Splat! Totally gnarly retro MTB restoration.

Forget retro road bikes. If you really want to look cool, you need a retro mountain bike.
Laugh when you pass people on 6" travel full-boinger machines
Cry as your wrists collapse into themselves thanks to a rigid fork
Shrug when people point to cantilever brakes and say 'are they safe?'

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/8606/zbkp.jpg

The Good: Chromo frame and fork, Exage 7sp STI groupset in good condition, very handsome Haro chromo stem/bars/seatpost... 1 1/8 headtube.
The Bad: Advertised as 'large' but actually a 17.5... with the saddle up there's a couple inches drop to the bars... I'll see how it goes, but this might become my partner's bike as she's 5'8". STI units have plastic brake levers!
The Ugly: Apart from the bike as a whole... the forks are bloody rusty, and all the decals are flaking off and I'm not sure if replacements are available. Needs repainting.

The restoration:

Take one powdercoated frame:
http://imageshack.us/a/img841/4366/utb1.jpg

Add two tins of Humbrol enamel modelling paint:
http://imageshack.us/a/img30/4858/1gfg.jpg
(Handy having a proper workshop underneath your office...)

Not factory (sorry retrobike) but very retro. Decals aren't available so I had a little play in Illustrator to get a quote - $80 or £40 for cut vinyl which is only marginally more expensive than NOS or repro decals anyway. I will re-do the artwork properly when I find the time, but this is what I produced in a sneaky lunch hour with stock fonts...
http://imageshack.us/a/img853/356/43xn.png

Sadly the forks had quite a bit of rust around the crown so they went in the scrap metal bin - but happily the mechanic downstairs had these old Manitou forks, converted to spring/oil, which he gifted me. They are threadless so no chance to use that ultra-cool Haro Wing Strut stem though...

They were used with hydraulic rim brakes so no spring plates on the canti mounts - I couldn't find any so I made these up out of some washers one evening. I found some canti studs with an extra-long threaded section as they are quite thick.
http://imageshack.us/a/img203/5875/6tq8.jpg

I acquired an old XTR rear mech which I rebuilt - the jockey wheels have the smallest bearings I've ever seen:
http://imageshack.us/a/img33/953/qci0.jpg

I have been on the lookout for gumwall tyres but sadly I can't find anything. Annoyingly I sold these just before I left the UK - they pushed my luggage overweight, but when I got to the airport I found out that I had an additional 10kg... argh!
http://imageshack.us/a/img571/483/o2ms.jpg

Next up: wheels, cranks, controls, finishing kit - then putting the thing together and attempting to take it over my local mountain.

The point about cantilevers makes me smile. One of the attractions about the 1st MTBs was that they had brakes , ie cantilevers, that actually worked!

Currently rebuilding a Rockhopper Comp ..

Cool project. Love elevated-chainstay MTBs.

That is one funky frame. Love the resto job. +1 for retro mountain bikes, just brought a '96 Kona into the modern age with some 1x9 love.

Great little project.

Btw, headset cups and BB left in whilst painted?
http://imageshack.us/a/img30/4858/1gfg.jpg

Yep. And bolts in all the holes, derailleur bolt in the hanger etc. I have screwed/pressed them in only slightly to protect the threads - easier and more reliable than masking them off.

I love a splatter paint job, I've never thought about doing it myself though, this is giving me ideas!