custom bikes building project

"neo-retro" hardtail with rigid fork

project description

I`ve decided to jump into this project after some time when I was thinking to sell my XTR M950/M952 components. I finally decided to build a "neo-retro" hardtail. I build up a steel hardtail with rigid fork. The bike is being used traditional 3x9 gearing.
Bike design will follow a non-uniform white/titanium/black colour schema. I plan to have airbrush on the frame. Furthermore, non-XTR components are coming from near mountain bike history of 90`s.

The main aim of this project is to refresh legendary Shimano`s XTR M950/M952 glory at retro mountain bike with many other retro components. I build this bike for easy-terrain riding. Just for fun.

frame and fork

As already mentioned, the frame will be a stainless steel hardtail, welded from Reynolds 725/853 tubes. It`s custom handmade frame in Slovakia. Yes, the slovak hands are going to build it. The frame will support rear cantilever brake hose hanger, as well as the seat post quick release pinch bosses.
The frame is gonna be finished in white. I plan to have some airbrush graphic in Michelin WildGripper green. No idea at the moment about the design, but thinking of it.

The fork is being rigid definitelly. A custom Ti3Al/2,5V titanium fork. I met someone who can fully support me with this. Russian’s Triton Bikes. Thanks to discussion with them, there`s gonna be custom fork geometry, as well as front cantilever brake hose hanger and cantilever brake bosses.

Last, but not least. Let me announce that the frame and the fork have already been ordered. In next few days/weeks I’m waiting for welding and then delivering them. It seems that the project is coming over soon. Next project update shows you a complete bike. Stay tuned!

components

OK, let`s start with a headset. One can say - Chris King NoThreadset should be the one and only acceptable option. You`re right. An excellent option with no excuse,...but not in this project. Luckily, there`s still some opportunity to find/buy never used or mounted Shimano Deore XT HP-M741 headset.
As this is a thread-set version, I had to mill the threads of upper cup to allow mounting a 1 1/8" ahead stem and fork. Further I have used titanium top-cap and Ti bolt.

Despite of fact that the headset is a piece of retro, it`s a very subtle headset that doesn't "scream" how much I spent! At last, the headset will not be the only component from an old-school Shimano Deore XT 737 group set.

What a luck. I found out two pieces of MTB history on Internet - full-titanium Titec Fat Head stem and full-titanium Titec Pluto Ti 118 handlebars. They`re in an excellent condition (no dings nor cracks or dents). These awesome bits of history will build a new cockpit on the bike.
Width of the handlebar (555mm) no more fits my personal needs, thus I have requested a friend of mine to rough out a pair of handlebar extender plugs to extend the handlebar (up to 600mm).
The cockpit will be completed with a pair of Titec Pluto Pork Rind foam grips. No decision about bar ends for the moment.

I`m gonna complete titanium cockpit with a pair of Kooka Racha brake levers. They were anodized in green before, but the colour didn`t fit my expectations at all :) Old green anodization had been removed and the lever bodies had been re-anodized again, but now in black. The lever arms kept without anodization. Small parts have been kept unchanged, without re-anodization. Now they look like new. At least I need to say that the levers fit cantilever brakes.

Now, let`s move on to seat zone - seatpost, seatpost clamp and saddle. The only acceptable option in this project is a titanium seatpost, isn`t it. An old-school Syncros Ti titanium seatpost has met this condition with no excuse. The seatpost offers a direct saddle mount, with no offset, a 27,2mm diameter and length of 330mm. I have successfully renovated a Syncros sticker on it.
Having a chance to ride a "custom" steel frame I decided to use an alternative to clamp - a seat post quick release. I have one NOS Shimano Deore XT SQ-M730 quick release that is being fit my expectations.
I`m back again with Selle Italia SLR saddle. More or less a year ago I planned on this saddle in another project, but at the end I decided to use tune Speedneedle. Later on I had experimented a bit and I "naked" the saddle from the leather, just to try riding on carbon skelet. Unfortunatelly, it didn`t work well. The saddle had been uncomfortable. Therefore I let it get dressed back to black leather, to be ready for reincarnation in this project.

Shimano XTR M950/M952
This is the legendary mountain bike group. The best and the most beautiful group coming from Shimano ever. Within the project I take an opportunity reusing some M950/M952 components. Some of them are used, but in very good condition, some are pretty new, never used or installed (NOS).

