CUSTOM RIGID TITANIUM MTB W/ 27.5 WHEELS, SR SUNTOUR AURON AIR FORK
Listing Ends: July 02
In a previous career I was a product designer and marketing director at several SoCal-based bicycle brands, GT and Mongoose being key among them. In those capacities I met some fantastic Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), the Taiwan-based maker of this titanium frame being but one. Three years ago I reached out to this old friend and asked him to build me a custom titanium MTB frame for a modernized version of my favorite Mongoose MTB from 1989. The frame you see here is an amalgam of all the stuff I love:
• modern tapered 1.5/1.125 head tube with internal bearings
• old-fashioned external split cable routing along the underside of TT
• 135mm dropout spacing to accept QR rear wheels with 8/9/10 cassette capability
• TIG welded titanium construction (pls note the welds and laser-cut dropouts… exquisite!)
The geometry on this bike is as follows:
• 23” T/T length along centerline of TT (center of seat mast to center of HT)
• 17” seat mast length (center of BB to center of TT juncture; 19” total seat mast length)
• 18” reach / 21” stack
I’m 5’9” and the seat and stem assembly fall where you see them in the photos. This bike has enough spacers on the steer tube to move the stem down approximately 1-1/2” to accommodate shorter riders, or you can raise the seat another 3” with the current seatpost to accommodate anyone 5’11”+. I’ve got a 62-year-old back, so I like to set my bikes up so the seat is level with or slightly lower than the hand grips. If you’re looking for the stink bug pro racer stance, throw a set of flat bars on this unit and go nuts.
A word about dropper posts, you can put one on this bike, but you’ll have to settle for external cable routing—none of the frame tubes are drilled for this modern feature. Like I said earlier—I asked my friend at the ti bike factory in Taiwan to make me a retro/modern XC bike in the late ‘80/early ‘90s style, but one that would accept a modern fork.
Speaking of forks, this bike has a brand-new SR SUNTOUR AURON air fork with adjustable compression and rebound damping, and 110x15mm thru axle with SR’s clever QR axle (see pics)
Other specs include a Shimano Deore derailleur with clutch and shadow tech; Deore 10-speed shifter; 11/46 10-speed cassette; Shimano MT-200 hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rear/180mm front rotors; and a 7075 CNC’ed billet alloy crankset with external 68mm BSA BB shell.
Not gonna lie: the bars and stem were bought new a couple months ago from some nameless Chinese OEM on eBay. The stem accepts both 35mm OD and 31.8mm OD bars with the supplied orange shims, and has a super short reach and zero rise. I bought both these parts to raise the cockpit position as high as possible relative to the WTB saddle/KORE post assembly. If you want better stuff, eBay is your friend. I think carbon anything is overrated, and will never personally run that stuff on any bike I own.
Re: The wheel package, the front wheel is a Shimano XT with straight pull spokes and 110mm x 15mm axle compatability; the rear wheel is an 8/9/10 Shimano cassette with 135mm locknut spacing and a threaded QR spindle. I carry a 5mm Allen wrench so I can fix flats on the fly. Both front and rear rim are tubeless compatible and both brand-new Specialized Purgatory tires have SBC’s 2BLISS technology, so you can install tubeless Presta valves front and rear if that’s your preference. I prefer inner tubes because I am an old man, and my BMX bike in the ‘70s had tubes. Nobody’s the boss of you, so you can do what you please.
a word about packaging and freight; I am the king of putting bikes on boxes for shipping anywhere in the continental US. Sorry, I won’t ship out of the country or to AK or HI. Your bike will come wrapped in $30 worth of bubble and cardboard from Staples, and I’ll text you some videos during me packaging process so you know where the parts are hiding, and how to reassemble it. Nobody packs bikes better than I do, so my flat $225 rate for fully insured Ground UPS is money well spent. For what it’s worth, the two previous bikes I put on BIKELIST were bought by fellow SoCal natives, and I’ll happily drive 75 miles in any direction to meet the new owner of this bike should he or she live in SoCal,
What else?
• finish is raw scotchbrite titanium
• welds are hand TIG welded
• Pedals are cast alloy platform type with sealed bearing chromoly spindles
• Grips and saddle are gently used, and were on my previous bike.
• Tires have zero miles
• cables have <20 miles since last install and tune-up
• Wheels are straight, spokes are tight
Why am I selling my custom dream bike? I had a total knee replacement three years ago, so spirited XC riding is no longer on my dance card. Instead, I’m riding a flat bar road eBIke these days, and loving it. Thinning the herd to make room for another ebike for my wife.
