Derek works at one of the premier local bike shops,
Absolute Bikes, the shop I last wrenched at some years back before starting into this whole frame building mess. He's a 6'2" climber who came to me riding an ill fitting mid nineties Ibis Mojo. A cool bike no doubt, but the fit on those old California racer steeds just doesn't work out too well. His request was a bike that could still climb to the top of the mountain but that gave him more confidence on the descents. So here it is: 100-120mm 650B, dedicated geared, semi-short rear end with a tall head tube to match some long legs. This bike was an absolute pleasure to build from the drawing on...a very smart bike. I wouldn't mind one myself. The color is canyon copper and its getting the full Chris King package with Race Face/XT 2x10 gearing on Velocity Blunt rims.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2hXavtY-2N5ZFntFtRJkO8qLYfPFE8lMarUPjdEBG6ckAQklB8B-5WnmgEOwYdvLq87n8U1iaVSLW1fBt8hKTxmI-EXBQrtBo4xk1OST-pL-tPCIUdeQYlRg-SR8UUUsFaUVB4C4M5Ps/s320/DSCN4884.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZIPir8_yrxuE2I9fssSjmtq_nJ1zuxPJ8h_t5LtFrELmWHj3Z_1Wjb-GoWKrzn4m7DwZoCzkyoWKSducyI-7M_RKn19hQUia6HwxjujRHRP1JmBHnUZVyjPV8iRI-nOKrZMIc8yuLiA/s320/DSCN4887.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJZNVEp9sQFtSrqPBC2_m9v1VxDiqrGAF6h88DEJ5rTZs5vv2Ew6b6hHXVwHW-0bsw-siPFH98BKsaqDR69uG19cy43DnGBGEAMlfOREN4Qb9bZ-2dlpelkZumBhsnyRvpxFNK9e4Nhs/s320/DSCN4888.JPG)
I haven't seen the finished product yet, but I talked with Derek today and he just went on and on about it (this was also confirmed by his co-workers). Enjoy your new bike Derek. Can't wait to throw a leg over for a bit.
--Richard