1991 Off Road Toad #172

Sneaking one south of the Canadian border.

The Bike

There are bikes that have cult followings and then there are bikes that have CULT followings. The Off Road Toad is on just about everyones short list and highly coveted by every Canadian (even ones who don't mountain bike). I spent a lot of years looking for one and, with the help of a friend who really went above and beyond, I was able to sneak one across the border into the US. It came as a frame and a few parts and it's previous iteration was rubbish. This particular frame had a tube replaced by DeKerf at some point (repainted and re-decaled as well). I set about doing a proper build using tried and true favorites which not only look great on the bike, but work great too. The end result was bringing a neglected classic back to glory.

The Build

Frame: Off Road Toad

Fork: AccuTrax

Rims: Mavic MA40

Hubs: Shimano M732 XT

Quick Release: Shimano XT

Tires: OnZa Porc/Panaracer Smoke

Pedals: Shimano XT M737

Crank: Cook Bros RSR

Chain: Sram

Rear Cogs: Shimano HG90 XT

Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN71 XT

Front Derailleur: Shimano M735 XT

Rear Derailleur: Shimano M735 XT

Shifters: Shimano M732 XT

Handlebars: Answer Hyperlite

Grips: ODI Tomac Attack

Stem: IRD

Headset: Chris King No Logo

Brake set: Shimano M734 XT

Brake levers: Shimano M733 XT

Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Ti

Seat Post: IRD

Paint: Dark Green

Size: 20"

Serial #: 172

Place of Origin: Canada

Other: 25.5 lbs. Chris DeKerf built.

The Ride

Few bikes had higher expectations than a Toad, so this was something that really needed to be experienced. As many times as I went over the measurements, I knew deep down the bike was one size bigger than I prefer my bikes to fit. Rideable for sure...but a touch big. Well despite that, the bike was an absolute delight and amazingly lived up to its expectations. This rarely happens when bikes get this hyped. I'm not sure what I expected, but figured it would feel tall with the high bb. It really did everything well. Decent climber, fine through twisties, and actually really stable at high speeds. In the end, I let the bike go as I couldn't get past the incorrect size, but would take another Toad in the next size down in a heartbeat.

The Photos