Why did I have to click on this thread?!? Up until this point I have had 0 interest in mountain bikes. I picked up this biking hobby a little earlier this year and have really just focused on the vintage road bike scene so my knowledge of mountain bikes is very limited. I may have the option of picking up what seems to be a 1993 KHS Montana Summit for around 30-40 bucks. It is a 19" and I typically ride a 55cm road bike with a 56cm top tube. Would this be a good base for a conversion? Or would I be better off holding out for something a little nicer? I am not sure where exactly the Exage LT group lands on the Shimano scale.

I can see both arguments:

1. Lower-mid level, but who cares, and the bike is a good value. The beauty of these bikes aren't high zoot crank sets, or light weight front derailleurs. Their beauty is utility...tough, versatile bikes with wider wheels and a comfortable hand position. Take them ANYWHERE with a tire change. If you look closely, you'll see that very few of these bikes have top end parts or high dollar fanciness. I built mine quite inexpensively, and that was as a frame up build! Exage is fine...the bike is cheap...it sounds like it's a decent size. Why wait and waste time searching for something else when you could be riding this now. Convert her!

2. Higher end MTBs of this style are so cheap that there's no point in going lower end. If you're patient, you can find something like a Stumpjumper with Deore for $150 or less. I found mine for $65! You already have a bike to get around, so there's no rush. Wait for a higher end bike you'll like more down the road and enjoy what you have until then.

I think both arguments have merit - which sounds more appealing? There's your answer. Keep in mind...you'll have to pay for new bars, possibly a new stem, new brake levers and new shifters. Depending on the direction you go, and what's on the KHS, you may also have to replace v-brakes or use a travel agent.

On vintage mtbs, my advice is to aim high. The mkt value of a high end one might be $50 more than a low end one. Best $50 you ever spent. The example would be a Trek 800 vs a Trek 900 series. I have two 950s, great bikes! I'll be converting my 92 950 next.

Possibly because its existence and continued production is dependent on thumb shifters being stocked and staying in production. Thumbies gave way to Rapid Fire triggers.
And bar ends cover existing drop bar usage.

it seems people in my market have wised up a little :( still deals to be had tho

yeah makes sense.. i dunno how thumbies ever fell out of style...

And then there is this Retroshift option:

http://urbanvelo.org/retroshift-brak...ntube-shifter/

I wonder if you could turn the downtube shifter around on a Kelly Take Off and get the same effect. Mine is in storage right now or I'd try.

yeah they remind of the kelly take offs, which should be renamed kelly rip-offs

trying to find information about a product from a company named "WTB" is such a pain... googling WTB will return a million "want to buy" threads lol

try wilderness trail bikes.

You merely have to refine your search a bit. A search for "wtb bicycle" turned it up as the first hit.

Yeah but you can't buy the product on their web site so you have to buy it used. Searching "WTB shifter pods" or similar on google or ebay returns a lot of less than ideal results.

i forgot about those.. $129 for a brake + shifter pod combo is a lot more reasonable than kelly take offs which are glorified bar ends or the paul thumbies which are equally overpriced.

Anyone know if the 84 schwinn high sierra's had 1in stems or the funky smaller ones (7/8?)? thanks!

Clamp diameter? The didn't come with standard stems. They had 22.2 insert bullmoose bars.

thanks realestvin, insert is what I meant. i have one with the bull mooses and am starting to think about the drop conversion. wanted to confirm the stem I have in mind will fit

Ended up changing out my Origin 8 Gary bars (on the red Trek 900 posted a few days ago) for a more ordinary looking drop bar. I couldn't get the levers positioned quite how I wanted them even after several weeks of tweaking them. If anyone is interested in a nearly new set of dirt drops, PM me.

How wide are those Gary bars on top?

About 40cm, I think, wider at the bottom, of course, since they flare out.

awaiting bartape and a new tensioner before being sscx race ready :)
http://www.pedalroom.com/p/1995-gian...760-4158_2.jpg

Awesome!!,,,,BD

Already posted this one on that other thread...
[IMG]http://i1182.photobucket.com/albums/...r/IMG_3247.jpg[/IMG]

How would this serve as a platform? It is listed for only $55 on my local CL..would probably offer $40. I already have dirt drops, bar end shifters, brake levers, and Techonomic stem if needed.
http://images.craigslist.org/5L75H25...b4d7c5116a.jpg

The Woodlands is near the bottom of the MTB line, but not a bad candidate for a winter bike or a commuter.

Looks like it would do just fine. Pretty similar to most of the other bikes in this thread.