1997 Specialized Ground Control

Tax return season is here so I pulled the trigger on a new bike. At first I was looking at buying a 2014 Motobecane. However, after buying a few other things I decided it would suffice to just get a good used bike. So I ended up buying a 1997 Specialized Ground Control Comp. Considering the price I paid I got this bike, and all of the excellent parts on it, for a steal. Thank you Craigslist! This is just my 3rd or 4th full suspension bike I have owned. I’m not a big fan of full suspension, but I can see where it’s has it’s advantages. One of the biggest trade offs for not buying a new bike was disc brakes. However, considering that these days my mind is more about the ride and not the bike I ride, I really don’t miss having disk brakes.

• Frame – Aluminum “A1” Specialized Ground Control frame, Horst link dropouts
• Fork – Rock Shox Indy XC fork, 2 to 3 inches of travel, with pre-load adjustment knobs
• Shock – RST coil shock, Fox 500 pound spring, 2 inches of travel
• Brakes – Promax Vee-Brakes
• Brake levers – Shimano LX Servo-Wave levers
• Shifters: Shimano Deore LX 8-speed SIS trigger shifters
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Deore LX, top swing, top pull
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano XTR
• Crankset – Shimano, 22t, 32t, 42t
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano sealed bearing (Square Taper)
• Chain – Shimano HG
• Rear Cogs – Shimano 8 speed cassette
• Pedals – Generic
• Seatpost – Specialized
• Saddle – Selle Italia
• Handlebar – Azonic
• Grips – ODI lock-on Ruffian grips
• Stem – Kona
• Headset – Cane Creek
• Front Hub – Shimano STX-RC
• Rear Hub – WTB
• Front Rim – Sun AT-18
• Rear Rim – Ritchey Rock WCS (I have a match Sun AT-18 for the rear, however it needs an overhaul)
• Tires – Panaracer Fire XC Pro, 2.1″

Cockpit:

The cockpit is laid out beautifully. The handlebar is the widest handlebar I have ever used. The stem is on the shorter size, and I have always preferred shorter stems over the traditional longer ones that were popular in the nineties. The trigger shifter were almost completely froze when I got the bike, I used some bike lube to get them working again, and for good measure I added some grease so they would not seize up again. They seem to be working OK with clean and crisp clicks that come from pulling or pushing the triggers. The only issue is the gear indicator on the left side is a bit lazy, not sure how to fix that. In the long run I would like to switch over to GripShift as I prefer GripShift over triggers. The Servo-Wave levers are unique in design, and the design allows the levers to be pulled very little while at the same time applying a great amount of force to the brake set for stopping. Much better design than standard levers. I was happy to see the bike came with ODI lock-on grips. I usually add these grips to all of the bikes I buy. Easy on and off. I will have to find a set of ODI grips for the GripShift when I do that upgrade in the near future.

Fork:

I have never been a big fan of the Rock Shox Indy series of forks. With all of the other forks available in 1997, many being better quality, I have no idea why this fork was chosen to be on this bike. A Rock Shox Judy would have been a better choice. The fork is in decent shape for it’s age. Sure it has scratches and tears on the Rock Shox stickers down both legs, but I figure every bike has scars to show for it’s use so it does not bother me. The fork runs smooth, does a good job on trail chatter as well as it can given the fact it is a short travel fork. The only issue I had with the fork so far is the brake boss came out when I took out the brake. I had to buy a new brake boss. The pre-load dials work as they should, and the fork seals are still in good shape.

Shock:

I don’t really know what to make of the shock or rear suspension at all. I’m a Clydesdale so rear suspension, especially this setup with only 2 inches of travel and a 500 pound spring, does little to mute rear wheel trail chatter. It beats a hardtail, even with minimal travel. I think a better spring, like a 800 pound spring, may yield better results for my riding. No issues with the shock itself, it works as it should without any mechanical issues. I would think a replacement would be hard to find seeing it has a unique mounting system.

Drivetrain:

Think of these words. Shimano, Deore, LX, and XTR. You would think with components at this level I would get smooth shifting. Nope. I haven’t quite figured it out yet, but it seems the rear derailleur likes to ghost shift on an 8 speed setup. Either the hangar is bent in some way I can’t quite see to fix or the LX shifters don’t like the LX front changer and XTR rear changer. The is the first bike I have had XTR on. So far I’m impressed. However I have rode with SRAM’s XO group, and I must say the XO group is a bit better at shifting. I think I may need to replace the cassette and chain. That should solve the issue. Overall the drivetrain is in good shape.

Brakes:

Well there is something to appreciate in good old set of vee-brakes. Easy to setup, low maintenance, minimal weight. The only bad side is poor stopping performance in the wet weather and having to true the rims more than usual to keep the system going. Eventually I would like to see a set of Avid brakes on the bike. However, for now, the Promax brakes do a splendid job. I spent a great deal of time setting them up properly. The rear rim is a bit out of true, but is near perfect, and I still got the rear brake set up to offer plenty of stopping power without rubbing. Thank goodness these brakes are not like the old center pull setups. Easy to dial in. The brakes work very well with the levers. controlling speed is no issue. However, even after all the good things I have said about these brakes, if I could I would opt to install a good set of Avid BB7 disc brakes, or a set of hydraulic disc brakes.

Rims, Tires:

The bike came with a matching set of Sun AT18 rims with Shimano STX-RC hubs. The rear hub needs to be overhauled and trued, so I pushed a Ritchey/WTB wheelset I had into service. I might just keep it this way as the rear rim has a beefier gauge spoke compared to the Sun rim. The bike came with my favorite tires, Panaracer Fire XC pro, in a 2.1 inch size. It would have been a bit sweeter if these were the Fire XC pros with the red sidewalls, would have added some flair to the bike. However I like the tires because of the aggressive tread pattern. My trails can get really muddy some times of the year.

Final Thoughts:

This bike is one sweet ride. It’s on the lighter side for a XC full suspension mountain bike. I have replaced the cables, so now I need to take it out and break those cables in. As I said earlier I wish it had GripShift, but that’s easy to fix. For some reason the late 90’s bikes seem to suit my style of riding best. They also seem to be built better than newer bikes. I am quite happy with this bike, here’s to many years together on the trails!!

Pictures: