Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions

Old 03-17-21, 07:26 AM
  #7051  
Barchettaman
Senior Member
 
Barchettaman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Posts: 1,536

Bikes: Focus trash find commuter, Eddy Merckx Corsa, BP Stealth TT bike, Leader 720 TT bike, Boardman Comp Hybrid drop bar conversion, Quantec CX budget cyclocross build, SerottaNOS frameset ready to build up!

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 124 Post(s)
Liked 98 Times in 66 Posts
For this of you running 1x conversions, do you have any chainring and/or square taper chainset recommendations?

I am thinking of swapping out a 3x7 (or 3x8) drivetrain and going 1x10.

The donor bike is likely to have square taper and assuming the BB is ok I would hope to reuse it.

Dropping the chain is something I would really like to avoid; would one of these narrow/wide chainrings help?

thanks in advance!
Barchettaman is offline  
Old 03-17-21, 09:00 AM
  #7052  
jskita
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 80
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 22 Post(s)
Liked 18 Times in 9 Posts
@ Troy Winter NICE! How did you manage the clear finish?
jskita is offline  
Old 03-20-21, 05:46 AM
  #7053  
bechermitT
Junior Member
 
bechermitT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 16

Bikes: carbon scraps of Simplon Sinus, Trek 8000, Giant Cadex CFM 3, some nineties steel city-something.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by base2
I looked up the levers & brakes you mentioned. Both should be compatible with eachother. That they don't meet your expectations suggests another issue is responsible.

The pads should be adjusted to rest flat against the braking surface when applied with just the slightest toe-in. Aluminum rims work better than steel.
Thanks for the suggestions, by now it kind of fixed itself. I think it was just the unfamiliarity with the brake-lever combo and a few minor adjustments did the rest. (I had to delete your posted linkes, otherwise I couldn't have replied.)
bechermitT is offline  
Likes For bechermitT:
Old 03-20-21, 05:55 AM
  #7054  
bechermitT
Junior Member
 
bechermitT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 16

Bikes: carbon scraps of Simplon Sinus, Trek 8000, Giant Cadex CFM 3, some nineties steel city-something.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by Korina
Welcome! Post four more times today (you can compliment others' bikes if nothing else) and five times tomorrow, and you'll be able to post pics of your bike! It sounds cool. I don't have a drop bar conversion, I just like to look, and I'd love to look at yours.
Thanks for the interest, I'll post a picture once I qualify to do so.
bechermitT is offline  
Old 03-20-21, 05:59 AM
  #7055  
bechermitT
Junior Member
 
bechermitT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 16

Bikes: carbon scraps of Simplon Sinus, Trek 8000, Giant Cadex CFM 3, some nineties steel city-something.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by thook
are the brake pads new? and, do you have them adjusted close enough up to the rim?
Thanks, the pads are very close to the rim yet it allways felt like they are too far away, I think it was just my impression and everything is more or less fine.

Last edited by bechermitT; 03-20-21 at 07:10 AM.
bechermitT is offline  
Old 03-20-21, 06:17 AM
  #7056  
bechermitT
Junior Member
 
bechermitT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 16

Bikes: carbon scraps of Simplon Sinus, Trek 8000, Giant Cadex CFM 3, some nineties steel city-something.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by ElCani
I’m curious about these tyres (Schwalbe Billy Bonkers). I saw them after ordering Maxxis DTHs and they appear to be similar (dirt jump tyre etc). Has anyone used both?
I haven't tried the Maxxis but the Billy Bonkers feels super fast with 4-5 bar yet still comfortable and it is surprisingly goood in slightly muddy conditions.
bechermitT is offline  
Old 03-20-21, 11:24 AM
  #7057  
beicster 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Berea, KY
Posts: 1,132
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 360 Post(s)
Liked 310 Times in 183 Posts
I bought this from @OTS a few months ago and have finally gotten around to getting it built up. I bought it specifically to build up as a drop bar mountain bike but I am not sure if I will leave it that way because I like to tinker too much. I have contacted a builder in my area about replacing the ubrake/roller cam mounts with standard cantilever mounts so I can run 26X2.3 tires and fenders with it. The current brakes don't leave enough clearance but cantilevers would have plenty of clearance. Once that is done, I will probably get a second set of wheels so I can switch it between a commuter and a gravel/off road bike no problem. (Note, the handlebar is not straight in the pics and did not notice until I looked at the pics later. Also, I have not cut the housing and cables to fit this bike yet.)

