling the hole in the wrong position.

I doubt you'd be able to get a new rear end from them now, so maybe ebay might be a good source of a later rear end, or maybe get some ideas from other FSR owners in the forum thread over at the mtbr forums. See: http://tinyurl.com/3c3bxy5
(you might have to register to see all of the pictures)

Good luck with the improvements - they're wonderful bikes.

 

[swos]

Thanks mate. I've got used to the V Brakes now so I'm going to keep the bike as standard. The only thing I've done is change the tyres. I added some mud guards but they have been removed again as I was using the bike for work at one point.

 

[1997BlackC5]

Both nice bikes looking sweet, love the dark green frame colour, don't see too many of them around these days.

 

[DubDuck]

Awesome bikes!
Bart, you say you got your bike brand new in 1997; yet your frame is identical to mine and by looking at my serial number mine is a 1999. Am I wrong thinking that the first 2 numbers on the serial number tell me what year it is?

 

[Bartsimpsonhead]

Yes, the first two digits on the serial number should be the year - mine (97SF00XXXX) is located on the bottom of the bottom bracket.

They did make this frame for a few years, and your's is obviously a later DH model as it has the extra gusset at the top of the head-tube and the 'top/down' tube (unlike mine).

 

[Bartsimpsonhead]

Thought I'd post a bit of an update since I originally posted this way back in 2011.

In 2015 I replaced the rear SID Dual Air shock for a DT Swiss SSD 190L as the SID had no lockout and used to pogo about like a pogo-y thing, sucking as much energy out of me as Colin Robinson (WWDITS) would.

Then in 2017 the front SID 100 fork went, replaced with a Fox Float 32 RL off of eBay (so no idea what year it is) as the SID wasn't terrifically stiff, and with no lock-out used to bounce about like a pogo-y thing too.
A black Chris King headset (again off eBay) replaced the silver WTB Momentum GreaseGuard the same time as the Fox forks were fitted - be rude not too really!

The short stubby rear mud guard's a Specialized item for a later model bike and needed a bit of chopping and taping to get it to fit, but works rather well.

I'm really happy with where it's at now, with the added bonus that the fork and shock are now red and black to match the frame, and can't see any major changes happening in future. I just need to get out and ride it more.

 

[sam_white]

Very nice looking. Frame looks in great shape.