Jekyll help

[Richied]

Hi All im new to the forum, and I just acquired a (maybe) 2005 Jekyll. I was hoping someone could help me out identifying it. I looked at the bottom bracket and their were stamping s. they were 8708810A00002 3DMJLN MD their may have been a sticker but it well gone now. the previous owner had a story about the bike, i didnt buy it because of the story but i was hoping for as much info on it as i could get. it looks kinda like a hodgepodge of parts, for example the rear swing arm has a place for traditional brakes but it has hays hydraulics. any help would be greatly appreciated
thanks again and HI

 

[black lightning 1987]

Pictures and models of various components will help pin down year and model. See my post in your other thread.

 

[Richied]

Here are som pics,sorry it was raining today. If their are some specific pics that would be a better help let me know what to take

 

[black lightning 1987]

That decal style was only used on 2003 models. The 500 was available in silver gloss but it came with a Manitou fork in the USA and a Headshok in Europe. My guess is that your bike was built from a frameset. It has the high end Lefty Max fork, which only came on the top two models. The XT crank would have been consistent with the 2000 model, but most of the rest of the 2000 build was XTR. The 2000 also would have had the remote lockout for the shock. Overall not far from a 2000 model equivalent I'd say.

 

[Richied]

Ok thank you for the help. It also has the manitou air shock in the rear. I was looking at some of the litature on your site and noticed the swing arm on the Jekyll had brake bosses on some of them up to 04. Is their any issues I should look out for on this era bike?
Again thank you for your help on this
Rich

 

[black lightning 1987]

Wondering if your frame sat a while before being built as there were no Manitou shocks used until the 2004 models came out (guessing late summer 2003). Yes, still some V brake Jekyll models in 2004 but that was the last year for them. I've never owned a full suspension Cannondale so I don't know anything specific. I would keep an eye on wear at the pivots and inspect everything for cracks periodically (as with any other bike). You might do a search for Jekyll on bikeforums and see what comes up.

 

[Richied]

I checked the bushings and they are good. I’m a shop teacher and teach machining and CNC so that is part of my dna. Haha any way I did the most rookie thing possible. I bought it in the rain, it had no peddles on it and I did t bring any to try it and I left a 430 am to get to the seller by 7am so I could get back home to teach my class Virtually (due to the public school shut down in nys) by 10am so I’m stupid. He told me the lefty was serviced, and so was the rear air shock recently. But once I got it home the rear shock had no psi and the front lefty was empty of oil so....... I’m stupid. I did get a pump for the rear shock mad got it to my weight and it seems to be holding. And I just filled the lefty but I think the seals are junk so that made me call around and find out that their is only one person in the us that will even deal with that shock and ironically he is in upstate ny about 3 hrs from me so that is great. I called him and he gave me the worst case and best case for the lefty and I’m going to be sending it to them next week. I an only blame my self for buying the bike. I just wanted to ride with my daughter who is 9 and I bought her a new trek for Christmas and she wants someone to ride with. All I have now is a felt beach cruzer and that sucks with only 3 gears. It was great when she was a baby and I had her in the trailer. The last mountain bike I had was a s works stumpjumper from around the same area as the Jekyll but I gave that to one of my students as a graduation gift (he came from a difficult home situation) when he got into college and didn’t think I would get back into it. So at this point I’m going to have to say live and learn and I’m in this far and I can’t get the money out of it so to anyone reading this please don’t tell my wife!!!!! And I’m going to get this back up to snuff come hell or high water. Most likely hell.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Sorry to hear about the Lefty. Hopefully Craig can get it fixed without having to get too deep into it. I'm sure you will enjoy riding it once you have everything in good shape.

 

[MikeA]

That's definitely a 2003-2005 model, the difference from the earlier models is the frames shock mount. Also, the dropped top tube indicates a women's specific frame design.

 

[Richied]

Well just a progress report I sent the lefty out to Mendon for a rebuild, it was leaking, should have it back next week.

 

[black lightning 1987]

Glad to hear that you went ahead with the project. Thanks for saving one.

 

[Brian]

I agree, thank you for saving a Gen 1 Jekyll. Most of them have gone to build uber V's, or probably in the recycling. Thank you for building a great bike!

 

[Zachariah]

That paint panel with model designation is positively 2002.

 

[black lightning 1987]

2002 Jekyll decal style.

 

[black lightning 1987]

2003 Jekyll decal style. Also note that in the 2003 catalog, the only bikes shown with the bend in the top tube are Feminine 400 and 500. Not sure if the bent TT was specific to them or a feature of certain sizes.

