wicked wrenching customs

As I started to delve deeper into the realm of vintage brodie enthusiasts, my networking contacts increased and I started making new friends with like minded collectors back in Canada. One day a friend contacted me with an unbelievable barn find, a huge collection of Canadian and American bikes from the 80's and 90's. there must have been over 20 bikes in the first batch of images sent that were all top shelf frames and builds all neatly kept away somewhere on Victoria island. I was blown away! There were brodies, Rocky Mountains, Ritcheys, Merlins, Bontragers...pretty much everything cool from that era! My contact said that the owner was interested in selling off some of the bikes, and it was his job to take care of the sales. A private Facebook group was created, and around 8 of us serious collectors were invited to participate in the sales. It felt quite exclusive! I quickly found the bike for me, It was a 20" brodie catalyst. Finally one in my true size! I can ride the 18/19" frames ok with long stems and running a fair amount of post height, but this would be perfectly set up. I asked if I could take the frame with the matching Gatorblades, and a deal was quickly sorted. I later found that threadless Gatorblades are the hardest of all to acquire- which made me very happy that the deal with the forks was accepted!

​

The frame is stamped #2642 and was built in 1993. According to Paul's book paul brodie- the man behind brodie bikes, it was built just before production changed head tube angles from 70.5 to 71.2 degrees. 

 

Once the frameset landed in Australia the next task was compiling the components. I wanted this to be a solid rider. Yes it would also be a show bike, but due to it being the best fitting size in my collection I figured it will get the most usage so the build had to be function over form. The drivetrain was a no brainer- Shimano XTR M910 was quickly purchased. A set of wheels were built up with XTR hubs laced to Syncros Altrax rims. Further Syncros pieces were added with the seat post, handlebars and stem. I was about to make the decision to run XTR cranks, but a nice set of Syncros cranks came my way which were perfect for the build. My usual favourite Bontrager/San Marco saddle was thrown on and other notable parts were some clear ODI grips (so you could see the Syncros bar logos underneath!), and original Panaracer Smoke Lite tires. The Lite's are smaller in width from the standard Smokes, 1.75" instead of 2.1" which make for some fast rolling wheels.

 

Once completed and test ridden I was so glad I had gone ahead with the build. The sizing was perfect. I was finally stretched out enough without running lots of post and saddle setback. This was going to be my go to rigid bike for XC rides going forth. 

​

​

​