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1991 Off-Road Toad

The famed Off-Road Toad was the creation of Rodd Kirkham, the owner and operator of Mountain and Beach Specialty Cycles in Vancouver, Canada.  The first Toads were custom, fillet-brazed frames made by Derek Bailey, with fender mounts, pump peg, Hite-Rite, and funky camo paint jobs.  One of these early bikes was reviewed in Mountain Bike Action (February, 1989), with small ads for these bikes consistently appearing in the monthly magazine.  In the early 1990's, the frame was redesigned with lightweight tubing, Accu-Trax fork, and TIG-welded construction.  The frame was offered in just two sizes and produced in small batches of 150 each year, with one bike reviewed in the April of 1991 issue of Mountain Bike Action.

In recent years, the bikes have become something of a holy grail for many Canadian mountain bike collectors.  The popularity may be driven by the small number made combined with past media and advertising exposure, resulting in a bike few people owned but most knew about.  On the trail, the bike fully lives up to the hype:  the harder and faster one pushes it, the better it seems to handle without losing control.  This is a rare trait.  A look at the geometry numbers finds everything to be typical of the time, with a 71 degree head angle and just less than 17 inch chainstays.  The one number out of the ordinary is the 12" high bottom bracket, which is about a half inch higher than typical.  One would expect the cornering to suffer, but the bike simply rails.

The Build

Year: 1991
S/N: 172
Frame: Off-Road Toad
Fork: Answer Accu-Trax
Stem: IRD Macaroni
Headset: Chris King
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN-72
Handlebar: Answer Hyperlite
Shifters: Shimano Deore XT M732 Thumbshifters
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M735
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M735
Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT M733
Front Brake: Shimano Deore XT M734 SLR
Rear Brake: Shimano Deore XT M734 SLR
Crankset: Cook Brothers RSR
Chainrings: Shimano SG 24-36-46
Pedals: Shimano M737
Hubs: Shimano Deore XT M732
Rims: Mavic MA 40 MB
Tires: Onza Porcupine Classic 1.95
Wheel QR: Shimano Deore XT
Seatpost: IRD
Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo
Seatpost QR: Shimano Deore XT
Grips: ODI Attack
Cogs: Shimano Hyperglide
Chain: SRAM PC 830
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