Originally Posted by
mountaindave
All great points, @
wrk101. I would also add that 26" wheels are
way more standard than 27.5/650b (in terms of road/gravel). Much easier to find tires.
I think dirt drop MTBs look bada$$ myself. However, I have the reverse problem in sizing. I can ride a 60cm c-c seat tube with a 58cm c-c top tube and still have 4" of saddle to bar drop. Makes finding a suitable MTB a challenge for my ridiculously long legs and short torso.
I really enjoyed my dirt drop on a 30 mile ride I posted earlier this summer. It was a combo of pavement, gravel and double track. The dirt drop performed flawlessly on all three. I don't think my planned 650b would be up to the double track challenge. MTBs have quite a range of possibilities open to them.
Keep talking up Colorado, @
Squeeze. Montana sucks, nothin' going on here...
Oh yeah, that Dawes is rad!
I put North Roads on a conversion for the El Cheapo contest, as the top tube was definitely too long for me. I also used a super short stem. Could this be an option for you?
Also consider mid 1980s. Seems like by the end of the 1980s, and into the 1990s, top tubes got longer and longer. The 1990 Schwinn Sierra below has a top tube that is one inch longer than my 1988 Schwinn Cimarron. Both share the same seat tube length.
The beauty of building one out of spare parts is even if it doesn't work out, the parts will transfer to the next project.
1990 Schwinn Sierra:
