Create cyclocross bike from old road bike

[delta0]

I am 16, a road biker (Felt F55), used to like mountain biking and wanted to blend the two with riding a cyclocross bike. Now i dont have the money or the want to go out and buy anything to ride, so i thought it would be fun to fix one up to create a cyclocross bike.
I have an old schwinn varsity 10 speed in the garage. Everything works great and there is no mechanical problems, it is in great shape. It weighs probably 500 pounds (sure feels like it). Anything that might cut the weight down? Opinions? Criticism? Anyone ever try to do this? If it is completely different from road biking then I know probably nothing about cyclocross. So whatda guys think?

ps. I know this might be crazy but i have fun doin these sort of projects so please omit your "i think your crazy" comments. :)

[Nightshade]

No, your not "crazy' at all. The first "cross" bikes were road bikes. I converted
a NOS Sanwa road bike to "cross" use for trails by changing the tires & bars.
The bars because I don't do drops anymore to Nashbar moustach bars and moved
the shifters to the bars as thumbies.

True cross bike have a higher bottom bracket than road but if you don't need the
clearence then why worry. Just put on the widest not to overly knobby tires and
go have fun. ;) ;)

[ZenNMotion]

Go for it, but you're right, the varsity is going to be a tank- I commute on one that I converted to a fixed gear. The problem with making this a bike for racing cross is that you will spend a lot more money than it's probably worth to convert it. To start, the frame geometry is not very good for cyclocross courses, it will climb like a pig. Making it lighter essentially means new wheels, and possibly some new components like bars, cranks, etc. The costs add up fast, this is the "crazy" part of it. Plus you will run into compatibility issues which may be frustrating, unless you are a pretty good mechanic with a bunch of tools, as you definitely don't want to start paying for someone's time to do this. You may have to jury-rig some solutions. I'm all for recycling bikes for cyclocross, and you can certainly try out cross on your varsity, but I just wouldn't spend much, if anything to convert it unless you already have a source of cheap (preferably free) used parts from other old bikes. Believe it or not, your varsity may actually have a little retro value for someone. If your varsity really is in good shape, you might be surprised what you could sell it for on craig's list or Ebay. Why these klunkers are becoming popular again, I have no idea, I commute on mine because it's relatively theft -proof, and varsitys have a cool factor when passing $3,000 road bikes on my way to work for cheap thrills. You might start instead with finding an old hybrid or mountain bike at a thrift store or yard sale, you could build a workable bike for cyclocross from something like that much easier. If you want to go ahead, I would switch the brakes so that your left lever is for the rear brake so you don't flip over in a race when dismounting while braking. You will want some tires with a little tread. Your Varsity probably has 27 inch wheels, just a little off the metric 700c standard. So finding appropriate tires for cyclocrosswill be impossible, you'll need to use 27in road tires which will make riding a cyclocross course, ummm.... let's say "exciting", or frustrating depending on your point of view . New wheels will cost a minimum of 60 bucks so you can mount 700c tires. Then you might look for some smaller chainrings for the front so you can climb steep hills. at least the large ring- go for a 46-48 tooth, make sure the new one fits the bolt diameter on your crankset. Ideally, you'd also change the small ring to a 38-39 (yours is probably a 42) tooth for lower gears. Chainrings are not cheap- the cheapest are about 20 bucks each. You could just switch to a mountain bike crankset. But then, you'd also probably need a longer bottom bracket spindle so you are looking at spending another 15-20 bucks for a replacement. Your shifters are on top of the handlebars, in the middle, right? Not the best position for fast shifts on rough ground, hard to hang on while you shift. So then you might want to change to MTB flat handlbar so you can mount a MTB shifter. At least another 10-20 bucks. But then you need to change the stem as a mountain bike stem is a different diameter than your present one. So another 10 bucks or so. Plus some schwinns have a proprietary diameter quill size (the part that sticks into your fork) that are almost impossible to find. I had to sand mine down with emory paper to fit- not recommended. So you see, you are starting to talk about costs that make it unfeasible unless you have this kind of stuff lying around or have friends who do. So take your varsity, switch the brakes, and go for it for a couple of races. Then think about a project starting with something else, as you'll probably be frustrated with your bike. Or just find a cheap MTB with a rigid fork, they are pretty easy to find used, or at thriftshops/yardsales. This wouldnt need to cost much at all, and no conversion necessary (just switch the brakes). Lots of people race cross on MTBs. Too bad you don't live around DC, I love recycled cyclocross frankenbike projects.

[delta0]

hey thanks for you input. Your right the bike is pretty heavy, the frame alone is about 15 lbs. i figure i might just change out the tires and put on some mountain bike tires (a little narrower than normal mountain bike tires) and change some components from my mtn bike. after i figured it all out it weighs about 24 lbs.

[PanFrieo]

Before you go and drop a bunch of money on new cyclocross tires make sure that the rims on the Schwinn varisty are compatible with contemporary 700c tires. If memory serves me many of the older road bikes used 27" tires; and whilst being close in diameter to the 700c, the bead seat diameter of a 27" rim is about 10mm greater.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to check the tire sidewall just in case!

[Nightshade]

For 27" tires I use "Club Roost" tires and find them to be good all'round
dirt /street tires. There is also "Bloodhounds" but they are not good for
street at all. Find them here........

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/630.html

[delta0]

Hey thats a pretty good site. thanks thats what i needed. what are some other cyclocross techniques, regarding bikes too, i might need to kno, knowing almost nothing about cyclocross.

[jnbacon]

Here are some links:

Napa Valley Velo Cyclocross page
http://members.aol.com/napavelo/cross.htm

Cyclocrossworld.com Tech page
http://www.cyclocrossworld.com/Tech.cfm

[ZenNMotion]

Search this forum too- theres lots of info in here, like these two threads. Training and technique is more important than what bike your ride-
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=102767
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=113295

[Robert Bush]

Go cheap or free if you can to start. I found old Fuji Del Rey frame before they made it a hybrid, it had solid quad-butted Valite frame & touring geometry. Perfect start. Then I scoped out clapped-out Nishiki with a little wider aluminum rims free. I swapped wheels to Fuji, am adding barcons for convenience, and buying new wider tires. Total cost: tires & barcons! I won't have cantilevers, but if they started training in Europe with regular brakes I'll make do. Anyone can learn flying dismount if mandatory. Good luck, and remember your frame lightness, geometry, and sturdiness are paramount so scope out good frame. It will take a while, but it's worth it. RGB