The Quiver – 2009 Specialized FSR XC Comp

This was my first “real” mountain bike. After moving to Collingwood in the spring of 2011 and doing a photoshoot on the closest thing to a “proper” mountain bike I’d be on in the prior five years, it wasn’t long before I was looking for a bike of my own.

2009 Specialized FSR XC Comp
Frame: Specialized FSR XC Comp Aluminum
Shock: X-Fusion 02RLA, 120mm with lockout
Fork: Rockshox Tora 302 SL, 120mm with lockout
Wheels: Specialized RHD
Tires: Continental Mountain King (front), Continental Race King (rear)
Drivetrain: Shimano XTR 10-speed rear derailleur, Shimano XTR 10-speed shifter, Shimano XT 10-36 rear cassette
Cranks: Shimano cranks with Blackspire Snaggletooth chainring
Brakes: Shimano Deore XT, 180mm rotors front and rear
Handlebar: ODI 760EX
Stem: Raceface 50mm (?)
Seatpost: Specialized Aluminum
Saddle: Specialized MTB

*Original Parts

Luckily enough I had a friend of roughly the same stature who had just upgraded and was happy to get rid of his old ride on the cheap. I put three years into this rig on pretty much all the original components before I also decided to treat myself to an upgrade (which will be covered later in this series).

I wasn’t finished with the old Specialized acronym special yet! Instead of selling it off, I decided to hand it off to my girlfriend at the time (she’s now my wife… despite my tendency to blow money on silly bike parts). It was during this period that the bike saw the majority of its upgrades. First was a shorter stem to bring the reach into a usable range for the new owner. And then it slowly started to see parts trickle down as I swapped out bits and pieces on the bike I had purchased to replace it.

This started with the Shimano XT brakeset, and ended with the custom 1×10 speed XTR drivetrain. My wife isn’t an avid mountain biker, so, in an effort to make things easier for her, I replaced the original three-ring setup at the front with a Blackspire Snaggletooth chainring. The biggest issue I’ve run into now is that the combination of the 180mm rotors with the XT brakes is actually causing visible flex in the fork when you clamp down on the stoppers.

My wife doesn’t really ride this thing enough to warrant much more investment in it, but I’ll always be keeping my eye out for fork and shock upgrades to keep it running and really put it over the top.