neo_pop_71

Dang, how’d I miss that one? I actively search the East Coast for Smorgasbord, Spooky, and Spot bikes or frames… that one slipped past my radar. A cult following has developed for the early 90’s Yeti killer hardtail, the A.R.C., it was made from the same Easton tubing and had the same riveted cable guides on the opposite side of the top tube. The Spooky Darkside is their tribute to the A.R.C. and they sold a lot of frames even with the $1,200-$1,500 price point ! (Ouch!!!)

Now for the warning… go read up on the Darkside on MTBR, 3.5/5 chili peppers… totally a bike that is loved or hated and a brand/co. (i.e. customer service/backing their product) that gets almost no love!

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/frameset/spooky/cycles-darkside-frame/prd_351429_119crx.aspx

As any Dos Equis Team owner on here can attest, the 7000 series aluminum is notorious for cracking, so you need to do double duty inspecting for cracks in the tubing and welds.

Good luck, I hope it works out!

Sweet! That era Specialized was making some really great frames, I still miss my ’91 Stumpjumper Comp (in stock matte gray, not quite as flavorful as yours)… that was one of the best steel frames I’ve ever owned!

Are the rear drops semi-horizontal? If not, you must have played around (likely with great frustration) until you found the magic gearing! I spent a whole day fussing with chainrings, cogs, and half links trying to find the illusive magic gearing on my ’92 Zaskar. Even after buying a Shadow Conspiracy half link chain, I was very close but I could never nail the ideal set up.

Thanks for sharing!

Anyone else throwing a leg over a single speeder?

That Pulse Pro is a ’97 which it matches paint and decals but it could be a ’98. Big V. is again spot on with the mountain bike history… Trek bought the Klein name in 1995 however all Klein production continued on as it had in Chehalis, Washington until 2003, things being what they are the bike has no collectibility in the C&V crowd. He and I will disagree on the value, I think it’s more than a fair price given the new Manitou Tower XC fork and the fact that many of the components listed are aftermarket. This bike screams of a primary rider back in the day but new bike purchases and evolution have reduced this to a back up bike to loan a buddy for some moderate trail use. Vinny is right about the bike being outdated, but given today’s standards… all hardtails are outdated but that doesn’t mean anything if you enjoy the ride of a quality hardtail. I’m thinking you’ve got some Cudas in your stable that are far and away much better bikes. For me, nothing beats the ride of a steel frame made with high end tubing… your Tange Ultimate will be like riding on a cloud while cutting like a razor! I’d finish all of your Barracuda builds and pass on this good deal (but not a steal) unless you’re thinking of this Klein as a loaner or for robbing parts but then you’re stuck with more stuff. In the end of all my ramblin’ on, Vinny and I would both pass.

What’s up, you got a hole in your pocket for 90’s bikes???

Bicycle Blue Book has a Pulse Pro in like new condition going for $333 down to $212 in fair condition.
(full oem specs are in the link)
http://www.bicyclebluebook.com/SearchListingDetail.aspx?id=66419&make=693&model=45836&year=1997&priceMin=0&priceMax=20000&type=0

Here is a link to the specs on the fork
http://www.manitoumtb.com/products/forks/tower/

***EDIT***
Right on! This posting breaks the 1,000 mark… yeah, I need to get a life!!!

Hey Ron,

Dang, do they really fetch those prices? I had no idea, I picked this Sid up for 70 bucks, and I almost didn’t because she wanted the same for a Chris King headset but I have two spares in the bin at this point. This Sid is my first Rock Shox fork since my first (their 1st or 2nd generation prototype) back in 1991, it closely resembled the Scott Unicrown fork. Which as it was I had become quite familiar with as I raced a Scott on my custom order GT “Purple Haze” Tequesta. That special order Tequesta was a real gem, Japanese made Tange CrMo frame that was shipped back to GT here in SoCal for custom painting. I hardly raced that frame because GT had come out with the Zaskar, a stiff aluminum racer that I’d instantly fallen in love with. The Tequesta went up on the wall as it was too pretty to get rid of, now, my daughter ask me to turn “the pretty purple bike” into her first 700c road bike. Getting back to your fork inquiry… I’d rather have your Judy for with the White Brothers internals. What is your Judy upgraded with, the Judd Springs or the Hardbody Cartridge? I’m very familiar with the White Brothers and the Marzocchi Bomber forks, both companies have a heavy off road suspension history prior to getting into mountain bikes, so they both had my trust. I know Vinny has had good luck with his Sid fork on his Cuda Comp. I wish I had a better answer for you… sorry.

@neo_pop_71 wrote:

I caught a break as it was a local sale by a female racer who is thinning out her stash. She claims to have an older aluminum race bike with more Kooka parts and other tasty bits from that era that she’d give me first opportunity with the pick of the litter after she tears the bike down. I’m keeping my fingers crossed but I’m not holding my breath.

*GASP*
Okay, so I did hold my breath but it was worth it…
I picked up another black Kooka crank, a blue Rock Shox Sid Air Race fork, a Race Face bottom bracket, and some Sram 9.0 v-brakes. I’m thinking of running the Sid fork and v-brakes on my daughter’s A2Z when she’s logged more trail miles. For now, rigid has proven to be the best thing and it’ll stay that way until I’m satisfied that she could benefit from the added suspension.

Thanks rbonif, I appreciate the kind words! I hope you weren’t after the saddle too, I wasn’t calling “dibs” or anything like that, I just didn’t want any Cudaheads battling it out over the same auction.

The saddle is joining the Kooka parts I purchased recently along with others on my 1996 Psycle Werks Wild Hare. Psycle Werks are locally made here in SoCal but have a big cult following going back to the “glory days” around 2000. The frame was designed by Sherwood Gibson from Ventana, his adjustable travel rear end is still used on Santa Cruz frames today. I’m not messing with the original metallic paint but I do have replacement decals for the frame as well as new decals for the dual disc (rare limited addition made for the ’95-’96 race season) Marzocchi Bomber fork. Given the amount of parts being swapped, this should be a fun build!

Thanks for asking and the kind words!

Peace,

-D-

@vpc66 wrote:

Yes you did, and glad they are nice ! Will be cool to see pictures of a build with one of those on it and will let you know if I run into anything tasty you might like.

Yeah brother, thanks again for the heads up! I appreciate you letting me know if you happen onto any other gems or possible parts of interest… should be pretty easy as I’m a bit of a bike slut!