Shp4man

Thanks, you're right. It will be my "new" old mountain bike, and it'll be nice to have two wheelsets, one city, one off road. It's actually in fairly good condition with Deore XT components and a nice color, kind of a candy apple red.

neo_pop_71

I gotta tell 'ya T., I'll never get tired of seeing pics of your great dog blazin' along side and I'll certainly never tire from seeing my old Ritchey decked out in vintage WTB components! Seriously now, you've enjoyed it long enough, time to put it on a FedEx truck and return it to my stable!

Quick component question, are those Campy or Suntour Superbe brake levers? I'm leaning towards Campy (knowing how you build) but Suntour did a nice job copying the Campy levers with their Superbe series. Funny enough, I'm picking up a set of Superbe levers for my '92 MB-1 dirt drop build in the morning after I pick up my Cimarron frame from the powdercoater.



The price tag on vintage Campy scares me but not as much as the price on vintage WTB, my tight budget only allows for used Superbe.

-D-

neo_pop_71

I picked up my '88 Schwinn Cimarron LE from the powder coater this morning, it took a day longer than promised but it was worth the wait! I went with a slighter warmer color than bright white, it seems like every bike these days has bright white somewhere, I wanted a more subtle color scheme (off-white, black, and silver) for my rebuild. I have some NOS Cimarron waterslide decals to apply but I need to buff the finish first, allow the decals to set for 24 hours, and then it's off to my buddy's autobody shop for some clear. I love the fillet brazing and the smooth lines, all the threaded eyelets have been removed as have the threaded rack mounts from the seat stays. I know "the dude" won't approve but who cares, it's my custom build and I dig the look of the frame!

cobrabyte

Looks like you *may* have a tough time getting the lower headset race installed with the p-coat on there. My guy masks that part off.

Aemmer

Sounds like somegreat projects.

Dwelt on that for a long time. I finally went with Campy with the simple logic it matched the headset and I liked the white hoods.

Currently putting together a early 80's Ritchey road bike and having a tough time deciding which levers/brakes to go with. Mostly parts out of the grab bin for starters. Keep staring at a set of Shimano 600 Arabesque that will match the deraileurs or a minty fresh set of Superbe brakes and levers. Then a set of aero DiaComps start calling. A bastard build, The cranks and barcons are Campy and the headset is a Stronglight. All era correct but not too caught up in using all one groupset yet unless I love the way it rides.

As far as sending back that blue bike goes, it may not be my prettiest Ritchey in the garage, but hands down it is my go to favorite one to ride. the Workhorse of the stable.

Still loving it!

neo_pop_71

Yeah, I forgot to mask and point that out to them, this was the first time I've used these guys. Thanks cobrabyte for pointing that out, I appreciate the extra set of eyes! This powder coater is less expensive than anyone else ($65.00 to sandblast and powder coat a frame and fork) but I've seen quite a few frames they've done and their work has always been clean. It's no big deal, I can pop in at my LBS and use their tools (as I'm an emergency wrench if they are in a pinch) to surface the fork crown and I want to chase the threads on the B.B. shell and derailleur hanger too. I have a NOS 1" cartridge bearing headset that I'll press in while I'm there, just in case I need to remove more material off the race contact. Thanks again!

Peace,

-D-

mainstreetexile 

Awesome. Can you post some more pictures of this beauty?

Pretty cool to see the hite-rite on there too, I'm guessing it's just for style/period-correctness and you don't use it much? I have one or two of those sitting around, but they probably need to hit an oxalic acid bath.

neo_pop_71

Damn ! ! !

When you get a free moment, can you post a photo of the Campy bar end shifters? I'd like to see those, I used to have a set on an Olmo touring bike that I outgrew, the Campy set was much prettier than the Barcons that were on my next touring bike.

Thanks!

neo_pop_71

Actually, I believe T. (Aemmer) rides this bike all the time, anywhere and everywhere... that's why he won't give it back!!!

cobrabyte

Oh good deal, I wish I had those tools at my disposal

wrk101

Even with that mistake, that's a terrific deal on a nice looking PC job!

frantik

I think he meant the hite-rite

Donkey Hodie

This is hands down one of the most entertaining and informative threads that I've read in a long time. It's because of all the beautiful builds here that I am seriously contemplating doing the drop bar conversion to one of my two vintage mountain bikes. I have a near pristine 1983 grey Specialized Stumpjumper with all original parts except for the seat, and I have a recently acquired 1986 chrome Mongoose ATB. Both would be great candidates for a drop bar conversion, although they are both different sized bikes.

I'm wondering which one would be better suited for drops considering my unusual body proportions (I'm 6' 1-3/4" with a 33" PBH). It's usually a pain for me to find a good bike that fits me correctly. I'm probably somewhere between a 20" mtn bike and a 22", or between a 21" and 23" mtn bike. My Stumpjumper is 22" with a 32-3/4" stand-over height (leaving me with 1/4" of room between my huevos and the top tube). The Mongoose is probably a 20" mtn bike with a stand-over height of just a hair over 31" (better stand-over clearance for the boys).

Besides not much stand-over clearance, the Stumpjumper feels like it fits my proportions more naturally (without having much seat post showing or having to hike up the stem). The Mongoose feels good as well, but to set it up for normal road use, I need to have the seat and stem jacked up a little higher but not too much. I'm thinking the Stumjpumper would be the better candidate for the conversion, and the Mongoose would be better off with some marys or bosco bullmoose bars or something along those lines.

1983 Stumpjumper...


1986 Mongoose ATB...


Which one would you convert?

Any advice, suggestions, or opinions would be welcome and most appreciated.

gomango

Do the Stumpjumper first please.

