Nice NOS R88. Didn’t have mine long because the rear triangle was too obtrusive. Looked cool and seemed to work well, but there were better designs out by then.

Progressing nicely. After fitting the rear brake everything else is easy. Test fit the new Easton 650b wheels with Maxxis Ardent RaceIkon tires, both 2.2 wide. Still plenty of space front and back. Now I’m waiting for my rivet tool to install the hydraulic cable guides. They’ll go under the toptube slightly to the left. Other things to do are to lower the fork travel to 100mm, rivet the guides, swap out the rear brake lever, install the rest of the parts.

Yes. Any other option looks like a terrible afterthought. Until fairly recently many frames still had riveted guides. Cannondales (and Yeti’s) had them for a very long time and their tubes’ walls were ultra thin. They even used them for front derailleur mounts on the CAAD10 which actually take stress. 1.These guides will not experience any real force against them as they simply hold a light hose, no pushing or pulling. 2.The center sections of tubes are low stress area. 3.The guides are tiny about the size of a dime and only require 4-3/32″ holes. Cosmetically the guides will be low profile and virtually hidden from view. No brainer. The only downside is the permanent change to the original Homegrown. I’m ok with it because it will be a professional look and part of the frame as it should have been initially.

Pretty much complete. Test rode and drivetrain works better than expected. The bottom bracket is a Dura Ace 109mm for better chain line. The chain is 10 speed KMC that I had sitting around though I’m not crazy about the gold. A 10 speed chain is recommended for the Blackspire ring. Left to do: Install XTR 9000 lever for the 960 rear brake, shorten the front hose, install longer B Screw for the rear derailleur for a bit more clearance for the 40t cog.