Originally Posted by
dmeans2anend
Size: 14" frame
For your height, that is probably a good size. It could be an inch smaller but at least it isn’t a 15”. Those are rare in aluminum and particularly rare in titanium.
Spoke Nipples: 32 nipples Silver color (brass? or alloy?)
The color looks aluminum. It’s not shiny silver like plated brass. I wouldn’t worry about them and certainly not replace them as long as they don’t break. If the spoke nipples start to break, look into a rebuild but not until you have a problem.
Bike Fit: Overall, the bike fit feels fairly comfortable for my height and size without having made any changes to it yet. However, I'm a road cyclist and I have no experience with mountain biking so I don't have much to go on at this point until I actually get out on the trails and do some long rides. I do realize that the bike geometry is more aggressive and suited for XC racing than what I am intending it for.
Generally you want about 3” (4” is better) smaller than you would ride on a road bike. For your height, you likely ride a 44cm (17”) or 47 (18”) road. A 14” frame is in the range of what you probably should be riding. Something to consider if you need a little more room is to have the shock travel limited. You may be able to have it rebuilt by
Risse. I had a fork travel reduced to 60mm for my small wife.
The gear ratio on the Airborne Lancaster is excellent with a range of 17.7 to 103 gear inches per Sheldon Brown's Gear Calculator.
Not bad but could be a little better. You can fit a 20 tooth inner on the bike with some surgery.
Here’s post with a video link on how to do it. It’s not too difficult and require nothing more than a file. You can also use 36 tooth cog on the cassette. It may work with your current derailer (try it first) but if it doesn’t a Wolf Tooth Road Link will extend the capacity of the rear derailer.
Here are some changes that I am considering on the retrofit for the bike:
C4) Replace the Shimano 9 speed chain (CN-HG 93.1) to KMC 9 speed chain (X9.93).
C5) Consider replacing the carbon fiber Easton Monkey Lite XC handlebar with an aluminum Jones H bar with riser. I'm replacing the carbon handlebar because I want to add load to the handlebar to hang a handlebar bag.
There’s no need to replace the Shimano chain if it isn’t worn. There’s not difference between the two. Just leave it until it needs replacing.
The handlebars aren’t really anything to worry about. They are designed for more weight than you carry (probably). A bikepacking handlebar load is usually a tent and sleeping bag which aren’t that heavy. I doubt that it will have any issues.
Questions:
Q2) Based on the above bike specs, would you have any recommendation on changes, upgrades, or concerns with respect to using the bike to bike touring on the GDMBR? I have tried to provide the model numbers for the component parts since some of it is vintage.
Nope. Nothing needs to be changed. Gearing could be tweaked a little but that’s not a necessity. As it sits, the bike is an excellent find and very rideable.
Q3) Since the frame size is very small (14"), I suspect there is not enough clearance for using bags for bikepacking. My current plan is to add a handlebar bag in front, and add a rear rack (Old Man Mountain or ?? better suggestion) and use panniers. I already have an Old Man Mountain (OMM) rear rack that I used on my titanium cyclocross bike for road touring. The OMM rack is rather heavy though and it utilize skewer mounting instead of bottom braze-ons. A rear rack with skewer mounting makes changing a flat tire on the rear tire a bit more challenging. Otherwise, the OMM rack is bomb proof. I am open to other options though. The Airborne HT has braze-ons for rear racks. See photos of top and bottom braze-ons for the rear rack below. I am worry that the disc brake may interfere with mounting the rear rack to the bottom braze-ons. I had the same problem with the Motobecane Titanium cyclocross bike and hence, I had to use the skewer mounting instead. Any recommendation on alternative rear rack options for HT bikes with rear disc brakes that can handle very rough trails? Most aluminum rear racks made for bikes with discs seem cheap and too flimsy for the GDMBR (example the Ibera rear rack or the Axiom).
You are correct that a seat pack is probably out of the question. You’ll almost have to use a rack. That said, the Old Man Mountain is a poor choice. I’ve had one in the past and found it to have just the problems you are anticipating. A regular rack will probably fit without issues. Try a cheap on first to see if it fits (borrow one if possible.) If fitting the rack has issues, you may just need to move the legs out a little with a disc adapter.
Axiom and
Jandd make some clever ones.
As to brand, it’s hard to go wrong with Tubus. Cost wise they are as expensive (or even a little cheaper) as the Old Man Mountain. They are steel (or titanium) but are as rugged as you can get.
For rear bags, I’d suggest either
Revelate Design Nano panniers (expensive but rugged and well made) or
Moosetreks panniers (not as durable but cheap). Both are small (about 15 L total) which is good. You can mount a trunk bag if you need more room. I’d suggest avoiding really large panniers because that just encourages more stuff to carry.
Q4) To provide more even weight distribution between the front and back of the bike if I use only rear panniers, I'm considering adding some sort of mount on the front suspension fork like the Salsa Anything Cage with hose clamps. Or consider a front rack like the Topeak TetraRack M1 that mounts on front suspension forks and is compatible with 26" tires. Does anyone have experience using these on their bikes or even better recommendations?
Topeak Versa Cage and
Versamount are good choices and the Versamount is far better than hose clamps. I have had an issue with the Versamount’s plastic worm screw coming loose but it’s still better than a hose clamp.
Zefal Gizmo is another good choice that uses zipties. I’d avoid hose clamps because they are easy to overtighten on the fork leg.
Q5) The current tire size is 26" x 2.0". Any recommendations on tire sizes for the GDMBR that would be suitable on the Airborne Lancaster HT? Is 2" wide tires adequate with a hardtail for the GDMBR or should I consider even fatter tires if my bike geometry allows?
I doubt you’ll be able to go much wider. Looking at the frame and given the era, it doesn’t appear to have much space for wider than about 2.2”. The other issue with really wide tires is that they add weight.
Q7) What is a good pedal replacement recommendation for the GDMBR? I have the Shimano PD-A530 SPD Dual Platform Pedals and standard SPD pedals that I use for road riding but I suspect these are more for road biking and not suitable for mountain biking.
Just about any Shimano (or any other dual sided Shimano compatible) pedal will work. The M520 is a good choice. About $50 for new ones and $25 or less on Fleabay. Used ones are fine since the M520 is an incredible rugged pedal.