It’s no secret that Specialized 26”s are a crowd favourite amongst the enthusiasts these days so it was no surprise that within 24 hours of acquiring this Large 1996 Specialized Hard Rock I had Nick in the workshop sizing and speccing his really more champagne than white whale.

Nick wanted a BMX feel to this one which we went for via way of Fairdale MX bars, a personal favourite - Demolition CNC’d stem, gum wall Maxxis DTH tyres and a cool Race Face chain guard reminiscent of mid school bash guards. A Pelago front rack was employed for hauling duties, a 10 speed Microshift Advent drivetrain helps it conquer any hill and a pair of quintessential Oury Grips add timeless comfort. Stoping is taken care of by Shimano brakes via Avid levers with an adjustable pull ratio so that Canti’s can be used at the rear with V’s up front to avoid messy cable solutions.

A blend of old an new parts, not straying too far from the frame’s well loved patina while maintaining a functional daily that will always leave you with a grin on your face. As usual I was not in a hurry to hand this one over and would like to thank Nick for the opportunity to build him something special(ized).