DeKerf

Its all been a bit quiet on the DeKerf front since that initial ride back in April but I've been slowly buying the right bits for it over summer and hopefully the final delivery will be here tomorrow.

So, before I start the final build, I thought I'd add one photo of what it looks like currently so we can see how much better its looks (hopefully) once its been properly finished. Then I'll wait for the weather to turn too muddy for a geared MTB and take it out for some good dirty fun.

I actually think that looks awesome!! Well balanced, but obviously I've not ridden her, lovely paint job too

Looks great as it is, love that little chrome detail on the downtube.

After a summer of buying appropriate bits, the DeKerf is now 99% complete (by value). I struck lucky on eBay whilst on holiday in France to purchase a Project 2 fork sprayed by DeKerf in the same colour and with the same decals as my frame. With that in place, the rest of the stuff was pretty easy: NOS Ritchey levers, M900 XTR cantis and some new ti bars and seatpost from J&L in the far east which have a suitable period look. I took it out for a 2 hour blast a couple of weeks ago and it was ace. Only thing to do now is trim down the fork steerer so I can get rid of the spacers above the stem and then find a more correct looking 110mm stem. The Ritchey fitted works just fine but does not look quite right! Also need to polish the front brake hanger silver (and possibly the chain-ring?).

Looking forward to some more mucky rides over winter. I was expecting the worst from the brakes but they were really easy to set up, have a really nice feel and actually work pretty well!

Day off on Monday so looking forward to another fix of springy steel riding.

That is a thing of wonder.

It was nice enough before, it looks pretty incredible now! (Apart from the stem & steerer)

yes, agreed. overall the build is great aside from stem/steerer.

Thanks for the appreciative comments. Any help on the stem front gratefully received. I've been searching eBay for months now for a suitable Ritchey, control tech etc steel stem in 100 or 110mm length so if you know of anything, please let me know. Ta, matt

I don't mind the stem but I don't like the stack of spacers. If it was my bike (I should be so lucky) I'd cut down the steerer and put low risers on to keep the reach the same. I know some people will shudder at risers but these are built to be ridden.