JaccoW

I'd like to have some feedback on a planned 1x11 build for a friend of mine.

Story:
Last summer I sold a friend a Koga-Miyata GentsTour bike that I build up from a bare frame with some parts I had lying around for cheap. It's the 1996 model and originally came with 3x7-speed Shimano STX, cantilever brakes and Hardtlite cr-mo triple-butted spiral splined tubing (comparable to Columbus SLX).
Now, a few months later he is using it for longer-distance (20km/13miles one way) commuting and says he loves it and wants to upgrade it to newer parts.

Plans are to turn it into a 1x11 dropbar bike with dynohub front wheel and fenders. He's willing to spend quite a bit on it to make it last a long time.
He wants to keep using it for commuting and perhaps some lightly loaded touring next summer.

I can build my own wheels but since there don't seem to be any affordable pre-built wheels that both support 11-speed and rim brakes in Europe I was planning to build my own for him.
Only downside I can see right now is that he'd have a 36H front and a 32H rear. There is also this 32H front wheel option with Shutter Precision dynamo and the more durable Mavic A719 rim.
That would be a fairly easy change to build the rear around

Current setup:

• Shimano STX 3x7-speed drivetrain
• Lepper Weltmeister sprung saddle
• Derusted and clear coated.

Upgrade parts:

• Cockpit:
  • Handlebar: Zoom Anatomic BT-FOV drop bar
  • Stem: Nitto MT-10-100, 25.4mm clamp (Already owned)
• Drivetrain: Gear Calculator link
  • Shifters: Sram Rival 22 mechanical shifter 1x11
  • Crankset: Sram Rival 1 crankset (42T, GXP)
  • Bottom bracket: Sram Truvativ GXP bottom bracket BSA
  • Pedals: NC-17 Trekking Pro pedals
  • Derailleur: Sram Rival 1 rear derailleur long
  • Cassette: Sram PG-1130 cassette 11-42T (seems to work on 10-speed bodies as well?)
  • Cassette: Sram XG-1150 cassette 10-42T
  • Chain: Sram PC-1130 chain (I know any 11-speed chain would work)
  • Shifter cable: Jagwire 1x Pro shift kit (Stealth Black)
• Brakes:
  • Cross levers: Tektro RL720
  • Front brake: Tektro CR720 cantilevers (Already owned)
  • Rear brake: Tektro CR710 cantilevers
  • Brake pads: Koolstop Dura2 Black/Salmon pads
  • Brake cables: Jagwire Mountain Pro (Stealth Black)
• Wheels:
  • Front wheel: Bike24 front wheel with dynamo (Mavic A319 rim, black, 700C. 36H, Shimano DH-3N72 dynamo)
  • Rear wheel: Freespoke build link
    • Rim: Mavic A319 (Black, 32H, 700C)
    • Hub: Shimano Deore XT FH-M8000 (32H, Centerlock, QR, 11-speed)
    • Spokes: DT Swiss Alpine III (Black)
    • Nipples: DT Swiss DT Pro head
  • Rim tape: Schwalbe high-pressure rim tape ()
  • Inner tubes: Schwalbe Extralight Tube SV18
  • Tyres: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (37-622, microskin folding tyre, sidewall reflection)
  • Fenders: SKS Bluemels Longboard (Black, 45mm)
• Lights:
  • Front light: B+M Cyo T Premium
  • Rear light: B+M Secula Plus (fender mount)
• Locks:
  • Frame lock: Axa Victory
  • Chain lock: Heavy duty chain lock (Already owned)

Question:
Did I miss anything? Any suggestions, comments or questions?

I'd love to have a final sanity check before we get started.

JaccoW

Welp, seems like I may have found a good solution to the wheel problem:
Wheelset: bc basic Mavic A 319 + Shutter Precision PL-8/Shimano XT M8000 28" Wheelset
Or just a rear wheel: bc basic Mavic A 319 + Shimano XT M8000 29" Wheel

Add two SON centerlock covers and you wouldn't even see these were centerlock hubs.

