Kobe 

The original Specialized on mine used a 114.5mm bottom bracket so you should be good. Also the original arms were 180mm, my favorite length.

niliraga 

Just checked and those bars are 42, alas.

Roger M

A little bit of an update.

I rubbed out the frame with Scratch X. I'll have to go over it again, cuz there's quite a few scrapes. Fortunately, it is working, and the paint is in decent condition for its age.

I did mount up a tire to get an idea how much room there is. I am pretty confident 70x38 will fit with these fenders(the front is yet to be determined, but I am hopeful.

pcb 

That is a great, solid packing job. Just a hopefully helpful hint to anybody doing the same thing, you can use electrical tape i/o zip-ties. Saves a lot of time packing, holds the foam on just as securely, and makes it quicker, easier and safer for the recipient to unpack. No need to use cutters or blades to remove the foam, so less chance of slipping with the cutter/blade and scratching the paint.

Roger M

I haven't made much progress in the last few days.

I did get a bottom bracket installed, some brakes mounted, and a stem. The stem is a 110, which is probably 10-20mm longer than I need.

I am procrastinating with the fenders for a couple of reasons. One, I can't find the stay clamps for them, and I'll need to make spacers. Two, the front will have to be trimmed where it fits between the fork legs. Three, I need a durama bolt for that same front fender.

. The seatpost is a placeholder. I found a pretty nice post in Malaysia. It is on its way, and seems to be traveling faster that stuff that travels from only a couple states away.

Still pondering a saddle and tape. Supposed to have a front rack soon. Also thinking about my first ever front bag.

Damn, this thing is big...

mountaindave 

When I put fenders in my wife’s bike, I used a large socket to dent the side of the rear fender so it would fit in between the chain stays. I’ve done the same for forks, but this is the only photo I have.

Roger M

That's some nice work shaping the fender. Thanks for the input, Dave.

I don't have the clearance to dent it. In the photo I squeezed the fender to get it positioned where I wanted. Because the folded bead is pretty thick, the tire is rubbing pretty good. I think I will notch it slightly. When I get a rack mounted, I will drill the top of the fender and bolt it to the rack(to stabilize it from any weakening the notching does).

Sounds logical...

mountaindave 

Notching has been done before - I just saw someone do it a few months ago. It’s pretty slick too.

Roger M

Getting closer on this beast. I picked up a few parts locally, as well as a package from Amazon yesterday. I need to hit the local bike shop for some drop-down Ferrell and other brake stuff. Hoping to ride it before dark. Saddle and handlebars are not adjusted yet.





The fenders will wait until after I've ridden it some time.

I also have a front rack on its way.

mountaindave 

At some point, we need to see you on the bike.

Roger M

I did a few laps in the driveway. I don't have a front brake, due to the lbs not having the correct Ferrell for the lever.

Here's my sons efforts in getting a photo. I'll need tonmake a couple of fit adjustments, but it works.

mountaindave 

You must one one tall dude to make that bike look proportionately normal!

Roger M

I'm 6'4", tall but not real tall. I have long legs.

mountaindave 

I know how you feel. I’m 6’1” and all legs with a short torso.

Kobe 

Looks great Roger! I was questioning my choice to go with a brown saddle and bar tape but seeing pictures of yours confirms it looks perfect. I thought a grey frame would naturally need black. Your bag should match better with the brown too.

Good luck with the down tube shifters, I went with bar ends because the reach is sooo far down.

And the fit looks perfect, as long as the reach is not a problem.

Roger M

Thanks Kobe. I thought about black too, but wanted more color. If I could source a maroon/burgandy saddle & tape, I would have tried that.

The downtube shifters went on out of laziness. I didn't feel like putting in the thought on how to route the cables(with consideration to the front bag). After I get the rack and bag mounted, I might explore the barcon option.

If anyone wants to suggest a good length for the straddle wire, I'm all ears...

polymorphself 

What size fenders are those?

Roger M

Inside measure at 1 3/4".

The 38mm tires measure just under 1 1/2". I'm hoping it's enough clearance...

polymorphself 

Dang, that's close! I know most people recommend 10-12mm minimum clearance. You've got 7mm. Hopefully no big rocks fly up there . Fenders with less cover may be helpful, but I understand wanting to get these to work! Worst case you can just throw some 35mm tires on instead and call it a day.

Sir_Name 

One of my bikes has a handle bar bag permanently attached (same bag as yours, actually). I had that bike built for years with both friction and later indexed barcons. In both cases I routed the shift cables fully under the bar tape, exiting at the stem in order to avoid the bag. It worked well for me, I know some folks recommend against this routing due to the added friction (especially for indexed shifting). I used the good lined Jagwire cables and was careful in routing to maximize bend radius where possible.

Roger M

Thanks for your input, Sir_Name. That sounds like the best option for routing. After I get the bag on and a few rides in, I'll make a decision.

This is my first front bag. How do you like yours? I bought it for a couple of reasons.

*Swift is somewhat local(25 miles)
*The color they had in stock appealed to me
*the bag is taller than most production bags(in large size)

Sir_Name 

You’re welcome. I like the bag a lot, big improvement over the VO bag it replaced. The stiffener inserts are great, it’s plenty light and has good easy-access storage. No complaints. Curious to see yours mounted. For cable routing, you could always electrical tape in place for a few rides to see how it works for ya and go from there. Adjust brake lever placement and bar tilt at the same time before locking it all in place with tape. That’s what I like to do anyways, maybe you already do the same.

Roger M

Saturday update, and closer to being done. I finished getting the brakes functional last night. I put in a couple of miles around the neighborhood. I m not ready to tape the bars yet, because a shorter stem might be in order. This is a 110, and I think a 90 or 100 would work better for me with the long top tube.

The mailman dropped off a front rack today(record speed at only two days from Nebraska with standard shipping). The struts aren't long enough to reach the lowrider mounts on the fork. That is why I used the P-clamps. I will have to get longer ones in the future.

I have to say, that is a big bag. When I put the stiffeners in it and set it on the table, it didn't look like much. However, mounted up on the Nitto rack it is a freaking monster of a box bag. I am good with its size, especially on this particular bike. I will have to get some kind of decaleur for it. not sure what direction I'm going with that deal.

Riding it is not unlike my other bikes, except when I put my feet on the ground. Having the top tube closer to my crotch is a new one for me. Once in the saddle, it fits good. Another thing to note, this is my first bike to have the handlebars and saddle at the same height. My road bikes have 2.5-3.5" drop to the bars, not necessarily by choice.

Anyhow here's a couple more pictures

Roger M

So here's a list of what I bolted(or mounted) to this 68cm frameset.

BR70 Shimano brakes
Dia Compe levers
Suntour Cyclone derailleurs(GT rear)
Dura Ace 7400 shifters(friction mode)
Specialized stem by Nitto
Nitto 48cm dirt drop bars
B17 saddle
Deore DX 26.8 seatpost
Shimano wheels pilfered from wifes bike(don't tell her)
Gravelking 700x38mm tires
Nitto M18 rack
Swift Industries Peregrine bag

Sir_Name 

I’d give a shot at reworking the tongue that mounts the rack to the fork crown. Drop the rack and bag enough for those struts to reach the fork bosses hopefully, pull it in to the head tube as much as you can. Bend the strip, trim and drill a new anchor hole to fit. Looks like it might work, including fenders. Bonus points for getting the front run of the fender fixed to the rack. You asked about straddle cable length, try running them shorter and see how it goes (or stops).