Show Your Vintage MTB Drop Bar Conversions
#2851
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32 is really hefty. Does that include racks? Most of the decent mtbs from that time were 30 pounds. Shedding weight from there was relatively easy.
The Panaracers are on the heavy side for that size tire. The Panaracer High Road V weighs in at 607 grams each. Same size Nashbar Streetwise weighs 430 grams and the Nashbar 1.25 inch slicks weigh 346 grams each.
The Panaracers are on the heavy side for that size tire. The Panaracer High Road V weighs in at 607 grams each. Same size Nashbar Streetwise weighs 430 grams and the Nashbar 1.25 inch slicks weigh 346 grams each.
I'm not interested in going any smaller on the tires than 1.5, I have cross and road bikes if i want a skinny tire bike. My tires are in great shape.
Components are alloy Sugino triple crankset with alloy rings, Deore derailleurs, Suntour barcons, Scott alloy drops, Shimano cantis, and a typical sealed BB.
#2852
Jack of all trades
That is 32 pounds with rear rack, full front and rear fenders with stays (the fenders are big and strong and heavy plastic), and a cheap small all in one pannier setup.
I'm not interested in going any smaller on the tires than 1.5, I have cross and road bikes if i want a skinny tire bike. My tires are in great shape.
Components are alloy Sugino triple crankset with alloy rings, Deore derailleurs, Suntour barcons, Scott alloy drops, Shimano cantis, and a typical sealed BB.
I'm not interested in going any smaller on the tires than 1.5, I have cross and road bikes if i want a skinny tire bike. My tires are in great shape.
Components are alloy Sugino triple crankset with alloy rings, Deore derailleurs, Suntour barcons, Scott alloy drops, Shimano cantis, and a typical sealed BB.
#2853
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32 is on the hefty side. Does that include racks? Most of the decent mtbs from that time were 30 pounds. Shedding weight from there was relatively easy.
The Panaracers are on the heavy side for that size tire. The Panaracer High Road V weighs in at 607 grams each. Same size Nashbar Streetwise weighs 430 grams and the Nashbar 1.25 inch slicks weigh 346 grams each.
The Panaracers are on the heavy side for that size tire. The Panaracer High Road V weighs in at 607 grams each. Same size Nashbar Streetwise weighs 430 grams and the Nashbar 1.25 inch slicks weigh 346 grams each.
#2854
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Just built this the other day. 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Comp. I plan on going camping on my bike this summer and had to come up with something that could carry all the supplies.



#2856
Thrifty Bill
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In the end of my own weight weenie challenge, I ended up adding back some weight to get the pedals and saddle I prefer.
#2857
Thrifty Bill
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#2858
Just keep pedalling!
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Here is my Bianchi Osprey built up with drop bars:

#2859
Thrifty Bill
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Finally got my 1989 finished. Bike originally came with FIVE sets of bottle cage mounts (one on the stem, so the dirt drop stem reduced the bike to only four), they must have been after a record on that one. Its one size smaller than my green Cimarron, so we will have to see how this works out. Put on a set of Mavic/Phil Wood hubs on this one. I really like the decal graphics on the 1989, much better than my 1987. I also like the later Deore parts. And yes, the chrome fork is original.
.

.
#2860
You gonna eat that?


