MikeTé

tricky 

Some of these bikes that you are posting (the Peugeot, Giant and a few of the other bikes from your previous post) are road bikes and not touring bikes. They can probably only fit 25c tires, 28c if you are lucky. Those aren't big enough for a gravel bike.

Edit: Oops! I didn't read far enough into the thread. Looks like you bought a rockhopper. Nice work! Should be a fun bike for you.

Belgarath

Make sure the frame can support the tire size you want/need. Also tires are not consistent regarding clearance needed. My Specialized Tricross Steel can support up to about 38-39 tires. Many of the newer gravel type bikes support larger widths. Wider tires will normally improve your ride and provide greater traction and stability.

Rocket-Sauce 

OK, is that an internally geared rear hub? And are you using a Dura Ace rear derailleur as a chain tensioner??? And mixed with a Campy Crank???

cs1

I really like the way you set that up. What make is the saddle bag?

jbchybridrider 

I've never seen one in purple people eater before and looks good from where I'm sitting.
I stripped the paint off mine today and in one application of paint stripper it was gone. When the scraping was done there was virtually nothing on the ground!! Seeing as the frame weighs 2.5kg maybe they thought they could save a gram with the thinnest coat ever, not even any undercoat. You've done well to keep yours looking good.

DMC707

Ditto --
something like this old Raleigh has generous room for bigger tires ! Contemplated doing a gravel conversion with this one myself but resisted due to this bikes condition and am going with a MTB based one instead --- but theres lots of suitable bikes out there

BluePx10

My old commuter, an early ‘70s Gitane Interclub, recast for gravel. It’s geared low and running 650B wheels with 38mm tires.

Daven27

Hey there! Bike finally arrived, yay!

Front wheel, steering and pedals were dissasembled for the transport so had to assemble them. Frame is in a really good condition couldn't see any damage which is good. Paint is in pretty good condition. Saddle is really horrible so it will be one of the first things to change.

Things I'm planning to change for now:
1. Saddle
2. Wheels to 27,5" (as 29" might not fit) + new gravel tires
3. Drop bar
4. New brakes

Time to do some resarch...

Hudson308 

Switching wheels to 27.5" (650b) may present a challenge, as the brakes may not line up with the taller rims.
Nice looking bike!

noobinsf 

I think your initial focus should be on fit and the structural change to drop bars, since this is your objective. Switching wheels to 27.5 is not a good idea right off the bat, because the brake reach will likely limit you to 26" wheels.

I'd first focus on getting the seat to the right height, which may involve buying a longer seat post given your height. Next, read up on drop bars to decide what you want, and try to focus on bars with the same clamp diameter as your flat bars (likely 25.4, but you should measure with calipers) so you can use the same stem for now. Then, decide on brake levers and shifters, since your best options will probably be bar-end shifters or brifters. For now, leave the brakes and wheels alone, and if the tires are rideable, ride them while you dial in the fit.

HTupolev

Why are you switching to 650b? It's going to reduce clearance, and even if you find some brakes that allow the pads to reach, keep in mind that you'll be massively lowering the mechanical advantage by setting the pads half an inch higher than intended. If you choose tires that give the 650b wheels a higher rolling diameter, you'll also be increasing trail, which is often higher than optimal to begin with when drop-bar converting a mountain bike.

Piff 

If you had v-brakes you could some pretty cool (and pretty $$) modular brakes from Paul components, but, since they're canti...

Just stick with 26" for now.

https://www.paulcomp.com/shop/compon...akes/motolite/

I will also caution you from making this bike your end all be all bike from the get go. Swap some inexpensive things out to make it comfy, ride it for a few hundred miles, and then make a decision about where next to take it.

shkimjohn

This is a great idea. I would like to do something similar but old school MTBs typically had long top tubes... Seeing that I already need a very short reach (~360mm), it's been difficult to find an existing frame that would work for me.

I also second the idea of keeping the 26" tires for now. Looks like there are plenty of good choices still out there for 26".

erbfarm

Great bike! What brakes? How much reach did you need to convert from 27" to 650B? Also, what crank did you put on?

BluePx10

Brakes are Weinmann 999 750s. Still needed to fabricate a drop bolt for the rear. Crank is a Stronglight TS, 52/36.

bikemig 

Cool bike. I'm thinking of converting my early 70s Motobecane Grand Record to gravel duty. The paint is a bit shot (lots of crackling) which is perfect for a gravel bike. It has lots of clearance with 27 inch wheels and I'd gain a little more room going to 700c. It's easy getting the gearing low since it has a TA crank. The brakes would be a challenge if going to 650b though.

Daven27

Hey guys, after few rides I decided to buy new brakes - Tektro CR720. They will be good for future testing if it's possible to use them on 650b's. Now I'm hunting for some good used saddle and drop bar.

Piff 

What's your plan for shifting? Brifters? Indexed stem shifters?

HTupolev

CR720s have a pretty long slot, they might reach. Their leverage is going to be very low in that configuration, though.

clubman 

2 cents here. Maybe your enthusiasm for a 650B gravel bike is clouding your judgement. You likely won't benefit much from the wheel change and it's going to cost you way more money. As suggested, ride it, dial it in, spend money on great tires and the existing brakes can be dialed in with ease or upgraded cheaply.

Piff 

To expand off of clubman 's advice

Handlebars: $20-50
Brake Levers: $20
Stem: $20
Shifters: $20
Handlbar tape: $10
Saddle: $??
Tires: $60-80
Kool-stop Brake pads: $20
1 set of brake/shifter cables/housing: $10
Total: $180-230 (not including new saddle)

That list is basically the bare minimum you'll need in order to turn your bike into a drop bar gravel grinder sorta deal. The prices are a bit conservative as well, you may end up paying more. Especially if you go for brifters. You may or may not really need a new stem, the one that's currently on there looks like it has the appropriate angle and height for this sorta conversion.

In my opinion, you should go about the conversion in this order if you are sure about everything:

1. Buy drop bar handlebars. Install and coast around a flat area to figure out if you need to buy a different stem, or if your fit on the bike feels good. If it isn't right, get a new stem that has more or less reach as your needs require. If the new stem doesn't result in a good bike fit, take some pictures of the set up and ask the forum for recommendations. If we don't have any good solutions, just drop the project, find a new bike. Don't throw good money after bad.

2. Buy brake levers, shifters (or brifters, dunno what you're deciding on), handlebar tape, 1 length each of brake/shifter cables/housing (you can reuse the rear derailleur/brake cables/housing for the front derailleur/brake), tires, and get your bike set up as a drop bar gravel grinder. Give it some good rides and figure out if this is what you want.

3. If it is, buy the saddle you want and some kool-stop brake pads. Ride off into the sunset. And on your way back, only now consider 650b wheels, and realize that a 26" mountain bike probably isn't the right candidate for a 650b conversion. I really don't think going to 650b on this bike would be worth the headache of getting the brakes to work properly. If you really want a 650b gravel grinder, a 700c touring bike or hybrid (there are some very nice 90s steel hybrids) will be your best bet.

zukahn1 

Before you do a tone of stuff get a better long seat post and nice basic seat then give it a tune up and ride it a bit before you do anything else very good chance most of the stuff you want to do just aren't needed. This bike should be a very good gravel grinder for close to as is. I advise one ride a bike some before making a lot of changes most aren't needed and nicer bikes just tend to ride better close to stock great mechanics and engineers spent a lot of time getting stuff right which can be a lot harder than one thinks.