With a local online listing for two Trek mountain bikes. They were mid 90's Singletrack 930's, a mid level mountain bike. One was 18.5", the other was 21" and the price was very good, all things considered. Back in 1996 I was working at a shop in Fairfield, California called Solano Ski & Cycle. We were a Trek dealer and at $600, I always thought the 930's represented good value, especially so considering they were made in the USA of True Temper OXII double butted tubing. This was the same frame Trek used for the 950 model as well. At the time, they were STX equipped with Gripshift, Alivio brakes, and an interesting yet ultimately unsuccessful "Silent Clutch" 7 speed rear hub. A RockShox Quadra 5 rounded out the package along with a smattering of Trek's own house brand "System" components: handlebar, bar ends, seatpost, stem, and front hub. Treks own Matrix branded rims made serviceable, if unglamorous, wheels.

So they came home with me, figuring I could sell one to make up the cost, and build one into something interesting. Or at least something. I'd been wanting a mountain bike with top tube cable routing so I could mount my Supernova Dynamo headlight at the fork crown without shift cable housings interfering, like they would if they were routed on the underside of the down tube, and these seemed to fit the bill. Here's how they were when they first came home:



They were dusty, dirty, and otherwise neglected but appeared to be complete and in good condition. I like how the seat post on the 18.5" frame was installed backwards. I set them aside for a few days while I researched what they were and should have as OEM equipment, then something interesting happened. I started thinking I'd like a "One Bike To Rule Them All" kind of bike and stumbled on the Surly Bridge Club and the VO Piolet. Naturally, I began comparing geometries, which led to this discussion.

So I cleaned up and tuned up the 21" since it was closer to my size than the 18.5" and made a list of what I'd need to make it something along the lines of the Bridge Club, an all purpose, all road, upright(ish) type bike. There were only a few things that needed changing; I had read the hub was prone to failure, and although mine was still working fine, it was still limited to 7 speeds which I simply cannot abide anymore. It was the first thing to go. My local collective had a nice selection of hubs, and this 9 speed LX model fit the bill perfectly:



I'd done some sniffing around online and discovered that the new hub and the old hub would use the same length spokes so I simply delaced the old hub and relaced the new into the existing rim. Total cost was $5 for 9 speed compatibility. Next to go was the fork. The Quadra was serviceable and worked well. The elastomers were in remarkably good condition, but it was heavy, and I decided ultimately unnecessary for my purposes. The Bikeman/Carver fork represents great value and the axle to crown length is perfect, so once this came in the project really gained momentum:



Tires, of course, would not do. I wanted something that was more road oriented, but could also handle some dirt roads and light trail rides. I had some old Specialized Crossroads 26 x 1.95 tires hanging around so on they went. This bike will probably spend 90% of its life commuting to work and around town so I've ordered some "slicker" tires. I didn't get the blue, but rather black with black sidewalls. I couldn't see paying $45 a piece for some Maxxis DTH's but maybe in the future I will... The tires should be here this week so until then I'll just roll around on these Specializeds.

A few other things got changed as well. I don't really like flat, straight bars anymore, so some Soma Clarence bars add style and comfort for me:



Please take note of the vintage grips, also from the bike collective. They're just like the grips that came on my 1988 Peugeot Tundra Express, my very first "real" mountain bike back when I was in high school. They make the bike feel "big" and give lots of comfort for my trigger-finger stricken left hand.
The brakes needed attention, and since I had a set of XT cantilevers laying around, on they went. Kool Stop pads work exceptionally well as we all know.
The drivetrain needed upgrading as well, STX doesn't seem to age well when neglected, and mine were no exception to the rule. Thanks to an amply supplied parts box, the drivetrain is now all Deore XT/LX, with the exception of the shifters, some random Shimano 8 speed trigger shifters from a scrapped bike I got for free.



The gearing is 22/32/44 with a Blackspire 44t ring from the collective and an 11-32t 8 speed XT cassette from the parts stash. In the future this bike will probably get 9 speed and linear pull brakes, but for now I'm going to ride it and dial the fit in. The fork steerer will remain uncut until I've had some time to decide what I want, but preliminary rides around the neighborhood are very promising. It feels like a big BMX bike with gears. Lots of fun to bomb off curbs and ride no handed. I may find a big ole basket to put on the front as well...

So here's what I ended up with:





As far as adding the dynamo, I need to delace my Panasonic Dynamo hub (36h) from the 700c wheel it currently resides in and build a 26" wheel to fit this bike. I'd also need to find or build a 36h rear wheel that is 9 speed (because mismatched wheels drive me nuts). But that will come in time. Or maybe I'll just find a new 32h dynamo and lace it into the existing rim. Decisions decisions!

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading! I'll use this thread to document any changes to come; as we all know, bikes are an evolutionary process as much as anything else, but that's half the fun, right?