Netroh by Andy Beichler, on Flickr

Netroh by Andy Beichler, on Flickr

Netroh by Andy Beichler, on Flickr

Netroh by Andy Beichler, on Flickr

Netroh Mountain bike. by Andy Beichler, on Flickr
__________________
Andy

Last edited by beicster; 03-20-21 at 01:26 PM. Reason: Bad typing
beicster is offline  
Likes For beicster:
Old 03-20-21, 01:18 PM
  #7058  
Pompiere
Senior Member
 
Pompiere's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 3,426

Bikes: 1984 Miyata 310, 1986 Schwinn Sierra, 2011 Jamis Quest, 1980 Peugeot TH8 Tandem, 1992 Performance Parabola, 1987 Ross Mt. Hood, 1988 Schwinn LeTour, 1988 Trek 400T, 1981 Fuji S12-S LTD, 197? FW Evans

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 522 Post(s)
Liked 943 Times in 495 Posts
Originally Posted by TomvanHalen
Its replacement isn't technically a vintage drop bar conversion, but it is inspired by one


​​​​​​
I had a great experience when I rented a Fargo while on vacation in Alaska a few years ago. That hooked me on the idea of a drop bar off road bike, which I started working on as soon as I got home. If I were to ever stumble upon a Fargo for a decent price, I would grab it in a heartbeat.
Pompiere is offline  
Old 03-21-21, 12:44 PM
  #7059  
TomvanHalen
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 22
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times in 2 Posts
Mine's a Vaya, but a Ti Fargo is basically my dream bike. Planning to build myself a Fargo/retroMTB inspired frame out of Reynolds 921 in the near future.
TomvanHalen is offline  
Old 03-26-21, 01:56 PM
  #7060  
bechermitT
Junior Member
 
bechermitT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 16

Bikes: carbon scraps of Simplon Sinus, Trek 8000, Giant Cadex CFM 3, some nineties steel city-something.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 5 Posts
Maybe this is the wrong place to ask but there seems to be a lot of knowledge around here, so: Whats the best way to mount a framebag with exposed top tube routing? Nylon liners, full lenght outers or fiddeling the velcro straps underneath the cables? How do people usually do it?

If its an unsuitable post please delete.
bechermitT is offline  
Old 03-26-21, 04:45 PM
  #7061  
eom 
Eccentric Old Man
 
eom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: BelleVegas, IL
Posts: 810

Bikes: 1986 Trek 520 Cirrus, 1979 Schwinn Traveler III, Trek T100, 1995 Trek 970, Fuji America

Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 248 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 173 Times in 87 Posts
Originally Posted by bechermitT
Maybe this is the wrong place to ask but there seems to be a lot of knowledge around here, so: Whats the best way to mount a framebag with exposed top tube routing? Nylon liners, full lenght outers or fiddeling the velcro straps underneath the cables? How do people usually do it?

If its an unsuitable post please delete.
If it is just the cables I go under. Over if it is housing.
__________________
email:
bikeforums@protonmail.com


eom is offline  
Old 03-27-21, 07:44 PM
  #7062  
bechermitT
Junior Member
 
bechermitT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 16

Bikes: carbon scraps of Simplon Sinus, Trek 8000, Giant Cadex CFM 3, some nineties steel city-something.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Liked 9 Times in 5 Posts
Originally Posted by eom
If it is just the cables I go under. Over if it is housing.
Exposed cables yes, i guess i'll try to get them underneath.
bechermitT is offline  
Old 03-30-21, 02:57 PM
  #7063  
degan
Senior Member
 
degan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Oregon
Posts: 919
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 120 Post(s)
Liked 102 Times in 54 Posts
Building up this Trek 750 for a friend of mine. They said they didn't care about any of the accessory colors so I went for broke. My first non-26" wheeled conversion.
degan is offline  
Likes For degan:
Old 03-31-21, 10:10 AM
  #7064  
rossiny
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 781

