The last time we saw this project, it was still a bunch of parts in boxes in need of a bit of spannering. After a nice layer of dust had gathered on all the parts, I finally found the time to put it all together, and here’s the result. Quite a looker I think you’ll agree.

I liked the Sirius we tested last year so much that I had to build one up for myself. It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden a steel hardtail, and the £225 Pipedream (available in a range of fetching colours) tickled my wallet just enough. I bought a 19.5in in Racing Red (it’s not actually called that, but that’s what I’m calling it). The frame isn’t built out of any particularly pimpy metal, but it is all put together very well. A slightly dropped top tube, well placed cable guides over the top, classy decals and a lovely headbadge.

To deck out the frame I chose mostly FSA components, and more by coincidence than anything the red graphics on the wheels, stem, bars, cranks, seatpost and saddle matched the frame nicely. With SRAM X7 shifters and rear mech, a Shimano LX front mech and an old set of Hope Mono M4 discs, the bike goes and stops perfectly. It also smooths the trails nicely, thanks in part to the slender rear stays being nicely compliant, and the Magura Menja forks up front. The 100mm (also available in 80mm or 130mm) air sprung and oil damped forks are easy to setup – the supplied shock pump even has recommended air pressures stickered on, which is a neat touch. The Dual Arch Design gives a noticeable increase in tracking and steering stiffness over other forks. The action is already very plush, but feels like they’ll get better once they’re bedded in.

So far, so good then. Stay tuned for more in-depth reports on all the bits and bobs over the next few weeks.

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.