Briefly, the frame is a medium Orange Blood, with Rockshox 2Step Lyriks, Race Face cranks, bars, stem and new SRAM XO shifters and Elixir brakes (in pink and purple respectively)
NukeProof wheels, an E-Thirteen chain device and just ignore the saddle and seatpost – they’re off his touring bike…
Chipps adds…
Wow, you stick up a quick picture before going off for a long weekend and look what happens 🙂
To answer some of the questions and comments:
No, that saddle isn’t staying – I clearly said it was just whipped off my tourer because I currently don’t have a 27.2 post spare. Something squishier will go on it. The tyres, too, are easily changed. This isn’t being presented as ‘This is how all bikes should be set up’ – it’s being shown as a ‘Look, I just finished this before the weekend, here’s a quick picture…’
Yes, I AM mainly an All day/XC rider – and as such quite representative of the average Singletrack reader. I figured that as I have the chance to build up such a (silly) bike, perhaps my thoughts and experiences on such a bike might be of interest to those fellow mid-life-crisis riders who wonder if getting a ‘rad’ bike will make them radder (it probably won’t, but it should make being rubbish a whole lot of fun).
I won’t be the only rider on it. It’ll get its share of other testers on it. In fact, if anyone’s passing, they’re welcome to give it a go one evening and show everyone how it’s ‘meant’ to be ridden. It’ll be ridden in Calderdale, but also around the place at trail centres, all day rides and whatever sounds fun. It weighs in at 33lbs currently in the build in the picture. Just swapping the saddle out saved half a pound off that…
There’s nothing wrong with pink. I merely have a dry and rather contrary sense of humour and I figured if I’m going to be riding like I’m on a Barbie bike*, then I might as well showcase it. (* I would say ‘Riding like a girl’ but I know far too many VERY fast girls…)
The anodized components were a mix of what had just been sent in (SRAM XO in pink) and a few bits designed to clash with everything else (the Race Face cranks, Elixirs, pink grips and blue zip ties…) – Lighten up everyone, it’s not meant to be a concours fashion winner. 😉
I’m running Rockshox Lyriks because we’ve not seen a pair of the 2-Steps since our previous pair were recalled a couple of years ago.
How’s that? Keep the comments coming… The near-final build will appear in issue 50 of Singletrack.
shopping basket T/F then? Tassles on the end of the bars and she will be completed…
that is sooo distastefully coloured it’s circled right back to sexy again!
Gopping :-$
If this bike is ever used in anger, that tassle on the saddle won’t look so clever.
What size ignitors are they? They look tiny!
I’m not quite convinced myself by the brooks saddle ..
[img]http://www.addemoticons.com/emoticon/animated/AddEmoticons04219.gif[/img]
Very pink, very niche…….
I don’t know what’s worse. The saddle or the purple cranks.
horrible
bloody awful, skinny tyres and stoopid saddle.
seatstay pivot ain’t Horst linked, what a shambles.
BB height looks awfully low too – once you’ve sat on it, i reckon pedal strike will afflict you terribly.
sloping TT means way too much seat post extension, i hope there’s no ST bottle mounts ?
overall, NASTY.
Badass!
Rides really nicely though, but not in that colour.
Horrendous.
Enjoy it.
Purple AND pink?
You are Graham Norton and I claim my £5.
“seatstay pivot ain’t Horst linked, what a shambles.”
“BB height looks awfully low too”
… and those are the two things that i think make the Blood brilliant 🙂
Can Orange paint your fingernails the same colour for an extra few quid as well?
looks brilliant, loose the tassle though please!
Can you lot not read?
“ignore the saddle”
Rest of the bike would look ace, if it were a different colour…
ben – how does induced pedal bob and pedal strike appeal to you ?
Isnt that a virtual carbon-copy of a Bottlerocket? £200 for the shock trade(?) so £1,300 for some welded aluminum piping?