Bikes: Trek 970, Bianchi Volpe,Casati

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 354 Post(s)
Liked 120 Times in 86 Posts
Originally Posted by degan
Building up this Trek 750 for a friend of mine. They said they didn't care about any of the accessory colors so I went for broke. My first non-26" wheeled conversion.
those drop bars really drop!
unless its the picture or angle..
rossiny is offline  
Old 04-04-21, 07:19 PM
  #7065  
73StellaSX76
Full Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Redwood City, CA
Posts: 251

Bikes: 2016 SOMA DCD, 2014 Niner RLT9, 2008 Ibis Silk SL, 1998 Ibis Spanky, 1973 Stella SX76

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 62 Post(s)
Liked 80 Times in 46 Posts
I recently converted my '97 Ibis Mojo from flat bars to dirt drops. I'm not sure if it qualifies as Vintage or drop bar, but I hope it's close enough for inclusion.

1997 Ibis Mojo made with Tange Prestige/Ibis Moron tubing "More on" the ends, Big Butts
Fork is a Kelly mtb fork
Components are mostly 8-speed series XTR, Road brake/shifter levers are Microshift pulling thru travel Agent converters to v-brake arms.
Handlebars are On-One Midge bars with a VO Cigne stem

This was my turn of the century alternate to my full suspension ride. It had a suspension front fork and I did a bit of racing on it. Partly due to the tires and partly to the bars I am faster on semi-techy downhill than on my 29" gravel bikes.

It appears a bit silly to me now with the bars so high, but riding it, I get it having the drop position at least level with the saddle. Very comfy riding along with hands in the drops. One issue I have with the Microshift levers mounted to the angled Midge bars is that it is easy to accidentally hit the upper release shifting paddle when riding on the hoods, the paddle sits proud of the lever surface. If the levers are mounted vertically I can see it being lees of an issue. I'll have to make a habit of keeping my hands clear of there.

I prefer riding to the trailheads from home so will look into some more pavement friendly tire options, possibly looking at a conversion up to 650b wheels. There is enough adjustment freedom in the brake pad slots to accommodate. For now its fun to tackle some of the rougher trails with the fatter tires. It's also my lowest geared bike with a 1.4 gain ratio.


73StellaSX76 is offline  
Likes For 73StellaSX76:
Old 04-05-21, 09:14 AM
  #7066  
Dylansbob 
2k miles from the midwest
 
Dylansbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Washington
Posts: 1,990

Bikes: ~'75 Colin Laing, '80s Schwinn SuperSport 650b, ex-Backroads ti project...

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 525 Post(s)
Liked 931 Times in 446 Posts
Originally Posted by bechermitT
Maybe this is the wrong place to ask but there seems to be a lot of knowledge around here, so: Whats the best way to mount a framebag with exposed top tube routing? Nylon liners, full lenght outers or fiddeling the velcro straps underneath the cables? How do people usually do it?

If its an unsuitable post please delete.
To fit a revelate gastank on one bike, I just slid a burgerking straw over the brake cable.
Dylansbob is offline  
Likes For Dylansbob:
Old 04-05-21, 12:12 PM
  #7067  
DaveMaddux
Member
 
DaveMaddux's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Central California
Posts: 43

Bikes: Surly Pacer road bike, Santa Cruz Tallboy 29, Trek Fuel EX 8 29, Surly Karate Monkey monster cross, 1985 Trek 500 650b conversion, 80s-era Schwinn World Sport, Schwinn Traveler converted to fixed gear, Raleigh Grand Prix single speed, 70s-era Lotus "

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
1993 Hard Rock


Came out great, but 21-inch frame a bit small for me (cant get the drops quite high enough). Wheels are 650b (yes the brakes reach easily).
DaveMaddux is offline  
Likes For DaveMaddux:
Old 04-08-21, 07:34 AM
  #7068  
Vinniiee
Newbie
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by DaveMaddux
Came out great, but 21-inch frame a bit small for me (cant get the drops quite high enough). Wheels are 650b (yes the brakes reach easily).
Where did you get those wheels? I struggle to find 650b wheels for rim brakes.
Vinniiee is offline  
Old 04-08-21, 08:06 AM
  #7069  
DaveMaddux
Member
 
