Bike jambalaya

I just made that up I had to put something. With constant efforts to reduce the bikes I have and need. I'm currently torn between ideas to get a road bike and max out my road tires and hopefully have room for gravel tires and have a mtb on the side. Or get a good quality 90s mtb and just put road and gravel bike wheel setups on it when needed.
I don't race and Ive already completed rides on my 3spd bc with the upper echelon group rides in the city. I know for a fact I could do it again on a bike with a night and day difference in geometry. I'm thinking of of just having different wheel setups on hand and just spend the little time need to adjust what's needed to adjust for each setup.

Sierra_rider

I'm from the camp that believes in owning a bunch of bikes that specialize in certain tasks, but in the spirit of your post...my gravel bike could easily pull double-duty as a road bike. I'm usually running low rolling resistance, gravel race tires with the smooth center sections on it, and it's very efficient on the road. I'd say it's marginally slower than my dedicated road bikes on the road, and most of those differences can be attributed to weight differences on the climbs. Put some good road tires on it, and I might forget that I was even riding a gravel bike.

If you're looking for an offroad bike, I don't think a modern gravel bike is any less effective than a 90's rigid 26'er. Either one is considerably less capable, on anything more technical than smooth singletrack, than a modern 29'er MTB. That being said, I still occasionally ride my gravel bike on terrain that would be better suited on my modern FS XC bike.

Bike jambalaya

I don't want a gravel bike bc gravel bikes are relatively new and so finding one in my budget would be more difficult than finding a "great" 90s mtb for $150 or less. I also don't want a 29er mtb as I've already came to the conclusion that I don't want to push that much wheel and tires around. It's like half or more the weight of the bike.

softreset

I roll with a Lynskey GR and some 38 Pathfinders for all my riding. It satisfies my road and off-road riding that I do. It's my only bike. I considered a second set of wheels but I don't see a huge hassle to swap tires if I ever did chunky stuff. It's honestly a 70/30 road bike anyway.

Eric F 

What is your budget?

29er wheels are not all heavy. The Stan's wheels on my Trek Procaliber are lighter than the Enve wheels on my road bike. I have some aluminum American Classic wheels that came on my first gravel bike that are lighter than the Shimano Ultegra C50 wheels that I'm running on my current gravel bike.

Also (just in case you aren't aware) 700c road/gravel wheel are the same bead diameter as 29'er MTB wheels. This offers a ton of flexibility for wheel and tire combinations, depending on available frame clearance.

Limiters on a '90s MTB will be the 26" wheel size and rim brakes. Your tire selection is diminishing quickly. You won't be able to run different wheels sizes like you can with a newer, disc brake-equipped bike.

Bike jambalaya

I don't want a gravel bike bc gravel bikes are relatively new and so finding one in my budget would be more difficult than finding a "great" 90s mtb for $150 or less like I know i can. I also don't want a 29er mtb as I've already came to the conclusion that I don't want to push that much wheel and tire around. It's like half or more the weight of the bike. My bike. Ive recently learned a lot about better tiers of bikes. So I'm shopping the second hand market for something people had and say they loved. Treks and gt's are in abundance on the second hand market but it's which ones to look out for I've recently became aware of. Some tires I'm willing to buy would be some conti or perelli AS in a 32 or 35. Some tufo thundero and as wide as I can fit for mtb tires. I know wider doesn't mean better. Just my preference.

Bike jambalaya

Those sound like quality wheels and they probably are. I say heavy bc my only experience with a set is the stock double wall that my phat cycle rumble 3spd with front disc came with paired with a 2.5 wide cruiser tire and butyl tubes. I've done my frame in one hand and wheels in the other comparison. 🥴 Heavy.

​​​​​​I Don't feel like possibly a 90s 26" will limit my options. Just the other day I seen somewhere. Someone had put 700c gravel wheel set on just the same. I've also been putting 700c wheels on the front my 26" cruisers for years. I'm also recently learned what disc on a open ended fork potentially does.😬 Scary bc I do take that thing over and down the hill with the 2.6 wide specialized tires I have on it. Not anymore freaked me out now but I just use it to go play in the mud after it rains. That being said I'm comfortable with canti brakes on this new project.

