peetee
Senior Retro Guru
Those of you unfamiliar with this builder’s name are not loosing their marbles. This is the only mountain bike Denis ever built.
The story goes back to 1987 when I was a confirmed roadie and was given my brothers Ridgeback 501. Competent but flawed it did me til I moved to Cornwall where the rough, steep terrain showed it for the stretched out slug that it truly was. In autumn of 1989 I was looking high and low for a replacement and very nearly bought a Sirius (Tom Bromwich) before a chance meeting at Bike Chain in Redruth. Denis Field was an accomplished road frame builder setting up locally and I asked him if he would build a MTB for me. He’d give it a go was the response, as long as I gave him the dimensions. So I sat at a drawing board with a typed copy of Reynolds entire range of 531 tubes and came up with the design of what you see. Every single tube was chosen to reflect a function. The down tube is heavy gauge and devoid of cable guides to retain strength. Bottle bosses are positioned so my kidneys don’t suffer when the bike is shouldered. Denis came up with the idea of fork blades instead of chain stays so I could have a narrow q-factor. It’s even dialled to take sus forks but they have never been fitted and, with a 1” head tube, I’m unlikely to find some now if I did want them.
Denis’ comment when he handed it over was priceless. He’d had to throw the book away and would never do another. I think he was a bit miffed he’d agreed to a build price of £200. IIRC, a Jamis Diablo frame was the same price.
I was very happy with the results of our collaboration. It was leagues ahead of the Ridgeback and way more responsive than the standard 531ATB frames of the time.
I’ve never felt unhappy with its capabilities but have to admit the low stack suites me in my twenties much better than me in my fifties! It’s a part of me in a way none of my other bike ever could hope to be.
Parts are a mostly XT with DX to finish, Magura brakes clamp Mavic M231 rims currently shod with Schwalbe Black Jack tyres. It would be nice to find some Ground Controls as per original spec but I keep reminding myself that this is not a showroom bike, it’s used, scruffy and fighting for space in a tiny shed!
The story goes back to 1987 when I was a confirmed roadie and was given my brothers Ridgeback 501. Competent but flawed it did me til I moved to Cornwall where the rough, steep terrain showed it for the stretched out slug that it truly was. In autumn of 1989 I was looking high and low for a replacement and very nearly bought a Sirius (Tom Bromwich) before a chance meeting at Bike Chain in Redruth. Denis Field was an accomplished road frame builder setting up locally and I asked him if he would build a MTB for me. He’d give it a go was the response, as long as I gave him the dimensions. So I sat at a drawing board with a typed copy of Reynolds entire range of 531 tubes and came up with the design of what you see. Every single tube was chosen to reflect a function. The down tube is heavy gauge and devoid of cable guides to retain strength. Bottle bosses are positioned so my kidneys don’t suffer when the bike is shouldered. Denis came up with the idea of fork blades instead of chain stays so I could have a narrow q-factor. It’s even dialled to take sus forks but they have never been fitted and, with a 1” head tube, I’m unlikely to find some now if I did want them.
Denis’ comment when he handed it over was priceless. He’d had to throw the book away and would never do another. I think he was a bit miffed he’d agreed to a build price of £200. IIRC, a Jamis Diablo frame was the same price.
I was very happy with the results of our collaboration. It was leagues ahead of the Ridgeback and way more responsive than the standard 531ATB frames of the time.
I’ve never felt unhappy with its capabilities but have to admit the low stack suites me in my twenties much better than me in my fifties! It’s a part of me in a way none of my other bike ever could hope to be.
Parts are a mostly XT with DX to finish, Magura brakes clamp Mavic M231 rims currently shod with Schwalbe Black Jack tyres. It would be nice to find some Ground Controls as per original spec but I keep reminding myself that this is not a showroom bike, it’s used, scruffy and fighting for space in a tiny shed!
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(I grew up in Penzance). You could always get a new stem made up to your specifications for a less stretched out feel - something fillet brazed would be nice.