DaveMaddux's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Central California
Posts: 43

Bikes: Surly Pacer road bike, Santa Cruz Tallboy 29, Trek Fuel EX 8 29, Surly Karate Monkey monster cross, 1985 Trek 500 650b conversion, 80s-era Schwinn World Sport, Schwinn Traveler converted to fixed gear, Raleigh Grand Prix single speed, 70s-era Lotus "

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Vinniiee
Where did you get those wheels? I struggle to find 650b wheels for rim brakes.
Velocity wheels (velocityusa.com), about the only place to go anymore for quality wheels for rim brakes (and tubeless-ready). . .this set was about $450. In hindsight, I should have configured these with machined sidewalls on the rims, but they work fine.
DaveMaddux is offline  
Old 04-08-21, 10:31 AM
  #7070  
ElCani
Newbie
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 34
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times in 14 Posts
Originally Posted by DaveMaddux

Came out great, but 21-inch frame a bit small for me (cant get the drops quite high enough). Wheels are 650b (yes the brakes reach easily).
That looks sweet. How’s the rear brake? I found the combination of modern Shimano NSSLR levers with those canti brakes to be sub-optimal.
ElCani is offline  
Old 04-08-21, 02:06 PM
  #7071  
Wilbur76
Full Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: California
Posts: 213

Bikes: 2020 Lynskey GR300, 1987 Diamondback Ascent, 1991 Skykomish Marble Point, 1994 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, 1996 Specialized Stumpjumper M2 FS, 1992 GT Karakoram

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 69 Post(s)
Liked 226 Times in 84 Posts
Originally Posted by bechermitT
Maybe this is the wrong place to ask but there seems to be a lot of knowledge around here, so: Whats the best way to mount a framebag with exposed top tube routing? Nylon liners, full lenght outers or fiddeling the velcro straps underneath the cables? How do people usually do it?

If its an unsuitable post please delete.
Don’t know if anyone ever responded. Here’s my Stumpjumper with external cables on top and a small frame bag in the triangle. I replaced the velcro straps that came with the bag with some paracord I bought on ebay. Paracord is a little less bulky than velcro straps and looks semi-custom with so many color options and patterns. Hope that helps.
Wilbur76 is offline  
Old 04-08-21, 04:12 PM
  #7072  
bOsscO
bOsscO
 
bOsscO's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 748

Bikes: 2015 Norco Search S1, 93 Mongoose IBOC COMP

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 293 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times in 211 Posts
Originally Posted by Wilbur76
Don’t know if anyone ever responded. Here’s my Stumpjumper with external cables on top and a small frame bag in the triangle. I replaced the velcro straps that came with the bag with some paracord I bought on ebay. Paracord is a little less bulky than velcro straps and looks semi-custom with so many color options and patterns. Hope that helps.
That's a cool visual effect with the chain link fence in the background.
bOsscO is offline  
Old 04-09-21, 02:40 AM
  #7073  
Vinniiee
Newbie
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by DaveMaddux
Velocity wheels (velocityusa.com), about the only place to go anymore for quality wheels for rim brakes (and tubeless-ready). . .this set was about $450. In hindsight, I should have configured these with machined sidewalls on the rims, but they work fine.
Thanks, unfortunately a bit out of budget.
Vinniiee is offline  
Old 04-09-21, 11:35 AM
  #7074  
dunkleosteus
on the wheels of steel
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: the LBC
Posts: 57

Bikes: yes

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 32 Post(s)
Liked 32 Times in 14 Posts
Originally Posted by Vinniiee
Thanks, unfortunately a bit out of budget.
They're by no means fancy, but I can vouch for these sta-tru builds from BWW https://bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/Rim-Brake-V-brake/


Also I'm back lurking this thread because I'm building up a 92 trek 970. I have 26" wheels on there and tektro cr720s whose pads sit at the very bottom of their sliders. Would be a great candidate for 650b conversion...
dunkleosteus is offline  
Old 04-10-21, 09:29 PM
  #7075  
mgermca
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 12

Bikes: LeCroco, Harry Quinn

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 3 Posts
Yes, all good info guys, thx!

Mark
mgermca is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.