1992 Gary Fisher Hoo-Koo-E-Koo
Part Diary, Part Technical Manual, Part Tips & Tricks

hoo-koo-e-koo

Since my newfound MTB kick, I've been interested in the elevated chain stay bikes influenced by Richard Cunningham. I saw an ad for this older Gary Fisher, not only did it have elevated chain stays, it also had a curved seat tube like my KHS Aero Turbo. The size was too small, but the price was right, so I figure I would buy it and fix it up for my dad, my wife, or just clean it up and sell it. Besides, I kinda have a soft spot for old Gary Fishers since my first mountain bike that I ever bought was a 1997 Gary Fisher Joshua X0.

3/18/2012 - I showed this frameset to my dad via Skype and he said he liked the unique design. The bike he has now is a totally piece of cheap full suspension, disc brake crap; its full of features he doesn't need, its heavy, inefficient, and it's too large for him too. So I told him I would build up this Hoo-Koo-E-Koo for him. After working late nights over the past few days, I finally completed this rebuild. This was probably one of the most difficult builds for me because of all the quirky outdated technology this bikes has. I was not able to remove the pressed-in bottom bracket and I left the 1-1/8" threaded headset alone because I didn't have a 40mm spanner wrench and didn't plan on needing one in the near future. I cleaned and waxed the frameset, repacked the hubs, respaced the rear wheel (totally bizarre, don't ask), a lot of degreasing and scrubbing, new brake and shifter cables and housing, new tires, new pedals, new handlebars, new grips, new shifters, new seatpost, and a new chain. The completed bike looks ok, but considering all the work I put into it, it doesn't look that much different. Aesthetically, it's a bit disappointing; but its good to know that everything is dialed in and put together properly with a lot of care. I finished this just in time since my parents show up on the 20th.

3/25/2012 - After spending almost a week with us, my parents brought this bike back to Southern California. I hope my dad enjoys riding it in good health.

11/4/2014 - My parents moved to a smaller place and my dad wasn't riding much, so they no longer had use for the bike. Instead of bringing it back home, I just had my cousin Albert sell it in LA. He sold it to one of the members of his cycling club.

Here are the specs:

Frame: 1992 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo, 14.5", Fisher Design Evolution Tange double butted tubing, 135mm spacing. Serial Number: FS91115551. Midnight Blue. This has a unique bottom bracket shell that is unthreaded with pressed in cartridge bearings, held in by circlips.
Fork: Gary Fisher, 1-1/8" threaded. Fisher Evolution True Temper Steerer, Cro-Mo Blades, Investment Cast dropouts
. Midnight Blue.
Wheels: Generic hubs and aluminum rims, 32H, silver
Tires: Bontrager Connection, 26" x 1.95", wire bead. From my Bridgestone MB-4, this gave me an excuse to buy new Ritchey tires for the MB-4.
Cassette: Falcon 7spd, 14-28T.
Cranks: Shimano Exage 500LX FC-M500, 46x36x24, 170mm, 110/74 BCD.
Bottom Bracket: Press fit cartridge bearings, square taper spindle.
Front Derailer: Shimano Deore DX FD-M651, special braze-on.
Rear Derailer: Shimano Exage 500LX RD-M500, 7spd.
Brake Lever: Shimano Deore DX BL-MT63.
Shifters:
Shimano EM SL-MT50. I had bought these on eBay a few weeks ago and these suddenly came in really handy.
Headset:
1-1/8" Threaded, black.
Chain: KMC Z-50
Stem: Gary Fisher by Sameness, 30 degree rise, 1-1/8" threaded, 110mm, 25.4mm diameter.
Handlebar: Forte ATX, 25.4mm, 58cm wide, 6061-T6 aluminum, black.
Grips: Forte Comp MTB, black.
Brakes:
Shimano Exage BR-M501.
Pedal: Forte ATB Comp, black.
Seatpost: Sunlite Classic, 28.6mm x 350mm, black.
Seatpin: Gary Fisher, quick-release.
Saddle: Bontrager Plus10, black. This was the original seat from my Joshua X0, this is all I have left of it.

Ratio
14
16
18
20
22
24
28
46
6.3
5.5
4.9
4.4
4.0
3.7
3.2
36
4.9
4.3
3.8
3.5
3.1
2.9
2.5
24
3.3
2.9
2.6
2.3
2.1
1.9
1.6

The bike originally weighed 28 lbs 15 oz. The bike currently weighs 27 lbs 11 oz as shown.

The following are OE parts that I am currently not using:

Shifters: Shimano Deore II SL-MT62. One of the shifters was bent up pretty bad so I decided not to use them.
Handlebar: Gary Fisher by Sameness ATB2683F, black. The handlebars were ok, but at the grip area, it tapers down extra small so standard grips would not fit snug over it.
Pedal: Generic alloy platform, black. They are totally trashed and bent up.

Seatpost: Proponent, 28.6mm x 250mm, silver.