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Dropbar MTB Contender?

Old 03-13-20, 09:24 AM
  #1  
jpjpjp
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Dropbar MTB Contender?

So, I've been keeping an eye on CL for dropbar conversion contenders for general gravel riding and some touring for the summer and recently came across this Raleigh Mountain Tour, which seems to be in decent condition.

I've never done a dropbar conversion before and was wondering how well you all thought this would hold up to it. One of my concerns is wheel size. The other is weight. I couldn't find much information on the Mountain Tour, so any would be helpful!

Appreciate it!




CL link: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...088426016.html

"Fully set up Raleigh commuter bike. The model is called Mountain Tour. Has served well as a commuter bike for me and does not look great but always makes the 20 mile round trip with no issues. Large frame, seat height set for 5' 11" rider in photo so will fit taller riders.

Has Shimano Alivio trigger shifters and brake handles, a Deore rear deraleur and 8 speeds in back, 2 in front.

Includes older pair of Ortlieb top roller panniers. Worn and need new closure buckles ($3 each from Ortlieb or ebay) and beaten up. Fenders are in good shape and really help on wet days. Tires are bulletproof Schwalbe Marathons, best commuter tires that I have found, very puncture resistant.

Price is firm and a great deal. A new pair of Schwalbe Marathons are nearly my asking price for everything."
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Old 03-13-20, 09:49 AM
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Some of those Raleighs were 650B, which in my opinion would be desirable.

added: Not sure that is 650B though

Last edited by Reynolds 531; 03-13-20 at 09:55 AM.
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Old 03-13-20, 09:59 AM
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Originally Posted by jpjpjp
So, I've been keeping an eye on CL for dropbar conversion contenders for general gravel riding and some touring for the summer and recently came across this Raleigh Mountain Tour, which seems to be in decent condition.

I've never done a dropbar conversion before and was wondering how well you all thought this would hold up to it. One of my concerns is wheel size. The other is weight. I couldn't find much information on the Mountain Tour, so any would be helpful!

Appreciate it!




CL link: https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...088426016.html

"Fully set up Raleigh commuter bike. The model is called Mountain Tour. Has served well as a commuter bike for me and does not look great but always makes the 20 mile round trip with no issues. Large frame, seat height set for 5' 11" rider in photo so will fit taller riders.

Has Shimano Alivio trigger shifters and brake handles, a Deore rear deraleur and 8 speeds in back, 2 in front.

Includes older pair of Ortlieb top roller panniers. Worn and need new closure buckles ($3 each from Ortlieb or ebay) and beaten up. Fenders are in good shape and really help on wet days. Tires are bulletproof Schwalbe Marathons, best commuter tires that I have found, very puncture resistant.

Price is firm and a great deal. A new pair of Schwalbe Marathons are nearly my asking price for everything."
This is the Raleigh Elkhorn Mountain Tour, and when I search specifically for the "Elkhorn," it looks like people generally like this bike quite a bit. I zoomed in on a pic, and it looks like these tires are 559, so 26-inch. Worth a look.
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Old 03-13-20, 10:06 AM
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Good deal at $100 since it includes fenders, an older pair of ortlieb bags (those things are tough), and the bike has schwalbe marathon tires (they are tough and long lasting).

Does the bike fit?

It does have a u brake which is a mixed bag. It's actually fine if riding road/gravel but not fine if riding off road.

With a u brake, this is likely a late 80s bike and the geometry may be good for a drop bar conversion. By the 90s, MTBs typically got longer in the top tube wheareas in the 80s, they tended to be not as long. That's just a rule of thumb obviously.

But it will not be difficult to do a drop bar conversion. Alternatively you could just run a trekking bar which sort of looks like a drop bar squished flat. This is easy peasy and cheap because the existing shifters and brake levers will fit. It provides excellent hand choices.

This is my '92 Trek 950 with a trekking bar:

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Old 03-13-20, 10:20 AM
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Dropbar MTB Contender?

Just answering your thread title - two words - Ned Overend. Ned Overend, the MTB'er who won many MTB races on dropped handlebar MTBS (mostly because he was a sponsored road racer also and could (sorta) represent his sponsor better on road handlebars and he was good enough to win either way).

Sorry, badly off topic but I couldn't resist. Plus he was a classy fixture in the bike world for decades. Never hurts to mention him.