I have a 1983 as well and I want to see yours first.

Might build one of these for grins.....

thirdgenbird

An old stumpjumper with campy 8 sounds fun. I know you have a "toothbrush clean" kit floating around.

edit: keep in mind how simple this would be btw. Campy 8 shares cog spacing with shimano 7 freewheels and the front ergo lever handles mtb triple setups without breaking a sweat.

anixi

+1 on the Stumpy, although the 'goose is a close 2nd.

likebike23

J, Nice Stumpjumper! I would do the stumpy 1st. That stem from the mongoose might work great on there (if you're gonna change it anyway). Save all the original parts just in case you need to sell it down the road. P.S.- went to Hampshire bike today and scored some bars, levers, and shifters for a conversion.

Aemmer

Ha, I like sharing pictures. Be careful what you ask for. About the HiteRite, Correct I can honestly say I have never actually used it during a ride. It does fit right in with the 1987 build on this bike. I ride this bike more often than any of my other vintage rides. Basicaly a white label (1987/88) 6 speed Shimano XT groupset with a WTB dirt drop cockpit.


A bit of a Ritchey fetish, I contacted D about getting this bike from him several years ago. After some easy negotiating we came to an agreement that would leave everyone happy. I was really drawn to this particular bike because along with being my size, someone had ordered it with roller cam mounts for the front that just look so cool. something TR only did by special order.

Say stop:


A vision:


Probably started it's life out at PT. Reyes. A place you could go find a Cunningham, Ritchey, Ibis or several other sweet Mtb's to buy or just rent and ride for the day:



I already had built a different dirt drop Ritchey before this and rode it into the ground. That one was a mix of modern and old, this time I was determined to keep things within the spirit of the era. Took a few years to gather all the correct parts. The LD stem and the WTB shift Pods being the hardest to come by. I think the only thing on the bike not correct to 87 would be those 737's. I rode in the clips for years but now I feel naked if I am not clipped in:



Pictures from a few outings:

Not much of the bike but one of my favorites:



Initial ride, Catching up with my wife who was out picking blackberries along one of my local trails:



Well suited for the open trails of California. Road trip 2011:



Closer to home with my riding partner:



Falling down drunk:



Local ride:



Although I have ridden the bike in places like the big loop at Tiger, the Church propert out in Black Diamond, it really excell's on the more open terrain found in places like E. Wa. or the logging roads closer to home. I ride it quite often off of 410 when free of snow. Looping Sun Top with Skookum being my favorite. There is a time and a place for the supermondo deluxe full suspension rides and I still have a Turner for that, but more often than not, I now enjoy the simple ride a fully rigid bike offers.

andyfloyd

how are you attaching those thumbies to your bars? Loving those drop bars....do tell I think my Univega is screaming out for that setup your rockin.

neo_pop_71

Hey Donkey Hodie, lucky man to have a couple good bikes worthy of doing a drop bar conversion! A few have weighed in and I agree that your Stumpjumper would be the best choice. You stated the best reason, the Stumpy feels more natural. Beyond that your Stumpjumper has a taller headtube which from a frame standpoint is better suited for a drop bar conversion since the size of the frame will put those bars higher and get your bars more inline with the saddle height. Given the components on your Stumpy, you can run your thumb shifters (preserve your shift cables and all the housings, it looks like they'll be plenty long enough for the conversion) on the bar tops for now, no need to buy bar end shifters until you decide if a drop bar builds suits you. You'll need a dirt drop bar, there are plenty to choose these days, I tried a few and found the On One Midge bar to be the best on my MB-1. I bought a Nitto MT-10 "Dirt Drop" quill stem for my Cimarron conversion, it's the stem of choice for these builds if you want to long stem to help nail down your running height. The last thing you'll need to buy is a set of drop bar brake levers, you can fly the cables or go aero, it's an aesthetic call. Everything else on your Stumpy is ready to roll as is and I think it's the best frame for trying out a new drop bar build.

Not a hard conversion for your Stumpjumper...
1. "Dirt Drop" handlebar
2. Tall quill stem
3. Drop bar brake levers
4. New pair of road brake cables
5. Bar tape

Have fun and good luck!

-D-



p.s. I've included a pic of the bar set up on my MB-1, I love the action and feel on my Suntour XC Pro thumb shifters, I've never felt a need to switch to bar end shifters because after a little trial and error the stock thumb shifters have done the job nicely... plus no chance of knee shifting! I should mention that I spend a majority of my time riding in the drops. The Midge bar has nice shallow drops that run nicely parallel to the top tube, I just prefer mine ticked up a bit.

gomango

Hmmmm. Campy, that sounds tasty.

Actually, I have a full xt gruppo with xtr hubbed x519s sitting at the cabin.

No need to hurry, I'll just continue watching these cool builds for now.

seely

Took the Schwinn down to the co-op today and cleaned her up for spring. I realized you guys are right, the bar angle was ridiculous so I rotated it down a bit and it does feel better. I think I mistakenly set it up with the drops pointing at the rear brake instead of flat after unpacking it from a trip, and never corrected it.

illwafer

regarding the 83 stumpy above:

i have an 83 sport model, and the spacing is 120 in the back. I spread it to 135(!), but I had to use a 7-speed cassette with a space on the OUTSIDE in order to get the wheel to slide in. there's no way you could run 8+ speed if you are using a 135mm wheelset.

seely

Whoa, 120, really? Road bikes at that time were even 126...

thirdgenbird

My suggestion is to run 8spd campy levers with a 7spd shimano FW. Cog spacing is 5mm on both. It will work perfect.

Thats the idea Grady. Xtr hubs, xt brakes, crankset, FD, 7spd FW, campy 8 RD and ergos