#2861
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Nice Cimmaron, Bill. It looks tasty, like a watermelon. I would never think to pair those colors, but it works well. Mike
#2862
Thrifty Bill
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"Watermelon", I think that name will stick. The tape is Nashbar brand, they call it "radio-active", the housing is green from Niagara, they sell in a 50 foot roll.
I usually pick a contrasting color from the decal work. But with silver/gray decals, that was not going to work for me. That left black or the green.
I usually pick a contrasting color from the decal work. But with silver/gray decals, that was not going to work for me. That left black or the green.
#2863
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+1 Bill, that color combo just pops. I never would have imagined either, but the Cim looks great.
#2864
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Kind of missed the point, if the goal is to shed weight on an existing bike, then pedals, tires, saddle, and wheels are the primary area of attack. Add replacing any other parts that could be steel (a lot of mtb stems are steel) with alloy.
In the end of my own weight weenie challenge, I ended up adding back some weight to get the pedals and saddle I prefer.
In the end of my own weight weenie challenge, I ended up adding back some weight to get the pedals and saddle I prefer.
#2866
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Finally got my 1989 finished. Bike originally came with FIVE sets of bottle cage mounts (one on the stem, so the dirt drop stem reduced the bike to only four), they must have been after a record on that one. Its one size smaller than my green Cimarron, so we will have to see how this works out. Put on a set of Mavic/Phil Wood hubs on this one. I really like the decal graphics on the 1989, much better than my 1987. I also like the later Deore parts. And yes, the chrome fork is original.
My red 23" 1987 Cimarron has the chrome fork as well.
I am really enjoying that bike.
I was able to just barely fit 2.3 Michelin Pilot Sport tires which provide
a seriously cushy ride.
#2867
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I got out and about on my drop-bar conversion last Friday. Right now the only way to get to this spot is via bike trails. Come September there will be a trailhead off the main road a short walk from here. (I tried to get on the trails at the new trailhead, but the construction foreman shooed me away and I had to go around the other way).
That looks like a very nice area. Where is that located?
Is that your Nishiki hybrid you have in the pictures?
#2868
Just keep pedalling!
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#2869
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@ Doohickie, great scenic photos! What bars are you running? They look like they may be shallow drops?
Note: I'm just waiting for a vintage size 50-ish MTB to be available so I, too, can post here. I love this thread!
Note: I'm just waiting for a vintage size 50-ish MTB to be available so I, too, can post here. I love this thread!
#2870
Thrifty Bill
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My point was that Tservs are not exactly heavy for higher volume tires. In my case, I went from cheap ~900 gm mountain bike tires to much lighter and faster rolling tires. To get lighter than the Tservs means going to smaller diameter slicks. I'd rather have my poor man's 650b setup.
#2871
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Speaking of lightweight tires.....
Pricepoint.com is clearing 3 models of Vee Rubber 26x2.10" tire for only $9.98 each! Normally sold around $30+.
If you need a full-sized dirt tire for your riding conditions, these are a great deal!
They are all kevlar folding bead tires, 120 TPI, dual compound for wear and traction, and weigh in at 540-560 grams.
I have a pair of Vee Rubber 'Flying Vs' that were supplied to me as samples from Vee Rubber for testing at work. Same casing and size, but a CX tread. I've been riding them on my Giant Smurf. All I can say is they are impressive tires. Light, fast, durable and lot's of traction. The suppleness of the casing soaked up the bumps. They've survived some abusive conditions that I thought the sidewalls would have torn open.
I have no association with the brand, just won over by the quality and performance of their high TPI offerings.
Vee Rubber Trax 26x2.10 Folding Tire | Vee Rubber | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
Pricepoint.com is clearing 3 models of Vee Rubber 26x2.10" tire for only $9.98 each! Normally sold around $30+.
If you need a full-sized dirt tire for your riding conditions, these are a great deal!
They are all kevlar folding bead tires, 120 TPI, dual compound for wear and traction, and weigh in at 540-560 grams.
I have a pair of Vee Rubber 'Flying Vs' that were supplied to me as samples from Vee Rubber for testing at work. Same casing and size, but a CX tread. I've been riding them on my Giant Smurf. All I can say is they are impressive tires. Light, fast, durable and lot's of traction. The suppleness of the casing soaked up the bumps. They've survived some abusive conditions that I thought the sidewalls would have torn open.
I have no association with the brand, just won over by the quality and performance of their high TPI offerings.
Vee Rubber Trax 26x2.10 Folding Tire | Vee Rubber | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
#2872
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Here's my beast on this mornings ride. I just finished doing the wiring for my dynamo lights, (Supernova E3 Pro2, and E3 tail light) and am patiently waiting for my front wheel to arrive from Peter White.

