Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions
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#7304
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 74
Bikes: '83 Specialized Expedition, '87 Ritchey Ultra, '88 Ritchey Ascent Comp, '89 GT Avalanche, '90 Bianchi Equinox, '90 Bianchi Project 5, '90 Trek 950, '90 Miyata TripleCross, '95 Kona Explosif, '09 Alan Wanta
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'87 Bridgestone MB-1
Technically not a conversion, as it came stock with drops, but more of an update that I finished up last week.
Technically not a conversion, as it came stock with drops, but more of an update that I finished up last week.
#7305
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Michigan - Kentucky - Michigan again
Posts: 24
Bikes: Dean Ti Road & MTB. Barracuda classic MTB & Gravel conversion
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This is my build. It started out as an experiment and it stuck. This spring I am changing the bars to real shallow drop and flare, wheels and drivetrain to 11sp w/XD drive. It's a tank so eventually I would like to do a lightweight fork, but most mess up the geometry. Only option I found so far is the chinese carbon forks called Toseek.
Likes For westmichigansc:
#7306
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Join Date: May 2020
Location: Great White North
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Bikes: 2013 Cannondale Caad 8, 2010 Opus Fidelio, 1985 Peugeot UO14, 1999 Peugeot Dune, Sakai Select, L'Avantage, 1999 Specialized Hard Rock
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Looks nice Westmichigansc, did it come with disc brakes or did you add those?
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#7308
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Los Angeles
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Bikes: 82 Medici, 85 Ironman, 2011 Richard Sachs
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Please size a 89 Rockhopper Comp
17 or 19.5? And I wonder what the top tube measures CTC.
1989 Rockhopper Comp
1989 Rockhopper Comp
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I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
I don't do: disks, tubeless, e-shifting, or bead head nymphs.
#7309
Must be symmetrical
I would say 17 based on the head tube. Ca. 20 inch frames have a bit more space between the top and down tubes, in my experience.
#7310
My gravel/bikepacking/everything-but-singletrack bike in its newly completed form. Originally a 26" MTB frame by Interloc Racing Designs from the early 2000s, which I bought used online just before the pandemic. Bilenky Cycle Works repaired the drive side rear dropout, added S&S couplers, and repainted. I built it up and rode it for ~2 years with a carboncycles rigid fork, until earlier this month when I got my new custom fork from Bilenky. Happily, it came with disc tabs as well as canti mounts, and I can fit 650b wheels with 48mm tires.
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#7311
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Seattle
Posts: 153
Bikes: BMC TeamMachine, Surly Pacer, All City Big Block
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My gravel/bikepacking/everything-but-singletrack bike in its newly completed form. Originally a 26" MTB frame by Interloc Racing Designs from the early 2000s, which I bought used online just before the pandemic. Bilenky Cycle Works repaired the drive side rear dropout, added S&S couplers, and repainted. I built it up and rode it for ~2 years with a carboncycles rigid fork, until earlier this month when I got my new custom fork from Bilenky. Happily, it came with disc tabs as well as canti mounts, and I can fit 650b wheels with 48mm tires.
#7312
Thanks! I'm using Gevanelle long-pull levers with a shifter on the right for 1x 11-speed Shimano XT rear derailleur. I'm a big fan of Gevenalle brake/shift levers. They're cheaper, lighter and more robust than standard brifters, and much easier to service/rebuild; and they have a friction option, which can be handy in the field. The ergonomics are fine for me.
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#7313
Must be symmetrical
My gravel/bikepacking/everything-but-singletrack bike in its newly completed form. Originally a 26" MTB frame by Interloc Racing Designs from the early 2000s, which I bought used online just before the pandemic. Bilenky Cycle Works repaired the drive side rear dropout, added S&S couplers, and repainted. I built it up and rode it for ~2 years with a carboncycles rigid fork, until earlier this month when I got my new custom fork from Bilenky. Happily, it came with disc tabs as well as canti mounts, and I can fit 650b wheels with 48mm tires.
#7314
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: South of the Twin Cities, MN
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#7315
Not vintage, but heres my recent build.
2010 Avanti KISS 26er i had resprayed black. Nukeproof carbon rigid fork, TRP Hylex, 2.35 High Rollers, 44/16 (tad high)
2010 Avanti KISS 26er i had resprayed black. Nukeproof carbon rigid fork, TRP Hylex, 2.35 High Rollers, 44/16 (tad high)
Last edited by jaseyjase; 03-28-22 at 07:03 PM.
#7316
Junior Member
'94 Specialized Stumpjumper
Picked this one up last year with the intention of doing a drop bar conversion. It was in good original condition. Slowly built it up. Finally got it dirty today! Nice nimble ride.
#7317
Must be symmetrical
Glad you kept the triple, nice build with the bar end shifters. But i would rethink that stem. It doesn't really do the bike justice and I think something silver would fit much better.
Likes For Frkl:
#7318
Junior Member
Lil' hack that might as well fit here. I was looking for 31.8 mm thumbies for my drop bar conversion, but didn't want to spend $$ on Paul adapters. I bodged these thumbies from of a SunRace SLM96 shifter. I hacksawed down the original clamp, then mounted it on a front derailleur clamp with a bolt and a few washers. It ain't pretty but it works wonderfully.
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#7319
Junior Member
IDK, a silver stem with black handlebars, it's a no for me. Especially, since the bike is equipped with black hubs, black FD, black RD, black crank arms, black canti brakes and a black headset.
#7320
Must be symmetrical
But more than color I meant the design of the stem. Just seems more at home on a pedalec than a vintage Stumpjumper.
#7321
Senior Member
What stem is that? I know all the mtbs i have the bars are always way too low to do drop bars and you include the longer top tube and i can never get it right. I know most original stems with flat bars jut up at least at a 45 degree angle or more like this and that seems to work well.
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#7322
Must be symmetrical
What stem is that? I know all the mtbs i have the bars are always way too low to do drop bars and you include the longer top tube and i can never get it right. I know most original stems with flat bars jut up at least at a 45 degree angle or more like this and that seems to work well.
If you want to do a conversion you almost always need to redo the stem, unless you like a superman riding position. But there are many different styles of db mtb set ups, Cunningham and Tomac, for instance. The stem will depend on what you want.
Cunningham developed the LD stem specifically for his set up with flared dirt drops. tomac tended to us a c. 30 degree stem, which ended up being about 45 degree with the slant of the head tube, for a more road bike like position.
But you aren't limited to these, of course.
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#7323
Junior Member
What stem is that? I know all the mtbs i have the bars are always way too low to do drop bars and you include the longer top tube and i can never get it right. I know most original stems with flat bars jut up at least at a 45 degree angle or more like this and that seems to work well.
#7324
There are very few threadless vintage dirt drop stems, put whatever works on there. That stem also requires probably the least steerer tube of any available dirt drop stem. I have a Voodoo cycles stem that needs at least twice that to be safe.
#7325
Thrifty Bill
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Western NC
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Bikes: 86 Katakura Silk, 87 Prologue X2, 88 Cimarron LE, 1975 Sekai 4000 Professional, 73 Paramount, plus more
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What stem is that? I know all the mtbs i have the bars are always way too low to do drop bars and you include the longer top tube and i can never get it right. I know most original stems with flat bars jut up at least at a 45 degree angle or more like this and that seems to work well.
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Please don't confuse ebay "asking" prices with "selling" prices. Many sellers never get their ask price. some are far from it. Value is determined once an item actually SELLS. Its easy enough to check SOLD prices.