Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions
08-07-16, 01:12 PM
#5251
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It's not mine, but just thought I'd link a production drop bar mtb. Richard Cunningham designed Nishiki Saga.
08-07-16, 05:00 PM
#5252
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Work-in-progress; girlfriend's bike. Bad non-DS photo.
Attachment 533192
Wondering if I need to get the bars back and up a bit to get the balance and handling right?
I notice that very short stems and high placement seems to be typical of these conversions; I honestly haven't really 'done my research', just experimenting after she suggested that this bike would work for a little bike trip we've been planning...but that she'd prefer if it could be outfitted with drops to allow multiple/different hand positions relative to the flat bar that was on there.
Still need to do some work on this, neglected on my busy 'weekend' this Monday & Tuesday, despite my best intentions.
Attachment 533192
Wondering if I need to get the bars back and up a bit to get the balance and handling right?
I notice that very short stems and high placement seems to be typical of these conversions; I honestly haven't really 'done my research', just experimenting after she suggested that this bike would work for a little bike trip we've been planning...but that she'd prefer if it could be outfitted with drops to allow multiple/different hand positions relative to the flat bar that was on there.
Still need to do some work on this, neglected on my busy 'weekend' this Monday & Tuesday, despite my best intentions.
08-07-16, 06:51 PM
#5253
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Okay, you can't say I don't know how to take suggestions. Also found a matching bottle cage. I must say I really like how it looks. I'd commute everyday on this thing if it were mine. My friend took it home today, and plans to ride it in the Cowbelle Classic at the end of this month. It's a cool bike...I hope it works out for her!
08-07-16, 09:19 PM
#5254
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All of the dropbar conversions I've done I've always used a drastically shorter stem with a decent rise. Keeping the stock stem and adding road bars are going to your super stretched out. I normally run a 60mm stem on most of my setups. I'm building a new dropbar setup and this also will have a 60mm stem but relatively little rise since the fork is rigid but suspension corrected.
I am somewhat concerned that handling may be an issue with this setup, but will likely have to look at pushing the saddle back if we end up trying a significantly shorter stem...and definitely expect to experiment a bit here.
Expect I'll finally get around to re-cabling the bike and swapping out the brake pads tomorrow on my day off, then let the experiments begin! I may have to raid the spare stem bin at work for shorter stems, though, as I don't think I actually have anything shorter than a 100mm (typically ride 100-130mms on my own 60-62cm road/cross bikes).
08-08-16, 05:56 AM
#5255
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I'm intrigued by the velo orange crazy bar:
(also comes in silver and alloy)
enough to put it on a new bike I'm building for my wife. Don't have the setup complete, but going to use mtb lever/shifter combos on the swept back parts where the diameter is appropriate for them and run the brake line under the tape up to the bull horn like area (road bike diameter) were there will be cross-style interupter brake levers. It seems like it should work, but I'm not sure about the angle for the interupter levers on the horns. Might require big hands. Might work for you too.
(also comes in silver and alloy)
enough to put it on a new bike I'm building for my wife. Don't have the setup complete, but going to use mtb lever/shifter combos on the swept back parts where the diameter is appropriate for them and run the brake line under the tape up to the bull horn like area (road bike diameter) were there will be cross-style interupter brake levers. It seems like it should work, but I'm not sure about the angle for the interupter levers on the horns. Might require big hands. Might work for you too.
I was on the verge of ordering an alloy Casey bar last week for this build. Ultimately I wanted something simpler though so I held off on it.
It is pretty cool that it has a mix of 22.2 and 23.8 diameters so you can run bar ends, thumbies, city brakes, cross levers, or MTB brakes all on the same handlebar.
It is pretty cool that it has a mix of 22.2 and 23.8 diameters so you can run bar ends, thumbies, city brakes, cross levers, or MTB brakes all on the same handlebar.
I added some ergo hand grips for the swept-back part of the bar and taped the rest. Commuting/touring perfection!
I've had a standard flat bar (w/accessory bullhorns added) as well as trekking/butterfly bars and neither compare to Casey's Crazy Bar.
Unfortunately i don't have pics...
