Steel Stumpjumper Touring Rig... Thoughts?
 

If you can give me a good reason not to try this, I am all ears....

I have been looking to build a BAD *SS rig that would rival the Riv Atlantis, Vanilla, vintage Miyata's and Surly Long Haul Truckers for quite some time and can't help thinking that a handmade Stumpy from Japan is about as high as one can get in the quality Dept...Even compared to these fine machines I just mentioned...

FULL Dbl Butted CrMo Tange Prestige, Full Deore, Canti's, silky smooth and laser fast, etc....

For advanced/technical trail riding I always tell people to size down/tight for their MTB choice, but I think that for an MTB touring rig it is important to size up, which is why I purchased this bike knowing darn-well that it's too big for me on the trail...20.5 with a whopping 23.75" top tube! I suspect that a common mistake some guys make is to build an MTB tourer that's too small in the frame geometry...

Thoughts on having a go at this for a touring rig?

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Awesome idea.

Going to get trekking bars for it, drops, or leave with flat bars?

+1, great idea. In fact, such a great idea I'm working on a similar project right now with a Miyata Ridgerunner. Only diff is the Miyata has lugs and Triple-splined tubing (so it goes to eleven!) and has rack bosses on the fork blades...bad news for me is it's an early model with under-chainstay roller brake...not an idea that proved out for Mtn. biking, but maybe won't be a deal-killer for a tourist or commuter.

Great question! Part of the reason I'm sizing up on the frame size is because I am considering running Riv Nitto Mustache bars or Trekkers with a shorter polished stem that I've been saving for a special occasion.... I like both of those on a larger bike, but don't like Mustache's on a smaller frame because I feel like they stretch me down too much...

I was also toying with this idea or at least trying to make a Bridgestone XO-1 clone without having to pay premium price. So I found on eBay an 80s (I think) CyclePro mtb frameset--made in Japan, level top tube, lugged fork. But for reasons probably having to do with its geometry, the handling is awful with drop bars and reasonable with a flat bar (but still a bit twitchy). That's not to say the early Stumpjumpers couldn't be good platforms for this conversion as it seems I've seen it done before.

Neal

Sounds like a great idea. Here's my Stumpy commuter, posing in front of the ever-popular white garage door:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2334/...a854265e6c.jpg

Everybody, including me is going to want to see this Unworthy! :thumb:

I was thinking along the same lines when I built my Bridgestone. I wanted to build a poor man's Atlantis. I need to change the bars for long distance comfort, but those are alloy Nitto/Ritchie bullmoose bars and I hate to give them up. You're right about sizing up. It fits me like a road bike with a high bottom bracket. I tried a mountain bike that was sized for off road use and it was not comfortable on the road. My only complaint is that there are no bosses or eyelets for mounting a front rack.

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/39...600x600Q85.jpg

I've been looking at trekking bars, but I don't understand how to set them up.

My commuting bike. I actually have them on backward, but I like them better this way!

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...s/101_0801.jpg

Here's how I had them setup on my old bike:

http://jt.f0e.net/bike/coffeeride.JPG

Yeah, that's how they are actually supposed to look.

I tried that, and found that upside-down and backward was the most comfortable for me.
What can I say? I'm Fred to the core!!

Actually, the older Specialized MTB's (1986 and before) had all the braze-ons for touring (fenders, front racks, etc). Should work great.

Nice idea and nice bike. My only problem is sizing up. I usually pick my bikes based on the TT length. On a MTB, you usually have a smaller ST than a road bike if the TT is correct, like your Stumpy.

Jeez Dd,
I'm conflicted... That Bridgestone looks perfect the way it is and I like those Bullmoose bars a lot, but I'll bet it would look equally good w/ some long-distance bars... Is that an MB 2!!?

RE: the lack of eyelets...Do they make a front rack that goes thru the brake hole and then clamps onto the lower fork blade?

I like the bullmoose bars, but I need to change hand positions once in a while if I'm going any distance. My thumbs go numb.

It's an '88 MB2.

The wheelset actually came from an Atlantis. The previous owner upgraded after only 100miles, but XT/Ultegra hubs and Sun Zero Degree rims are good enough for me. I got them $50. Butted spokes, too.

I tried a front Blackburn rack with P clips, but I didn't like that setup. It sat way too high.

sort of how i have my rockhopper set up ...

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5446/img0313cuj.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2536/img0316m.jpg

since i took these pictures, i've added full fenders and a front rack, routed the derailleur cable housing under the bar tape, and removed the wald grocery getters. it's a really fun ride and makes a great city bike.

I need some of those folding baskets. When my wife and I ride to the farmer's market, we end up riding home with bags of fruit and vegtables hanging from our handlebars. I just wish they could make them out of aluminum instead of steel.

You guys are posting some beauties... Keep em' coming!

I should mention that by "Touring rig" I mean to say that Mrs Bigwoo has given me the green light to take one of the dogs in the Burley, my gear/sleeping bag and a bike to do a 3 state tour. I hope to start in CA and head up to the Pacific NW....

yeah they're really heavy. that was one reason i took them off. the other is that they tended to come open on their own when i went over a nasty pothole ... and there are plenty of those around here. i need to get one of those grocery getter panniers that i can just clip on.

I'm at one with the general concept, but I think it's the details that matter. I recommend a Trek 800 or 900 series. They have reasonable manners on the road, and all the braze-on's you could want for a tourer. The other main advantage is they're really easy to find.

Not used for touring, but did this to my Stumpy to make it more versatile, my sloppy winter conditions, tooling around town, all purpose bike.

Thinking of investing in some different tires for the summer months, maybe a Schwalbe Stelvio or Marathon Racer.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/e...g?t=1241561651

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/e...g?t=1241561938

Vintage MTBs are ideal trekking bikes, the only issue is finding the right size. Most have really long top tubes so they are not feasible for a drop bar set-up unless you shorten the stem and put some rise on it. But they sure work great with other bar! I don't think you necessarily need to size up as it is the length of the frame that is the most critical measure and I think that is what you should be checking when you are shopping for a vintage MTB for touring purposes. Surly long haul truckers are basically vintage MTB styled frames with lower BBs and short TTs... well once you get above 54 they became 29ers but the short TTs (compared to MTBs of similar ST size) is what allows traditional touring set-ups.

go for it! stumpy's are great frames and paired with a 26" wheel, you'd have a strong/solid touring rig. Even if you don't have all the braze-ons on your frame, you can always use p-clamps for racks and zip-ties for bottle cages!

I said basically the same thing in post #13

Have you ever tried moustache bars? I have a really Stumpjumper and Rockhopper in the garage. The Stumpy definitely has a more aggressive geometry. I can't see where it would make a good tourer. The Rockhopper, OTH, looks like it would be the ideal Trekking bike.

+1 On the Trek 900 series. Here is my 1992 Trek 950, in light touring configuration. This time, it is set up for rough trails. The bike has Dirt Research brand trekking bars. If I was to do it again, I would use Nashbar trekking bars. But the DR bars allowed me to place the brake levers in the same position (or almost) as the original flat bars.


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