# 1998 VooDoo D-Jab titanium hardtail rebuild



## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

I bought this bike brand new in 1997 when I was in University and I have never been able to let it go. Over the years it has gone through several different permutations, and of late had been stripped down to the bare frame hanging in my garage. I decided that it was maybe time to put it up for sale, but before I do that, I owe it to return it to its former glory.

Designed by Joe Murray, the big attraction of the VooDoo line at the time was that it was semi-custom - you could pick the frame, the fork and the component mix. This allowed a student like me to get a very high quality frame, order it with a rigid fork, and then a little lesser component mix to get it down into a Ramen budget.

I'll post some pics here as I get better ones together. I have the original VooDoo brochure for the 1998 model year bikes, the original sales receipt and the owner's manual (really, do owner's manuals for bike tell you anything at all aside from a million safety warnings? Aren't they pretty much the same?).

Here is a link to the 1996 catalogue - I'll post some pics from the 1998 one.
http://mtb-kataloge.de/Bikekataloge/PDF/Vodoo/Vodoo96.pdf

The crazy thing is that VooDoo still makes the D-Jab - although it's a distant relation at this point:
Hardtail | Voodoo Cycles

Cheers!


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## demondan (Jul 25, 2008)

I will be following your rebuild. I worked for voodoo when they first started and had a D-jab. I think it was the best voodoo by far! Post some pictures when you can.


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

Following as well. I just picked up a 96 frame a week ago. I'm jumping back and forth between going rigid or some decent FS and going single speed with it. Either way shooting to get the total weight around 19 lbs. It's crazy how light these frames are.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

Some pics of the literature I have.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

So the spec that I ordered was the LX/XT mix with the Tange triple butted steel fork. The fork is surprisingly light for how beefy it is - I think it was 925g. The spec was close to what was in the catalogue with some minor variations 

XT/LX
Cranks Shimano LX 4 arm 42/32/22
BB Shimano UN-52
Rear Derailleur Shimano XT
Front Derailleur Shimano LX (BB mount)
Brakes Shimano XT V-Brake with Kool-Stop pads
Brake Levers Shimano XT
Shifters Shimano XT
Cassette Shimano CS-M737 11-30
Chain Shimano HG
Rims Mavic 220 32H
Spokes Wheelsmith 14/15 (sticker on wheels shows "Bronze Build Wheelsmith")
Tires NOS IRC Notos XC 2.1 Kevlar bead
Handlebar Easton Monkey Lite CT2 low rise composite
Stem Thomson Elite 130 mm x 5*, 25.4 mm clamp
Headset DiaCompe Aheadset AL
Seatpost Titanium (still have the original Titec - the Ti post is no lighter than the Titec)
Saddle - WTB SST2K Ti rails
Grips ATI Tomac

Weight is 22.55 bs w/o pedals, size is 18.5"

It was a tick over $2500 CAD ($2583.94) when I purchased it new, April 7, 1997 from the Hardcore Mountain Bike Store in Edmonton, Alberta.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)




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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)




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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)




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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

I like it. It's begging for a marzocchi z2 upfront OR a 29in wheel.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

colker1 said:


> I like it. It's begging for a marzocchi z2 upfront OR a 29in wheel.


Yeah a friend has an old Bomber in that gross green/yellow colour I could put on. Not sure about that yet.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

You know what? It would look good w/ a race face turbine crank. A silver square taper compact turbine. Since you care for looks(I do) that generation of shimano cranksis the least appealing.


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

colker1 said:


> You know what? It would look good w/ a race face turbine crank. A silver square taper compact turbine. Since you care for looks(I do) that generation of shimano cranksis the least appealing.


RF also made Next cranks in square or ISIS versions as well.

Here's a blue one. Price is completely obscene, but was one of my favorite cranks back in the day.

Race Face Next | eBay

Black ISIS version:

Race Face Next LP Forged 175mm Cranks 3X Black Carbon | eBay


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

horizontallyopposed said:


> So the spec that I ordered was the LX/XT mix with the Tange triple butted steel fork. The fork is surprisingly light for how beefy it is - I think it was 925g. The spec was close to what was in the catalogue with some minor variations


I'm curious what the axle to crown measurement on that fork is? I've been looking at a number of rigid ones, and they vary from about 405 to 465. The Pace RC31 at 420mm looks really cool, but it's expensive.


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## colker1 (Jan 6, 2004)

Even shimano m737 cranks are way better looking and work so well.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

colker1 said:


> You know what? It would look good w/ a race face turbine crank. A silver square taper compact turbine. Since you care for looks(I do) that generation of shimano cranksis the least appealing.


I would agree with you. This generation of Shimano cranks was terrible looking - the XTR ones M952 were passable. Objective 1 was to get it as close as I could to the way I bought - where it goes from here is another question. But yes, the crankset would be the first thing to go....


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

jestep said:


> I'm curious what the axle to crown measurement on that fork is? I've been looking at a number of rigid ones, and they vary from about 405 to 465. The Pace RC31 at 420mm looks really cool, but it's expensive.


It's 420 mm by my measurement.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

There's a five bolt spider that was a option for those crank arms, both in black and polished.


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## Bicycle Rider (Feb 2, 2004)

*Love my D-Jab*

Great resurrection and pictures! I have the same frame from the same year! Love the details like the headbadge and drilled-through cantilever boss. I had the same logic as you, as a high school student, but I went frame-only and swapped over a handful of old parts. That's how you get a Ti frame with an LX derailleur  In it's time as my main ride, it saw 5-6 suspension forks and gradually lost gears, down to one, and lived for a lot of years as a rigid singlespeed.

Mine's a 19.5", and I remember being disappointed when I first got it, that it wasn't much lighter at all than my Kona Cinder Cone frame --- they used size-specific tubing on these, and my frame has matching massive 1.5" diameter top and down tubes. As my riding progressed and I got less and less interested in racing/lightweight, I grew to really appreciate the bombproof frame -- those fat, non-taper seat-and-chainstays and big Breeze-in dropouts make for a super super stout frame that's very confidence inspiring and felt awesome as a singlespeed. Right now it's hanging bare, waiting for it's next incarnation.

Here's an action shot from a few years back.


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## horizontallyopposed (Mar 10, 2013)

Sweet shot! Cool to see someone still ripping it up on a D-Jab! I have sold the frame +fork to a local guy who had been jonesing for a ti frame - can't keep em all again. The remnant parts will be used to build up another bike over the winter for my 11 yr old daughter.


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## jestep (Jul 23, 2004)

Got my build done, sans pedals, this past weekend. Sitting at about 17 lbs single speed right now with a heavy but very usable F80 fork which is a little tall at 430mm but nothing too much to ruin the ride quality.


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## Spydee (Dec 17, 2020)

Pretty sure this is the frame i just bought off a guy in Calgary. Did you sell to a guy named Patrick? The give away was both the manual & catalog. Catalog has same crease/fold in upper right corner. Hey do you still have the receipt for this?? Would be cool to own that also.


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