Ricky's Builds - Surly Straggler / Retro MTB's etc

Redline Update:

Removed the long Avid stem and narrow Bonty Crowbars and replaced with a set of Spank Spike bars and a Thomson X4 stem that I had in my parts box. Also fitted ODI grips and 2.4 Conti Mountain Kings. Next job is to figure out the cause of an annoying rotational click from the drivetrain.

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Surly Update:
This has been getting loads of use over the last 2 months and it's only solidified it's place in my heart further. I absolutely love this bike!
Recently fitted a Thomson inline post that was on my Soma. Also been using a Fairweather stem bag and I recently added the Arundel Looney Bin cage which is great for carrying Nalgene bottles.

Next thing is to build a new wheelset. I have a set of 32h Velocity Cliffhangers already. I'm planning on ordering a set of Hope Pro 4 hubs and getting them built in the next few months.

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Well over due an update as there's been quite a bit of change. Soma Rush has gone. We moved back from Toronto to Northumberland and theres been a few new projects.

First one was this 1999ish GT Tequesta. Always loved the triple triangle frames and thought this would make a good project. Started with a rough but original rolling bike. Stripped it down and decided to simplify it. Luckily a friend had a bunch of bits from a previous build so basically got a tried and tested transmission from him. Deore cranks with narrow wide ring, SRAM rear mech and shifter and recently built Shimano hub on Halo rim. I got a set of On One forks on sale from Planet X and a few other bits from CRC and the rest was from my parts box. The 29.6mm seat tube was a pain in the arse but went with a 27.2 post with a shim.

Really happy with the way it turned out. It rides like a big BMX. Plan for winter is to take it apart again and get the frame and forks powder coated. The current fork paint was a bit of an experiment with some Montana crackle paint. Didn't work quite as I wanted but I knew I'd probably get them painted properly as long as I liked how it rode. Also got a new set of tyres for it but thought I'd try it as is.

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Next "project" was this rough Orange Clockwork 10th Anniversary. I was super into the segmented fork and that classic orange/white paint job so I got my mate to go and look at it/buy it before we got back to Northumberland. The paint is really rough and the freehub was slipping so I replaced the rear wheel with the old back wheel that was on the GT. I replaced the cables and threw on a Velo Orange saddle that was languishing in my friends parts box. It rides pretty nicely and has become the bike I've fitted a Weeride to.

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New project that I've had on the go for the last little bit is finally finished. Alpinestars Cro Mega LX. I bought the frameset and stem of a friend a few months ago and then set about building it up as a 1x7 town bike with bits from my parts bin.

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Awesome! Always wanted one of these frames, much rad.

Cro-Mega looks great, nice work.

Cheers @zazkar @vpCogworks I'm pretty happy with it.

Also made some updates to my Tequesta. The precious cockpit (surly sunrise on a top load BMX stem) looked great but made it quite cramped. Updated with a generic 25.4 stem (painted with sparkle clear coat because sparkle clear coat) and a set of BLB Big Smoke bars. Feels so much better now. Currently the bike with the weeride bar fitted too.

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Alpinestars is looking fabulous. Also loving the GT, its a nice build similar to a Marin I have. What are the forks on it, Gusset, Handsome Dog?

Cheers dude. Forks on the GT are On-Ones. Got them cheap the last time they had some in.

alpinestars looks rad.

Ah yes I see it now. They are nice forks. I have even recently been trying to find an old vbrake singlespeed rigid inbred as well.

@deerheart cheers!

Yeah, I'd love an Inbred too @Tom13 been keeping my eyes peeled for one too.

A long overdue up date. Theres been some shifting around and refining of the fleet and thats going to continue through this year. It got a bit silly with not being able to move around my small garage for bikes and parts so I realised it was time to rationalise.

1. Alpinestars - I split it up and sold the frame, fork, seat post and stem to the pal I bought it off. It didn't last long with him either so god knows where it is now.

2. Orange - I took this apart to sort out as it was rough and needed love. It never went back together in any meaningful way and I sold it locally to a guy who was going to restore it.

