Show us your gravel/cross bike...
#5026
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,613
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
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Brought my gravel bike into the Chicago burbs for an extended 4th of July visit.
Did some mixed surface riding- road, crushed stone paths, basic singletrsck, and wooded bridle paths. No gravel roads within 20mi of where I visit, so the mixed surface routes have been a fun experience to link together thru the years. Surprisingly, overall climb is decent too as I ride on both sides of a couple rivers.
Did some mixed surface riding- road, crushed stone paths, basic singletrsck, and wooded bridle paths. No gravel roads within 20mi of where I visit, so the mixed surface routes have been a fun experience to link together thru the years. Surprisingly, overall climb is decent too as I ride on both sides of a couple rivers.
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#5028
Full Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Ellay
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Bikes: 2002 Eddy Merckx Team SC Resto-Mod; 2019 Ibis Hakka MX; 2017 Spot Brand Ajax Belt Drive
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I picked this up used earlier this year, along with a set of 700c Ibis wheels. Took off the dropper post, replaced the saddle, and down-sized the chainring to 32. These wheels have 47mm WTB Venture tires and a 9-46 cassette. The other wheels have 42mm Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass rubber, which are closer to slicks, along with a 9-39 cassette. I just washed it, so I figured I'd snap a pic before I get it dirty again today.
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#5029
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,613
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
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It's a mix of roads and paths thru Darien, Lemont, Palos(one of em), Western Springs, and Burr Ridge.
Waterfall Glen is the crushed path area and this double track as well as some single track is McMahon Woods and Cranberry Slough preserves in one of the Palos towns.
Waterfall Glen is the crushed path area and this double track as well as some single track is McMahon Woods and Cranberry Slough preserves in one of the Palos towns.
#5030
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I figured I had to finish this up; it was intended to be a winter bike.
Made in USA with True Temper OX, this piggish Trek now has a bunch of lipstick applied. Built with Sora shifters, Deore crank, XT cogs and derailleurs, and TRP mini Vs. Its a nice daily rider; has a decent steel ride and rolls well. I was a bit worried about the 70mm stem but its not an issue.
I used bikegeocalc.com to match the position to my Ritchey Swiss Cross, so this should be a nice cheap stand-in.
I want to see if some fenders will fit in there now.
Made in USA with True Temper OX, this piggish Trek now has a bunch of lipstick applied. Built with Sora shifters, Deore crank, XT cogs and derailleurs, and TRP mini Vs. Its a nice daily rider; has a decent steel ride and rolls well. I was a bit worried about the 70mm stem but its not an issue.
I used bikegeocalc.com to match the position to my Ritchey Swiss Cross, so this should be a nice cheap stand-in.
I want to see if some fenders will fit in there now.
First, what stem is that? It looks like a quill stem with a 31.8mm bar clamp and a removable faceplate. The angle and extension look just right.
Second, what crankset/drivetrain are you running? 2x or 3x? I'm looking to add some newer Shimano STI brifters to my stock Deore DX components but I'm not sure what front derailleur and crankset combo to run.
Some issues I've researched being:
- MTB front derailleur not being compatible with left brifter
- Road front derailleur not being able to shift into the outer chainring of an MTB triple crankset
- Chainline being incompatible because of 135mm rear dropout spacing and road/mtn crankset
#5031
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Kips Bay, NY
Posts: 2,212
Bikes: Ritchey Swiss Cross | Teesdale Kona Hot | Haro Extreme | Specialized Stumpjumper Comp | Cannondale F1000 | Shogun 1000 | Cannondale M500 | Norco Charger | Marin Muirwoods 29er | Shogun Kaze | Breezer Lightning
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This is awesome! A couple of questions since I'm building a similar era Trek 520.
First, what stem is that? It looks like a quill stem with a 31.8mm bar clamp and a removable faceplate. The angle and extension look just right.
Second, what crankset/drivetrain are you running? 2x or 3x? I'm looking to add some newer Shimano STI brifters to my stock Deore DX components but I'm not sure what front derailleur and crankset combo to run.
Some issues I've researched being:
First, what stem is that? It looks like a quill stem with a 31.8mm bar clamp and a removable faceplate. The angle and extension look just right.
Second, what crankset/drivetrain are you running? 2x or 3x? I'm looking to add some newer Shimano STI brifters to my stock Deore DX components but I'm not sure what front derailleur and crankset combo to run.
Some issues I've researched being:
- MTB front derailleur not being compatible with left brifter
- Road front derailleur not being able to shift into the outer chainring of an MTB triple crankset
- Chainline being incompatible because of 135mm rear dropout spacing and road/mtn crankset
The crank is a Deore M6000 10sp 28/38 170mm. The shifters are Sora 3000 9sp. My first attempt with using a M737 XT front derailleur was a no-go. The modern Sora shrakes use a 10+ speed cable pull up front; so I used an Ultegra 6700 10sp front derailleur; it swung out far enough without issues even though the height / chainring curve match is not ideal. Rear is a 737 XT derailleur and 9sp XT 750 11-34 cassette. Chain is 9sp KMC. Shifting is perfect in this setup.
