I've wanted to build a bike for some time now and finally found the opportunity when a nice frame showed up at the Boise Bicycle Project.  I found this old (2002) Giant XTC SE1 mountain bike frame and it looked like a good start to a gravel grinder project.

Before:

After:

I started by removing the v-brake studs and grinding off the stud blocks from the frame.  I originally planned to do the stripping and re-painting myself but found that for $100 I could have the frame professionally stripped and powder-coated, which seemed like a better deal than acquiring all the supplies and spending all that time and energy.  After the powder coating was completed I was able to start accumulating the componentry and start the build.  Stay tuned for updates.

View the gallery for progress pix: