himespau 

Used bike with a (probably) trashed frame but usable components that someone is getting rid of because it's unrideable in its current condition. Likely cheaper than buying the parts separately. If you can find someone who had their bike on their car roof rack and drove it into their garage wrecking the frame and they're just pissed and want to get rid of it (but the components weren't damaged), that'd be ideal.

Eusam

It's nice to see all these different builds! I just got a drop bar mountain bike going, once I finish tweaking it I'll try to get some pictures up. I built new wheels and put drop bars on it, but I kept the brakes and drivetrain. 1x conversions seem to be getting popular, but I like the wide gear range and huge number of used parts available for triples. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Frkl

Use what you have on the bike. Most "modern" 1x systems are built for conditions that, from your description of the build, you won't face. Most recreational mountain bikers don't really face them either.

The clutch in the rear derailleur helps maintain chain tension on the gigantic 1x cassettes. that is a lot of chain to wrap. But if you can get by with a 34 or 36t top in the back, then most derailleurs post mid-1990s can handle that. If there is a small clearance problem, then set the b screw in farther. If that is not enough, or if you do need a 42t top, then get a 10$ sunrace hanger extender. Even with a 42t top, you might not need the help of the clutch for chain retention if you don't plan to experience any big dh type hits at full speed on your bike.

you don't need a narrow-wide chainring. this is again about chain retension for big hits. I use standard, non-ramped chainrings without a problem on my conversions (more than 6, several of them mountain bikes which do get knocked pretty hard every once in a while). these chainrings are more available than ever because they are often used on 1x ebikes (which, tellingly, don't usually use narrow wide rings).

You can turn any triple crankset into a 1x with a chainring in the middle position. this is theoretically ideal chainline without any change of bottom bracket. you can even reuse the chainring bolts if you can find the right washers (you can get bike-specific ones, but I use ones from the specialty section at the local hardware store).

but if you absolutely must have a purpose built 1x that will work with a drop bar, you can try the Microshift Advent. Under 300$ will get you derailleur, cassette, and brifters. You will still need brakes and crankset. I haven't used Advent, but have had good experience with other Microshift components.

daywood 

Big amen on this. I’ve put the Advent X set on two bikes, one drop bar and one flat bar, and I couldn’t be happier with how easy it is to set up and how precisely it shifts.

Frkl

Microshift does a great job, and their pricing right now is very advantageous. definitely worth a look and a purchase before they start pricing based on what their parts are actually worth.

himespau 

I like their method of 2 different paddles (one for up one for down) for shifting on each brake on their road gear. Works really well and easy to set up.

Frkl

I set up a bike for a friend (which for me means that it had to have very low error--I tolerate a lot of error on my personal bikes because I know I can fix things in the field if ever necessary, but I never do this for friends with less experience tinkering; for them, I only set up sure things). The bike had a microshift 10 speed bar end shifter, a microshift rear derailleur, sunrace 42t cassette, Sugino crank, and an KMC 10x chain. The combination worked flawlessly.

Microshift even still has friction option on their shifters. I tried it and 10x friction was great. it is nice to have that as a bail-out if necessary.

gthomson

Hey thanks everyone for the advice on groupset and I think I've sourced out a Shimano SL-6000 10 speed shifter, with rear derailleur and 10 speed cassette on marketplace. Now my next question I have is getting the single crank. Are the sizes common enough that I could get one from a current mountain bike to the Specialized Hardrock or do I have to measure and make sure I find a match?

Korina

Like frkl said, adjust your FD limit screws to say in the middle ring and take off the shifter. This way, when you realize how much of a pain 1x actually is, it'll be easy to go back to 3x.

Frkl

Ha, I didn't quite say that, did I?

What i meant was that you can use any triple with a chainring in the middle position . . . and then you should remove the other two.
​
I actually quite like simple 1x systems. But the new 1x stuff is so complex and expensive it defeats the purpose for me.

