Muddy Waters no more.....Muddy Fox.....the early Years.

[dwnz]

The Muddy fox....Holy Grail for me has to be the limited edition handbuilt bike that Jacquie Phelan was pictured with in the last post. A legendary bike and a legendary rider, and such an icon image too, on the river bank in wales after competing in the Man V Horse V bike.

It is the Image best remembered from all of it for me.

Just a bit of clarification, the bike that Jackie's posing next to is a Monarch, not the Ltd. Edition. It was my bike, well it was the bike I was campaigning that season.
I wasn't a top racer but I could usually finish in the top third of the field and Ari and Drew thought I should be representing the company with something a bit better than the Pathfinder.
I customised that bike for competition, including fitting a sample Nitto aluminium Bullmoose bar/stem and narrow Saturne rims from Caratti Sport.
The Nitto bars had a rider weight limit which I'm sure I exceeded, but I had no problems with them. I haven't seen another one of these bars since.
I'm a bit over 6' tall and it's a 22" frame but seat was set low to make it look more like it's sized for Jackie.
In Jeremy Torr and Max Glaskin's Mountain Bike Book, there's also a pic of the bike being washed by some enterprising local youths out the back of the Neuadd Arm Pub after the M. v H. v MTB race.

 

[sinnerman]

The Muddy fox....Holy Grail for me has to be the limited edition handbuilt bike that Jacquie Phelan was pictured with in the last post. A legendary bike and a legendary rider, and such an icon image too, on the river bank in wales after competing in the Man V Horse V bike.

It is the Image best remembered from all of it for me.

Just a bit of clarification, the bike that Jackie's posing next to is a Monarch, not the Ltd. Edition. It was my bike, well it was the bike I was campaigning that season.
I wasn't a top racer but I could usually finish in the top third of the field and Ari and Drew thought I should be representing the company with something a bit better than the Pathfinder.
I customised that bike for competition, including fitting a sample Nitto aluminium Bullmoose bar/stem and narrow Saturne rims from Caratti Sport.
The Nitto bars had a rider weight limit which I'm sure I exceeded, but I had no problems with them. I haven't seen another one of these bars since.
I'm a bit over 6' tall and it's a 22" frame but seat was set low to make it look more like it's sized for Jackie.
In Jeremy Torr and Max Glaskin's Mountain Bike Book, there's also a pic of the bike being washed by some enterprising local youths out the back of the Neuadd Arm Pub after the M. v H. v MTB race.

That's great info, ill dig that book out too and try and post a picture, bloody shame you dont still have the bike,

 

[benjabbi]

Sinnerman, looking at the spec on the limited edition, it lists a 13-50 6 speed Suntour freewheel, do you happen to know if this is a typo? Or was, as you quite often find, one of the latest innovations actually available 30 years ago?

 

[sinnerman]

Sinnerman, looking at the spec on the limited edition, it lists a 13-50 6 speed Suntour freewheel, do you happen to know if this is a typo? Or was, as you quite often find, one of the latest innovations actually available 30 years ago?

Im the wrong person to answer that question you need a suntour expert, but my guess is it was doubtful, I dont think I ever saw a Winner Pro freewheel with a larger sprocket than 38 teeth, but that said the sprockets were interchangeable. Looking at the picture though I wouldn't have said it was 50.

:?

 

[benjabbi]

Thanks, yes I thought it was probably a typo, the picture doesn't look like a 50t. Just for a moment though, I had thoughts of going 1x with a 36t front 13-50 rear on the Stumpy with period parts!

 

[dwnz]

That's great info, ill dig that book out too and try and post a picture, bloody shame you dont still have the bike,[/quote]

Yeah, I would have liked to keep it but Ari really wanted it to stay with the company when I left.
I read a post somewhere a year of two back that identified it from its current owner. I thought it was a post on this forum but a current search reveals nowt.

 

[dwnz]

My recollections -

13-30T was one of the standard Suntour New Winner combinations. Certainly there was nothing larger back then than the 38T found on the rare 5 speed Suntour AG Tech freewheel.
It was essentially the 14-34T Perfect freewheel with the 34T replaced by the 38T, leaving a large ratio jump from the 28T to the 38T. It required the matching AG tech derailleur

 

[drcarlos]

And as if by magic it appears on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Muddy-Fox-Th ... SwOHNdSFKv

I'm not really searching too much any more as we have too many bikes but I still sometimes browse the foxes in case a prestige pro comes up.

Messaged the seller and linked this thread so he may visit. It's in pristine condition too.

 

[sinnerman]

And as if by magic it appears on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Muddy-Fox-Th ... SwOHNdSFKv

I'm not really searching too much any more as we have too many bikes but I still sometimes browse the foxes in case a prestige pro comes up.

Messaged the seller and linked this thread so he may visit. It's in pristine condition too.

I posted it this afternoon too on ebay marketplace, the minute i saw it. as pristine as any survivor can be, shame the tyres and saddle are long gone, but the rest all seems intact.

 

[itscervo]

:shock: how much ! :shock:
I have one thats 100% original + the optional frame pad & Muddyfox branded rack .