Trav1s

I stumbled into this bike on Facebook marketplace last spring and the seller worked with me for more than 2 weeks to complete the sale. I kept asking for details and the seller simply said it was a Specialized S-Works M2 and gave me the standover which looked like it would work for me. Then I started searching for the S-Works line information

Here are the specs on the bike as purchased - far from original but cared for and had some period correct upgrades:

S-Works M2 frame
Specialized Future Shock fork (Titanum/Carbon Fiber)
Ritchey 6061 bars
Specialized seatpost
Specialized Ti stem
Deore XT derailleurs 3x8
Deore 175 mm crank
XTR brakes
Sram grip shifters (meh)
Specialized Crossroads tires on original SWorks rims

Trav1s

After riding it as is over the past year, I decided to make some upgrades (and put the original parts on the shelf for now). The local bike shop handled a crank upgrade to 165mm arms and a shorter stem. Both made the bike much more comfortable for my 5'6" self. The swap to the 165mm crank was by far the best decision as I rock less from side to side and have much less hip pain. WIN!

Trav1s

LBS mentioned that while the FS fork was in working condition, there can be problems with the Ti/CF bonded fork. If I was going to spend any trail time with it, even a spring fork should be considered. I eventually found a Rockshox Recon TK Solo air C1 26 fork that fit the bill. There was cheaper coil spring option from RockShox but the additonal $50 yielded a much better fork.

Here's the FutureShock in all of its Ti/CF 80mm travel glory


While the additional travel does impact steering geometry, the Recon's 100mm travel is a close as I could find with a 1" straight steerer tube.

PhilFo 

Old S-Works are always nice. You got the first generation M2 there. The year prior was the gorgeous maroon prestige steel frame with the Mag-21 Ti.
I took my '96 S-works around the world a few times while I was in the Navy.

Trav1s

Thanks for the scoop! It’s an amazing bike for sure. I didn’t know the history other than I though it was the first year of the M2 frame.

Trav1s

Removed the Odyssey platform pedals for a pair of FaceFace Chesters. They fit my shoes better and was able to shed some weight in the process.

Schweinhund

Biggest difference to me was getting that design of shimano crank off and installing a lower Q crank. That's what you did.
Length is a factor, but those original cranks are just uncomfortably wide for those of us with narrow hips.

Trav1s

Ah! Now I see it in a new way. Never considered width. I’m really happy with Albion setup the LBS found for me. I’ll look into measuring old v/s new for reference.

Trav1s

Another update on the M2:

A friend has a mid 90's CroMo Hardrock Ultra that still was wearing the original Specialized Crossroads tires that needed replaced. Since I had been considering a tire swap on the M2, we made a deal and I put the new Crossroads Flackjackets from the M2 on his bike. Now I'm looking for some nice all around tires and think some Nobby Nicks will be the choice. The Odyssey pedals also got swapped to the Hardrock Ultra and he loves the upgrade. I call it a win for everyone.

Also, this weekend I stumbled into NOS Shimano Deore XT M738 brake/shifter combos that will replace the current SRAM twist grip shifters and current brake levers. The SRAM stuff will be looking for a new home too.

Darth Lefty 

I think you can still get Velociraptors. They definitely look period. WTB kept making them a long, long time.

That model of fork you can limit the travel by putting a spacer on the negative side of the air spring shaft. Probably one of the motion control dampers could fit

Trav1s

Thanks for the suggestion Darth - I see the Velociraptors are available but considering the where/how of my riding, I think they will be more aggressive than I desire. I am leaning to Schwalbe Magic Mary or Specialized Fast Track Armadillo with the Specialized the likely choice. I'm also going to swap handgrips and I'm researching options.

Kapusta

A you sure you are not confusing the Magic Mary with something else? That is a very aggressive tire. Like, DH/Enduro Racing aggressive.

Trav1s

Goodies arrived yesterday and I did a bit of work. I’ll leave a few pics for now.

georges1

very nice project For wheels, you can also check the mavic crossmax mark1, they will complete your bike well

Trav1s

Thanks for the suggestion. I was concerned about wear on the original rims so an alternative is appreciated. I've considered a disc conversion since the fork has a caliper mount but think it's probably wise to leave good enough alone.

Trav1s

The rebuild is on hold since the "to order" list for the M2 continues to grow:

Ergon GA3 grips - https://www.ergonbike.com/en/product-details.html?anr=42410088&s=ga&a=griff

Specialized Fast Trak Armadillo - https://www.specialized.com/us/en/fa...=232365-157289

Cool Stop Pads

Trav1s

These arrived and got them installed in record time. Still need tires so no seat time on this one for me.

Trav1s

Ordered the Specialized Fast Trak Armadillo 26"x2.1" tires to replace the Crossroads that were on it. After a fair amount of reading, these seem to be a solid option for the riding I do with it.


Other than that, nothing new with this project.

Trav1s

Tires installed along with new Shimano pads on the rear. The tires are a bit larger ant 2.1”x26” and look more proportional to the bike. They are definitely more sticky than the Crossroads I took off of it. I got the rear derailleur dialed in on the first attempt and I'll need a bit more time on the front but it's totally ridable as it sits.

Ignore the saddle placment - I need to readjust it to reflect all of the upgrades


















I’m really loving the final product!!

georges1

congrats I bet it rides fast

Trav1s

It's nimble and very predictable. The fork swap slowed down bar input a bit but I prefer the change. Bike is a bit heavier than it was before the upgrades but still light. I hoped to hit the local trails but summer storms are keeping them too wet for riders. I'll take it out for a ride on the paved trails and report back more.

PhilFo 

Do those XTR V brakes squeal at all? Back when they were introduced, they squealed right out of the box and Shimano had to issue a shim kit to disallow the parallelogram linkage to vibrate.

Trav1s

No squeals, even with the old pads on it. It's definitely smoother and less grabby since I replaced back pads and need to do that fronts soon.

Trav1s

I finally made it to the local trails for 5.5 miles of riding. The fork works great, bike handles well, and I'm impressed with the setup. I needed to adjust headtube bearing preload again and do some derailleur fine tuneing but that's minimal. The tires are very sticky and handled everything from packed dirt to sand to obstables without a problem.

But... the bike is too big for me. Standover is a big higher after the fork swap and that makes all the difference. Soo... I think I'll clean it up and try to sell it. NO regrets on the fork swap either.

PhilFo 

It'll be worth more with the original fork back on it. Or at least sell the bike with the S Works fork.