As is the case with most mid tier 26”s you’re really only after the frame and fork. So long as they’re straight and the paint is in good shape then that’s a win in my book! Unfortunately in this case there was something a little more sinister going on. Someone had tried to remove the bottom bracket without the correct tool or realising that one side was a reverse thread… F*ck.

Still not ready to give up on it but in no hurry deal with it, the shogun found a spot in the shed.

A couple of months had passed when I received a call from Maddie’s partner enquiring about getting her a bike for Xmas. We discussed what she would use it for, size, aesthetics and budget but because it was a surprise gift this made working out the finer details a little tricky. Armed with the bare minimum and a claustrophobic deadline I started mocking up candidates to see what would stick. 

With one very strong contender almost done I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t right. It was a fantastic bike but as a surprise gift it missed the mark. It lacked the aesthetic WOW factor you want when someone first lays eyes on something and more importantly it wasn’t green. It left me with only one real option - cue the Dremel and a lot of swearing!

Once I’d cleaned and re-cut the bottom bracket thread I was confident to rip into this build and it really all came together. A mix of vintage Shimano XT, STX-RC and my favourite MicroShift thumbies got this bad boy moving with a host of new goodies including another favourite - the Pelago Rasket, a pair of quintessential Oury grips, Japanese made brass Crane Bell and Schwalbe Big Apple tyres in brown. This thing rode as awesome as it looks and truth be told if it had fit me I’m not sure I would have let it go!