I hope you have read last weeks Bike Of The Month blog about the history behind the build of the Non Fat. The heart of this build is our brand new ONE+ frame that has the versatility of a swiss army pocket knife. I started to build it with 27.5 plus wheels as April's BOTM and it became one of my favorite builds ever. But already back then the 29 version was finalized in my head. The problem was only the Bikeahead Biturbo S wheels were not available in Boost 148mm rear axle spacing. Now they are.

So back to the build. With SRAM Eagle 12 speed 10-50 and Shimano 11speed 11-46 there is almost no more need for a front derailleur. I had a tough time with SRAM's 10-42 cassette and I thought Shimano's 11-40 was only for Pro's. But now, with the two newest options from SRAM and Shimano I will never again build a bike with a front derailleur for myself. The SRAM Eagle group set gives you a great range. With traditional SRAM XX1/XO1 I was always between a 30 or 32 front ring and  I was always missing something. Now I go with a 34 in the front and have all the range that I need as a "strong in the head-not so strong in the legs" rider.

I heard a lot of good things from racers about Biturbo RS wheels, I was told they were stiff but in the same time still very comfortable. I mean it is a little early to judge after one day of riding but I had a good start on them. Also the seat post has a nice amount that gives you the extra comfort you want on a hardtail frame. The Bikeahead Flatbar is available with 3 different bends. With a 10 degree backbend i decided for the one in the middle. Their NSA technology makes it light but still strong and safe. Same thing for the MCFK stem. With 80 grams one of the lightest on the market but still good for a powerful rider up to 100kg.

The new Fox Stepcast suspension fork is a killer. A lot of people have waited for a light fork from Fox and now it is available: the lightest fork ever built by Fox.

Last but not least I still like the Magura MT8's a lot. I think they have great braking power and good modulation. I had troubles with bleeding Magura's in the  past and it became a real hate-love relationship but the new generation is definitely love, even more that you can take off all logos which add to the stealth look of this bike.

Actually I finished the bike the night before getting into my car and driving down to Bergamo, Italy to see Marc our photographer. I even had to strip another bike to make the build happen in time. But it had to be perfect.

Now 2 days after the photo shooting you see the pics already live. What looks like just some other bike pics took a lot of preparation before and after the shooting. Thanks to Marc our photographer that made it happen. Enough said I think the pictures say more than 1000 words...