Stem is a Nitto UI-12 70mm 90deg 31.8 with removable front plate for modern bar compatibility. I wanted to use a modern compact flared drop bar (EA50AX). This was an expensive part of the build but I needed a 70mm extension to match my other bike.
Hope this helps.
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#5033
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Join Date: Jun 2010
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Thanks, I had the same concerns as you re chainline but it turned out to not be a big deal in real life. So this one has a 135mm rear with a 130mm wheel, which makes the chainline worse with a spaced out modern MTB crankset. I put the BB spacers on the non drive side to not make the issue worse and the shifting is fine in all combinations with no rub or odd noises anywhere. Chainline is visibly not great but functionally I don't have any issues, aside from a wide MTB Q factor.
The crank is a Deore M6000 10sp 28/38 170mm. The shifters are Sora 3000 9sp. My first attempt with using a M737 XT front derailleur was a no-go. The modern Sora shrakes use a 10+ speed cable pull up front; so I used an Ultegra 6700 10sp front derailleur; it swung out far enough without issues even though the height / chainring curve match is not ideal. Rear is a 737 XT derailleur and 9sp XT 750 11-34 cassette. Chain is 9sp KMC. Shifting is perfect in this setup.
Stem is a Nitto UI-12 70mm 90deg 31.8 with removable front plate for modern bar compatibility. I wanted to use a modern compact flared drop bar (EA50AX). This was an expensive part of the build but I needed a 70mm extension to match my other bike.
Hope this helps.
The crank is a Deore M6000 10sp 28/38 170mm. The shifters are Sora 3000 9sp. My first attempt with using a M737 XT front derailleur was a no-go. The modern Sora shrakes use a 10+ speed cable pull up front; so I used an Ultegra 6700 10sp front derailleur; it swung out far enough without issues even though the height / chainring curve match is not ideal. Rear is a 737 XT derailleur and 9sp XT 750 11-34 cassette. Chain is 9sp KMC. Shifting is perfect in this setup.
Stem is a Nitto UI-12 70mm 90deg 31.8 with removable front plate for modern bar compatibility. I wanted to use a modern compact flared drop bar (EA50AX). This was an expensive part of the build but I needed a 70mm extension to match my other bike.
Hope this helps.
But it also sounds like 5mm difference in chainline isn't a huge deal in real-world usage. Some bikes probably come with road front derailleur and 135mm rear spacing stock from the factory. I guess at this point I just have to experiment in order to get a proper STI brifter setup to work.
I definitely like the look of the silver Nitto UI-12 in 70mm at 0degrees on these vintage Treks. I'm actually running a similar stem on my Trek 520, a Crust x Nitto UI. The main differences are longer extension and stem angle is 15 degrees. I really like the look of the silver better though. If only it had taller extension it would be the perfect stem. Another similar stem I have found is the Discord Fingerling Stem, which essentially acts as a beefier Nitto Technomic with a 31.8mm bar clamp and costs a whopping $195.
Anyway, here is my retro gravel tourer on some Panaracer Gravelking SK 700x43c tires. Shimano 7-speed bar end shifters are mated to a Deore crankset (50-45-28t) and a 12-32t cassette which provides a pretty nice range of gearing. The 46cm Salsa Cowchippers also offer some control in the rough stuff! Steel is real but the newer bikes in this thread are so tempting haha
Last edited by indofulioh; 07-26-21 at 08:52 PM. Reason: resized photos
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#5034
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Kips Bay, NY
Posts: 2,212
Bikes: Ritchey Swiss Cross | Teesdale Kona Hot | Haro Extreme | Specialized Stumpjumper Comp | Cannondale F1000 | Shogun 1000 | Cannondale M500 | Norco Charger | Marin Muirwoods 29er | Shogun Kaze | Breezer Lightning
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Thanks! This was really helpful. As I suspected, getting the front shifter/derailleur/crankset combo just perfect can be a huge challenge when mixing Shimano road/MTN components.
But it also sounds like 5mm difference in chainline isn't a huge deal in real-world usage. Some bikes probably come with road front derailleur and 135mm rear spacing stock from the factory. I guess at this point I just have to experiment in order to get a proper STI brifter setup to work.
I definitely like the look of the silver Nitto UI-12 in 70mm at 0degrees on these vintage Treks. I'm actually running a similar stem on my Trek 520, a Crust x Nitto UI. The main differences are longer extension and stem angle is 15 degrees. I really like the look of the silver better though. If only it had taller extension it would be the perfect stem. Another similar stem I have found is the Discord Fingerling Stem, which essentially acts as a beefier Nitto Technomic with a 31.8mm bar clamp and costs a whopping $195.
