headshok in 1997 m900????

[Daniel Santamaria Garcia]

hello, my name is Daniel and i´m from spain. i need iformation to my "new" 1997 m900. I have bought this bike for my vintage collection, but I have doubts about the model.
the painting and stickers are original, but does not match any catalog.
what bike is this?
help me, please

 

[Daniel Santamaria Garcia]

 

[black lightning 1987]

I thought at first that it was a 1999 F900 because the paint matches. Production date (1997, August) doesn't fit though. I can't explain the M900 decal but am guessing someone had brain fade when ordering decals. Looking closer it appears to lack caliper mounts, and the F900 had disc brakes. The other sticking point is the P Bone fork. CAAD3 F series bikes came with Fatty D or Fatty SL forks. I was unable to locate any information on Euro-only 1999 models. My guess it that it's a Euro-spec 1999 F900 buit with a leftover from 1998 frame. Lacking any more information I'd build it like the US F900 with the exception of brakes and fork. Most upper range rim brake models in 1999 came with Avid Arch Rival brakes. I'd use them or XT.

 

[Daniel Santamaria Garcia]

Thank you very much for your answer, this model is causing doubts with the experts of the brand I know. A m900 in matt black can be a police version of 1997? but in the catalog it is cad2 and not cad3 as is my frame and I think they did not mount headshok

 

[MikeA]

I agree the M900 decal has to be a factory error, the M series bikes had a smaller head tube that a headshok would not fit in. I like the colors, that will be a nice looking bike.

 

[MEENI]

I.m.o. its a F series
Its a repaint with wrong decals
You can see the edges from the decals: that is normaly not the case in this period
The paintjob looks good bij the way

 

[black lightning 1987]

Hard to say about the paint but the OP is in a better position than I to judge originality. I don't know how the matte finishes were done at the factory, whether decals were clear coated. Seems unlikely that reproduction decals would have included a size decal though. Anyone know if there are differences in tubing dimensions between CAAD2 and CAAD3 F Series frames? My newest MTB has a 2.8 frame. It's been a long time since I saw a CAAD2 or CAAD3 up close.

 

[Zachariah]

I have a Blue 1998 Fatty 70 off this bike. Works great and all 5 dial functions operate: