Stumpy Gets a New Pair of Shoes, er New Legs?

I've owned my Stumpy for a good 12 years. The singlespeed conversion has put new life into it, but there remains one part that just hasn't aged too well. Those would be the original Rock Shox Judy XCs. We're talking the old gold colored ones with the elastomer springs, cartridge dampener, and a whopping 63mm of travel!

12 years is a very long time for shocks. My Judys are by and large in good shape, but compared to modern shocks, they've definitely got me wanting something newer. Parts are really hard to get for a rebuild, stiction is a problem, and they flex during cornering.

If you look at the picture at the top of the page, you'll see a picture of a 1997 Stumpy that I picked up at a great price. The frame is a bit too large for met, but it did come with some decent parts that I will be using on various upcoming projects. The fork is a 2002 Manitou Black Elite Air. Not the newest fork, but it does come with technology that is 6 years newer than the Judy. 80mm travel, air/oil, much plushier, less stiction, and little flex.

Armed with my trusty 5mm allen wrench, the old Judys were quickly removed, and the Manitous installed. Because the headsets were the same on both Stumpys, I didn't bother to switch the crown races. The Manitou has a longer steerer, but I was too impatient to bother cutting it down. I just ended up installing it with extra spacers on top. The front V-Brakes needed a bit of adjustment

All in all, the "new" Manitou Blacks make for a much plushier ride. Because they have more travel than the Judys, the Stumpy sits higher than it used to. This does relax the steering a bit in theory but I can't tell the difference.

This was an easy and fun upgrade that took me about an hour (while watching TV). It was way cheaper than a brand new fork and it's a great project for the DIY home mechanic. In the future, I'll trim down the steerer tube and replace the mini boots, but that will be another post.

In the meanwhile, Stumpy's got a new pair of shoes!