I have a 1998 Gary Fisher Paragon, it's black, that was the year they had the weird hippie trippie logo, if some remember it. It's so weird you have to do a double take to figure out what it says. I ended up changing to riser handlebars and a stem that angles upward so I could ride in a more comfortable position. I also changed out the derailleur/shifter/brake levers to a Sram 9.0 grip shift, which most don't like but I love, it was the best I could get at the time. Changed out the shock to a Rock Shox Judy long travel and thankfully switched out the awful seat to a SPG foam seat that's actually comfortable to sit on. The last thing I did was get tires that are slick in the middle, and studded on the sides, for on and off road riding. I'm a casual rider for fun only, and to this day over twenty years later (with lots of off time for tv watching) the bike still performs incredibly well. The frame is top notch aluminum American made and it's light, fun and easy to ride. The pedals are just regular ones with a cage for the foot, so I can wear sneakers instead of the snap on bike shoes people wear. I don't wear bike clothing, just shorts and a t-shirt and sneakers, nothing fancy. BTW, the handlebar/stem combo change makes it so you can ride it without having to be hunched over all the time. It's built for comfort and aggressive riding if that's what I want. Sort of the best of all worlds. Lastly it's a great looking bike, but as a hardtail it's not built for the type of advanced trails a duel suspension bike can handle, I tried that once and about broke my back. This bike is for light to average trails, road riding, and easily switching between the two on the fly. It still rides as good as the day I bought it, when the Gary Fisher line was a sort of hippie Woodstock alternative to the corporate choices, marketing at it's finest, but it still felt more organic at the time. Oh yeah, one more thing, it had the "Genesis" geometry that was supposed to revolutionize the mountain bike industry. Did it? Don't know, but it was still a great example of how to use marketing to sell a product. It is very easy to ride, and extremely stable on steep downhill inclines.
The Fisher Excalibur was a one year model only, 1985. It was renamed ProCaliber in 1986. Both the Excalibur and ProCaliber were imports, not US hand built models.
He likes bikes and biking. He is designing the perfect bike for him. I don't know Jack about bikes but I have 4 it 5 in my apt. My some loves his bikes.
kleven707 I wonder if that influenced his decision. Trek is based right here in Madison Wi, the second city in the Nation to decriminalize recreational Cannabis over 40yrs ago... Decades before California or Colorado.
Well I have a 2008 GF Advance. The bike have done over 25000 km and I'm still using it dialy. Of course everything was changed but the frame is still the same. And I'm really sorry that I can't buy a genuine Gary Fisher bike anymore. I would really like to do it because I am very satisfied with my Advance. Sorry Trek idiots from accounting and marketing but I will not buy a Trek GF.
His company made some great bikes that even today. People pay insane money on flea bay. Then he sold his company to Trek which in my opinion are over priced bikes made in china. He was an innovator yes, but what has he done lately? Talk....
