A while ago we tested the Pipedream Sirius, the first steel frame from the previously titanium-only company. Some bikes we ride we like, some we don't, but just a few of them we fall in love with. Such was the case with the Sirius for me.

So you can imagine the overwhelming temptation that was brought to bear when Pipedream offered that very same green and white prototype frame for sale at a very agreeable price. But he who hesitates is lost, and by the time I'd decided to take the plunge, someone else had had it. By then, though, the idea had taken hold and I ended up just buying a new Sirius in glorious red.

A frame isn't much cop without all the bits that make a bike work, so I've pulled together a collection of bits from Magura, FSA and SRAM. There's the brand new Menja fork in its 100mm version, with various knobs for, um, changing stuff. I'll figure out what they all do when the bike's finished. Keeping the weight of this build to a minimum is a bunch of FSA stuff - carbon bars and post, lightweight stem and the stunning K-Force MegaExo chainset. The wheels are from FSA too - new XC-300 lightweight hoops.

As is traditional, a smattering of previously-used parts will find their way on to the frame. Some well-used SRAM X-7 shifters and rear mech will handle the main gear shifting jobs, and I found a headset lurking in the spares box. Obviously there's a few odds and sods missing - tyres, saddle, seat clamp, cables...

Building up new bikes never seems to go as smoothly as you hope. Share my pain in the "Pipedream's progress" gallery here.