Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions
#4951
Vain, But Lacking Talent
But yes, it's nice.
#4952
is just a real cool dude
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It's not too vintage but to most modern riders it's vintage. Haha. Bianchi BUSS. Easton aluminum tubing...yummy! She tips in at 21 lbs without a single carbon part and the original chromoly fork. I just laced up the M950 XTR hubs to some Sun Ringle CR18 rims with Sapim race spokes and black alloy nips. Lost 1.5 lbs over the Surly 1x1 wheels that were on it. Both freewheels are seized on and sound like they're going to explode. Sucks because the hubs still spin like like a top and are relatively nice wheels. It's my favorite bike to ride and super comfy. Yes that's an old Rock Shox suspension seatpost but it helps with the stiff aluminum frame.
#4954
Senior Member
A little project I have going. 1992 Stumpjumper Comp. I don't have any proper mtb drops right now but I do have some mustache bars so they will get the first try.
I don't have any hills to speak of, so the plan is to build this as a 1 x 8 with a 44t x 12-21 8 speed cassette. Cyclone RD and barcon for the shifting.
This is a pic from the CL ad. I found a chrome Tange fork at the LBS and I think I can fudge the rest. The single speed setup was a hair over 24 lbs with the suspension fork and 2" semi-knobby tires, so I'm hopeful that this will be a reasonably light weight rig in its final form.
I don't have any hills to speak of, so the plan is to build this as a 1 x 8 with a 44t x 12-21 8 speed cassette. Cyclone RD and barcon for the shifting.
This is a pic from the CL ad. I found a chrome Tange fork at the LBS and I think I can fudge the rest. The single speed setup was a hair over 24 lbs with the suspension fork and 2" semi-knobby tires, so I'm hopeful that this will be a reasonably light weight rig in its final form.
#4955
working on my sandal tan
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Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)
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#4957
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Thanks... this bike has served me longer than the rest and I have lost track of the miles we have travelled.
The Schwalbe Hurricanes I had been running for years needed to be retired, installed the NOS Continental Town and Country tyres and am well pleased at how versatile they are and what a nice ride they have.
The Schwalbe Hurricanes I had been running for years needed to be retired, installed the NOS Continental Town and Country tyres and am well pleased at how versatile they are and what a nice ride they have.
#4958
Abuse Magnet
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Colorado
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Bikes: '91 Mtn Tek Vertical, '74 Raleigh Sports, '72 Raleigh Twenty, '84 Univega Gran Turismo, '09 Surly Karate Monkey, '92 Burley Rock-n-Roll, '86 Miyata 310, '76 Raleigh Shopper
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Thanks... this bike has served me longer than the rest and I have lost track of the miles we have travelled.
The Schwalbe Hurricanes I had been running for years needed to be retired, installed the NOS Continental Town and Country tyres and am well pleased at how versatile they are and what a nice ride they have.
The Schwalbe Hurricanes I had been running for years needed to be retired, installed the NOS Continental Town and Country tyres and am well pleased at how versatile they are and what a nice ride they have.
#4959
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About to get started with my conversion. Picked this up on CL for $25! Looks to be a ?mid-nineties? Specialized Rockhopper. Tires are in good shape, canti's need to be cleaned and re-padded but work well enough, front derailleur needs a tune (can't hit top gear), wheels are straight and true, and even though the seat isn't great it isn't awful.
My immediate plans are to set this up for 15 to 30 mile per day commute on 50/50 crushed limestone/road and the occasional fun ride through light trails. Off the bat I know I'm going to get drop bars, a stem adapter (I think but haven't measured), a high/short stem, Retrospec saddle, lightweight seatpost, pump and mount, break down kit, and lights.
It's currently set-up with grip shift which works, but will not transfer over to drops. I'm hoping someone here will know if these Microshift 3x7 brifters will work with the current equipment or will it require other work, I'm not afraid of putting in some money to get this working.
Also wondering what pedals/clips everyone seems to like. I'm not well-versed in road bike equipment, but clips or something on my long rides would be helpful I'm sure.
My immediate plans are to set this up for 15 to 30 mile per day commute on 50/50 crushed limestone/road and the occasional fun ride through light trails. Off the bat I know I'm going to get drop bars, a stem adapter (I think but haven't measured), a high/short stem, Retrospec saddle, lightweight seatpost, pump and mount, break down kit, and lights.
It's currently set-up with grip shift which works, but will not transfer over to drops. I'm hoping someone here will know if these Microshift 3x7 brifters will work with the current equipment or will it require other work, I'm not afraid of putting in some money to get this working.
Also wondering what pedals/clips everyone seems to like. I'm not well-versed in road bike equipment, but clips or something on my long rides would be helpful I'm sure.
#4960
Senior Member
^I like Shimano PD-m520 pedals if you want a plain spd. Good value at around $25. If you want to wear street shoes part of the time then go with one of the platform style with spd on one side. I will let someone else get specific as I don't have experience with that style. Welcome and good luck with your project.
#4961
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Houston, TX/Austin, TX
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Bikes: 1997 Romic Neo-Retro, 2015 Ridley Ignite 27.5, Mercier Nano
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Finished up the bike yesterday, and going to take a shakedown ride later to see how it feels. The reach is a bit excessive but I'll keep it as is until I can find the right stem. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'll be changing the bottle cage to a hot pink one soon. More pictures to come once it stops raining!
Edit: got around to taking some pictures after dialing in the brakes. Let me know what you think! And if anyone has a 90-110mm stem with 0 rise and 22.2 quill, send me a message as I can't seem to find one that isn't more money than I would like to spend on a stem.
