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cyclotoine - the first two pictures are right when I brought it home. I went to bed that night with huge buyer's remorse because as of last July I had never done more than change a flat tire on a bike. I thought for sure I was in way over my head, so I just looked to the internet, youtube, Park's Big Blue Book, local bike shop for advice, etc. I took a million photos along the way to make sure I got it all put back together correctly. The wheelbase is 42 1/4" long and the chain stay is 18 1/2" long, so it seems like that's long for a mountain bike. As far as being "surefooted" I can say I've only ridden it in urban settings on the street and paths. It weighs about 33 lbs. without the rack & fenders. The fork is actually what attracted me to the bike. I wish that it was lugged too, but....oh well. I've named it "Mineral" (no I don't have a habit of naming inanimate objects
) because it's solid and sort of grayish greenish in color.