Words and photos by Morgan Taylor

Pristine. That’s how every bike starts out. Every build has its moment of perfection before it succumbs to a life of abuse – cross bikes especially so.

When I walked into Kelowna, BC’s The Lions Cyclery, recently opened by former Vancouverites Meshkat Javid and Ryan Lidstone, that moment of perfection was oh-so-apparent. These two are building the shop’s reputation on “a higher standard of fit and function” – and having worked with both of them in the past, I know that means an obsessive attention for detail during the bike building process.

Meshkat’s recently completed Mosaic Cycles XS-1 is no exception to that higher standard. The Lions began working with Mosaic before they opened shop, as the Colorado custom builder’s philosophy aligned well with their focus on both fit and function. This particular frame being the first example, it will serve not only as Meshkat’s cross race machine, but as the shop’s well-used floor sample from Mosaic. The steel frame, in the shop colors of blue and white, is a perfect complement to a build kit that shows just what the Lions are about.

The Lions will no doubt come to be known as Kelowna’s Campy shop: they pride themselves on using serviceable parts and they’re not afraid to tear apart Ergopower shift levers. Meshkat chose a Chorus drivetrain for this project and decided this was the right place to finally use a pair of NOS 28 hole Barcelona rims he’d been keeping safe. The rest of the build is skewed toward North American-sourced parts from White Industries, Thomson, King, and Enve. The white TRP cantis add just the right amount of bling, and will be filthy soon enough.

After I finished shooting the bike, Meshkat told me he believes that bikes can be beautiful, but at the end of the day they should be ridden hard – which is exactly what will happen with his XS-1. With a start like this, it can only get better as stories add character.

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