When I got wind of Odyssey and Taj teaming up on a big wheel bike project I was pretty bloody excited. Fast forward thirteen or so years and I’m still stoked on the brand and will gladly jump at the chance to build or work on a Fairdale.

This particular Weekender started life as a stock green model ready for Erin to rip around town and casually explore the local fire trails. It was soon in the stand for some styling updates via way of Surly Sunrise bars, a Demolition BMX stem, a Brooks Cambium saddle and Sim Works pedals. This iteration looked and rode great for a while until some routine maintenance revealed an issue with the spokes. Already invested and still enamoured with her bicycle it was decided then and there that it was time to take the back off the remote.

The frame and fork were sent off for sandblasting and returned with a clear coat and black with gold flake respectively. The gold flake was used to compliment the brazing now visible on the frame as were the Sim Works raw brass nipples used in the wheel rebuilds. With daylight dwindling earlier and earlier thanks to the onset of winter and a reasonable case of night blindness to contend with we opted for a Shutter Precision Dynamo front hub paired with a personal favourite Kasai Trail Beam Headlight. This combo subjectively looks great and performs very well without breaking the bank. The workhorse Microshift Advent 9 speed drivetrain was ditched in favour of a 12 speed combo comprising of a Shimano Deore rear mech, a Sram NX HG 11-50t cassette and a Microsoft 12 speed Thumbie. This combo works and feels amazing, more smooth and direct than it has any right to - Highly recommended!. A Wald half basket sits proportionally perfect up front sent over from the legends at Blue Lug to hold the always killer Hungry Fancy Tote. Add some Wolf Tooth Razor grips for comfort, a gorgeous Crane bell and a safety pizza for, uh - you guessed it - and we’re pretty much at the end of the story. I will note that the Weekender did initially roll out with fenders to combat the tail end of El Nina but were retired when the sogginess subsided. To finish up I guess the point of this cool story is to show what can be achieved by developing a bike to your tastes over time without having to go all in from the start. From stock to personalised all round shredder this Fairdale rules. Comfortable, capable and cool as heck.