wrk101

Bought to part out anyway. I'll put a straight edge to it. Thanks!

LesterOfPuppets

Straight edge? That thing met a wall at a pretty good clip. You could probably run a straight edge from center of steerer to the axle, and you know that ain't right

cooperryder

Thanks on the compliment eom.



I think it is a 1986 model Univega mtb.

I tried to minimize cost on the build and thankfully these days there are some decent
reasonably priced non 'high zoot' new parts available these days to be had without breaking the bank
as well as the vintage parts bargains to be obtained on ebay, forums, etc.
occasionally.


Only original parts left on it are the rear 981 Dia Compe Canti's.



I stripped it down and rebuilt from bare frame & fork.



The front canti's are Tektro 720's as are the cross levers.

The aero brake levers are Tektro RL520's.
The 720 canti's would not work on the rear due to the canti post braze on's are in a different position
and springs will not work but old Dia Comps are working ok with new pads.
I used my chrome fork off my broken Cimarron with normal position canti posts so no prob using 720 canti's on the front.

It's a Velo Orange stem and some stem adapter I got off ebay but I have also used the VO adapter
on other bikes and been please with it as well.

The bars are Ritchey Biomax.



This tall cockpit really works for me comfort wise and I have done 4 hour rides on it.

Most of my bikes end up with a similar style cockpit. I really like cross/inline levers and they are inexpensive.


The brown saddle is a different tagged version of the Origin8 Sport Uno but I cut the tag off.

I also have the Origin8 version and they appear to be the same.
It's almost the same length and width of a B17 and is working well for me and is inexpensive, (around $30).



The Seatpost is an Kalloy Uno. (also moderately priced)



The front and rear derailleurs are all silver vintage Deore, the shifters Shimano barends.


Wheels, a set of LX hubbed / Mavic Sup 217 rims 32 spoke/ 7 speed cassette shod with Maxxis DTH 26x215 tires.

Almost wish I had got the tan sidewall tires but saved about 100 grams each on these black versions.


VP platform pedals, Vintage Sugino LP triple crank, UN55 BB, Jagwire Braided Carbon Silver color cables,

and some brown bar wrap I found on ebay wind up the parts list unless I overlooked something.


I used nothing super expensive but I think they are decent quality & functional and serviceable parts.

& the bike turns out to be a great little 'gravel grinding' bike.



This thread is what inspired me to try these 26" vintage mtb builds.



wintermute, I look forward to seeing you Kuwahara build.



You can search this on ebay if you wish to to see the exact stem adapter I used.


'Bike-Threaded-Headset-Quill-to-Stem-Riser-Adapter'

cooperryder

Here's a drive train shot since pic up against fence is non drive side.

Velocivixen

Do you think that a certain geometry of mountain bike works best for this conversion? For example, would an early or mid-80's MTB with long wheelbase and lax head and seat tube angles work? Or are slightly steeper angles, generally, the way to go.

I've completed my 1995 Trek 820 conversion and it's definitely zippy. Don't necessaril enjoy the seat post & handlebar stem way up, but had to go down a size in frame to get proper top tube length. I'll post some before and after later. Still working on details.

cyclotoine

Herein lies the crux of the issue (bolded), the 1990s bikes tended to have longer top tubes than they did in the 1980s. (long top tubes are in again BTW). So the 1980s bikes generally work better since the frames are taller, often with level top tubes which are shorter (because they were emulating the upright fitment of the balloon tire cruisers which they were evolved from). Personally, I dislike the massive wheelbases because I prefer a stiffer frame. At 6'3" and 190 lbs I am not a monster but a large frame is going to flex a lot more under someone my size than a frame made of the same tubes for someone who is 5'8" and 130 lbs. Some people love the compliant ride of a long wheelbase. I am not one of those people.

bikemig 

+ 1 on 80s mtbs tending to work better for a drop bar conversion. One advantage of the longer wheelbase found on the earlier mtbs is that this can be useful in setting one up for touring but agreed that a shorter wheelbase bike tends to feel zippier.

A trekking bar is a good alternative to a drop bar and make work better with the frame geometry.

Velocivixen

@cyclotoine & @bikemig - great. That's what I'm looking for. If I end up not liking the smaller frame I have, due to seatpost/stem exposure, I have a 1985 Sekai Bigfoot (has Albatross like bars now) and a 1992 Specialized Hardrock Ultra, which both have level top tubes and are bigger frames. I could try my drop bar conversion on those. I was fitted and seems to be I do best with about 24" from center seat tube to center of bar where I hold on (tops).