I'm actually thinking about getting a cheap fat bike to set up just for mud bc I want to get rid of the phat cycle bc the geometry is pretty extreme it has something like 70 degrees of seat tube angle lol the fat bike frame will allow for ample space for mud build up. On the phat cycle 29er frame which is *aluminum the mud will get so built up that the bike will not even roll downhill with me on it. Canti brakes would not be able to handle that type of situation.

Bike jambalaya

And it's kinda tuff to give you a budget number. When I'm finding gems that everyone would give me the green light on for anywhere less than $100

What I'm after is something with quality tubing and in at least the 90s. Something also near what the bike size calculators told me. Which was 19"

Eric F 

700c wheels will not properly align with the cantilever brake pad location of a '90s MTB built for 26" wheels. If you can find a slightly newer 26" MTB with disc brakes, it will open up more options for you for 700c wheels. Be aware, however, that axle spacing on road bikes and MTBs are not the same, and may cause some challenges in getting things to work correctly.

You seem determined to cobble things from parts not originally intended to work together. In my experience with these kinds of projects, I've gained a lot of...umm...experience. Gaining that kind of new wisdom is rarely as chap as we would have hoped.

Eric F 

Another option for you....Look at used "hybrid" bikes from the '90s and early '00s. You'll get a bike built for 700c wheels opening up a lot of the options you're talking about wanting, and you should be able to find something at a very low price point.

Bike jambalaya

​​​​​​You'r right about the axle/hub and fork spacing on road wheels. I might/could use these these spare chromoly solid axles I've had sitting there forever. With some spacers. Or build a new wheels set.

As for the later I'm content being that guy. A lot of my cars don't have the motor that is supposed to be in it. 🤷

Bike jambalaya

I might actually get lucky with the axle/hub spacing. I'm replacing 27x1 with 27x22.8mm, according to Google, but they look wider, but they are 0.89 inches. However, the axles on the 22.8s are about 1/4" short of sitting flush in the forks like the original x1's do. I'm replacing them because the rear is bent, and I got the replacements complete with fresh tires for $10. So, if thinner wheels have wider hubs and axles, maybe it's because more spoke angle helps with a thinner wheel, and a wider wheel needs less. Therefore, I'm swapping over the skewers and axles to the wider 27" wheels that I just got and hoping for the best. This has me thinking that I might also get lucky with road wheels on a 90s mtb. Probably, the newer the wheels are, the wider I'll find, and by sticking to bikes from the 90s, maybe the forks aren't as wide as newer bikes, and I'll get lucky like that.

Bike jambalaya

Maybe I should. I will admit I have been overlooking the hybrid bike sections all together when look at old catalog's on the Internet recently. Cool about to learn some new stuff. But am I going to get as much props as I would with a mtb gem.

Bike jambalaya

Ugh this 92 diamond back I would buy in a second even the step through.


But I notice how for example in the catalogs there is 10 mtb four will come with the top tubing materials and in the "cross bike" section of the catalog they will be 6 bikes and only two with the top quality tubing option and none with the top fork material available. So I kinda want good materials frame and fork. Offer up will figure it out for me and I'll come back with pictures

MattoftheRocks

depends on how rough your “gravel” in your locale is.

All of the trails around me have >90% of the miles easy-enough rideability on 23mm GP5K’s at 75/85psi and I can get through them without putting a foot down at all >90% of the time. They’re mostly clay with roots & rocks and occasional shale beds. I am fine with a classic steel roadie with fenders so I can ride streets & roads daily regardless of rain and I only ride my 32-60mm tire bikes on luxuriant days or when I have any reason to be on #2 stone for more than a mile.

I got some silly nice wheels made for my 26er- Dyad rims, Aerolites, Bitex hubs, 11-34 cassette, 52-34 chainrings, sometimes it’s on race kings, most of the time T-Serv’s. It’s way faster than you’d expect something with bullmoose bars to be. I could be fine with this as my only bike. But my road bike is better to the point that if I had to go down to one bike it’d be that one.