Frkl

the short answer is, probably not. the following sounds way more complicated than it actually is in practice, but here is the theory:

With traditional bottom bracket/crankset systems, in which there are two crank arms that attach to a separate bottom bracket that incorporates an axle (called the spindle), you have to make sure the spindle length is the one specified for the crank. The reason is that cranks are designed together with a particular length of spindle, in order to achieve the proper alignment of the chainrings. If you just swap out the cranks, the spindle length might be wrong for the new cranks, and this will throw out the alignment, which is important on 1x set ups. On mountain bikes with 135mm rear dropout spacing, the ideal chainline is c. 47-50mm. The correct crank/bb combination will set the middle chainring on a triple at 47-50mm from the centerline of the frame, and in line with the center line of the cassette.

So, if you buy/find/barter for different cranks, you need to also find out the spindle length specification and check you bb. Replace if necessary.

There is another issue with the spindle/crank interface. Most common traditionally on mountain bikes was the square taper JIS interface. Octalink and ISIS are also a possibility. I think the current Hardrock has Octalink. just make sure that your crank and bottom bracket have matching interfaces.

Another way to go would be to get a hollowtech style system, which uses an external cup bottom bracket. In these systems, the spindle is part of the right hand crank, not the bottom bracket. For these, the spindle will be about the right length out of the box for the ideal chainline. I say about, because you often need to shim the bottom bracket cups with spacers to get it exactly right.

If you go the route of new equipment, be sure that the specified chainline is the correct one. Cranks designed for boost spacing have a different chainline (c. 53mm or maybe a bit more, I think, but boost isn't my cup of tea, so I don't know for sure). You almost certainly don't have boost spacing. You would want to find a crank that specifies a "traditional" chainline around 47-50mm, and follow the directions regarding the bottom bracket requirements.

All this sounds really complicated, but that's only because it's in writing. But it's actually not so complicated. It is, however, the sort of thing that makes a lot more sense if you look at the actual thing and talk to someone about it. A trip to the local bike shop might be a good idea. Ask them to explain it to you, and thank them by buying the cranks from them.

daywood 

I just remove the front derailleur and the original chainrings and put a single speed chainring in the middle position. On this Hard Rock, I added some spacers between the spider and the chainring to get a better chain line for the 10-speed cassette. This frame set came to me without the crankset, but I picked one up for a song at a community bike shop and refurbished it.

Frkl

Hey, very cool. This is the bike with Advent you mentioned? Have you put up full pics? would love to see it.

I actually prefer a chainline slightly inbound, so more like 45mm, and it is almost always easier to space the chainring in rather than change the bottom bracket. I like inbound because in a) I am out of shape and live in a really hilly place, so I spend a lot of time in the easy gears, and b) in my experience, I loose the chain more often in the big cogs, and this reduces that.

It also looks like you put some valuable time into polishing that frame. Very clean. and good choice with the bottle cages matching the logo, and the matching housing. That is actually all more important than chainline

gthomson

Thanks FRKL and all, now this sounds like it's starting to get out of my comfort zone ha ha. I should have known it wouldn't be as easy as just grabbing another crank and bottom bracket and setting things up. Although I do visit my LBS enough as I have newer bikes as well, when it comes to the older bikes and components, they are less enthused to work on them, especially if they have to source out components on the brands they don't necessarily sell.

I do know a guy not far from me who does conversions so I think I'll reach out to him and see if he could help. In the event i ever get this put together, i will definitely post pic's

daywood 

Thanks! Here's the original post with the full picture: 7403

That is indeed the Advent X cassette and derailleur with the matching brifters. I really lucked out on the condition of the frame when I got it from the local community bike shop. There was nary a scratch on it. All I did was use liquid spray wax.

Frkl

Thank you for the shout out. But I also hear you about how a lot of bike shops are not so enthusiastic about the vintage stuff. Frankly, there is not a lot of money in the vintage arena for them. People doing their own mechanical work in general need very specific parts for which there is limited demand. this may not be a successful business model for an LBS.

but I can say, when I was learning bike wrenching, the thing that made the biggest difference for me were bike repair classes at the LBS. it was a unique LBS, to be sure. But they SHOWED us the exceptions and how to deal with them. but I also know from experience that not all LBS are doing this any more.

The other thing I will admit is that bottom bracket, crank and chain line jobs were the last thing I trusted myself to do on a bike. Even after building wheels. The calculus and tolerances seemed just too fine. But ultimately that wasn't the right idea. Just go for it. try attempted solutions out slowly, safely, and carefully, and see if they work. make changes incrementally and be willing to spend a bit of money on bottom brackets (hint--Sunrace makes dirt cheap bottom brackets that don't last that long; but for testing out spindle lengths, they are great).