That’s all for now. Feel free to ask questions and make offers. What have you got to lose?
• modern tapered 1.5/1.125 head tube with internal bearings
• old-fashioned external split cable routing along the underside of TT
• 135mm dropout spacing to accept QR rear wheels with 8/9/10 cassette capability
• TIG welded titanium construction (pls note the welds and laser-cut dropouts… exquisite!)
The geometry on this bike is as follows:
• 23” T/T length along centerline of TT (center of seat mast to center of HT)
• 17” seat mast length (center of BB to center of TT juncture; 19” total seat mast length)
• 18” reach / 21” stack
I’m 5’9” and the seat and stem assembly fall where you see them in the photos. This bike has enough spacers on the steer tube to move the stem down approximately 1-1/2” to accommodate shorter riders, or you can raise the seat another 3” with the current seatpost to accommodate anyone 5’11”+. I’ve got a 62-year-old back, so I like to set my bikes up so the seat is level with or slightly lower than the hand grips. If you’re looking for the stink bug pro racer stance, throw a set of flat bars on this unit and go nuts.
A word about dropper posts, you can put one on this bike, but you’ll have to settle for external cable routing—none of the frame tubes are drilled for this modern feature. Like I said earlier—I asked my friend at the ti bike factory in Taiwan to make me a retro/modern XC bike in the late ‘80/early ‘90s style, but one that would accept a modern fork.
Speaking of forks, this bike has a brand-new SR SUNTOUR AURON air fork with adjustable compression and rebound damping, and 110x15mm thru axle with SR’s clever QR axle (see pics)
Other specs include a Shimano Deore derailleur with clutch and shadow tech; Deore 10-speed shifter; 11/46 10-speed cassette; Shimano MT-200 hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rear/180mm front rotors; and a 7075 CNC’ed billet alloy crankset with external 68mm BSA BB shell.
Not gonna lie: the bars and stem were bought new a couple months ago from some nameless Chinese OEM on eBay. The stem accepts both 35mm OD and 31.8mm OD bars with the supplied orange shims, and has a super short reach and zero rise. I bought both these parts to raise the cockpit position as high as possible relative to the WTB saddle/KORE post assembly. If you want better stuff, eBay is your friend. I think carbon anything is overrated, and will never personally run that stuff on any bike I own.
Re: The wheel package, the front wheel is a Shimano XT with straight pull spokes and 110mm x 15mm axle compatability; the rear wheel is an 8/9/10 Shimano cassette with 135mm locknut spacing and a threaded QR spindle. I carry a 5mm Allen wrench so I can fix flats on the fly. Both front and rear rim are tubeless compatible and both brand-new Specialized Purgatory tires have SBC’s 2BLISS technology, so you can install tubeless Presta valves front and rear if that’s your preference. I prefer inner tubes because I am an old man, and my BMX bike in the ‘70s had tubes. Nobody’s the boss of you, so you can do what you please.
a word about packaging and freight; I am the king of putting bikes on boxes for shipping anywhere in the continental US. Sorry, I won’t ship out of the country or to AK or HI. Your bike will come wrapped in $30 worth of bubble and cardboard from Staples, and I’ll text you some videos during me packaging process so you know where the parts are hiding, and how to reassemble it. Nobody packs bikes better than I do, so my flat $225 rate for fully insured Ground UPS is money well spent. For what it’s worth, the two previous bikes I put on BIKELIST were bought by fellow SoCal natives, and I’ll happily drive 75 miles in any direction to meet the new owner of this bike should he or she live in SoCal,
What else?
• finish is raw scotchbrite titanium
• welds are hand TIG welded
• Pedals are cast alloy platform type with sealed bearing chromoly spindles
• Grips and saddle are gently used, and were on my previous bike.
• Tires have zero miles
• cables have <20 miles since last install and tune-up
• Wheels are straight, spokes are tight
Why am I selling my custom dream bike? I had a total knee replacement three years ago, so spirited XC riding is no longer on my dance card. Instead, I’m riding a flat bar road eBIke these days, and loving it. Thinning the herd to make room for another ebike for my wife.
That’s all for now. Feel free to ask questions and make offers. What have you got to lose?
Listed on: May 3, 2024
Listed in: Bikes
Category: MTB
Size: 19 in
Serial Number: Custom one-off, no #
Listed in: Bikes
Category: MTB
Size: 19 in
Serial Number: Custom one-off, no #
Item Location: Temecula, CA
Shipping available? Yes
Local pickup available? Yes
Local pickup available? Yes
Returns accepted? No
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