wrk101

Replacement super long seat posts are readily available. Sounds like you have a road seat post (road seat posts tend to be about half the length of the modern mtb posts).

Pompiere

I bought the bike new in 1986, so I know it is the original seat post. There is about 4 1/2 inches from the MAX HT mark to the top of the post below the clamp. In the days of horizontal top tubes, I guess the manufacturers didn't see the need for a longer post. They would just sell you a bigger frame size. My Diamond Back hybrid, with a sloping top tube, has a post that is 8".

kingston 

@Velocivixen: Wow, thanks for emailing Soma. So I guess here are my options at the moment, I can wait a couple of months for the portolas and go with a portola/dirt drop combo like you have. I can go with the RM013/dirt drop option or the junebug/adapter/threadless option now.

I am paralyzed with indecision.

whatwolf

Thank you. I am a weird shape.

merida

Its difficult to make å bike look good and fit correctly at the same time. Its just something about the proportions and the choise of parts that make this look good to me. I've done my share of drop-bar conversions over the years, and regardless of how they ride I often end up taring them down again because I cant make them look right. This has that classic parts good look to it.

Don Marco

This is the ugliest bike I have ever assembled, hands down. Unfortunately it's very comfortable and nimble, so it'll likely be in the stable for a while. I put it together for the C&O canal trail.

1990 Cannondale m700 or m800
Campy 8 speed shifting XT derailleur and shimano cassette with shiftmate model 4, works better than expected
VO stem and fenders
Brooks Team Pro I borrowed [SUB]stole[/SUB] from my dad years ago
Original wheels, XT hubs




So ugly. Dang.

seely

That has to be the highest BB I've ever seen. Maybe the overall strangest geometry... I can't quite figure it out.

Don Marco

As my friend put it when he saw it "Diamond frame? Hell, let's make a rectangle".

Cannondale "Beast of the East" setup... It's for log clearance (or some such BS) apparently. Raising the BB makes everything taller... and it's like 2 inches taller everywhere. The frame is 22", but the headtube looks like it should be on a 24". Saddle height from the ground is also higher. It's made for some interesting dismounts.


You know that thing you do when you stop and dangle a foot down and prop yourself up with a toe? Don't try it on this thing.

radeln

It's... odd, but not terrible. It might look better with a honey saddle and tan bar tape.

kingston 

I think it looks pretty tough.

merida

Except for the stupidly high BB I think theese are great candidates for a conversion. No need for crazy tall high rise stem, and the steap head tube make it quick and nimble. I have one very similar built around a huge Miyata RidgeRunner team. Great bike.

kingston 

Can you post a picture? I would love to see it. I'm in the process of converting a Miyata RRT myself.

Don Marco

I'll take that, thanks. I agree

merida

Hope this works... Lousy picture but you get the idea. Miyata Ridge Runner Team 1990.

kingston 

@merida: that is definitely a huge bike. Looks great. I love the pump behind the seat tube. I'll have to get one of those.

merida

Its easy to get confused with frame size, it all depends on the geometry. Its that long headtube that make it look so huge. I'm not a giant, ca 192 cm, but you can see the roadbike Shimano seatpost is at max height. I ride an other Miyata with flat bars that is the exact same size as your RRT that fit me perfectly, but that is way to small for me to set up with drop bars.

kingston 

I'm looking for advice on where to position the bars on the dirt drop conversion. This is how I have some of my other bikes set up for comparison:

[table="width: 400"]
[tr]
[td][/td]
[td]Rise from Seat[/td]
[td]Reach from Seat[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Road Bike[/td]
[td]-7cm[/td]
[td]51cm[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Touring Bike[/td]
[td]Level[/td]
[td]49cm[/td]
[/tr]

[/table]

I can ride comfortably in the drops on both bikes, but on the dirt drop I thought I would try to position the bars 4cm above the seat with the reach the same as my touring bike. Does that make sense or is it too high? I see some of the other bikes on here have the bars more level with the seat.

arex

Prove it.

AlTheKiller

Any other good stem options besides VO and Nitto for riser quills to fit 26? I totally forgot about that stupid clamp difference and was thinking I could mostly parts bin the conversion besides finding brifters. I'd probably just settle on which one I can find quickest from one of our suppliers, though I haven't found any yet.

For example, I think the height and reach on my current stem would be PERFECT for drop bars, I don't need a stem with tons of height outside of the clamp, just that bit of rise and short length:

wrk101

Tough to get bars above the seat. Most have a relatively small frame size to keep TT length reasonable. To get the bars higher than saddle you will need a really steep and long stem, making effective TT longer still. 4cm is almost 2 inches higher, thats a lot. I've got mine just about level, bars might be 1/2 inch higher than saddle max, with not nearly as much post showing. But I have a long torso and short legs, so I cheat a little on size (relatively large MTB frame size). I've got mine set up to mimic my road bike geometry, as I am basically using my drop bar conversion as a road bike.

[IMG]IMG_2717 by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]

My one size smaller Cimarron, pretty similar situation:

[IMG]IMG_2716 by wrk101, on Flickr[/IMG]

mountaindave 

Not one, but two Cimarrons?! Jealous.

09box

The red w/neon green bar tape color scheme is really awesome looking

kingston 

@wrk101; Thanks, that's helpful. I'll set it up with the top of the bars level with the seat. Helps me decide which stem to get.

wrk101

Find a co-op if possible and pick up a couple of different stems. I used a really short one on my NR MTB build, its angled almost straight up, so bars are pretty much even with saddle. That stem rises as much as the ones on my Cimarron, despite being about half as long. Again, a relatively large frame for me. Kind of slow with the trail tires, I need to try it with slicks.

One thing I love about MTB conversions, if you have an ample bin, you can really get creative for very little money. Even if you don't have an ample bin, a co-op can be a big help. the Sierra frameset came from the co-op for $10 (it was rough)

Clang

This was my favorite Velo-Cheapo build. Excellent job!