First in queue, 4-arm mountain bike cranks FC-M952 Hollowtech I with original 24/34/46T chainrings and bolts. The cranks are in a perfect condition. The Shimano XTR BB-M952 bottom bracket is a must. A place of a 9-cog cassette will take traditionally a CS-M953 12-34T model. A chain, naturally, is CN7701 DuraAce/XTR.

A front FD-M950 Differential Plate derailleur and a rear RD-M952-GS Midd Cage derailleur are being play together with DuraAce SL-7700 bar end shifters. The shifters are being mounted on Paul thumbies. The outer cage of rear derailleur has been taken from old M950, while the inner one has been re-anodized in black. Gearshift cables and housig - Shimano DuraAce/XTR - in DuraAce/XTR grey. The cabling and housing have never been used or mounted.

Shimano Deore XT M737
The components from this mountain bike group (Shimano Deore XT 1994 - 1997) persuaded me to significantly revise the brake and wheels philosophy. I have forsaken the idea using disc brakes and UST wheels and came back to my early MTB ages - cantilever brakes and classic wheels.
What do I speak of about? It is a complete set of front and rear cantilever brake with replaceable brake pads (i.e. M-System Cartridge System). Never used or mounted Shimano Deore XT BR-M737 brakes. I grabbed them with no excuse. I think they fit well "retro" image of that bike. Personally, it doesn`t matter they are not an XTR version.
Together with the brakes I bought a pair of brand new Avid Tri-Dangle cantilever brake cable hangers and new old stock Shimano XTR M910 cantilever brake cables and housig.

wheels and tyres

The brakes and headset are not the only ones of that group. I have built new wheels for the bike on Shimano Deore XT HB-M737 front and FH-M737 rear hubs. Both hubs have been cleaned and successfully repaired. They got brand new front and rear cones and all new bearings. The rear hub had been completed in addition with a new freewheel body coming from newer Deore XT group. Missing original Deore XT quick releases had been replaced with a pair of NOS Shimano XTR FH-M950 skewers.
The hubs have been layced to the classic Mavic XC717 rims using DT Swiss Revolution spokes and SAPIM nipples. Over the top I used Schwalbe rim strips.

Remember, I have decided to use classic 26" wheels for rim brakes, hence they should have classic tyres with inner tubes, right? Well, let`s go for it.

MTB version
I was looking for several MTB options and I have finally chosen :) And, I had a piece of luck, because my choice is a pair of Michelin WildGripper Lite S tyres, so typical for 90`s and very few in this condition. The tyres are new, never used or mounted. The size of the tyres is 26x2,1" (both front and rear), made in front and rear Kevlar version.

The Michelin WildGripper Lite S tyres are a pure mountain bike terrain solution. However, I assume that I will use the bike more on the road, indeed. Therefore I have prepared a ROAD version as well.

ROAD version
Well, I think the ROAD version should have the tyres with low profile, very good grip on the road, but still reasonable in the light terrain. Again I had a big luck. Fortunately I met someone who sold me a brand new pair of Michelin WildGripper Sprint tyres. These awesome Kevlar tyres were never used or mounted. I`m glad that I bought them, because they were my dream in 90`s, as well as the WildGripper Lite S tyres.

Both versions, MTB and ROAD, are going to rely upon a classic system of Michelin Aircomp Latex inner tubes.

accessories

This is another piece of my "retro bike" project - a titanium water bottle King Cage with titanium bolts. It was really hard to choose between modern MT ZOOM/Titec and classic King Cage, but anyway, I finally did it. The "modern" one I moved on to Litespeed Sewanee project, while the "classic" one (King Cage) has been kept for this project.

Hurray, I found this bottle on Internet. It`s new, never used and rare "transparent" version of Syncros 500ml water bottle.

An undisputable requirement how to secure the frame is to use a "chain deflector". Got one from well-known retro-bike forum – an unused Shimano Deore XT DF-M730 Shark Fin deflector.

...in the end

Despite of all my other projects I`m gonna use a minimum of my favourite titanium bolts. I understand that the project is conservative and retro, thus I let all necessary bolts unchanged. The only exception is being a set of titanium bolts used for water bottle cage frame mounts and titanium headset cap with a titanium bolt.

specification