#2873
cowboy, steel horse, etc
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Speaking of lightweight tires.....
Pricepoint.com is clearing 3 models of Vee Rubber 26x2.10" tire for only $9.98 each! Normally sold around $30+.
If you need a full-sized dirt tire for your riding conditions, these are a great deal!
They are all kevlar folding bead tires, 120 TPI, dual compound for wear and traction, and weigh in at 540-560 grams.
I have a pair of Vee Rubber 'Flying Vs' that were supplied to me as samples from Vee Rubber for testing at work. Same casing and size, but a CX tread. I've been riding them on my Giant Smurf. All I can say is they are impressive tires. Light, fast, durable and lot's of traction. The suppleness of the casing soaked up the bumps. They've survived some abusive conditions that I thought the sidewalls would have torn open.
I have no association with the brand, just won over by the quality and performance of their high TPI offerings.
Vee Rubber Trax 26x2.10 Folding Tire | Vee Rubber | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
Pricepoint.com is clearing 3 models of Vee Rubber 26x2.10" tire for only $9.98 each! Normally sold around $30+.
If you need a full-sized dirt tire for your riding conditions, these are a great deal!
They are all kevlar folding bead tires, 120 TPI, dual compound for wear and traction, and weigh in at 540-560 grams.
I have a pair of Vee Rubber 'Flying Vs' that were supplied to me as samples from Vee Rubber for testing at work. Same casing and size, but a CX tread. I've been riding them on my Giant Smurf. All I can say is they are impressive tires. Light, fast, durable and lot's of traction. The suppleness of the casing soaked up the bumps. They've survived some abusive conditions that I thought the sidewalls would have torn open.
I have no association with the brand, just won over by the quality and performance of their high TPI offerings.
Vee Rubber Trax 26x2.10 Folding Tire | Vee Rubber | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
IRC Mythos XC II Racing Kevlar Folding Tire | IRC | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
Without that choice I dunno what I'm gonna do for cheap, light knobbies.
#2874
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Hmmm interesting. I've only tried Vee's lowend rubber. They're still a little heavy for my taste, but not bad. I miss the good ol' days when these were still around. So light, around 475 g, and fast rolling!
IRC Mythos XC II Racing Kevlar Folding Tire | IRC | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
Without that choice I dunno what I'm gonna do for cheap, light knobbies.
IRC Mythos XC II Racing Kevlar Folding Tire | IRC | Brand | www.PricePoint.com
Without that choice I dunno what I'm gonna do for cheap, light knobbies.
Vee Rubber recruited away Kenda's tire designer responsible for their very successful V8, Vx, etc series of mtb tires. The 120 TPI offerings are essentially twins.
These have a wonderful ride with a rigid-hardtail mtb.
#2875
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Sorry this is sort of a re-post but I changed a few things and took more pics and I wanted to give a better list of components.
The bike is a 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Comp. After wrecking a ton of parts on it I decided to build it as a touring bike for the purpose of camping trips.
The frame, fork, front wheel and brake arms are the only original pieces at this point. I built it up with the stem from a Stumpjumper, SR Special steel drops, Tekro levers, a set of barend shifters that I mounted Shimano 600 7 speed DT shifters on (which oddly enough has the rang for 8 speed). The crank is FSA Vero with SunTour XCII pedals, 52/42/24 chainrings. Deore DX FD, Deore XT RD. I had to make the front rack out of another rack and some aluminium stock. Wheels are Deore LX Parallax and the fenders are from a walmart beach cruiser. Oh and a set of Richey Logic Kool Stops





The bike is a 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Comp. After wrecking a ton of parts on it I decided to build it as a touring bike for the purpose of camping trips.
The frame, fork, front wheel and brake arms are the only original pieces at this point. I built it up with the stem from a Stumpjumper, SR Special steel drops, Tekro levers, a set of barend shifters that I mounted Shimano 600 7 speed DT shifters on (which oddly enough has the rang for 8 speed). The crank is FSA Vero with SunTour XCII pedals, 52/42/24 chainrings. Deore DX FD, Deore XT RD. I had to make the front rack out of another rack and some aluminium stock. Wheels are Deore LX Parallax and the fenders are from a walmart beach cruiser. Oh and a set of Richey Logic Kool Stops






