For the last couple of years, Matt Robinson had been toying with the idea of getting a hardtail to spice up his local trails. He ordered a Honzo ESD frame from his local bike shop and started looking for parts to bring his bright red dream build to life. “I quickly learned that building a bike in the middle of a pandemic was gonna be difficult with some parts almost impossible to find.” He ended up digging deep into his own parts bin as well as stripping parts from his Fatbike and Enduro bike to get the ESD going. “It’s a bit of a Frankenbike at the moment but I still love it.”

My Enduro bike donated a Sram GX 12 speed Drivetrain with a 32t chainring to get me up the hills. 170mm cranks helped with the lower BB of the smaller rear tire. I’ve been enjoying the chainstays in the shortest setting, keeps the rear end super lively.
I really wanted to run my Honzo as a mullet. I picked up a 160mm Marzocchi Z1 Coil and put a 29″x2.5″ Maxxis Assegai up front.

A 27.5″x2.5″ Maxxis Assegai with a Hope Pro 4 hub is in the rear. Not the best rolling efficiency but I love the grip on the steep and sketchy bits I like to frequent.

I really love the Sram Code RSCs and mated them to 203 mm rotor upfront and 180mm in the rear. Raceface Bar and Stem with my favorite grips, Sensus Meaty Paws.
The 150mm external routed Brand X Dropper Post was stolen off my Kona Wozo Fatbike. The SDG saddle was dug out of storage.
A OneUp Pump with EDC tool handles trailside repairs.

I’m super pumped on this bike and can’t wait to get some more miles on it this summer.

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