Ben
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Old 03-13-20, 10:30 AM
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It's already been changed to a Shimano 8 speed, so you could go to a Tiagra sti or older 105-600. Maybe get a compact crank. Yes, that would work as a drop bar.
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Old 03-13-20, 10:35 AM
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Forty dollars CND and another fifty for parts made this old Rocky Mountain a great drop bar mountain bike that I love to ride at my cottage. I like the bike so much that I just might take it to Jamaica for next year's winter riding. I almost forgot to add the cost of the bar end indexed/friction shifter set ($45.00 US as I recall), the same set that I use on my Jamaica Bianchi...


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Old 03-13-20, 10:35 AM
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Originally Posted by jpjpjp
...t.

Includes older pair of Ortlieb top roller panniers. Worn and need new closure buckles ($3 each from Ortlieb or ebay) and beaten up. Fenders are in good shape and really help on wet days. ...
It's a good bet those bags just need hardware. My 1998 Ortleibs are going strong with newish hardware. Ortleib has a kit ($35 a few years ago) to replace it all. ANy leaks can be repaired like new using a standard fart repair. (Any good outdoor shop or rafting company can steer you right. Now, the rafting companies are probably up to their ears in work right now (rivers are running full on and rafts are getting damaged every day!) but mid-late summer when the water's down, they have time on their hands and can walk you through the repair, materials, where to get them and tricks.

I stabbed my bag with a very sharp kitchen knife. 1" clean cut. Good as new now. Outside that, I have had zero issues. They've come off downhill a few times at speed (all operator error.) Those slides have gone nothing more than a little visual damage. Bags are still 100$ watertight. (Easy check - fill 'em up. I wash them like pots.)

I didn't go to the website, so I didn't see the price but getting the Ortliebs at Marathon prices makes the bike a bargain!

Ben
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Old 03-13-20, 12:38 PM
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Yes it is a good candidate for a dropbar conversion. But...

It seems to have a double crankset not a triple. Are those two chainrings sufficient for your riding needs? Is the gearing okay too - that is it's not to high? If not then you might need a triple crank and possibly another bottom bracket spindle if the one on there is too short.

It will need a new stem as well as the dropbar. It will need new shifters too.

Is there a bicycle co-op or a bicycle shop with used parts that you might be able to source most of the needed parts from?

I like a quill-type adjustable stem on my NTB dropbar conversions. It allows me to dial in the height and reach to the handlebar quite a bit.

I also like bar-end shifters.

A bicycle co-op is great to have near you as they'll have the needed tools and someone to help should you need it.

Good luck.

Cheers
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Old 03-13-20, 03:56 PM
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Personally I'd stay away from the under-chainstay U-brakes. They're not really a deal-breaker per se, but there are usually so many other options out there that you don't need the hassle. I'd want cantilever brakes front and rear. If you live in a location where there's not as large a supply of used bikes, maybe.
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Old 03-13-20, 06:24 PM
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That one probably has 26" wheels and the price is good, especially for everything you get. You can put drops on anything if you want. I got this Marin for free at the curb and it still cost me money. That's how it is.
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Old 03-13-20, 06:38 PM
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Price is good, but......

1. I always recommend aiming higher, think Shimano Deore XT components group.

2. Watch TT length carefully. Some MTBs have super long TTs which make them too stretched out for drop bars.

3. Given a choice, thumb shifters rock! Twist grip shifters suck. Even if later you want to go bar end, you can probably trade thumbies for a set of bar ends.

4. My general advice on rigid frame MTBs is aim high! A MTB that might have cost $900 originally may cost you $25 more than one that sold for $250 originally. For that $25 you get better wheels, better components and a much better frame.


FWIW, I picked up FOUR MTBs in the last couple weeks, all XT components, from 1983 to 1990, for really attractive prices. Proceeds from one will pay for the four (actually more than that).

weight on that Raleigh is probably 30 lbs or more. Lack of triple really sucks. I’d keep looking.

Last edited by wrk101; 03-13-20 at 06:46 PM.
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Old 03-13-20, 09:58 PM
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Appreciate all the responses. Sounds like a real mixed bag. Will take my time to think it over and keep looking. There tend to be a good amount of bikes in the area (DC/Baltimore). Plus, I occasionally go down to Richmond, where there seems to be an even larger crop of old MTB's. Thanks, again!
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