CNY James

I wanted something a little more rugged than my aluminum frame road/racing bike, also something that I could commute and tour with, just an all around general use bike. I was going to look into buying a cyclocross bike but my budget didnt really welcome that option, especially without selling my road bike.
I had this old(ish) mtb in my shed that I haven't really used much in almost 10 years so I figured what the hell... this is my first build, I had a blast and learned a ton!

started with this:

James bike.JPG

Ended with this:

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The only things carried over from the original bike are the frame, the front wheel, and the derailers. Everything else is brand new parts. Just finished the build today, only thing left is to tape the bars. I cleaned up the frame with Nu-Finish Scratch Doctor (worked wonders)
Total parts priced out < 500 (havent added up the receipts to get an exact number but I know what I started with...)
Cant wait to get it out and ride it!

DBL0ZER0

Looks great. Curious, why did you only have to change out the rear wheel and not both?

CNY James

thank you

there wasnt anything wrong with either wheel but the rear had a screw on freehub (7 speed) and I wanted an 8 speed. I bought a new wheel so that it could accept a cassette instead of having to find/buy an 8 speed freehub. I was going to buy a new front too so that I could switch between my city tires and the old knobbies but I couldnt really justify the expense since there is nothing wrong with the old one (except for some dirt and staining from its prior life) If I find something cheapish on craigslist or elsewhere, I might pick it up just for the tire swaption.

HandsomeRyan

Looks good.

That bike is begging for racks front and rear.

CNY James

thanks!

they're coming, I built it with touring and commuting in mind!