1997 Gary Fisher Joshua X0
Part Diary, Part Technical Manual, Part Tips & Tricks

joshua

At my first real job in Glendale, I got into riding with a couple colleagues, I already had my Sirrus road bike, so I wanted to get a mountain bike. I ended up going to Pasadena Cyclery and purchased a new 1997 Gary Fisher Joshua X0. I loved that bike, it seemed like a very sophisticated design and looked very radical. I remember my first ride up Brown Mountain in the evening after work, how hard I was breathing, how weak my legs felt, and how clumsy by bike handling skills. But eventually I got in better shape and became more experienced. In addition to Brown, we also frequented Chantry Flats, Beaudry, La Tuna Canyon, Mt. Lukens, etc. I liked how the suspension always absorbed the bumps, but the URT design made it a poor climber when out of the saddle. So even to this day, nearly 20 years later, I still always climb seated because of this bike.

Eventually I moved up to northern California with the bike and did just a few rides. But in 1999, the bike was stolen from our condo storage cage. We were out for the weekend and someone cut the lock and stole this bike. I eventually replaced this with a Dean Jester, but I always had fond memories of my first mtb.

Here are the specs:

Frame: 1997 Gary Fisher Joshua X0, side butted 6061-T6 heat-treated aluminum mainframe and unified rear triangle. Rock Shox Deluxe coil over shock. Medium size. Yellow with Red rear triangle.
Fork: Rock Shox Indy SL, coil/MCU elastomer guts, 1-1/8" threadless alloy steerer. Yellow.
Front Wheel: Fisher Ginzu Team hub on Bontrager Maverick rim, silver, 32H.
Rear Wheel: Shimano STX-RC hub on Bontrager Maverick rim, silver, 32H.
Tires: WTB Velociraptor, 2.1" x 26".
 Cassette: Shimano, 8spd, 11-30t.
Cranks: Sugino Impel 300, 42x32x20.
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-LP26, 113mm spindle.
Front Derailer: Shimano STX top swing, top pull.
Rear Derailer: Shimano LX SGS, 8spd.
Shifters: Shimano LX Rapidfire SL.
Headset: Tange Seiki ST-E Aheadset, 1-1/8" threadless, silver.
Chain: Shimano CN-IG31.
Stem: 1-1/8" threadless, silver.
Handlebar: System 1 aluminum, silver.
Handlebar Extensions: Fisher Fish Sticks.
Brakes: Shimano M600 V-brakes.
Brake Lever: Tektro RBP-375A V-brake levers.
Pedal: Wellgo SPD, yellow.
Seatpost: Polygon PM-312, 27.2mm aluminum, silver.
Saddle: Bontrager Plus 10, black.