Clyde1820

I know what you mean.

Yeah, I hate the concept. Clearly, given my body proportions, a custom frame with a taller head tube and appropriately sized TT/ST for standover is really what's needed.

But, for a factory frame of the "old school" type MTB format, this one's pretty close, once the steer+stem+bars changes were made.

bOsscO

I got my LBS to press the new headset (Cane Creek 40) in to the headtube, install the fork/spacers and stem. Picked it up yesterday as I was in the area and brought it home.
Good timing as I'm just about finished cleaning up the old drivetrain. I wanted to check it's general stance so I installed the seatpost and saddle, handlebars, and original wheels (please ignore the 1.5" slicks...they're what came mounted when I got this bike).

Loooooong headtub ate up almost all of the uncut fork steerer.


What do you think; looks ok so far?

DQRider 

Very nice, comfy geometry. I imagine it's pretty light as well. I hope your LBS didn't charge you much for pressing that headset in. You know you can make your own headset press for very little money? Mine at home looks like this:



... except I'm using all large fender washers instead of the ball-bearing thingy that this one uses. I've built over twenty bikes with it and it still works like a charm every time.

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bOsscO

Thanks; comfy is the plan for this bike. Will admit a few of your builds helped inspire me on this one. That Dawes
Although the aluminum frame and original wheels are light, I don't think much else will be. Hoping for final build to be sub-15kg.
Headset installation was free with purchase of headset as they had to order it in. This shop is also a sponsor of our local road club (of which I'm a member) so we get pretty good discounts on both labour and materials. No complaints from me.

romperrr 

I too have made a DIY headset press similar to yours. Works great! One thing I'm wondering though, and perhaps you could advise, is how to press the crown race into a fork?

Many thanks!

bOsscO

Think you use a BFH no?

2cam16

PVC pipe of the correct size and hammer it down.

J.Higgins 

Clyde, I wanted to take the opportunity to cheer you on for this build. Such an excellent selection of components! I will however mirror other's sentiments about the outrageously-long steerer tube. I'm sure that functionality of that setup might be fine, but leaving it oversized like that ruins the overall aesthetic of the bike. I'd like to make a suggestion. Perhaps a pair of these would balance it out:
https://www.danscomp.com/sunday-nigh...xoCPg8QAvD_BwE


I also wanted to add this link: https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listc...hreadid=170526 , which discusses a lot of custom options.

DQRider 

Yeah, what he said...
I have a short length of 2x4" wood that I've carved out for the purpose. Put that in a bench vice, set the crown of the fork on top of that, and then seat the race with PVC pipe (put a cap on the impact end) and a mallet. I learned all this stuff from YouTube.

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robertj298 

Interested in a winter project of converting this old Valley Runner I picked up for $60. The frame is
in great shape so other than new tires , cables and bearings serviced what would you recommend
that I do to it?

DQRider 

Wow. Miyata made every bike in its range just that little bit more special than the competition. The Valley Runner was a low/middle tier bike, but the frame was still triple-butted Chrome-Moly. The Ridge Runner is on my grail list.

What to do with it depends on how you want to use it, of course. It would make a first-class city bike just the way it is now. Maybe some nice slicks, or Schwalbe Table Tops like I have on the Dawes. Keep us posted on your project.

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capnjonny 

In my opinion , one of the great early mtn bikes. I built one up earlier this year for the Bike Exchange and it sold immediately. butted, lugged frame, forged dropouts and fork ends, This bike has everything going for it.

I just did an MB6 and changed the canti brakes for linear pull. It was an easy swap that you might consider. Unless you plan on mostly off road, I would put some street tires on it. At the shop we use cheap Kenda 1.75's but if you want to splurge, try some Fat Franks. They are the bomb.

Clyde1820

I wouldn't say it's ruination, but yes it's not my first choice to have a smaller frame but stem/bars with large rise and pull-back. But, short of a frame with custom geometry, I've never had a frame fit me well for a relatively upright riding position. And so, given my short legs and upright position, a lower ST and TT is necessary, and sufficient stack and pull-back on the reach is required to get hands in the correct position. Yes, better would be a taller HT. But other than that, the option is: stem and bars with sufficient rise and pull-back to suit. This combination works.