08-08-16, 07:26 AM
#5256
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I have a set of these bars (in the black ChroMoly) on my commuter and luv 'em!!!
I added some ergo hand grips for the swept-back part of the bar and taped the rest. Commuting/touring perfection!
I've had a standard flat bar (w/accessory bullhorns added) as well as trekking/butterfly bars and neither compare to Casey's Crazy Bar.
Unfortunately i don't have pics...
I added some ergo hand grips for the swept-back part of the bar and taped the rest. Commuting/touring perfection!
I've had a standard flat bar (w/accessory bullhorns added) as well as trekking/butterfly bars and neither compare to Casey's Crazy Bar.
Unfortunately i don't have pics...
08-08-16, 08:33 AM
#5257
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I have been looking at these conversions and I am intrigued by them. I have been looking on CL for the past month for a worthy candidate for the conversion. Well, I finally found one yesterday. '99 Stumpjumper M2. What do you guys think?
IMG_3356_zpsycvmicnu.jpg
IMG_3356_zpsycvmicnu.jpg
08-08-16, 08:48 AM
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I have been looking at these conversions and I am intrigued by them. I have been looking on CL for the past month for a worthy candidate for the conversion. Well, I finally found one yesterday. '99 Stumpjumper M2. What do you guys think?
Attachment 533565
Attachment 533565
What's the build plan? More touring-oriented or a single-track ripper?
08-08-16, 11:26 AM
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I thinking of a more touring oriented build. So I am looking for a rigid fork. Any suggestions? I don't have a headset for it yet, so a threaded or threadless fork would work. The original fork has 3.15" of travel so it would be nice to have a rigid fork that would compensate for that.
08-08-16, 01:14 PM
#5260
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I thinking of a more touring oriented build. So I am looking for a rigid fork. Any suggestions? I don't have a headset for it yet, so a threaded or threadless fork would work. The original fork has 3.15" of travel so it would be nice to have a rigid fork that would compensate for that.
08-08-16, 02:56 PM
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3.15" is about 80mm of travel. Most suspension-corrected rigid forks now are corrected for 100mm, but you can still find 80mm ones. Like this Salsa fork that has a canti or disc option: CroMoto 26? | Parts & Accessories | Salsa Cycles
08-08-16, 03:16 PM
#5262
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I looked at the Cromoto, but I like the idea of being able to mount a rack since it is a touring build/commuter. I found the Surly Big Dummy and has nearly identical numbers as the Salsa Cromoto due to them being owned by the same parent company. I cannot find how much the suspension has been corrected for the Big Dummy. Would I find this by looking at the axle to crown measurement?
Email Surly and/or Salsa. I've emailed Salsa before with a question about spacing for braze ons for their Anything Cage, and they answered within a day or so.
08-08-16, 03:44 PM
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1989 Trek 970 - Before and After
As the title says - a 1989 Trek 970, both "as found" and now restored with drop bars. Waddya think? Pretty sweet, no?
08-08-16, 07:51 PM
#5264
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I just helped a coworker obtain a Stumpjumper M2 bike and get it sorted out a couple weeks ago. Pretty nice bike...very light, even with a suspension fork.
08-08-16, 09:06 PM
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OK, just a few qualifiers...
1) she's sportin' her field and mud cleats and still wearing some trail mud (she's a dirty girl)
2) i know the front of the front fender is yanked sky-high... was a quicky-fix
3) yeah i suck at handle-bar taping so i gotta use a lotta "Gorilla Tape"
[IMG]
[/IMG]
1) she's sportin' her field and mud cleats and still wearing some trail mud (she's a dirty girl)
2) i know the front of the front fender is yanked sky-high... was a quicky-fix
3) yeah i suck at handle-bar taping so i gotta use a lotta "Gorilla Tape"
[IMG]
[/IMG]
08-08-16, 09:11 PM
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OK, just a few qualifiers...
