Kicking off a radical Monday with a playful sense of discovery and toy-like nostalgia bike.
Your Name:
Dallas Mignano
Bike?
Marino Custom “Gemstone”
Fork
Marzocchi Bomber Z1
Shock
Marzocchi Bomber Air
Wheels
Race Face Turbine (Vault Hubs)
Tyres
Teravail 2.6 Kessel (Front), 2.6 Honcho (Rear)
Brakes
SRAM DB8 / SRAM Centerline X 180mm Rotors
Drivetrain
SRAM GX Eagle / Race Face Turbine Cranks / 30t Chainring
Cockpit
Race Face Chester 35 Bars / Race Face Turbine R 35mm Stem / PNW Loam XL Grips
Seatpost
Fox Transfer Dropper
Saddle
Ergon Men’s SM Pro
Accessories
Race Face Chester pedals
Size and Weight
37 lbs 5 oz
Why this bike?
I love the feel and look of my steel bikes. After having a steel hardtail for many years, as well as a rigid steel all-road rig more recently, I became very interested in getting a steel workhorse dedicated to trail days and shuttle rides.
My local bike shop, Redding Adventure Hub, referred me to Marino Bike in Peru to have a custom steel frame made. Not only can you pick the colors and geometry, but the overall price—including shipping—ends up being less than half the cost of most standard steel frames on the market.
I have never had a full-suspension bike before and wanted to make this one special and fun. I chose jewel tones and leaned into the playful sense of discovery and toy-like nostalgia that bikes evoked for me as a kid.
Redding Adventure Hub helped me complete the build with components that nicely matched the color scheme. Equipped with stealthy Marzocchi suspension, 160mm of front travel and around 140mm in the rear, the geometry sits in the same realm as bikes like the Chromag Reagon and Ibis Ripmo.
The “Gemstone” is a pretty righteous rig. It brings a smile to my face and turns heads. I totally dig the vibe and am ready to hit more trails.
It feels amazing! I just took it on some trail laps in Mount Shasta in Northern California, near where I live. I was immediately riding them faster and with a lot more confidence. Even hitting features I would usually avoid when I rode those trails on my other bikes. I can’t think of anything I would change or adjust at the moment, just need to ride it more.
Show us yours!
We’ve rejigged the Reader’s Ride online form and pic uploader to make it clearer, quicker and simpler
We’ll be rewarding any submission published with a piece of STW merch. NB: they don’t have to be new bikes. Or expensive bikes. Or even clean bikes. We want to see real bikes from real riders