AeroGut

The current set up with a relatively short stem and swept back bars on a small frame suggests that your friend likes a short reach. Are you sure that switching to drop bars will be comfortable?

JaccoW

Sorry, I should have mentioned we swapped this around for the Nitto stem with bullhorns where he rides mostly in the "hoods". Don't have a good picture but I could ask if he can make one to see how he rides it now.

GamblerGORD53

First get a 25" bike at least. Pffft

lubloi

I would keep the 3x7 setup. I doubt that 1x11 is useful for commuting. With the 20KM commute your friend is going to do 800 km a month. That means 2-4 chains and probably 2 cassettes per year. There is a significant price difference between 7 speed and 11 speed parts. Of course this is subjective, but on the bikes I commute with, I only use 7 or 8 speed drivetrains.

lubloi

Wonderful bike by the way. I love Koga Miyatas. There are three Koga's in my family's fleet. This may have something to do with the fact that even though I don't live there anymore, I grew up in the Netherlands in the 70s and 80s...
I'm always on the lookout for an old Valley Runner or Ridge Runner in a large frame size.

jimc101

The bike does look to be way too small for the rider as currently pictured, also, would really do the math, and work out how much all this is going to cost vs just buying a new on off the shelf, much as it may be appealing to upgrade an old bike, that bike has a short headtube which was common back then and has now thankfully fallen out of favor, as it results in the rider being bent over the bike if a riser or severely extended stem are not used (like the one fitted)

Would wonder how much your total build is vs just what say Rose, Spa, SJS or another euro bike supplier would charge for a similar spec new bike?

Would also be asking why the upgrade of gearing, NL is not exactly known for it's elevation, but from what appears to be currently fitted (looks like a touring triple 46/36/26) going to a 1x11 will lose a lot of top-end speed with a 42-11) this would seem to be a loss rather than a gain.

zacster

This is what I spent to upgrade a 3x7 Trek 7000 to 3x10 about 5 years ago. Add $17 for shipping where I had to pay for that. I scoured the 'net for bargains on all of these items. You can decide if that's worth it.

In my case, riding this bike as my commuter for 5 years before I retired, it was worth it. I have a very similar Trek 8000 that is still all original and I find the DX 7speed shifting to basically suck compared to the 10sp. The light touch, the sure shift, the smaller jumps all make a difference. The dynamo wheels are great, also built myself. After putting it all together I decided to replace the rear hub too, since I was running 9 of 10 cogs on the 7sp hub. I didn't need cables, both sets of levers came new with cables. They didn't have housing, so my all Shimano bike has Campy housing, you gotta put a little class on every bike. Oh, ditch the cantis , go with v-brakes. Much better stopping. I noticed that too between my two Treks. Note that the single most expensive item was the B&M light. The bike cost me about $100 on ebay, so $600 to upgrade a $100 bike!

My first attempt at posting from Excel looked good until I posted it. I replaced the spreadsheet with a snapshot of it.

JaccoW

Thanks everyone for all the input.

Spoke to my friend again today and we'll most likely sit down to plan some maintenance of his current bike using 7-speed parts and converting it to a drop bar design with bar-ends.
Should be a lot cheaper than what he was planning with the above 11-speed version.
He was already on the fence of looking for a new bike. Told him we could always convert this to a simpler singlespeed or something as a city bike.

Oh and he'll be sending me a picture that shows what it looks like right now.

Updates to follow.

JaccoW

Good feedback. He'll probably do something like this.

Luckily those B+M lights are a lot cheaper over here (and could be for Americans too if you order from German webshops like Bike24.com, Bike-components.de or Bike-discount.de).
V-brakes might be a worthwile change, though well-adjusted cantis with Koolstop pads can work just as well IMHO. I'll talk to him to see what he wants. At the very least I still have a pair of V-brake compatible drop-bar levers laying around that I'm not using. He can have them if he wants.

zacster

When I looked at Bike24 at the time, the light was cheaper, but the shipping more than made up for it. I decided that buying in the states was a better option, plus warranty would be easier. As it turns out though I've never had a single issue with it and people still ask me about it.