Dave wrote in to share some pics and info about his build:
I ended up with this bike and two others from a friend who knew I wanted one of these things real bad. They were all parts bikes and for some reason each one had a part needed to make a complete bike.
This is the first time i have done a ground up but it was worth it, The R5 is a bike that will stand out in history as a Giant killer and I had to have one. I started this project in the winter of 2004 and had it completed in the summer of 2005 with the resources I had and have been working on it ever since. This is a rider and it will always be!
Currently I am putting a fresh top end on it so I will let you know how that works out.
