This was my 60th birthday present to myself (thanks to my dear wife's indulgence). Tony Pereira of Portland built it last year. It's a beautiful fillet-brazed 29er single speed. I got to help design the paint scheme and picked the paint colors. The orange flames and logo (painted, not decal) were chosen to match the "mango" colored Chris King hubs & headset. Other colors are a metallic silver and a very deep metallic purple-blue that comes alive in the sun.

Tony's nice personal touches like the brass pears (a play on his name - Portuguese for "pear grower") on the head badge and the custom stem and incised into the seat tube cluster make it special to me. I love the understated graphics - something rare in the bicycle industry, I think.

Cranks are White Eno. Gearing is 32/18. Pedals are the very light old carbon cage WTB MP250 Stealths (I love them and use them on my single speed road bike, too. Bought as many as I could afford when they stopped production.) Saddle is a Brooks Swift. Not as comfy as my 18 year old Team Professional, but lighter with titanium rails. Salsa Delgado rims. Brakes are Avid Ultimates, something Tony turned me on to. Maxxis Ignitors are way grippy. Thomson seatpost.

Tony's workmanship is next to none. (His fillets rival a couple of my old Ritcheys from the 80's.) He won a top award at the 2006 North American Hand Made Bicycle Show and two top awards in 2007.

This is my first 29er and love it so much I hate to ride my (geared) Litespeed Unicoi 26 in. bike anymore!

Paul

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