I bought the Nitto Mt-10 stem with 100mm steep angle stem to get bars higher. Have Soma Portola bars (short reach/drop). I love the feel of the bike and it fits me great, it just looks sort of wacky. I will NOT be doing actual mountain biking on it - roads, paced trails and very light urban type packed dirt trails.

I know now that most or at least a lot of you are dirt bike riders, and that's cool. I'm urban, so it's just more likely that I'm exposed to roads, etc. I know some live in cities where the roads are​ like riding on a mountain, but our roads are well maintained.

Bicycle Addict

I think bikes that were higher end race geometry were long in the top tube and low seat tube, yet mid to low end frames were shorter in the top tube and taller in the seat post tube.

I am setting up a '95 Pine Mountain because it was not as short in seat tube as the '91 Team frame I have.
I went with that over a '92 Muirwoods frame because the Pine mountain was not as tall in seat tube just in case some of my excursions have some bumpier stuff than I expected.

I am now wondering if I may need to go with the Muirwoods for the same issues as you say with too much stem and seat post showing. Time will tell.

Here are some measurements of said frames to show what i am talking about

Marin Team 56cm top tube 40 cm seat post tube centre to centre
Marin Pine Mountain 55.5cm top tube 42cm seat post tube centre to centre
Marin Muirwoods 54.5cm top tube 44cm seat post tube centre to centre

I don't know if this helps at all . . .

Velocivixen

@Bicycle Addict - your measurements confirm that all bikes are different.

Bicycle Addict

Hey all, I am wondering if my Sora ST-3550 STI's are going to be compatible with Tektro Cantis, or Shimano CX50's for that matter? I got Sora ST-3550 Deraileurs with the STI levers so I know I am all good on gearing just wondering now about my brake reach/ lever pull?

Thanks all. Paul.

Chrome Molly

The canti's shouldn't be an issue, and the Cx50 front derailleur is designed to use a road bike ratio. There can be issues if you use linear pull brakes, but cantis are generally the same ratio.

You should be good to go. There's always a bit of futzing with canti's, but your ratio should be OK. I find the braking is "different" due to the lever angle, and the resulting amount of leverage I can apply. If that bothers me (depending on the terrain and the tires ability to deal with firm braking) then I upgrade to koolstop salmon pads.

lotekmod

A while back I picked up this homely 1995 Trek 750 for $60:



A couple of months and a couple of bills later I was able to turn it into this, just in time for the winter muck:



I love this bike, it's pretty much the only thing I've ridden since I got it built. It's so versatile, it even likes to play dirty as a cyclocross wannabe:



I wish I could capture in pictures how cool this paint is. I've never been a huge fan of Trek, but this purple/blue iridescent metallic paint has to be one of the nicest production paints I've seen. I'm going to hit something if I don't stop staring at it while riding

It's mostly stock parts with the following additions/changes:

SKS fenders
Ultegra 8 speed bar end shifters (stock 7 speed freehub was changed out for 8 speed)
Kalloy dirt drop 80mm stem
SR handlebars
Exage brake levers
Schwalbe Land Cruiser tires

I think I'm ready for this winter now. Bring it on!

anixi

lotek, that's one beautifully done conversion! I love how the fenders look totally natural!

lotekmod

Thanks! It's taken a while to really like this bike from a visual standpoint. I'm pretty traditional when it comes to bikes- I likes my road bike top tubes horizontal and my mountain bike top tubes sloped, and don't mix 'em up! If this frame had a horizontal top tube and a taller head tube I would marry it. But for now it's a fun date

ksryder

Nice. You may have inspired me to re-think my decision about touring on one of these.

I put mustache bars and ultegra bar ends on my '94 750 and it's a lot of fun, but I felt it was a hair too small with a 55 cm top tube (I need a 56 minimum, I've learned the hard way.) Plus I had to find a longer seat tube to get high enough.

But now I'm thinking midge bars & a technomic stem might get me there. It's already set up great for touring, what with the super low gears and the fork eyelets.

I took mine for a 40-mile romp in the muddy gravel roads saturday, it was a blast. This bike gets kind of neglected in favor of my cross bike so I forget how much fun it is.

09box

Nice looking bike. I'd rock that in a heartbeat

FarHorizon

OK, I know it's fugly, but here's my former Kona Unit:

fiatjeepdriver

I know I've posted this before but I haven't finished it yet and I'm thinking about changing it up some.




