Well after nearly 7 months, it finally arrived last week! Frame and forks from Stanton, rest had been collecting dust in a build box since last year. Which obviously turned out for the best, given all the post-Brexit/Covid parts issues that 2021 has bought. 17″ UK made 853 Gen 3 Stanton Sherpa in custom paint job of matt stealth blue.

Light was a bit dull, so looks a bit black here – but frame colour has loads of depth!

Hope E4’s and Hope 180 mm rotors
Hope Pro 4’s on Stans Arch
Reverb Stealth
Shimano XT 12-speed drive chain with Hope BB – and thanks to all those that helped with the hub end cap issue
120 mm RS SID SL Select RL – impressed so far with 35 mm SIDs
Raceface carbon 31.8 mm bars with Ultimate USE Vyce stem

Build weight, with uncut fork steerer 27.1 lb. Will cut the steerer once I have ridden it a bit more.

The joys of long COVID means I only did 2 miles on it yesterday – but feels like a big step up from my mk3 Cotic Soul 26. Climbs well and gives a lot of confidence on the descents. Pedals light. Really looking forward to being able to ride it more. Feels like a really good fit and balance of geometry. Maybe there is something in this ‘downcountry’ tag line.

Awesome.

I have a Mk2 Sherpa and absolutely love it.

I run 1×11 SLX, Reba forks, Hope hubs/rims, Stanton finishing kit etc and come in at 15kg.

Think some weight-loss may be required.

Great looking bike! Happy riding.

Lovely looking bike. I like the silver hubs and brake levers. Looks very classy. Hopefully you are able to return to full fitness soon.

That is a classy looking bike 👌

Looks ace! Hope you continue to love it 🙂

Thanks all – classy was what I was hoping for, so really appreciate the comments. My first from-scratch build – have really enjoyed it and happy seeing it all come together.

Looks awesome. On my list but I want reach/ett of 19” with seattube of 17” (5’10”).

Looks marvellous. Unstated yet bling.

@clink – yeah I can understand that tbh. I am 5’9″ but with a 33″ inside leg, so the 17″ with a 50 mm stem seems to fit me really well. I might try a 60 mm stem at some point just to see. I can see for many at a similar height, but with shorter legs, the reach of the 19″ would be better, but needing the standover of the 17″

Very nice. Stanton do some brilliant stuff with paint jobs, but they don’t showcase it all that well on their website, it’s hard to see what you can get

Edit – I see they recently added this video which shows off the colours a bit better. Still would be nice to see some full bike shots of the colours.

awesome OP. nice colour palette. get the wheel stickers off to save more weight ! 😉

I actually think that would suit silver rims too… 😎

Awesome! Silver hubs look great 👍

And good luck with the covid recovery.

Looks marvellous. Unstated yet bling.

This makes me very happy as that is what I was hoping for. Thanks

I have a Mk2 Sherpa and absolutely love it.

I run 1×11 SLX, Reba forks, Hope hubs/rims, Stanton finishing kit etc and come in at 15kg.

Think some weight-loss may be required.

Due to the long wait, I did have time to shop around for shiny bits. The Race Face Next bars, USE stem, and Wolf Tooth seat post clamp all come in at 284g together. The 35 mm SIDs are definitely lighter than my old 32 mm Rebas at 1671 g. The whole build came in only 0.5 lb heavier than my Soul, with 2 wheel sizes bigger and a larger frame. Think bits here and there definitely added up.

That’s a lovely looking bike and I agree that the silver hubs really suit. Happy trails 😀

That is almost exactly what I’d want. Great build and looks ace. Enjoy it!

Very nice. Stanton make some great looking bikes and that is indeed a classy build. Need to get it dirty now.

Lovely! Belated welcome to the club, I hope it was worth the wait and the 853 is better than my pig iron version 😉

That is stunning and bling but understated which makes it even better!! I just love it mate!!!!!😎😎

Looks awesome. On my list but I want reach/ett of 19” with seattube of 17” (5’10”).

Cotic solaris? I’m 6ft on the 19″ (34″ inside leg) with a 50mm stem and have a 180mm dropper. Despite my “big bike” having a 20mm longer reach and 10mm longer stays, they both feel right for their intended purpose. The steeper head angle on the sherpa suits the 50mm stem vs the 35 on the bigger bike and the bottom bracket to bars ends up being very similar in the end.

There’s something very right about skinny tubes and a big fork…

Nice one, you must be well chuffed 🙂

Lovely! Belated welcome to the club, I hope it was worth the wait and the 853 is better than my pig iron version 😉

Haha. Crazy how much longer I waited after you got yours, but never mind – if it had turned up any time from November onwards I wouldn’t have been well enough to ride it, so it kind of worked out. Somehow I have a feeling there isn’t much between them – I am just a bike tart 😉

Nice classy build. Looks like a great fit in that last photo too. I’ve always regarded silver components as timeless – no colour to fade or wear.

I have a Mk2 Sherpa and absolutely love it.

I run 1×11 SLX, Reba forks, Hope hubs/rims, Stanton finishing kit etc and come in at 15kg.

Think some weight-loss may be required.

If it makes you feel any better, Although the use intent is probably a touch different, my Kingdom Vendetta is heavier than that…