Matt contacted me wanting a quiver-killer bike – something that would be run riding dirt of all types but mostly around his homeland of Nevada City, CA where there are tons dirt roads, loamy wooded singletrack, and unique canal trails that link for miles and miles. You can easily ride all day from the house and barely touch pavement in his neck of the woods.
His bike would be able to fit 27.5×3″ tires with the sliders forward thanks to a half-yoke, he wanted a custom rigid fork that would give lower than normal trail (high offset), and have dirt-drop bars of course! The geometry would be unlike mountain bikes of today and more Rivendell-meets-plus-bike-with-a-dropper (Grant is cringing right now…). Color is Triple Bronze powdercoat with a high gloss clear. The parts list is a veritable who’s-who of Northern California component makers – White Industries headset, MR30 cranks and XMR+ hubs laced to Whisky rims; Paul’s Boxcar stem; Paragon Machine Spline-head axles (and of course their sliding dropouts), and WTB Ranger 27.5 x 3″ tires. It’s got the Gevenalle 1×12-speed shifters and their hydraulic brakes (TRP calipers), and internally routed Race Face Turbine 125mm dropper post using the Wolftooth remote dropbar lever. There are places for three water bottles inside the front triangle, and triple bosses for a Manything cage under the downtube. The fork has rack mounts for a platform rack, and triple bosses for bottles or Manything racks and gear. This is a bike I’d make myself and it’s pretty much my idea of a desert island bike. You can run smaller 650b tires and it’ll rail the gravel roads lowering the BB a bit, or put on whatever 29er wheelset you have and get yet another style ride (if you don’t mind the higher BB). One bike to replace many. Of course it won’t rail the Downieville downhill but this is a different type of mountain bike that combines new elements and tech with classic geometry and styling.
(Photos courtesy of You-Bet Bikes in Nevada City who did the build up, thank you!)
Nice looking bike.