Bike jambalaya

I got this 86 sport sx in orchid?

Bike jambalaya

I got this real pretty too big of a smooth riding bike today for for steal. Shouldn't have but I looked it before going and it's my first bianchi.

RH Clark

Don't forget about older touring bikes. I have an 83 Miyata 610 that can use it's original 27" wheels for road riding and I can mount 700c wheels with tires as wide as 42mm with just a brake and derailleur adjustment. I also have an older Trek 400 that will easily fit 32mm tires. A Trek 520 will take a wide tire as well. These bikes aren't as capable as my XC MTB with 2.2" 29er tires but serve fine on 99% of the gravel I travel.

RH Clark

Congrats on the bike. I've bought and ridden wrong size bikes before. All mine, like yours were very nice bikes. I used mine to build mechanic skills. You can slowly get tools to rebuild older bikes fairly cheap. You can fix this one up and ride it while looking for one the right size. Then sell the wrong size bike, but not before you are sure you like the new one better. LOL.

79pmooney

Any chameleon bikes?

Good reason to consider custom. When I hung up my racing bike, knowing I would never again pin on a number in competition, I knew I needed a bike that 1) was NOT a race bike, 2) could club ride with them fast (while I was still a strong ex-racer), 3) would serve well on any road, paved or otherwise, be rideable on the lower 48 states all 12 months so needed clearances for big tires and fenders (both 27" and 700c; in 1978 when I ordered the bike it was not obvious which standard would be available in rural/backwater communities) and 4) be able to tour. And 5) - come with horizontal dropouts so if I ever wanted to set it up fix gear, I could.

So, I brought my race bike to Peter Mooney, a club mate I had ridden and raced with. We chose angles and top tube length that roughly matched the race bike but extended the chainstays for both tire clearances and panniers. Cantilever brake bosses (set halfway between 27" and 700c) because those brakes were low maintenance, cheap and worked really well in all of those scenarios. Tubing is probably 531 though at that time, Peter charged $50 extra to to do 531 and sticker the bike. He felt strongly that his view of what tubes best suited that rider and application should rule so you paid extra to remove his judgement. I had no issue with that and still don't know what I've got.

Started life as a fast club bike, sewups, triple of race outer and middle, 28 tooth inner and a racing freewheel. Clincher 2nd wheels that went off road a few times. Did overnight and weekend tours. Years later gravel struck. 38/35c tires went on. Cycle Oregon announced gravel for the week-long ride on a course suitable to ride fix gear; but only if the tires were big. My other fix gears needed not apply. So I set this bike up fix gear with those fat rubbered wheels. Sweet! Well, CO canceled first the gravel (I suspect logistics and rider risk), then the whole ride (fires and smoke). But the bike has stayed on as a fix gear in the manner of a classic English road bike from 50 years ago. For which it is simply excellent!

And over that 38 years of "in the meantime" it was never really good at anything; the drawback of trying to do it all. But (and this is a huge saving grace!) it served me well as the one bike that could do whatever it took to keep me alive, sane and out of institutions - both mental and jail. (Post major head injury, now "TBI" but the term wasn't coined yet, is simply, unbelievably hard. That 12 months of the year in the lower 48 was non-negotiable. What Peter Mooney delivered me was a Godsend. Not perfect. We'd both do things differently in hindsight. But it did the job. I emerged the 7 hard years a dear friend warned me about alive and free. That bike took me down Alba Road above Santa Cruz in a winter storm off the Pacific. A few years later through a PNW rainstorm so hard the frogs sought shelter. Camped illegally (but very low impact) on Mt Diable a couple of times. ...

One very, very good investment! And a bike that might have taken a lifetime for me to find and simply buy.

bwilli88 

You are weighing a heavy 3 spd hub wheel vs a much lighter weight cassette hub wheel. My Drum brake IGH hubed wheel is super heavy compared to my rim braked 10 speed cassette wheel.
All my bikes are road and gravel bikes. My all road is the only one I would take on any rough single track and after watching so many downhillers crash videos, i do not want to subject myself to that pain of wiping out again.