For what it is worth, my current approach is: a bike is a very complex system. but vintage bikes are also highly error resistant BY DESIGN. Go for it and see what is possible.

Also, read the entire sheldonbrown website. That too, for sure.

Frkl

Very nice! And the bar tape and saddle also match!

I also prefer the fork-mounted housing stops, despite potential flex. they allow for a lot of flexibility adjusting stem height, which stem mounted stops don't afford.

Korina

Ehh, same difference. My idea doesn't involve buying stuff (spacers) and is less work.

Eusam

Here's my drop bar conversion. I believe it's a 1987 Ron Stout frame. It is a little on the large side, but there's still at least a fistfull of seatpost. The derailleurs are Deore XT, and I'm using a pair of Suntour Command shifters with them. I laced up a new wheelset for it, and am using a 9 speed cassette/chain. The old rims and hubs were in decent shape, but I didn't want to worry about wearing out the 6-speed cassette. I was a little skeptical of the U-brakes, but they seem to work well. I will probably re-do the cables and tape once I get the brake/shifter positions finalized.

mhespenheide 

U-brakes are just centerpull brakes mounted to the frame!

Frkl

U-brakes/centerpulls are back and all the rage btw with direct mount brakes on road bikes, if you can still find one w/o discs. But most high end sidepulls are now mechanically u-brakes or centerpulls with the pulling shifted to the side.

For that matter, cantilevers are also centerpulls, but without the extraneous crossing arms, which saves a lot of weight.

V brakes are dual pivot side pulls without the crossing arms.

The only thing missing is the modern equivalent of the technically obsolete and mechanically insufficient single pivot side pull. Oh, wait, disc calipers.
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Frkl

wow very nice. The frame looks fillet brazed.

You also have the coveted Suntour shifters. These are historically significant, worth something, and work! Have fun.

mountaindave 

Nice work with the RTP's How do you like them?

mountaindave 

This is a Peugeot Urban Express. It was built like a UJB MTB, but with more road-ish geometry. A big difference is that the seat tube is 61cm. That means a taller head tube and higher stack than most early 80's super-slacked out MTB's.

Most importantly, it was overbuilt enough to avoid speed wobble. Almost every bike I own (60-62 cm c-c seat tubes) has speed wobble. This bike does not. It means I can bomb descents without having to keep my knee pegged to the top tube. The tradeoff is that the bike isn't very flexy and is heavy, but the payoff is worth it.

I set it up with traditional touring half-step+granny gears and a customized overdrive 6s FW. The crank is 50/45/28, the FW is 13+14+17+21+26+32.

I scored the frame from an iBOB list member after a cold-call email. He had set it up rando-style. With its canti brakes and 26" wheels I was instantly intrigued. I'm very grateful for the sale.

Other high points: indexed 6s Deore DX drive train, Deore DX low profile cantis, Sakae CR (AKA Krull) cranks, wide VO Grand Cru Randonneur bars, bar ends pods with 6s DT levers (thanks Box O' Crap!), SunTour XC Comp hubs on Araya RM20 rims shod with 52mm Rat Trap Pass EL tires. Lastly, I swapped in my dad's old 1973 Brooks Pro to ride the Cino to replace a worn out Ideale. It's one of the best fitting saddles I own.

The RTP's were truly amazing. I was able to run them (tubed) at 20 psi and literally flew over gravel, washboards, babyheads, etc., all while rolling fast on pavement/hero gravel with nary a flat (knock on wood). They came NOS from someone's stash a few years ago and are labeled Compass (not René Herse) and survived 100 miles of gravel over the last week without even a nick.

Here she is: PuG (Peugeot Gravel)
Overlooking Flathead Lake



Cino 2023 - somewhere 70 years in the past...

Eusam

I'm pretty pleased with the tires so far! I haven't done anything really rough yet, but the gravel I have done they handled very well. With them and the relaxed mountain bike geometry, I can plow through loose sections of gravel that people on modern gravel bikes with narrower tires have trouble on. If I did it again, I would put them on wider rims (those are Velocity Dyads), but they are still pretty wide and fast.