Latest Builds
Marianne's Tan & Purple Hog's Back

Marianne's Tan & Purple Hog's Back

Mar 25, 2025

Marianne's Hog's Back is yet another great example of the kind of stock build remixes we love! With the Wiggler as the starting point, she chose to keep the wheels, Microshift XCD transmission and Avid brakes as on the basic configuration. Seatpost and saddle remain the same, too. That's where basic ends and the fun begins! The stock tires were swapped for faster-rolling and tan side-walled Schwalbe Billy Bonkers. Anodized purple bits match the frame's colour scheme. Headset, headset spacers, chainring bolts and M5 eyelet bolts all by Wolf Tooth. Nitto X Blue Lug B812 Commuter bars are a refined touch and purple Oury grips round out the cockpit beautifully. Photos by Troy

Miyata Flat Bar Conversion

Miyata Flat Bar Conversion

Roberto Dec 4, 2024

If you only know about us from our Socials, it might seem like we’re constantly and exclusively churning out ultra-fancy brand-spankin’ new builds left and right. Though that may not technically be wrong, our real bread n’ butter is keeping decades old machines riding smooth, with everything from minor tweaks to a part upgrade to a full-bore rebuild. One recurring job is the flat-bar conversion. Come in to either C&L location and you’ll see racks of handlebar options, because we believe it’s one of the most important parts that determine how your bike rides and feels! Over the years, we’ve swapped tons of ill-fitted drop bars for wider, comfier flat or upright bars. Drop bars have their place, no doubt. But riding around the city with an imitation race bike fit so commonly found with road bikes is bound to be downright unpleasant for most people after a while. We’ll be occasionally highlighting a few favourite bar swaps from here on out! The story we know of this Miyata Triple Cross starts with a somewhat aggro cockpit comprised of a long stem and narrow, deep drop bars. Florence, wanting to tap into the then-nascent gravel bike craze, requested an adaptation of a very suitable candidate for the job. A quick stem and handlebar replacement and gearing down to a 1x drivetrain did the trick! Fast forward a few years to this summer, Florence came back for it's next transformation: Townie Mode. Same Velo Orange stem, but now with a Velo Orange Curvy handlebar for even more comfort and control on everyday rides. ESI silicone grips add some extra comfort. #savethetriplecrank We know how Bill and Simon feel about triples. They’re great and add a ton of versatility to an already very capable bike. Off with the 1x crank and back with the triple! Smooth friction shifting is provided by Shimano bar-end shifters mounted on Rivendell Silver shifter mounts. Tektro FL540 brake levers and the original Shimano 200CX cantilevers supply the stoppage. Funny enough, this bike has pretty much fully circled back to it’s semi-original state, per the 1992 Miyata catalogue: Though I’m sure Florence is as glad as I am that straight narrow bars get to stay in the past.   Photos by Troy

Matt's Heavy Duty 58cm Hog's Back

Matt's Heavy Duty 58cm Hog's Back

C&L Dec 3, 2024

Matt and his partner Erin, having recently moved from Vancouver to Montreal, were in the market for a couple bikes for getting around town with the occasional longer outings sprinkled in. A quick test ride of a floor demo was all Matt needed to have his heart set on a Hog’s Back! With the intent on replicating the vibe of the Philly Bike Expo show bike we had on display, we sent off on spec’ing the most robust yet fun and lively build. Let’s take a look! Being a tall and heavy-set person, Matt had difficulties with stock bikes’ durability in the past. His most recent one, from a very reputable brand with a seemingly sensible spec list, gave him trouble particularly with the wheels and the cranks getting repeatedly wonky after every few rides. Here’s how we addressed those concerns: Hand-built wheels were a no-brainer for this project. Not only is the end product always tougher, straighter and longer lasting than stock machine-built equivalents, we also get to fine tune component selection. We opted for made-in-USA Velocity Cliffhanger rims, the most robust in their catalogue and a perfect size for the desired tire width. Sapim Strong spokes, designed for tandems and ebikes, were an easy choice with 36 of ‘em on each wheel. The venerable Shimano M525 were the top pick due to the tried-and-true construction, serviceability if ever anything does go wrong and unbeatable value. Ultradynamico Cava Robusto 27.5x2.2" tires offer enough protection and way more comfort compared to stiff-as-hell “flat-proof” tires. For cranks and bottom bracket, we looked no further than to Shimano’s SAINT lineup. Designed for the extreme rigours of downhill mountain biking, we knew it would be perfect for the task at hand! Featuring steel pedal thread inserts and their toughest steel crank spindle, they’re probably overkill but we wanted to leave no stone unturned! This build needed to not only be actually tough, but we also wanted it to inspire confidence in the rider. Headset issues weren’t discussed but they’re arguably one of the more important elements when thinking of durability and keeping the frame safe. We’ve seen numerous frames with ovalized headtubes rendering them useless over the years, all because they were ridden for far too long with a poorly adjusted or a totally cooked headset. The FSA The Pig, intended for BMX use, has an oversized CrMo bottom cup for extra strength. And, both the bottom and top cup inserts that go into the frame are taller in order to dissipate forces further along the headtube, making it much safer the frame. Here's the rest of the spec, also thought up for strength and durability: Frame: 2022 Bassi Hog’s Back Frame, Aqua Blue, 58cm Headset: FSA The Pig headset Stem: Thomson BMX ø22.2mm clamp Seatpost: Bassi forged ø27.2mm Saddle: Brooks B67 Handlebar: Surly Sunrise Grips: Ergon GP1 Shifter and Rear Derailleur: MicroSHIFT XCD, 11-speed Cassette: MicroSHIFT 11-speed, 11-46t Crank: Shimano FC-M820 SAINT Bottom Bracket: Shimano SM-BB80 SAINT Brakes: SRAM Guide T, 4-piston Rotors: Jagwire SR1, ø160mm Hubs: Shimano M525, 36h Rims: Velocity Cliffhanger 27.5” Spokes: Sapim Strong Tires: Ultradynamico Cava Robusto 27.5x2.2" Pedals: Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Large Rear rack: Blackburn EX-1 Bell: Crane E-ne Neo Polished Black Kickstand: Greenfield KS2 Bottle Cage: Blackburn Mountain aluminum Photos by Troy

Jamie's Claud Butler rebuild

Jamie's Claud Butler rebuild

C&L Nov 12, 2024

Jamie brought us this bike for a swap from drops to an upright handlebar. It's a common conversion for us, but we also loved the backstory about and the end result! Here's what Jamie had to say: It was my dad’s bike that he rode from Birmingham to Rome and back in 1992. Before that, he’d done several long tours through France and Spain, but this was his last big trip before I was born the following year. The bike had been sitting in the shed ever since, and I’ve wanted to fix it up for years. For the restoration, my main priority was comfort for riding around Montreal, which is why I opted for swept-back handlebars. I did consider keeping the drop bars for the sake of preserving the original look, but I’ve never liked drops so it didn’t make sense for me. Overall, my philosophy was to do the bike justice—choosing quality components where needed while keeping as much of the original as possible. I was adamant about keeping the old seat even though it’s a bit tattered. When I eventually go on a longer tour, I like the idea of sitting on the same seat my dad used all those years ago. Photos by Troy