The brief

Graham wanted an off-road bike which would take him on adventures from his local dirt tracks and fire roads to bitumen, gravel, and anything in between.

The bike

With a durable and comfy steel frame, a Surly Midnight Special was the obvious starting point for a do-it-all custom build. Multiple lugs mean that it can be built up for day-tripping, touring or just rolling around. Plus we managed to snag one in Strawberry Sparkle -- look at that colour!

A mixed Shimano 1X set-up kept things light (no front derailleur to worry about), with a 11-46 cassette and the use of a Garbaruk 38T chain ring, this bike can make a meal of any hill.

Graham is a very tall and strong rider (the frame is a 60cm!), so we hand-built a custom wheelset with DT Swiss H552 rims, 350 hubs and super-strong Alpine 3 spokes to match his riding power. Some Schwalbe G-One tyres in a tubeless set-up were the perfect match, providing excellent off-road versatility on multiple surfaces.

Graham also wanted a fairly upright riding position, so we kept the fork steerer long, topped off with a set of Pro MTB high-rise bars. (The beauty of a long steerer is that it also gives you the flexibility to play with handlebar height and cut the fork down at a later date if need be. Not everyone needs to #slamthatstem.)

For some finishing touches, Graham picked a BBB SportPlus saddle, and we added a set of SQ-Lab 711 grips for extra comfort.

If you see glimpse this Strawberry machine around the Barossa area, make sure to say hello!

Want your own hand-built custom bike for off-road adventures? Get in touch.

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