Jason845

I love the bars, very solid, upright and the sweep is comfortable too. The stem is the last thing I want to do with this bike as I find the Origin8 one that I have there to look like crap.

RALEIGH_COMP 

I dont think it looks too bad on the non lugged frames. I am actually using the same stem on my rockhopper above, but I agree in general its more of a functional piece. I was thinking of going with the VO 2 bolt quill, but wasnt sure of what reach to go with. Thanks for the picture for reference.

cambiker71

Hopefully this fits here, also converted to single speed, it's a bit heavy but I love riding it...

robrpb

Very nice photo.

cooperryder

What a nice Trek 850,
it looks like it's in almost pristine condition.

Jason845

Key word is almost, there's some scrapes and scratches and I swapped out the plastic shifters and brake levers for more robust ones, but it is in great shape.

Korina

Hi all; I love your bikes, they're gorgeous and inspirational!

I have a '92 Rockhopper that is being rebuilt in just this style; North Road style bars, Issi Thump pedals, big plush tires, the works. My question is about tires. My commute is strewn with broken glass and other debris, so I have to strike a balance between suppleness and puncture resistance. Also, 26" tires seem to be all for shredding or cruising. What tires do you use?

I just saw a video with an interesting idea; he put a heavier, more puncture resistant tire on the back, and a lighter one on the front. Interesting? Y/N?

Matadors

Here is my Bianchi Ibex that is in process of converting to an upright coffee shop bike:


Disassembled

RALEIGH_COMP 

2cam16

Korina,
I'm not a commuter but take a look into the Maxxis Hookworm tires. I have a pair of them on one of my bikes and I love them. I'm running 26x2.50.

Korina

Thanks. I understand that slicks have great traction on smooth pavement, but Humboldt County roads are a rolling disaster. Our potholes have patches, which have holes with patches, which have holes. I was looking at these Fairweathers. Or maybe Schwalbe Big Bens. I seem to have made it a mission to keep as much black off the bike as possible, so I kind of like the brown Big Bens and Fairweather cruisers. Maybe gum walls?

Sorry, utter ignorance here; I grew up in the '70s and '80's when all that was available was the 10-speed racing bike. Our bike was a very tall 10-speed someone gave to my 5' 3" mother, and 5' 4" me would pedal that thing around the neighborhood, trying hard not to stop, because getting back up on that thing was... adventuresome. The idea of supple tires is rather foreign, but intriguing, and I really want to try some, but there are too many options and I'm not a wrench, I just want to ride and not stop.

BicycleSafari

This is a sweet build!
It's crazy because I'm right in the middle of building the "alternate reality" version of this bike. I'll post a photo when it's done in about a week.

cooperryder

Some nice looking parts there!

Hope you post pics when you've finished the build.

cooperryder

Great looking Stumpjumper!

Matadors

Still putting the clear coat on over the paint. It will take a couple of weeks with the rain interruptions!

cooperryder

Hard to go wrong for flat resistance with many of the Schwalbe models.

I installed a set of Soma branded tires that look about identical to the Fairweathers you linked on my daughter's bike about 4 years back. No flats so for.

For about 6 months a friend and I have been running these in 700 x 42.
Continental Contact-Speed Tire
​https://www.continental-tires.com/bicycle/tires/city-trekking-tires/contact-speed​​​​​​

Good rolling resistance and zero flats so for.
I like them enough I am thinking I will order a pair in the 26 x 2.0 they offer for one of my vintage mt. bike conversions.

We heard of them from rivbike.com.
They offer some sizes of them.

They were previously called Sport Contact II but then the name changed.

Clyde1820

On a Trek DS, I've been using Continental Ride Tour tires, in the 700x47 sizing. They also make them in the 26in size. And they're available in the cream/reflective tire color, if the black/reflective isn't your thing.

In several years, I've yet to have a flat. Lots of potholes, glass and other uglies where I live, as well. Just enough off-pavement grip to matter, when it gets a bit muddier on the roads, but with a stiff enough center strip that allows fairly rapid speeds on the road.

I'd highly recommend them for a mostly-pavement commuter type bike where the road surfaces are less than stellar.

Korina

Thanks for the recommendations @cooperryder and @Clyde1820, those are some nice looking tires.

Just found out the right shifter on the bike is damaged, and there are no easy fixes or replacements.

RALEIGH_COMP 

Thanks guys! I still need to fiddle with the fit. The original seatpost is kinda short for me, so I need to search the junkpile for a longer 26mm post. Once I get that acceptable, I'll try and get the handlebar height/ position thing figured out. Still not sure if this one's a keeper for me, but I'm having fun for now.

cooperryder

I have found several used shifters on eBay from this era
for not too much dough.

I also have some modern versions like rivbike sells that work well.

Sun Race Shifters

Korina

Thanks; my mechanic found a friction shifter that should work. I hope.

Squeeze

In 2017, I bought a cheap bike on craigslist to keep in my office downtown to ride at lunch. I commute by train, so I walk when I go anywhere for lunch and thought it would be fun to have a bike to increase the radius I can cover on foot when I don't bring lunch from home and for some mid-day exercise. It was fun for a while, and a coworker/ friend rode it often as well - probably more often than I did.

The bike was stock when I bought it, except for the white & black Bontrager saddle, and it had narrow flat bars and awful twist-grip shifters. I know not all twist-grip shifters are bad, but the ones that came with this bike were annoying.

In a fit of bicycle modification fever undoubtedly brought on by you enablers at this forum , I ordered some VO porteur bars, VO city brake levers, and I also found some bar-end shifters at the bike co-op for less than half of what they cost new.

I brought the bike home and it hung from the ceiling in the garage for probably a year while I kept meaning to finish the project. I finally completed it a couple weekends ago and gave it to my coworker/friend. He's happy to have a bike and I'm happy to have one fewer in my garage. It turned out pretty well, I think, despite me paying more for the new components than I paid for the bike itself.

Had I kept it for myself, I would have installed a set-back seatpost, an all-black saddle, and probably some larger tires. These are 26" x 1.75" Forte Gotham tires that I had on another MTB I used to commute on (to a different job closer to home). The bike came to me with old knobbies that were too soft and slow for the urban use this bike is seeing now.

But hey, enough of my yakkin'. Here are before and after pictures. I'm glad I can finally contribute something to this thread that I enjoy. This and the drop-bar vintage MTB thread are my favorites at this forum.

Matadors

It is starting to look like a bike again!

Korina

Nice!

Matadors

Thank you.

Went for a test ride to see how it rode.