TheOtherGuy

Anyone have a KGB Ti hardtail? Thinking about getting one that a LBS has; apparently put together quite a while ago, and never sold... It's a polished Ti frame with a Rockshox Ti (?) fork and Deore LX. As it is, it's 24 lbs on the scale complete with pedals. I figure I can swap out half the LX stuff on it for decent light stuff & have it around 20 lbs or less... The price seems right; marked down to near their cost ($699). The steerer is a 1-1/8", so I can always upgrade the fork when it goes south. Anyone have info on the KGB?

robo

Is it a really shiny gold rock shox fork without offset dropouts? If so, that's from 1994... (but it was their top end fork)

TheOtherGuy

Yup; shiney gold fork. I seem to remember the label saying just Rockshox Titanium. Can't say I remember what the drops looked like... Might that still be a decent functional fork (it's new/unused)?

robo

Sounds like it's the Rock Shox Mag 21 SL Ti.
I drooled over that fork 11 years ago

I think it's air/oil, maybe 2.0-2.5 inches travel, sub 3 lbs.

It's not actually made of titanium - the legs are cast magnesium and it has titanium bits and bolts.

I'm sure it's still a good fork, although strictly for XC use. It's certainly hella light.

TheOtherGuy

Well, since I'm a sucker for vintage stuff anyway, and the price seemed right (marked down from $1699 to $699!), I went back for this KGB. Before too long I'll be swapping bits out for better quality, "weight weenie" stuff... I'll ride it as it is for now though. Weight is 24 lbs. with the pedals. Frame weight is 3.3 lbs. It's a generic Russian Ti frame from mid-late 90's, with the KGB in this case being a house brand from either Euro-Asia Imports or Montrose Bike where I bought it. Turns out the fork is a Rockshox MAG 21 SL/Ti... I was told they built the frame up with older stock they still had (and still have too...). They made me a killer price on the Frog pedals (both not on it yet) as an upgrade to what was there. Should be a fun XC bike for me... Different anyway.

robo

Yep, from the looks of it those are 1993/1994 parts. The saddle, rear derrailleur and cranks at least, which is what i can make out clearly from the photo. The cranks are 1994 LX, the derailleur could be 1993 or 1994.

It makes sense that it was built up with contemporary parts later. I was surprised a Ti frame and Mag21 SL would be paired with LX parts, as LX stuff is midrange and the fram and fork were very high end.

Anyway, that's a sweet ride. Those Bontrager saddles were super narrow though!

SpiderMike

That is one pretty steed TheOtherGuy. Talk about a time capulse. Only things missing
1. Purple Anodized parts (haha)
2. Dirt
Enjoy the ride.

TheOtherGuy

Thanks guys. I'll have some parts swappin' fun soon enough. I actually have a '94 XT group that's like new, on a Klein I recently picked up, and it may as well go on the KGB that's my size (Klein's too big, but got it cheap). Dirt will be this weekend! Purple ano, huh? Sounds good...

robo

Heh.. '3D Violet' they used to call it (the purple anodized stuff). I used to think it looked so awesome it actually hurt. Now i think it looks tacky

Zapcod

I have the mag 21 sl-ti on my old Giant Cadex...is that fork worthy of a rebuild and a possiable sale or should I not bother. Sorry if I just jacked the thread

Zapcod

I have the purple water bottle holder and purple nipples on my wheels too...

TheOtherGuy

Dude- sorry to hear about the nipps.
From what I've been reading, the MAG 21 forks from '94-'97 were pretty good quality, and quite popular.
Apparently the SL/Ti version was a '94 only thing, and used the cool Ti hardware. I think if you liked the way the fork worked when it was working well (was it ever?), then it's worthy of a rebuild. Let me know if you can find any rebuild kits; I might want one as a spare for mine.

Zapcod

I am looking for a kit but I have been told to make a lamp out of the fork so prolly going to be hard to find. Great job of taking my statement about nipples out of context ...I will keep you in mind if I find anything.

TheOtherGuy

Grubbied it up well today... & took home a nice souvenir! (I hear girls like scars; right?)
Ride was only about 9 miles in Whiting Ranch. Bike performed great for a vintage piece; rider sucks though. Decided Speedplay Frogs don't like mud... I couldn't clip in when I needed to, or out once I was in...and the trail was lots of ruts, stream crossings & muddy rocks. Way different from the road riding I'm used to, and probably not the best trail for a beginner mountain biker first trying out clipless pedals that don't work right... Still, a good ride and plenty of fun.

laxboy

Can you tell me more about the fit/sizing/geometry of the KGB? I'm considering getting one, and there appears to be only one size fits all, but it's not clear from the measurements provided what size person would fit on the bike... So basically, I'm asking, How tall are you, how do you like it, and what height range would fit it?

Thanks

DMC707

This was an almost 11 year old thread --- google may be your best bet on info for that bike -- I did find it assuming the part about taking a 24 lb bike down to 20lbs by just swapping out some of the LX bits for high end stuff
I recently swapped out the Deore bits on a modern bike for a full XTR 1x11 group ---- the difference was 3/4 of a pound with most of the savings coming from the XTR Ti/carbon cassette and rear derailleur --- weight difference for things like shifters and the brakeset was negligible

laxboy

I did use google and it lead me to this thread. There's not much out there. It's a pretty sweet paintjob on a vintage ti frame. It would make for a cool looking project bike for sure. I was hoping the OP would chime in with his experience/opinion

laxboy

Hey original poster, Can you share your experience on this cool looking frame? Particularly in regards to sizing?

Darth Lefty 

Ten year thread from the dead! Wow

DMC707

Yep, the OP's last post was Feb 2012 , but if you google KGB, laxboy was correct -- not much info and this thread comes up first almost