1999 DEAN Jester
Part Diary, Part Technical Manual, Part Tips & Tricks

After my 1997 Gary Fisher Joshua X0 was stolen in 1999, this was the replacement. I ordered it online and it showed up quite a few weeks later. I got a call from DEAN, somehow something got delayed, so they offered to throw in the custom paint job for free. So the bike shows up in a large box, partially assembed to our condo in SF. I've never ridden this bike very much, but it fits me perfectly and it handles very well. Now it just hangs in the garage, waiting for the 3 or 4 times a year that I ride the trails.

3/13/2011 - After about two years, I finally take the Jester out for some real singletrack action at Water Dog. At first my bike handling was a little tenative, but after a few miles, things started to improve. Towards the end of the ride, I felt so comfortable with the fit and the handling of the bike, I was truly impressed. It shows that this bike has aged quite well, the suspension worked well, the geometry is perfect, the brakes had all the stopping power I needed, the bike never missed a shift, and at a bit under 27 pounds, its not even that heavy by modern standards. I'm thinking that with a lightweight set of wheels, some new grips, and maybe a lighter saddle, there is nothing more I can ask of a mountain bike.

3/26/2011 - Removed the bar ends, replaced the old Yeti grips with ESI silicone grips in matching orange and installed a Selle Italia SLR XP saddle. Bike weight dropped 14 oz from 26 lbs 15 oz to 26 lbs 1oz.

11/8/2015 - My friend Josh has been using the bike for the past few weeks. After a ride at Water Dog Park, he decided to buy it from me. So I'm real happy that the bike has gone to a good home and I've gained another riding partner.

Here are the specs:

Frame: 1999 Dean Jester softail, Medium (16" CTC), Reynolds 851 tubing with Strata Shock.
Fork: 1999 White Brothers SC70 XC, 1-1/8" threadless.
Front Wheel: Nuke Proof hub, carbon fiber body with sealed cartridge bearings laced to Mavic X517 rim, silver, 32H, 708g.
Rear Wheel: Shimano Deore LX FH-570 hub laced to Mavic X221 rim, silver, 32H, 1049g.
Tires: IRC Mythos XC, 2.1" x 26".
Cassette: Shimano XT CS-M739, 8spd, 11-30T. 53mm rear chainline
Cranks: Shimano XT FC-M739, 44x32x22, 175mm, 104/64 BCD.
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-UN73, 110mm spindle. 50mm front chainline, ideal BB would be 116mm.
Front Derailer: Shimano XT FD-M739.
Rear Derailer: Shimano XT RD-M739, 8spd.
Lever/Shifters: Shimano XT ST-M739, Rapidfire.
Headset: Race Face Thermo SP, 1-1/8" threadless.
Chain: Shimano Narrow.
Stem: Dean Aluminum, black, 1-1/8" threadless, 100mm, 25.4mm diameter.
Handlebar: Dean Aluminum, black.
Grips: ESI Chunky, silicone, orange, 60g.
Brakes: Shimano XT, BR-M739.
Pedal: Shimano PD-M535 SPD.
Seatpost: Dean Aluminum, black, 27.0mm.
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR XP, black.

The bike weighs 26 lbs 1 oz as shown.

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

Rear Rim: Mavic X517, silver, 32H.
Rear Hub: Nuke Proof, carbon fiber body with sealed cartridge bearings. The freehub body bearing went bad.
Bar Ends: Bontrager Race, 6061 T6, black.