Bontrager Race 7050 crankset with KMC Z410 gold chain and SPD M520 pedals
Suntour SE Scott Pedersen canti brakes with kool stop pads--these things bite hard!
I wish the headbadge sticker wasn't torn up, I like the crash dummy on a bike but can't find another sticker like it.
Deore LX hubs laced to WTB Dual Duty rims and DT Swiss spokes. My first time building wheels, happy with how they turned out! Purple nipples on either side of the valve stem and the seam.
Frontal shot. Will be replacing the saddle with something narrower, maybe a Flite Ti.
Cane Creek SCR-5 Levers
Had to get creative with the routing for the front canti
Edit: got around to taking some pictures after dialing in the brakes. Let me know what you think! And if anyone has a 90-110mm stem with 0 rise and 22.2 quill, send me a message as I can't seem to find one that isn't more money than I would like to spend on a stem.
Bontrager Race 7050 crankset with KMC Z410 gold chain and SPD M520 pedals
Suntour SE Scott Pedersen canti brakes with kool stop pads--these things bite hard!
I wish the headbadge sticker wasn't torn up, I like the crash dummy on a bike but can't find another sticker like it.
Deore LX hubs laced to WTB Dual Duty rims and DT Swiss spokes. My first time building wheels, happy with how they turned out! Purple nipples on either side of the valve stem and the seam.
Frontal shot. Will be replacing the saddle with something narrower, maybe a Flite Ti.
Cane Creek SCR-5 Levers
Had to get creative with the routing for the front canti
Last edited by vdub6541; 05-30-16 at 08:11 PM. Reason: added pictures
#4962
Senior Member
Anyone know what the deal is with Midge bars? Did they stop making them in 25.4 clamp? I built up the Stumpjumper shown a few posts ago using mustache bars. I like it but I think Midges would be a big improvement. I only see them shown now in 31.8 though and I want to stick with a quill stem.
#4963
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Anyone know what the deal is with Midge bars? Did they stop making them in 25.4 clamp? I built up the Stumpjumper shown a few posts ago using mustache bars. I like it but I think Midges would be a big improvement. I only see them shown now in 31.8 though and I want to stick with a quill stem.
#4965
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I decided to pull my old race bike off the wall, it saw only one season so I figured it was time to roll again. The bike is a custom order 1991 GT Tequesta in the special order "Purple Haze" color scheme. I've built a few dirt drop conversions over the years but I never built up one on a 96'er platform. I've done some digging and I haven't seen any dirt drop 96'ers. I have no interest in returning the Purple Haze back to its original 26" set up. I have a new high flange XT front disc hub that I need to lace up to a WTB 29" hoop. Today I mounted my high rise Salsa stem to an On One Midge bar (my favorite drop bar) with DKG Shift Ease mounts with XT 7x3 pods, Tektro long pull levers with Odyssey steel braided lines. The crank and derailleurs with complete the XT group. It has all the makings of a really fun trail killer... I just need to finish up and get it in the dirt.
Last edited by neo_pop_71; 05-30-16 at 09:35 PM.
#4966
Senior Member
My more or less finished 92 Stumpjumper Comp with Mustache bars. A decent placeholder until I can scrounge some 25.4 Midge Bars. I know someone else on the thread had an APB out for some, but if there's a sudden flurry of them, consider me in the queue, especially if they're black!
Pretty fun bike; wish it had the original fork, but this Tange one I found seems very capable. I wish they had put rack mounts on the stays but I guess they weren't envisioning this sort of build. I will most likely switch to road slicks, and add fenders. On to the pics:
Pretty fun bike; wish it had the original fork, but this Tange one I found seems very capable. I wish they had put rack mounts on the stays but I guess they weren't envisioning this sort of build. I will most likely switch to road slicks, and add fenders. On to the pics:
#4968
Senior Member
My more or less finished 92 Stumpjumper Comp with Mustache bars. A decent placeholder until I can scrounge some 25.4 Midge Bars. I know someone else on the thread had an APB out for some, but if there's a sudden flurry of them, consider me in the queue, especially if they're black!
#4969
Senior Member
It's a Kalloy. I don't remember the dims but they are easy to find on the web. Search for Kalloy dirt drop stem and you should find it. They only come in 25.4 so I had to file the clamp for the 26.0 bars. There's a lot of metal there so I'm not concerned about it.
#4970
Senior Member
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Bikes: 1997 Romic Neo-Retro, 2015 Ridley Ignite 27.5, Mercier Nano
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@3speedslow thanks! Managed to find a stem yesterday with less reach and more rise but it's in bad shape, so I'll be refinishing it this weekend. I plan on getting a tensioner like the Surly Hurdy Gurdy once I start to stretch the chain out.
#4971
Senior Member
@3speedslow thanks! Managed to find a stem yesterday with less reach and more rise but it's in bad shape, so I'll be refinishing it this weekend. I plan on getting a tensioner like the Surly Hurdy Gurdy once I start to stretch the chain out.
stem, back black or polished aluminum ?
#4972
Senior Member
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Black, and even has a cantilever stop so I can get rid of the cheap sunlite hanger! Win win. Got the stem and a RaceFace DeusXC crank for a total of $15!
#4973
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
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Not a MTB, but a hybrid. Diamond Back Lake Side, 1986? I spent all morning riding it around town and I like how it handles.
#4974
Senior Member
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#4975
Senior Member
Geometry question
This is For all the riders who set their bikes up with a lot of drop. Do you ride off road? If so, how does it handle? The prevailing wisdom is to set the drops to where your flat bar would be positioned. On some of the bikes I see here the drops look like they are lower than the top tube. That is OK on the road but off road it could present a problem.