Conversion Complete! Steel Bianchi road bike to CX!
#1
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Conversion Complete! Steel Bianchi road bike to CX!
Before: 1997 Steel Bianchi (recently restored, road ready)
After: New fork, Cantilever brakes, Pedals, Tires (30mm), flipped stem, went back to old aluminum seatpost (my carbon one kept turning in practice)
I mig welded the Canti bosses myself. Tires fit pretty well. I could to a 35mm in the front, I think a 32mm is all that this road frame would allow for the rear. The rear wouldn't have fit if I didn't remove the road brake hanger. Tire didn't have enough clearance. I raised and flipped the hanger and attached a cable stop. Welds are strong but not super pretty. Rides good. Fork is definitely lighter than my old steel one. It does flex a little and feels like a wet noodle but for $40 what do you expect. Total conversion was under $150.
I actually think it looks better like this. Still trying to get use to the 1x setup. I think the 39 will be fine for the front but may need a 28 or so in the back (23 now).
I had a lot better pictures but got tired of posting and resizing and it not working. If anybody needs close ups of how I did the rear brake set up, I can email some pics. Just p.m. me.
To come:
Bash guard, dog fang, maybe different gearing.
First race (ever) this Wednesday. Wish me luck!
After: New fork, Cantilever brakes, Pedals, Tires (30mm), flipped stem, went back to old aluminum seatpost (my carbon one kept turning in practice)
I mig welded the Canti bosses myself. Tires fit pretty well. I could to a 35mm in the front, I think a 32mm is all that this road frame would allow for the rear. The rear wouldn't have fit if I didn't remove the road brake hanger. Tire didn't have enough clearance. I raised and flipped the hanger and attached a cable stop. Welds are strong but not super pretty. Rides good. Fork is definitely lighter than my old steel one. It does flex a little and feels like a wet noodle but for $40 what do you expect. Total conversion was under $150.
I actually think it looks better like this. Still trying to get use to the 1x setup. I think the 39 will be fine for the front but may need a 28 or so in the back (23 now).
I had a lot better pictures but got tired of posting and resizing and it not working. If anybody needs close ups of how I did the rear brake set up, I can email some pics. Just p.m. me.
To come:
Bash guard, dog fang, maybe different gearing.
First race (ever) this Wednesday. Wish me luck!
Last edited by KDTX; 09-21-09 at 12:25 PM.
#4
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Awesome.
#5
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Is that the Kinesis crosslight fork? If so, how did you remove the decals?
#6
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Is that an 8 speed cassette? What was your rear spacing? Did you replace the rear wheel?
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#8
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Thread Starter
Kinesis Fork: Yes Ebay for $39.95. It definitely flexes more than my steel fork. Mainly when you stop/apply front brake. No biggie but I can tell. I just peeled the stickers off by hand, clean up residue w/WD40.
Yes it is an 8 speed cassette 12-23. Not sure what you mean by7 spacing. It is the standard 700c Campy wheel/hub setup that came with the bike. I didn't replace anything. Width clearance was ok. A 32mm will fit. I would be skeptical about jamming a 34 or 35 mm in there. Height now fits since I moved the brake hanger but now I would be running into width issues with anything wider.
Let me look for the pictures. PM me your email address.
Yes it is an 8 speed cassette 12-23. Not sure what you mean by7 spacing. It is the standard 700c Campy wheel/hub setup that came with the bike. I didn't replace anything. Width clearance was ok. A 32mm will fit. I would be skeptical about jamming a 34 or 35 mm in there. Height now fits since I moved the brake hanger but now I would be running into width issues with anything wider.
Let me look for the pictures. PM me your email address.
#9
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Yeah I have a lot of brake shutter when I'm stopping with that fork.
#10
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#11
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Thread Starter
I looked for the pictures and I can't find them. I took a bunch too. O well here is the explanation.
To do the canti-conversion:
1. Need a steel bike
2. Remove the road brake hanger (if there isn't enough clearance. I used a grinder and a dremel). I think you can actually use a torch but didn't try it.
3. Order Canti bosses from Henry James Bicycle Supply. Super cheap, $4.95 each.
4. Put the wheel on and find proper postion.
5. Weld on! I used setting 1 on my mig welder and it was still pretty hot.
6. Be careful to not burn through the bosses. They heat up way quicker than the frame. I thought it would have been the opposite (tubing on frame) being more fragile.
If I find the pics I will post them.
To do the canti-conversion:
1. Need a steel bike
2. Remove the road brake hanger (if there isn't enough clearance. I used a grinder and a dremel). I think you can actually use a torch but didn't try it.
3. Order Canti bosses from Henry James Bicycle Supply. Super cheap, $4.95 each.
4. Put the wheel on and find proper postion.
5. Weld on! I used setting 1 on my mig welder and it was still pretty hot.
6. Be careful to not burn through the bosses. They heat up way quicker than the frame. I thought it would have been the opposite (tubing on frame) being more fragile.
If I find the pics I will post them.
#12
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What about paint? Did'nt you have to remove the paint before welding and then repaint? I'm guessing so since the rear triangle is black but you didn't mention it.
#14
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Thread Starter
I forgot to mention paint. If I was starting a new project from the beginning, I would strip the whole bike, do your welding, then repaint or powder coat. This is a long topic and is beat to death in the C&V forum.
Disclaimer: This is a project bike. It is also a cross bike and is going to get muddy. Please don't flame for the paint method. I actually took the time to do it right. You can find the first restoration somewhere in the classic and vintage forum. Search Celeste Bianchi.
What I did for this project was:
Sand painted areas with dremel(plus some extra room) to be welded.
Weld
sand and tape
Prime
Spray
Clear coat all with Rustoleum spray cans
When I welded on the frame, only about 1"-2" of good paint got fried. I was actually lucky that I painted the seat stays black. It made this job much easier.
If you look closely at the before and afters, you can see how the paint job changed a little near the top of the seat stay. I did this because it was too hard to try and get the Celeste to match. It was just easier to do it this way.
Disclaimer: This is a project bike. It is also a cross bike and is going to get muddy. Please don't flame for the paint method. I actually took the time to do it right. You can find the first restoration somewhere in the classic and vintage forum. Search Celeste Bianchi.
What I did for this project was:
Sand painted areas with dremel(plus some extra room) to be welded.
Weld
sand and tape
Prime
Spray
Clear coat all with Rustoleum spray cans
When I welded on the frame, only about 1"-2" of good paint got fried. I was actually lucky that I painted the seat stays black. It made this job much easier.
If you look closely at the before and afters, you can see how the paint job changed a little near the top of the seat stay. I did this because it was too hard to try and get the Celeste to match. It was just easier to do it this way.
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I keep coming back to this thread because i want to weld some canti bosses on my ride. My fork is perfectly fine and the bike was meant for 27" tires. I currently am running 700c with centerpulls. I think the OP only welded on the rears and the fronts came with his fork?? Anyone see any problems with doing a weld job up front as well? Are forks designed for cantis wider??
#17
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Thread Starter
I keep coming back to this thread because i want to weld some canti bosses on my ride. My fork is perfectly fine and the bike was meant for 27" tires. I currently am running 700c with centerpulls. I think the OP only welded on the rears and the fronts came with his fork?? Anyone see any problems with doing a weld job up front as well? Are forks designed for cantis wider??
#20
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damn, that is one sweet ride.
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