Last week I saw a ‘Wanted To Buy’ listing on Facebook Marketplace for an Iron Horse Sunday. The listing used a photo of the incredible build by Austrian downhill racer and machinist, Julian Neubauer.
I thought to myself, yeah right! Good luck with that mate! But I noticed that someone had replied to his listing with some photos of a Sunday frame with the iconic Sam Hill 2008 Val Di Sole World Championship Edition livery.
Julian Neubauer’s Sam Hill replica Sunday rebuilt with modern geometry. Full feature here.
The guy who posted the photos of the frame commented “how much are you willing to pay?”. I direct messaged him right away and he let me know that the guy who posted the WTB listing had already contacted him and was mega keen on it, but that he would keep me updated if the sale fell through.
I nudged him a little over the next few days, and it was looking like the sale was wrapped up as he was getting a shipping quote. Fair call I figured as I wasn’t the one who put up the WTB post.
Fast forward to this week I got a message from Robert to say the sale fell through and the frame, forks, shock and wheels were mine if I still wanted them. He left a number, I called!
Turns out Robert is a collector that has way too many bikes and builds on the go. He’s sad he didn’t get to finish the build but he’s got ore than a few dream bikes he wants to get going on. We had a great chat with more than a few laughs (I swear our chat felt more like an Al‑Anon meeting!). The legend also threw in a spare shock, extra decals, the original headbadge and a Ti coil spring from a small bike (that should suit my weight better).
In 2008 I went to watch Sam Hill race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Stromlo and took this photo of his bike in the wash bay.
I was a huge Sam fan (still am!), so much so that I had Sam Hill 5:10 shoes and even bugged him for an interview for BMU (Bikes Move Us Forums) a year after Worlds. There are dream bikes, but I honestly never dared to dream of owning his Sunday though. I’ve actually never owned a downhill bike (just nowhere to ride one close by), but I’ve always been tempted by Giant Glorys, Konda Stinkys and Orange bikes that pop up on FB Marketplace, but this thing takes the cake!
I’m chuffed, but I’m also well and truly in the red. It’s not the first time I’ve had multiple builds on the go, but I really should focus on the Yeti SB66 build first, so for now this Sunday is on display as art.