 

[Erik Steinbeck]

I checked the bushings and they are good. I’m a shop teacher and teach machining and CNC so that is part of my dna. Haha any way I did the most rookie thing possible. I bought it in the rain, it had no peddles on it and I did t bring any to try it and I left a 430 am to get to the seller by 7am so I could get back home to teach my class Virtually (due to the public school shut down in nys) by 10am so I’m stupid. He told me the lefty was serviced, and so was the rear air shock recently. But once I got it home the rear shock had no psi and the front lefty was empty of oil so....... I’m stupid. I did get a pump for the rear shock mad got it to my weight and it seems to be holding. And I just filled the lefty but I think the seals are junk so that made me call around and find out that their is only one person in the us that will even deal with that shock and ironically he is in upstate ny about 3 hrs from me so that is great. I called him and he gave me the worst case and best case for the lefty and I’m going to be sending it to them next week. I an only blame my self for buying the bike. I just wanted to ride with my daughter who is 9 and I bought her a new trek for Christmas and she wants someone to ride with. All I have now is a felt beach cruzer and that sucks with only 3 gears. It was great when she was a baby and I had her in the trailer. The last mountain bike I had was a s works stumpjumper from around the same area as the Jekyll but I gave that to one of my students as a graduation gift (he came from a difficult home situation) when he got into college and didn’t think I would get back into it. So at this point I’m going to have to say live and learn and I’m in this far and I can’t get the money out of it so to anyone reading this please don’t tell my wife!!!!! And I’m going to get this back up to snuff come hell or high water. Most likely hell.

I just joined this group to learn more about Vintage Jekylls. I have the opportunity to purchase a mint condition unit, but the shocks front and rear are likely toast. How difficult/expensive will it be to have these rebuilt?

 

[MikeA]

I just joined this group to learn more about Vintage Jekylls. I have the opportunity to purchase a mint condition unit, but the shocks front and rear are likely toast. How difficult/expensive will it be to have these rebuilt?

Do you know what year and model it is, or which shock and fork it has?

 

[Erik Steinbeck]

Do you know what year and model it is, or which shock and fork it has?

From the seller….this particular bike is an amalgam of parts starting with a frame that’s 12-15 years old, and a whole list of premium components. Very nice overall, but unfortunately details are lacking until we meet again Friday and I can snap some pics. Anyhow, the fork is a Lefty Speed, and the rear shock is a Fox Float RL. Not sure if that helps. He did indicate that both front and rear shocks work, but due to non-use the front is weeping from bottom seals very slightly.


Any insight would be super helpful so I can understand what I’m getting into. I’d love to make the purchase but not if it’s a one and done unit. Maybe someone out there is still able to rebuild both shocks if needed. Thanks.


Take care!

 

[MikeA]

From the seller….this particular bike is an amalgam of parts starting with a frame that’s 12-15 years old, and a whole list of premium components. Very nice overall, but unfortunately details are lacking until we meet again Friday and I can snap some pics. Anyhow, the fork is a Lefty Speed, and the rear shock is a Fox Float RL. Not sure if that helps. He did indicate that both front and rear shocks work, but due to non-use the front is weeping from bottom seals very slightly.


Any insight would be super helpful so I can understand what I’m getting into. I’d love to make the purchase but not if it’s a one and done unit. Maybe someone out there is still able to rebuild both shocks if needed. Thanks.


Take care!

Ok, the Float RL probably needs nothing more than an air can service. The seal kit is readily available because it covers many models over many years, it's less than $15. More importantly, it's an extremely easy job to do if you are at all mechanically inclined. The damper side is nitrogen charged, so in the unlikely case it has damping problems it would have to go back to the factory. I'm not sure if they would still service older shocks though.

The Lefty is a different story, service requires special tools and knowledge. The best bet is to send it to Craig at www.mendoncyclesmith.com. Last I heard the cost is around $75 for basic service including seals, plus shipping.

 

[Erik Steinbeck]

Ok, the Float RL probably needs nothing more than an air can service. The seal kit is readily available because it covers many models over many years, it's less than $15. More importantly, it's an extremely easy job to do if you are at all mechanically inclined. The damper side is nitrogen charged, so in the unlikely case it has damping problems it would have to go back to the factory. I'm not sure if they would still service older shocks though.

The Lefty is a different story, service requires special tools and knowledge. The best bet is to send it to Craig at www.mendoncyclesmith.com. Last I heard the cost is around $75 for basic service including seals, plus shipping.

Thanks so much. I'll keep you posted on my progress.