Custom builds!

Every now and then we get people come into the store asking if we work on bikes we don’t sell when I hear this I feel like I’m channelling bob the builder because the answer is almost always ‘yes we can’. A couple weeks ago a gentleman came in with this rocky mountain flat line frame and a dream to build the most lethal downhill weapon known to man. After a chat with Ben aka Will 2.0 he had his build dialled in. Full saint group, FOX 40’s Thomson/truvativ cockpit, custom Mavic-Dt Swiss-Chris King wheelset. Needless to say we were all drooling at the build list.

So it began, as with all our build regardless of the bike we started with the wheels, if you speak to anyone in the shop about making your bike fast the first word out of their mouth will be ‘wheels’ and this bike is no exception. After calculating spoke lengths, polishing the hubs, counting out spokes and nipples the labour of love began. Aligning the valve hole with the hub decals is just one of the aesthetic touches which may never be noticed by the average rider but it brings a smile to the craftsman every time he see’s his wheels. Setting the spoke heads and constantly destressing the wheels is an act that have wreaked havoc on mark’s benches but these two processes occur naturally when wheels are ridden and by doing artificially in the workshop it ensures that when these wheels are ridden they will be remain straight and true. That is of course until the first time they are slammed into a rock face and dented, they are after all a downhill wheelset.

After almost an entire day of tensioning truing, dishing and countless destressings the wheels were complete, rotors on and straightened, cassette torqued, tyres beaded and the wheels hung up out of harms way until the frame was ready.

Like all good things in life the correct foundation and preparation while time consuming will ensure a flawless end result. Chasing, facing and reaming the bottom bracket and headtube ensure a seamless interface between the frame and the hardware that makes it a bike.
The forks and cockpit are the next steps in the transformation, yes the steerer has been left uncut in preparation for our bike fit which is critical to ensure that the bike not only works properly but become an extension of the rider instead being a two wheeled snow sled. Here’s a little view that few people will ever see or even care about see if you can figure out what it is.

With the forks on, the firm spring fitted and the cockpit set up its time for some stopping power supplied by the good folk at Shimano and their saint anchors. If you want to lose your teeth then a set of these puppies on the monster 203 Ice tech rotors will guarantee you’ll be eating through a straw by just thinking about them.

Now I know what you’re thinking it’s a downhill bike so who cares what’s putting the power on the ground, well if you have an amazing build like this it would be rude to put on anything less than the best and while the Japanese really know how to run a chain on cogs there’s something to be said for the innovative and rock solid design of an e*thirteen chain device.

So here it is folks after the better part of two days we have an absolute weapon that would strike fear in the heart of Chuck Norris himself (don’t tell him I said that). Look out for it at you yangs, Buller and anywhere else the gravity fuelled tribe likes to roam.