If the mind think too much and the skills are many enough to dream pieces and image machined results......well, this is when dreams may be transformed into reality:  a DH bike for less than 15 kg with lots of machined parts, superb handling  !

let’s start rippin’ off the powdercoat from a specialize sx 2008... HARD JOB! (please use air breather or you will f..k up your lambs!

I milled the bike rear drop assembly to make room for the most advanced and stiff MTB rear axle ...15mm motocross style hollow axle with one site M14 nut!!

....after

in the mean time, between a pizza and a day at work I did few CAD drawings to simulate the leverage movements  and so  I calculated (figured out?) the bike geometries wished.....

I am the sort of man who plan and “test” at the same time to avoid building errors not undo-able.....

Unfortunately the original shock rear link was not good to get a longer travel and a lower bottom brake height , ....and so, after 1 day of chippin’ and machinin’ a big block of ERGAL 7075 T6.....I obtained my new leverage link.......sweet....

parallel to the main shock mount problems I started to figure out how to install a new motocross style axle, and the first step (well actually second) was to weld two milled blocks of 6061 T6 to the rear chainstay dropout area.....The weld has been made with an Hitachi 10K welding machine...made by a 1M man... !

The shock link got his hard anodizing finish and so became with a gold-ish color.......

some days of work on the lathe and on the milling machine and I shaped the 15mm motocross style rear axle,the  spacers and the M14 nut..... All the parts were hard anodized (and made by 7075 T6)....

Down here you can see the 90% of the pieces built, and anodized. I used only good grade Alu, the 7075 T6 and the 2014 T4. the Anodizing used was the normal “gray” for the frame and the “gold-ish” hard version for the important parts such as axles, the links and the spacers...

The frame itself has been machined in the front shock mounting area and , yes as described before, in the drop out area.

I modified the rear hub to make it compatible with e motoX style axle.....Basically I machined few thrust spacers in between the bearings and I did some other minor spacers and flanges.....(not shown)

last but not least....let’s shape a direct mount stem (riser?) for the handlebar, exactly the same of the motocross bikes...

Right.....if the entire projects looks like a 2-3 days job.....you are on the wrong side man....It tooks about 1-2 monts to plan, create and assemble the entire bike. anyway...here is the final result. Thanks to the owner !