gthomson

Why is that do you know? I remember when my wife and I bought our first mtn. bikes in 1994 I think, I bought a Trek 800 Antelope which was configured more like a road or touring bike and she bought a Specialized Hard Rock which had a much longer TT, almost beyond her proportions being a petite rider.
Now I own a 1999 Peugeot Dune mtn. bike which I've had to add some elevation to the stem just to make it feel normal. I really want to try a drop bar conversion but I just don't think the geometry on this bike would be very comfortable after a while.

cs1

You did a really nice job on that.

fvernon

Here's a recent iteration of my '89 Stumpjumper Comp, though a few changes since I took this pic:

Cheseldine

This one is finally finished.

Frkl

Still a few things left to sort out, but basically there.

Corratec 2005 (from 1992). Tange MTB Triple-Butted tubing, 1-inch threaded steerer with NOS CrMo quill stem, ITA bottom bracket. XTR M951 rapid-rise derailleur controlled by an Ultegra/600 barend shifter. Tektro RL-520 long-pull levers controlling XTR M951 Vs. I modified the cable routing out of the levers to decrease friction and installed barrel-adjusters in the noodles.

I decided to preserve the patina of the cracking decals with some minor touch-up and a brushed-on clear coat over the art.



They just don't paint 'em like this anymore. Modified Xtasy QR and original Kalloy seatpost.

RobertUI 

Love this!!! What bars are those? They look pretty awesome!

2cam16

We need a full side shot please. lol

BocaJr

Thanks! Those are the Surly Truck Stop bars. The bars give another 30mm of rise and come in various widths, up to 48 cm

Frkl

Ha! Was wondering of i would get away with that.

Yup, will take one tomorrow morning.

The side shots of db conversion always strike me as a bit awkward looking, though. I have been trying to figure out the best angle for these bikes, still haven't yet. This angle highlights the brake levers, of all things, which is the part i am least happy with on this build--would rather they be more period correct, still aero, but smaller.

Since this one has fairly thin tubing and with the 1 inch quill, it looks a bit insubstantial from the side. But yes, will oblige.

eom 

More than one please, full on glamour treatment. Or better yet start a thread to educate on the brand.

Frkl

Interesting idea for a thread, maybe I will. My next project a 1993 Corratec 2004, one model up in the line (in case it wasn't obvious, there is little original spec left on the 2005 conversion. I had some XTR parts burning a hole in the parts bin and just decided to go all in). The 2004 was the oversized steel version, but once again, the paint and the frame detailing are what sold me on it:



Corratec is a German brand better known for its bow bikes, crazy anodizing, and neon color schemes.

bOsscO

I've never heard this term. Is that like a slingshot?

Frkl

That was the idea, at least optically. They had a continuous arching double top tube that bowed into the seat stays. The seat tube was braced between them and extended up a lot. The design looks cool, but i think the engineering is not quite on the same level as the bling. I would worry they would crack.

This example isn't mine, but shows early adoption of disc brakes using adapters.

My examples are from the period before this became their main design theme.

I can put up some more catalog screenshot tomorrow.

Classtime 

I picked up a 92 Schwinn Impact Pro without thinking about steerer tubes. While the stock stem might work, I have a Nitto dirt drop stem ...

Shin for 25.4 to 28.6

Frkl

Have not used one, but if sjs sells it, they are a good store for odd bike bits, so I would trust it.

I am sure there are look-alikes out there that don't work as well, though...

Frkl

On it's way

Pressure and expectations!

So here are some more photos. I was unfortunately not able to get out to my favorite graffiti wall, but the local park will have to suffice. I think I am getting better at taking these pictures, they turned out ok.



Just to quickly address the unique choice of cranks--I run really short cranks (here 152mm), due to knee problems--which the cranks have solved. One of my go to cranks is this not-so-pretty Suntour. I wrote more about the whole crank thing here, if you are interested.



Yes, you counted right, I am running the original 14-32 7-speed cassette. That is one of the "almost done" parts of the build. I will either swap an 8-speed freehub assembly on, or build an 11-32 7-speed cassette.




Original splatter-painted water bottle cage. Here you can also see the cracked and incredibly intricate decals. The brushed on clear coat worked surprisingly well and the decals are now completely sealed. I plan to use this bike a lot--it's not for display purposed only. The clear coat should keep the decals from deteriorating further, and they also capture what was actually a turning point in how Corratec finished its frames: in 1993, they switched to vinyl stickers instead of wet transfer decals.





I repacked the bearings on the XTR Vs (these are one of the few--maybe only--brakes that have bearings, not bushings, at the post interface; and they can be completely serviced). You can also see how the splatter paint adds texture to the finish.

A bit about the company--Corratec is a German brand that outsourced its production until the mid 1990s to Italy, as did a number of German and Swiss bike makers (e.g., Kotter and Titan). This explains why the frame had an ITA bottom bracket. The company took a lot of technological risks--you could either say they were really brave and innovative, or they liked to charge blindly into dead end allies. For example this bike in 1991:




There is probably a reason we don't see many of these anymore . . . They produced both road bikes and mountain bikes in the "premium" segment, so their offerings were always priced high but with attention to detail. The 2005 that was the basis for my build was their "mid range" mountain bike. But things like slack angles make for really good drop bar conversions, in my opinion, since the drops remain further behind the front axle, and since they are overall more comfortable for longer rides.




The really became known for their bow bike designs, which appeared in 1993, for their inverted "dropped" bullhorn bars (1992, my 2005 came with the first production run of these bars; they are going to go on my comp-level 2004, which i am going to keep closer to spec), their super-bright-even-for-the-1980s paint jobs, and or their early adoption (1995) of disc brakes:






Why go disc? Well, if you anodize your rims bright red, then you can't use rim brakes, so you need to settle for discs . . . sorry.

2cam16

Nice! Thanks for the new pics!

Frkl

Sure, hope you liked em. It was fun to put together and research and I am looking forwards to using it a bunch this summer.

Nwvlvtnr 

Frkl

Nice looking conversion, and superb choice on the stem, Grant would be proud!

A question about how you oriented the bar end shifters. Since those bars are flared, right? Do you prefer them to shift in the vertical plane, despite the flare, or on the plane of the flare? I've never used flared drops so was wondering what feels better.

antmaster5000

I'm using these too and they're great. Couldn't get much more rise from the stem and the bars put me just where I need to be.

Germany_chris

I’ve wanted one of those for a while but I just don’t have a use for more than one mountain bike

Frkl

They pop up on Kleinanzeigen regularly. Buy one from a Dorf/village 50km out of the way and they are cheap. I'm sure you can make room

Frkl

But I have a feeling that a lot of bow and stranger/radical Corratec stuff is not sound from an engineering perspective. Could be wrong of course. The stuff I like--the steel Italian made mountain and road frames, that is fine. But the alu bow bikes, the corratec brand components and some of the Picon, Zzyzx stuff.... My feelings is this stuff breaks, like so much 90s cnc alu stuff broke under hard use.

But if you want a colorful anodized frame for display with historical significance, a Corratec is a bargain.

Nwvlvtnr 

Thank you sir for your kind words. It’s a Salsa Bel Lap bar that came stock on a 2005 Surly Cross Check, conventional setup, no drop flare.