I will be toying with the positioning, and so very likely I'll be changing the stem and going with bars with higher rise. These current bars have a 9" pull-back, though, and that's needed. Aren't a lot of bars out there with sufficient pull-back that have greater rise. I've considered some in the "motorcycle" category, and I'll be reviewing once I get it all put together and can begin evaluating how it all feels. (Several choices of various levels of rise, over at JPcycles.com.) Possibly it'll result in a bar with as great pull-back (or greater), but one with more rise. Very likely, then, it'll involve ultimately knocking off a couple inches of the steerer tube, once everything's in the proper position. We'll see.

I'll do a custom-geometry frame at some point. On a different build.

nlerner

Got this one finished enough for a test ride: no-name rigid MTB, Albatross bars, Shimano 8-speed bar-ends running friction mode, Sugino AT crankset set up as a compact double, Shimano v-brakes. It'll be my winter commuter, so those 1.5" Kenda tires will be replaced with a fat knobby on the rear and a fat studded tire on the front, plus fenders.

vp1337

Townie bike for my better half:




More pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143910537@N03/albums/72157716179981631
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bOsscO

Matchy-matchy fenders are lovely.

Clyde1820

vp1337 , well that bike's downright beautiful. Nicely done.

DQRider 

The Dawes again... sorry. I'm still developing the drivetrain on this bike. After Sunday's ride, I'm not happy with the 1x10 setup, even after installing a Wolf-Tooth 40T "Drop Stop" chainring.



... but maybe I was on the wrong bike? The trail I was riding when I took this shot had some serious climbs on it. I later found out that it was mostly a hiking trail and disc golf course, and that bicycles seldom ventured there. I guess that's why I had to stop and walk this thing up several steep climbs and switchbacks to the top of the ridgeline. If I had left everything stock, I would have had a Suntour Mountech 3x5 setup with an adequate granny gear to make it up this trail. But because I wanted the perfect all-rounder, I went with 1x10 instead.

And I'm afraid there may be no going back. That would involve cold-setting (bending) the rear triangle back to its stock 120mm O.L.D., and I really don't want to put that kind of stress into the steel. I'm thinking that, if I really want to take on this kind of climb on this bike, I should go to a compact double up front, something like 44/34, so I could have that 1/1 granny option. But wait!

The 1x10 on this bike works perfectly for 99% of everyday riding. I think what I actually need is N+1, in the form of a mid-80s Lotus Pegasus, Miyata Ridge Runner, or Shogun Prairie Breaker (Was that Shogun's top-tier MTB back then? Research is sketchy on this.). None of these have the cachet of the Stumpyumpers, Ritchey's, or Fishers, but that just means that they are financially within reach, while still being every bit as good, IMHO.

Looks like I'd better go bike hunting!

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J.Higgins 

N+1 always works!

FWIW, I've had nothing but issues with every 1x setup I've ever had. Either there is not enough low end or not enough high end. I had a Surly ECR with that problem, and after several cassette mods, and swaps, and chainring swaps, I came to the conclusion that 1x gearing is good for multi-use trails and rail trails and thats about it.

vp1337

Thanks, they indeed are, I love the look of em!

Thank you!

bOsscO

Your own personal epiphany!! IMO this is good news, and realizing it works for 99% of your type of riding is important. The bike I'm building came with a 3X8 drivetrain and I'm trying to keep it that way. However, now that the frame is cleaned/painted the FD clamp is having trouble wrapping/fastening around the seat tube (see my thread in the 'Bicycle Mechanics' sub-forum). Although I have yet to spin the cranks I may end up with a 1X drivetrain.

scubaman

~30 year old Trek 930 rescued from the trash in an alley in Minneapolis, repainted “Illusion Money” powdercoat, set up with 1x 10 speed with a Jones riser loop bar and René Herse Rat Trap Pass 26 x 2.3” tires. The bike feels light, responsive, and smooth!

bOsscO

Looks rad! How did you fit a 10sp cassette in the rear dropouts? How wide is the rear end?

scubaman

Thanks! Rear spacing is 135mm, which I think was standard for MTBs since 7-speed cassettes (which is what this bike was sold with). So no re-spacing/cold-setting was needed.

I took off the original 7-speed wheel, and replaced it with a wheel that has a Shimano-HG-compatible hub that can fit 8-, 9-, and 10-speed cassettes (and also 11-speed MTB cassettes, which I’ve used successfully on other MTB frames from the same era).

sloppy12

some great looking bikes