​The classic steel On-One Inbred frame build is moving along nicely on the workstand, and today was all about custom fabrication and getting the stopping power sorted.

​The 42mm Chainring Grind

​When you need a bash guard but want to work with what you’ve got in the workshop, you improvise. I took a stock 42t chainring and spent some quality time grinding it down into a custom, heavy-duty 42mm bashguard. It’s a little on the large side, but it gives the drivetrain a massively aggressive, bulletproof look while keeping everything shielded.

​Old-School Braking Power

​For the front stopping power, I dug out a classic mechanical setup: an old-school Tektro mechanical disc caliper paired up with an Avid Speed Dial 1.9 lever. If you know these levers, you know how good they are—that Speed Dial dial lets you adjust the leverage rate on the fly to tune the exact bite and modulation you want from a mechanical cable brake.

​The Rear Mech Puzzle: Shimano Deore XT Shadow

​I also managed to unearth a classic Shimano Deore XT (RD-M772/M771) Shadow rear derailleur for the build. It’s sleek and sits tucked out of harm’s way, but there’s a catch: it doesn’t have a built-in barrel adjuster. The next task on the operating table is hunting through the spares bins or fabricating a custom inline barrel adjuster solution to get the indexing dialed.

​What’s next for the Inbred?

​The mock-up is fast becoming a complete bike. Drop a comment below if you’ve ever fabricated your own parts to make a custom build work, or hit the Facebook page if your own rig needs some custom optimization on the stand!