Has a wheelset too. Was covered in weeds still from wherever it was in his yard. The frame is way too small for me but I'm excited for the project. Don't worry, I'm not gonna try to build it up and sell for $2k. Hoping it'll fit my partner.
by mafugginAsher
3 Comments
Right place right time!
Nice crank and XT parts . The bike gods blessed you
Free is generous framing since the previous owner still had to haul it to the thrift store themselves, but old Specialized frames in decent shape usually clear the threshold of being worth restoring. The XT crankset alone is probably worth the trouble of cleaning up.
The thing I’d push back on is building a complete bike FOR a partner without them picking the contact points themselves. Saddles, bars, stem length, even the grip style, all of that is so personal that a frame which fits geometry-wise can still feel completely wrong in practice. Last bike I pieced together as a gift ended up needing a different stem and saddle within a month, which kind of defeats the romance of a surprise build. Bring them along for the parts selection and the project still works, just with less guesswork.