I completed the DevilWork Cycles bike far in 2013. I built this bike with a mix of Shimano Deore XT 737 and XTR 952 components, but as time ran I gradually replaced XTR components and in the end, the bike ended up with all Deore XT 737. Check it out.
The frame remains the same. It is a stainless steel hardtail welded from Reynolds 725/853 tubes. Let me shortly remind you that this is a custom hand-made frame by DevilWork Cycles from the city of Banska Bystrica, Slovakia. The frame supports classic cantilever bridge-style cable-stop and drop-outs that were machined by Paragon Machine Works. I`ve made a classic white basic painting with a custom airbrush in Michelin green. In addition to that, I made a set of DevilWork Cycles decals in a custom-specific design.
Paduano Racing Titanium fork is a jewel of the bike. Pretty unique titanium rigid fork with custom geometry and brutal finish. The fork supports custom titanium front cantilever cable-stop and cantilever (or V-brake) bosses only.
There`s still an opportunity to buy a never-used or mounted HP-M741 headset. Normally it`s a threaded version, thus I had to mill the threads off of the upper cup to allow mounting a 1 1/8" steerer. I ride a titanium top cap and headset bolt on top of that. Titanium Titec Fat Head stem and Titec Pluto Ti 118 handlebars joined together in a classic titanium cockpit. No changes at all. The handlebars` width (555mm) no more fits my personal needs, thus I requested a friend of mine to rough out a pair of extender plugs to the handlebars up to 600mm. The cockpit was newly re-completed with a pair of ESI Chunky silicone grips and a new-school pair of brake and shifter combos from the Deore XT 739 series. Well, it`s not the 737 series, but I like them and they work pretty well with Deore XT 737 cantilever brakes.
It has been far double-confirmed that my choice of Moots titanium seat post with setback was right. Having the chance to ride a custom steel frame I thought of using an alternative to the classic seat post clamp – a quick release. I ride an SQ-M730 quick-release which perfectly fits my expectations. I`d changed the saddle again and I returned back to the Selle Italia Flite in very rare green leather. This is the best option for this retro bike project.
As I stated before, I`ve replaced all XTR components with Deore XT ones. That`s life. First of all, I mounted up a set of 5-arm cranks FC-M737 with original XT chainrings and bolts. The bottom bracket is BB-UN52. Then I replaced the cassette. Nowadays I`m using an 8-speed CS-M900 from the very first Shimano XTR series. Well, exception, but no objection to its quality and new-old-stock condition. Chainrings are IG-specific, thus IG-70 chain.
Front derailleur FD-M737 and rear derailleur RD-M737 found their solid place on this bike, too. They both work with new-school ST-M739 shifters. I mounted complete sets of BR-M737 front and rear cantilever brakes with replaceable M-System cartridge pads. BTW, you may remember a legend of MTB - Miguel Martinez, who was riding this unusual combination late in the 90s. So do I. Together with the brakes I still use a pair of brand-new Avid Tri-Dangle cantilever brake cable hangers and old-stock Shimano M-System cables and housing.
Wheels for that bike have remained on HB-M737 front and FH-M737 rear hubs. Both hubs have been previously cleaned and perfectly repaired. Shimano XTR quick releases were replaced with the original pair of Shimano Deore XT skewers. The hubs were laced to classic Mavic XC717 rims using DT Swiss Revolution spokes and SAPIM nipples. I kept Michelin Wildgripper Sprint tires with Maxxis Ultralite inner tubes. Job well done.
An indisputable requirement to protect the frame is a "chain deflector" – Shimano Deore XT DF-M730, so-called “Shark Fin”.
