DeKerf Team SST

Okay, if you check the Dekerf Mountain thread in my Sig, you'll see I didn't have much luck with my venture in to Dekerf ownership, having the bike for all of a week before the police took it away :shock:

Fortunately I got a full refund from Ebay and there was a forum member LDP who was willing to take the hot sweaty refund money out of my paypal account in return for his modern dekerf frame which I decided to build retro-mod stylee.



More to follow....
 
So the above pic shows the DeKerf in "What was in the parts box" mode.

My spare X-lite Ti railed saddle & Use Ti Seat post,
Hope C2's front and rear
Hope stem
Crank Bros ultra low stack headset (but still conventional)
Pace RC38 LT (100mm travel) with quite a short steerer hence Crank Bros
RF Turbine cranks
Black Ti Glide/Suspension and Mavic 317 wheel set.
XTR M95x gear train.

This was mean to be a fling it all on and take it for a spin test ride - unfortunately it turned into much sadness.

Jumped on the bike and headed off the LBS to get a few bits and bobs to tweak the build. All fine and dandy, staff gathered around to admire the build, made suitably appreciative noises.

On the way back disaster happened, chain was making a dragging sound like the front mech was rubbing - didn't think much of it - figured the Mech needed a tweak back at the shed. Without warning the rear locks up as the Rear Mech dives into the back wheel. To this day I don't understand how the rear wheel survived without even a spoke bent, all I can assume is that the back wheel was already locked and stationary before the DR hanger bent.

Turns out what had happened was that the chain I had re-used had splayed out at one of the link and I think got itself locked in the Rear mech, transferring all the power and momentum to the rear mech and hanger, bending both the hanger and mech cage like pretzels. One XTR rear mech dead, and one frame very very poorly.

So over the next couple of weeks tried to bend the rear mech hanger back myself using the old axel in the hanger trick but no such luck, couldn't get the hanger realigned in part due to the fact that the hooded dropout was completely deformed. Cue much sadness and PM'ing various people for advice. Got to the point where I had a quote from Argos for the frame repair when a PM arrives out of the blue from Roly (Rod_saetan) whom I had met a couple of times doing part swaps in London.

to be continued....
 
So at the time Roly was running a bike shop in London and offered to get the frame alignment check and have a frame building mate of his Christian, to see if he can bend it back into shape, given that I work in London and Roly's a few streets away from the office it seems an easier plan that sending it to Argos. So I strip the frame down and it comes to work with me with the odd funny look from people on the train and tube.

Meet up with Roly drop the frame off, and I feel slightly happier knowing its in the safe hands of a fellow RB'er and his friend.

A week or so later Roly gives me a shout with the bad news - the drop outs are not repairable even with the application of a bit of gentle heat - its replacement time. Fortunately the Richtey hooded drop outs are still relatively easily available and Christian reckons it will be a fairly straight forward task with the caveat that its gonna damage that lovely Guinness Brown paint work. :( Nothing for it but to get it done.

So a little while passes, Im not in a hurry and this is being done on mates rates, Roly moves jobs and Christian's workshop roof falls in :shock: fortunately not on the Dekerf then after a flurry of mails some pictures arrive and the frame is ready for collection :





And Christian even repainted a chip :)





Maybe Christian should just take up painting full time?






End result is that I've lost nothing but a decal on the LHS seat stay, some time, and beautiful frame is back in business, and its impossible to tell where the old pain ends and the new paint begins.

Roly tells me Christian managed a similar job on a Roberts of his....

Life is good.

Then I move house (2 sheds at the new one!) and life gets in the way.....
 
Your not having a lot of luck with your Dekerf Odyssey are you! :)

Great looking bike though!
 
Fast forward past 18 months of life getting in the way, I get the frame out of its packing and decide on a build. First I tried going back to the pre-pretzel 3x9 spec with minor tweaks. Really disappointed the orange Turbines clashed :( had high hopes for them.




Then throwing caution into the winds embark on a modern built, deciding to go the full monty and take my first foray into Tubeless, wide bars, short stems and a single chain ring. Unfortunately this means NONE of my build kit is useful at all so a buying spree is initiated.

Much $$$ later via CRC, Ebay and on here I am the proud owner of a set of mostly modern bits and pieces for the build. The main brand is Race Face in honour of the bikes Canadian heritage.

It comes together fairly easily with the exception of the 1x10 drive train which requires an extended B tension screw, off to Ebay for 5 for £1.50!

Full Spec List

Dekerf Team 853 SST 17.5" in Guinness Brown with Orange Maple leaves.
Pace RC38 LT in great nick but barely long enough steerer.
CK Mango Headset in 1 1/8"

Hope Race Evo X2 levers
Hope Floating rotors 180f/160r
Hope Pro 2 Evo hubs on Mavic 817 disc rims tubeless with Bonty tyres.
Hope RH Shifter mount
Hope 30.0mm seat clamp (was Orange, replaced with Black)

Race Face Ride XC triple Cranks, with Race Face Chain Ring spacers
Race Face NW 34T Ring
Race Face 31.8mm SIXC Carbon riser bars - the orange is a near match with the Dekerf Decals.
Race Face 70mm stem
Race face 27.2mm Turbine Seat Post loooonnnggg. 400mm?

XT 10 Speed Cassette
XT 786 Shadow+ Rear Mech with Black hex headed M4x25mm B tension screw
XT 780 Shadow+ RHS Shifter
KMC 10 Speed Chain

Planet X El Gaupo 42t + 16t rear sprockets - replaces 17t and 15t sprockets and is the cheapest wide range conversion kit I've found.
No-name crank bolt extractors.
Pedals - Onza HO's
Saddle - Charge Spoon cro-mo rails Brown with Orange thread.


Next - Pic's of the modern build
 

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