During the last year I also bought and sold a tiny Kona Hahanna and a Scott Cheyenne. Both early 90s rigid MTB's, it was just more of the same and the result of boredom so they needed to go.
I also recently acquired a Cannondale road frameset which was destined to become my town bike but after gathering most of the parts, I quickly managed to talk my way out of it so thats now gone back to a frame and fork which will be dropped off at the local bike recycling enterprise.

Now to whats left...

GT Tequesta - Still here but slightly revamped and refined from its original build. I thought numerous times about getting rid of it but it's perfect for the job it does, it is built and works fine and I've always had a soft spot for triple triangle frames so this will be staying.
Planet X fork was removed and replaced with a Specialized Direct Drive fork from aformentioned bike recycling enterprise (shout out to Recyke Y' Bike Newcastle). I previously found the sunrise bar and BMX stem combo a little too short given the length of the TT but found a Thomson layback which stretched things out so this now works really well. Finally I added a Wald 137 that had been on my wife's bike.

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Surly Straggler - Although not that new now, since my last update this has now had a set of wheels built for it which was kind of the final piece of the puzzle. I went with a used set of Hope Pro 2's laced to Velocity Cliffhangers. Latterly as a bit of an experiment I squeezed on a pair of 44c WTB Riddlers which barely fit but ride nicely and I really like the look of them so they'll probably stay until they cause problems. This will probably need a drivetrain refresh over winter but aside from that is largely "done" (famous last words).

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A new entry - Sunn Bmix

Ever since I saw one of these in Dirt or MBUK I really wanted to own one at some point. I'd known of a chap that had owned one for years and had always said that at some point I wanted to buy it off him and after literally years of talking to him about it I finally went and got it. It had been replaced in his garage with a Fairdale so this had sat unused and a bit unloved but it was exactly what I wanted - a chrome one with original, mostly intact decals and with a few choice upgrades. I swapped around some parts with the Redline, bought some extra bits, rummaged through my parts stash and within the space of a weekend had it exactly as I wanted it.

Spec is:
199(7/8/9 - not quite sure) Sunn Bmix
SE Landing Gear Forks
Profile race cranks with Ti axle and Profile Tri Fan sprocket
Profile hubs on Mavic Rims with Maxxis DTHs
Fairdale MX-6 Bars
DX V-Brake
Sunday top load stem
Brand X inline post
San Marco Rolls seat
S&M Padset

I have a set of DX pedals to replace the Odyssey Jim C's that are on it but once they are swapped this will be done and I hope to keep it forever!

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Hell yeah looks ace.

Solid pair of bikes there Ricky!

One of the main driving forces of getting the Clockwork Anniversary I had was that I loved the segmented F7 fork. When I sold it I had thought about keeping the fork but thought it would be a shame to split them up. Recently found someone selling an F7 fork which had a steerer that was the right length so they've now gone on to the GT. Feel like this is near its final form now.

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As is usually the case, I went to my local bike charity/shop to donate some parts and frames in an effort to clear my garage and reclaim a little space and then came back with more bits. In this case, I was taken with a dirty but very original looking Cinder Cone. I've always loved the look of these with the thin tubes and splatter paint jobs so against my better judgement it came home with me.

I got it home, pumped up the very cracked tyres and rode it round the block. Looking over it, it seemed like it was pretty much period correct. The tyres were mis-matched with a Kona tyre on the front and a Farmer John on the back but everything else looked as it would have done when it was bought new from Dentons Cycles back in the day. Really all that I wanted to do was give it a bit of a sympathetic 'oily rag' resto so that it retained some patina but was still usable so it went back home and within a couple of weeks it was in bits.

I stripped it down and cleaned everything up that I could as well as giving the frame a good dose of T-cut. The old saddle was rotten but I had a Hinault Turbo in my parts bin which really suits it nicely. The old foam grips were crusty and past their use by date so I threw on a pair of ODI longnecks. Finally for tyres I got a set of black Smoke and Darts but these will probably make way for a skinwall set at some point. End result is this:

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