Independent Fabrication Special

So I was surfing Ebay last week and bought my 4th bike in as many weeks. This time it's a beautiful green Independent Fabrication Special for which I drove to Baltimore (427 miles round trip) to pick up yesterday. To be honest the brunch at Riptide By The Bay was worth the trip but I digress.
The Ebay description was very low on details to the point of only identifying the complete bike as an Independent Fabrication but nothing about components, frame material, condition or year but at the price I figured the risk was worth it. After picking it up and going over the parts I'm planning some changes, but first here's how it came...

Frame: Indy Fab Special Reynolds 853 tubeset
Fork: Rock Shox Judy SL
Crank: Shimano LX M569
FD: Shimano LX M567
RD: Shimano LX M567
Brake Levers: Shimano LX M600
Bake Calipers: Shimano LX M600
Shifters: Grip Shift XRAY
Barends: Profile Design
Stem: Bontrager
Handlebar: Bontrager
Headset: Tange LR?
Seatpost: Zoom
Rims: front Sun Rims TL-18 , Rear Weinneman/Bonrtager BCX
Hubs: front CODA, rear Shimano LX Paralax M565
Pedals: Shimano XT M747

Congrats..You got it at a very nice price... the auction didn't mention that the tubing was Reynolds 853.. if they did I'm sure they would have got a higher ending bids. Their loss is your gain!

The first thing that needs to go is the saddle.. but keep the LX Crank.. i think it looks cool.

score! that will come up really nice. so what did you have for brunch? crab?

Thanks, and yes a little more info in the listing and this thing would have gone for much much more.

Brunch consisted of ahi ahi soft tacos with avocado and pickled fennel, crab cake sandwich with applewood bacon and caramelized onions (hands down best crab cake ever) and a bucket of fresh hand cut seasoned fries. typing that out just made me hungry.

Of course the seat was top priority but that red fork was just killing me too so I've done a little swapping this evening. The lump of foam someone called a seat went in the trash and a black and yellow Koshi Racing saddle went on then changed the red Judy SL for a slightly older yellow Judy SL (which matches nicely) and put on a PZ stem (Azonic/Wrench Force Shorty) in place of the ugly long Bonty one.

Wheels will have to go cause they're mismatched and heavy like lead. I've got some spinergys coming to me but I'm not sure they're going to fit this build right but we'll see when they get here.

wow, that sounds tasty indeed!

the fork looks great, agreed its a much better match. i liked the bonty stem more however, if mine, i would have slammed the bonty stem, taken the bar ends off and run it nice long and low, xc style.

what is it with you and female specific, boutique, steel MTB frames?!?!?



This IF and the Psyclone are my favorites in your collection; nice buy.

as for build, I'd go all M950, with a late 90's syncros post and stem, Time ATAC pedals in grey, like the m950 kit (I just happen to have a NOS set wink:), and a nice mid-90's WTB saddle.

Well I didn't know it was a Special when I bought it but for now it's mine and it really isn't much different than a modern Hardrock or similar mtb with sloping top tube. Measures 23" tt and 18" st 16.5" cs and a 41" wheelbase, I wont know till I take it out for a real ride but it feels pretty good so far.

Or maybe your just saying I ride like a girl.

you cannot beat an if steel mtb. very very cool

Just having some fun with a panorama app.