1) she's sportin' her field and mud cleats and still wearing some trail mud (she's a dirty girl)
2) i know the front of the front fender is yanked sky-high... was a quicky-fix
3) yeah i suck at handle-bar taping so i gotta use a lotta "Gorilla Tape"
[IMG][/IMG]
1) she's sportin' her field and mud cleats and still wearing some trail mud (she's a dirty girl)
2) i know the front of the front fender is yanked sky-high... was a quicky-fix
3) yeah i suck at handle-bar taping so i gotta use a lotta "Gorilla Tape"
[IMG]
[/IMG]
08-08-16, 11:35 PM
#5268
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[QUOTE=Insidious C.;18964417
...as there are other issues with brifters that have me stuck in the middle chain ring anyway. I also have RSX 3x7 brifters on my Randonee, which I think has a STX FD.[/QUOTE]
The basic issues as I understand them are:
1. The FD pull ratio is different between road and mountain FD's so one needs a "road compatible" FD to work with the brifter.
2. The wider bottom bracket and longer axle result in the outer chainring of the triple crankset to be too far to the right.
One proven solution is to go to a double chainring setup.
There have been claims of road compatible FD's which have sufficient travel that can push the chain on a mountain triple. I don't recall off hand which brand/model will work.
A possible solution would be to get road FD for a triple and an oversized FD clamp. Make a shim out of hard rubber or plastic (nylon?) and use the shim to offset the FD to the right. The spacing between chainrings is identical between road and mountain triples, the primary differences are the diameter of the chainrings and the offset of the bottom bracket.
Hope this helps,
Greg
...as there are other issues with brifters that have me stuck in the middle chain ring anyway. I also have RSX 3x7 brifters on my Randonee, which I think has a STX FD.[/QUOTE]
The basic issues as I understand them are:
1. The FD pull ratio is different between road and mountain FD's so one needs a "road compatible" FD to work with the brifter.
2. The wider bottom bracket and longer axle result in the outer chainring of the triple crankset to be too far to the right.
One proven solution is to go to a double chainring setup.
There have been claims of road compatible FD's which have sufficient travel that can push the chain on a mountain triple. I don't recall off hand which brand/model will work.
A possible solution would be to get road FD for a triple and an oversized FD clamp. Make a shim out of hard rubber or plastic (nylon?) and use the shim to offset the FD to the right. The spacing between chainrings is identical between road and mountain triples, the primary differences are the diameter of the chainrings and the offset of the bottom bracket.
Hope this helps,
Greg
08-09-16, 01:26 AM
#5269
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The basic issues as I understand them are:
1. The FD pull ratio is different between road and mountain FD's so one needs a "road compatible" FD to work with the brifter.
2. The wider bottom bracket and longer axle result in the outer chainring of the triple crankset to be too far to the right.
One proven solution is to go to a double chainring setup.
There have been claims of road compatible FD's which have sufficient travel that can push the chain on a mountain triple. I don't recall off hand which brand/model will work.
A possible solution would be to get road FD for a triple and an oversized FD clamp. Make a shim out of hard rubber or plastic (nylon?) and use the shim to offset the FD to the right. The spacing between chainrings is identical between road and mountain triples, the primary differences are the diameter of the chainrings and the offset of the bottom bracket.
Hope this helps,
Greg
1. The FD pull ratio is different between road and mountain FD's so one needs a "road compatible" FD to work with the brifter.
2. The wider bottom bracket and longer axle result in the outer chainring of the triple crankset to be too far to the right.
One proven solution is to go to a double chainring setup.
There have been claims of road compatible FD's which have sufficient travel that can push the chain on a mountain triple. I don't recall off hand which brand/model will work.
A possible solution would be to get road FD for a triple and an oversized FD clamp. Make a shim out of hard rubber or plastic (nylon?) and use the shim to offset the FD to the right. The spacing between chainrings is identical between road and mountain triples, the primary differences are the diameter of the chainrings and the offset of the bottom bracket.
Hope this helps,
Greg
08-09-16, 05:15 AM
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08-09-16, 03:18 PM
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08-09-16, 03:22 PM
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Thanks for the advice. I emailed Surly and they said "the Big Dummy is going to be pretty close to an 80mm suspension correction", just for anyone else wondering. I think the Big Dummy is the fork I am going to choose for my build.