Anyway, here is my vintage gravel bike on some Panaracer Gravelking SK 700x43c tires. Shimano 7-speed bar end shifters are mated to a Deore crankset (50-45-28t) and a 12-32t cassette which provides a pretty nice range of gearing. The 46cm Salsa Cowchippers also offer some control in the rough stuff! Steel is real but the newer bikes in this thread are so tempting haha
But it also sounds like 5mm difference in chainline isn't a huge deal in real-world usage. Some bikes probably come with road front derailleur and 135mm rear spacing stock from the factory. I guess at this point I just have to experiment in order to get a proper STI brifter setup to work.
I definitely like the look of the silver Nitto UI-12 in 70mm at 0degrees on these vintage Treks. I'm actually running a similar stem on my Trek 520, a Crust x Nitto UI. The main differences are longer extension and stem angle is 15 degrees. I really like the look of the silver better though. If only it had taller extension it would be the perfect stem. Another similar stem I have found is the Discord Fingerling Stem, which essentially acts as a beefier Nitto Technomic with a 31.8mm bar clamp and costs a whopping $195.
Anyway, here is my vintage gravel bike on some Panaracer Gravelking SK 700x43c tires. Shimano 7-speed bar end shifters are mated to a Deore crankset (50-45-28t) and a 12-32t cassette which provides a pretty nice range of gearing. The 46cm Salsa Cowchippers also offer some control in the rough stuff! Steel is real but the newer bikes in this thread are so tempting haha
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#5036
I'm in shape! A round one
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Lake View, AL
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Bikes: Konas: Jake the Snake-Fire Mountain-Zing Supreme, Surly Long Haul Trucker, Santana Arriva tandem, Montagues: Paratrooper-Fit, Trek 1200, Bianchi Ocelot, and an old Bridgestone 200 I rebuilt as a singlespeed.
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While it wasn't my original intent to use my Montague Fit frame for gravel, playing with 650c shows that I can fit 42mm tires with plenty of clearance, while keeping geometry pretty close to what I had at 700x28. Still tweaking the cockpit, but the bike moves pretty well for its extra weight (folding frame) and fat rubber. I do have the 700c wheels still, and plan to wring it out with both sizes once I get the saddle and stem where I want them.
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#5037
Sunshine
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,613
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
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#5038
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 619
Bikes: Kona Kahuna DL Drop Bar - Sensah SRX Pro 1x11 (2012 Frame), Giant Toughroad GX 1 - Shimano Road Hydro + SLX 1x10 (2018), Diamondback Sync'r - SRAM NX 1x12 (2020)
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I'm still waiting on my gravel wheels to come in, but for now my drop bar MTB is in trail mode (ft. -2 degree headset from Works Components)
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#5039
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Work in progress… 1991 bianchi volpe. I swapped in a tiagra rear wheel so I could use these 9 speed ultegra shifters. Mid 90s xt rear derailer shifts so smoothly. Next is a new crank, but undecided if I want to go compact double or stick with 90s era xt or similar. I’ve been using it exclusively on mtb trails so far, so leaning towards the xt.
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#5040
Junior Member
My 2021 Diverge. On Fulcrum 5 wheels, converted from grx400 2x10, to 600 1x11. With GK SKs.
Got some Teravail Rutlands on the factory wheels waiting for our British winter…
Got some Teravail Rutlands on the factory wheels waiting for our British winter…
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#5041
Senior Member
Doesn’t seem like they get much love anymore but here’s an OG gravel bike. My unbreakable Salsa Vaya doing Salsa Vaya stuff.
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#5044
Newbie
I just upgraded my2021 Giant Revolt Advanced 2 to a 2021
Advanced Pro 1 through Giants upgrade program.
Advanced Pro 1 through Giants upgrade program.
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#5045
Junior Member
I declare this shall be my final budget Schwinn hybrid -> gravel conversion
Apparently you are only allowed a 'reasonable number' of Schwinns before the wife calls it 'hoarding' and 'irreconcilable differences.'
(the source bike was a used Schwinn Volare 1200 purchased for $60)
.
Apparently you are only allowed a 'reasonable number' of Schwinns before the wife calls it 'hoarding' and 'irreconcilable differences.'
(the source bike was a used Schwinn Volare 1200 purchased for $60)
.
Last edited by mikehuangsd; 09-17-21 at 12:04 PM.
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#5046
Occasional Visitor
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Tucson, AZ
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Bikes: 1972 Schwinn Paramount, 1993 Merlin Extralight, 2016 Lynsker Cooper CX, 2021 Lynsker GR 300
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Farewell to my GR 270 build before I tear it down and transfer most parts to a new frame.
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#5047
Senior Member
New tires,saddle, seatpost,QR levers,chain,chainring.
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