14/Jul/2009 - Day 1 of the Rebirth. After taking a few "before" photos and doing a final product mockup in the Photoshop, I took it to my bike builder, who quickly disassembled it and then we assesed the situation.

It was a genuinely scary moment - I was without a MTB for the first time in 17 years and there was no going back from this point!

Only a few parts to look at there, but I could already see the finished bike in my mind.

The fork was also disassembled. Since it runs a sealed cartridge insert (that was still in good condition), all we needed to do about it is clean and regrease the internals. Day 1 complete!

16/Jul/2009 - Day 2 of the Rebirth.
The 2nd day was reserved for renewing the frame, wheels and fork. I like the way the Spinergys match the RSGT wheels on my car.

I started the day by stripping the decals off the frame.

I only left the MC headtube sticker...

...and the "hand built" one on the seat tube, to retain some originality.

Spinergy decals have also been removed, bar the "Rev X" logo. Also, I removed the freewheel and one of the bearings to go hunt for new replacements.

Next up was getting the frame thoroughly polished to remove any oxydation, scratches etc.

We had to use the alloy polishing paste to get rid of the nastiest bits and then fine polishing paste to get a mirror finish. The result was a very shiny and sexy looking frame.

Then I picked up a complete decal set I designed based on the original decals (for the frame) and updated look decals for the wheels. They have been unavailable for purchase for many years now.

I got all the decals profesionally applied...

...and the final result was a brand new looking frame!

The frame weighs 1770g.

The same could be said for the wheels (an "in progress" photo).

The wheels weigh ~940g each.

And finally, we assembled the fork, polished the legs and the crown and touched up the stickers. Day 2 complete!

The fork weighs 1210g.