frantik

been a while since i updated.. I finally finished up with the brakes and took my Univega out for a test ride with the drop bars and 52/39 chainrings on... this thing really moves when set up as a road bike! I think i need a bit longer and taller stem though.. feels a bit cramped especially when I want to pour on the juice, and I'm not used to being in such a low position since I haven't ridden on drops in a while. The flared drops are.. interesting. The Woodchipper bar is really wide which may take some getting used to. And as much as I love fat tires.. i think this bad boy needs something a lil more lightweight and supple..






the shifter set up



looking forward to figuring out the proper stem length and height so i can wrap the bars. now that i've got a fork mounted cable stop for the cantis my stem options are much wider.. pretty much anything I can fit the stem on will work. the woodchipper bar has been problematic wit stems meant for straight MTB bars since it's got some funky bends

Creme Brulee

that saddle tilt definitely indicates that the bars should come up.... maybe a nitto dirtdrop? i think specialized made ones in black as well if you want to keep that color.

Creme Brulee

also, schwalbe big apples and fat franks are pretty zippy for being such big tires, if you want to keep the hugeness

ps. great looking bike!

frantik

Thanks

That was the first time i rode with the saddle in that position (new seat post).. it's tilted a lil bit more than it probably needs to be, but if you go a page back you can see I like the saddle to be tilted even when the handlebars are up high. I prefer to have the rear of the saddle up high so my manbits aren't crushed

as far as fat schwalbe tires.. they are as heavy as my current tires, though I imaging more supple. I've actually been looking at the Panaracer Paselas or the Compass 26" tires.. the compass tires are $60 a tire but look real nice. Both of those tires come in 1.5 and 1.75 versions so still nice and fat and would reduce the rolling weight by over 1 lb, so very tempting. I want to get the fit dialed in first though before I spend a fortune on tires though

frantik

I was just not feeling the Woodchipper bars.. i thought I would like them based on pictures and the way the brakes tilted in, but they are WAAAAY too wide for me. I prefer bars around 46-48cm wide, these are over 60cm

I bought some Origin 8 Gary II bars (there are two versions of the Gary bar) and also some On-One Midge bars.

The Midge bars are ok.. still a bit wide, but have almost no extension on the drops. I honestly don't know what they were thinking.. I didn't even try them out because it seemed like the drops would be almost useless.

The Gary II bar, however, is PERFECT!! The drops are about 53cm wide at the widest point.. a tiny bit wider than i would like, but it feels great, and the hoods, drops and tops are all usable. I also was able to use the stem I wanted to use, which has got good height and reach for drop bars.

I just took the gary II bar for a test ride and it definitely rocks. I liked the brake placement too, so tomorrow I will wrap the bars and take some pics hopefully

frantik

ok heres some pics

Still fine tuning the seat position and bar height but this bike is a lot of fun so far. unfortunately after about 5 miles my hands still start to go numb though.. was hoping a drop bar would negate some of that.

Also need to fiddle with the gearing.. the 52t ring combined with the mtb range cassette causes some pretty big gaps in the gearing. The 39t ring isn't high enough geared to be useful for much where i live, though maybe if i go find some mountains to ride on

also need a new saddle... that stupid little tear bugs me (not even sure how it happened..), plus it's not the most comfortable or most attractive thing..

Italuminium

Sweet, sweet build. Thanks for your review on the three dirt drop varieties, I'm shopping around for those for mu new project (which will turn out just as cool as yours, hopefully!)

frantik

^ thanks I may be selling the midge and woodchipper, though you can probably source a midge bar in europe somewher cheaper

frantik

Some recent pics with the latest build.. new drive train





and getting dirty

frantik

last pic as a drop bar bike..



it was a lot faster with better tires, but the frame is just too dang heavy to have it built up like a road bike.. townie/touring build in the works

bikemig 

No. 1. I really like old mtbs. The prices for vintage road bikes are pretty high; not so for vintage MTBs.

3speedslow

Yours is doing better then mine. I have the frame hung on the wall doing nothing ! You sure did ive that Alpina a good run as a drp bar road !

frantik

Admittedly this one also has spent quite a bit of time on the wall, especially after I built up my 1989 Jamis Dakar. I recently pulled it down and used the handlebars and some other parts to go towards my 1993 Diamondback Axis build. Then the frame sat until last night when I got a wild hair and started fitting bits and pieces to it

sirupate

Enjoying riding my Alpina Pro. I don't know the year, but it has double butted Prestige tubing with red/black web paint. I fitted Kenda Kwest high pressure tires since my riding is primarily on pavement. The bike has a very solid feel that my vintage road bike doesn't seem to have.

I have two Univega Range Rover ES MTB's. Both are the black chrome finish and have Shimano Exage Country running gear with Biopace chainrings.

bikemig 

I just built up a mtb as a drop bar bike. They are heavy but I think it will make a great touring bike for on and off road trips. The Alpina looks great.

Is the Alpina made out of tange prestige tubing? I'm seeing tange stickers and I must be missing something but I don't see a prestige sticker.

sirupate

I could see mine as a drop bar conversion too. Sort of a heavy duty road bike.

As far as I know, the Alpina Pro's from the 80's were all Tange Prestige tubing. Some were double butted and some triple butted. Not sure why the difference there.

frantik

When I first got it I thought it was Tange Prestige but it's Tange Triple butted cromo. I haven't weighed the frame but it's pretty heavy.. when built as a drop bar mtb it was over 30 pounds, compared to a similar drop bar mtb build with a confirmed Prestige frame which is 4 lbs lighter. It seems heavier than your typical Tange MTB double butted tubed bikes too honestly. It's really nicely made, just very "stout"..

I figured since the frame is heavy (yet comfortable as hell) I might as well just go the opposite way of my last build (full on weight weenie build) and slap on fenders and racks, etc. I just need time to run cables and go buy a chain and I'll take some new pics

sirupate

Comfortable is a good descriptor. I've got a rear rack and pannier set on and could see a front rack someday as well. My 531 road bike seems very springy in comparison to the Alpina Pro. Not sure on the weight difference, but I'd guess 8-9 lbs. Different beasts for sure.

John Nolan 

Frantik:

How did you get the Deore thumb shifters to fit in the drop bars?

frantik

they mount with a steel band, which you can bend enough to mount on the wider bars. I use a longer screw to bend it back into shape around the bar and then the stock hardware can be used to fasten it down

John Nolan 

Ah-ha! I'll give that a try!

frantik

Here it is built up as a townie/roadster/whatever bike. I set it up with halfstep+granny gearing to try it out, but it's kind of pointless since the big rings are really close together (48/45)

3speedslow

Nice job there Frantic. Mine is still on the wall and I'm still on the fence about what I'm going to do with it.

And I just got an 84 HIGH SIERRA SCHWINN frame coming in the mail to build up !

bsqed

Hi all.
I'm enjoying this thread. I've still got the Univega Alpina Pro I bought in 1988. It is all original, except the Deore pedals in the pics were replaced with (cheaper) Deore XTs (as the bearings failed 2 months ago). It's a bit heavy for the commuting I'm doing with it, but I haven't found a bike I like better yet.

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=10FF8...F778808E%21479

frantik

^ nice bike