It is an 87 Ritchey Outback that I'm going to build up to be sort of a cheap Rivendell Atlantis. Originally I was going to use some suntour bar-end shifters and some older lx parts I have. Though after selling a couple bikes I have a spare more modern wheelset so I'm thinking I'll leave the xt crank on there and use my 3x9 ultegra group instead. Thoughts?

due ruote 

Sure you don't need a bigger frame? Nothing wrong with ample seatpost on an mtb, but that's pretty extreme, as is the saddle-bar drop. But hey it's your bike - if that's comfortable, more power to you.

Johnny Mullet

Here is a good one for this thread and I hope you enjoy! I haven't rode a bicycle since I got my first car in 1986 and just this year started cycling again for health and state of mind. I had an old Huffy MTB in the garage where it sat for many years and this was the bike that got me started cycling again. It's a POS Huffy MTB from the 90's, but I rode the hell out of it and still ride it daily. I since then have gotten much better bikes in my stable including road bikes and mountain bikes, but I still have a special connection with the Huffy. Here it is when I first got it out of the garage..........



I tried riding road bikes and bought a 1989 Panasonic DX4000, a 90 Fuji Ace (with parts bike), and rode a few newer Trek road bikes, but there was something about the frame geometry that caused me to experience hand and wrist pain when riding road bikes I never had issues on my mountain bikes and loved taking long rides in comfort. I then put urban tires on my mountain bikes since I was becoming a better cyclist and able to do 50+mile rides. I could only do this on my mountain bikes though because of comfort issues. The old Huffy went to the truck garage I work at since I had lighter, faster bikes and I continued to ride it daily especially since it's gotten colder out and the large truck garage gives me riding options before work and during lunch.

I don't want to drag this whole story out, but I ran across this thread and became interested in doing this with one of my mountain bikes. I did not want to molest any of my rare mountain bikes though. One day I got bored and was looking at my spare 1990 Fuji Ace parts bike and decided to do a 700c wheel swap on my Huffy. I always made good time on my road bikes, but the discomfort stopped me from long rides, so maybe this will work. I swapped over the 700c rims and mounted 700cX35 Kevlar tires and the stock reflector mounts allowed me to swap over the Diacomp brakes. I took the converted Huffy on a 36 mile ride that I have done many, many times and made the trip in record time! This was awesome that the racing gears on the freewheel and the lighter, faster, thinner tires made the Huffy faster...........



I then decided that this would be awesome since during the last few group rides I did last summer I was able too keep up with some of the hardcore roadies with their $5000 carbon fiber bikes on my lightweight MTB since I train harder and ride more often, so why not kick their asses on a Huffy next year? I came back to this thread getting ideas, asked for some guidance in the bicycle mechanics section and decided to do a drop bar conversion also! Why not? I already dropped almost 10 lbs of weight on this bike with the wheel swap, kick stand removal, seat post and seat upgrade, and other mods. The only issue I had with the drop bar conversion was the American stem size being about 1 MM smaller than the road bike stem, but we got that fixed! Here is a 1995 Huffy Thunder Ridge mountain bike with a 700c and drop bar conversion..........







The only thing left to do is add some stem shifters and new cables so I got some gears! I will post updates when I do this.

PugRider

Holy smokes that's awesome. Well done.

fiatjeepdriver

The saddle height isn't set yet. That said my race hardtail has almost 4" of drop saddle to bars.

rhodekill

Hi guys, quick noob post -- (apologies if this isn't the appropriate place for this, would appreciate redirection if so) Have been looking through this thread and really love everyone's bikes here, and would really like to have something similar to commute with for the winter. Could anyone give a quick glance at these craigslist bikes and let me know if a conversion would be possible/worth it on any of them?



Specialized Hard Rock Men's Bike


Specialized Hardrock Bicycle



Schwinn Mountain Bike

Thanks!

ksryder

You might have better luck in the classic and vintage appraisals section.

That being said, I think any of them would probably make a good conversion. Personal preference would be the Hardrock that isn't missing a derailleur, but I can't see any detail in the pictures on my phone. The main consideration is which one fits best, and is there any obvious damage to any of the tubes.

Hardrocks seem to be a quality build, there's a whole thread on them here. I don't know much about schwinns bit I think the High Plains have a bit of a cult following, but I might be thinking of the Cimarron.

Good luck. Post pictures when you get something!