tacreamer

Here is my 1989 Specialised Rock Combo - new paint and converted to 650b with Paul's Moto BMX brakes.

rhodekill

Thanks for the tips ksryder!

coolkat

Converted my Nishiki to a SS. Lots of fun, but I need some slicks. Pushing these massive knobbies around with just a single speed is hard work!

Stockton350

I converted an old Rockhopper to a utility bike with drop bars. Lots of fun to ride, especially in the cold New England weather.

LesterOfPuppets

Not vintage, but vintage styling and pretty cool brake setup on this bike by Littleford Bicycles.

Canti posts can be flipped : up for 650b, down for 26", brake bridge and fork crown holes set for 700c.

Lascauxcaveman 

Flipable canti posts are just screamingly awesome.

But I'm thinking more along the lines of 700c x 27". Why are larger rim sizes so out of fashion?

himespau 

That looks incredibly sweet and I love the versatility of the brakes.

gomango

Looks like a practical, do anything bike.

Bit of a Rivendell influence as well.

cyclotoine

hmm discs also achieve this versatility and work better, but not on a curved fork with 1" steer like that. That ruins this for me as it limits it's ability to tackle really rugged terrain. The geometry reminds me of a Cleland.

LesterOfPuppets

Interesting. I ride really rugged terrain with 1" headset and rim brakes all the time. Never really felt I was limited by those aspects.

I can do the same trails far faster on a Specialized Epic FSR, but it's the plush suspension that does that more than the tapered steerer and disc brakes.

Littleford seems to be geared towards the wool-wearing retrogrouch crowd more than the RedBull chuggin' All Mountain crowd, though.

I think for an S&S coupled bike the main selling point of discs would be cleaner wheels cuz disc brake dust is less of a problem than dried rim brake sludge.

Can't pack disc wheels quite as tightly as rim brake wheels in the bike box, though. Hmmm, actually if I was bagging or boxing up some disc wheels, I'd be inclined to remove the rotors before travel or shipping. I hate fixing bent rotors.

brockd15 

What I like is that Littleford has racks that mount to bosses on the sides of the fork crown, like on my '83 Voyageur SP (and like the bike above).
What I don't like is the price of those racks.

cyclotoine

Can you ride more rugged terrain with it? Yes. Would I take a 1-1/8" threadless steerer and disc brakes for more control and stability through that terrain WHEN LOADED? Yes.

anixi

Dear caveman,
I have no idea what you mean. AFAIK there is no such thing as "700c x 27inch".

Lascauxcaveman 

I suppose 700C & 27" would make more sense. Or perhaps 700c convertible to 27" or maybe a bike that has removable posts that could be flipped to accommodate both 700c rims AND 27" rims, in a similar way to the ones above we've been talking about that lets you convert from 26" to 650b.

But you already probably (hopefully?) knew that's what I was talking about, didn't you?

LesterOfPuppets

If you put the posts in the right place you can handle both 700c and 27" rim sizes by moving brake pads, it's only a 4mm move.

Chrome Molly

I spent part of the day making some changes to the Croll.

It is now a double instead of a triple. The 42/27 with 11-28 (8 cogs) brings the closer spaced small cogs into a more useful range. Using a 10 speed chain allows full use of the small ring and doesn't compromise the shifting (clears the top pull double FD nicely). The XTR RD and new post were CL deals from the last few months for a total of less than $50. I had to improvise a cable adjuster onto the XTR RD, and it works great thus far (much more positive than the STX RD it replaced). The chain is more bling that I care for, but it will probably move to another project to be replaced by something less showy. Pictures were from the shakedown, so now it's time to add the cable ends, a dog ear, and other finishing touches.

The whole package as shown is slightly over 22 lbs (dropped a pound from the triple and its steel rings). Anyhow, new stuff deserves new pictures I suppose...

bici_mania

Several weeks ago I was working on the bike of a guy I know as a casual acquaintance. He brought me his bike only looking for a tune up but it was such an awesome bike and I think highly of this guy so I did a limited overhaul of the whole bike. At first he was a bit irritated and told me he couldn't afford to pay for it, I hadn't mentioned money and wasn't interested in the money.

Today he called me and asked if I wanted to go for a ride. We met up and he presented me with this. He loved what I did to his bike so much and since I wouldn't take money he gave me this bike.



He dated it to 1989 and judging from the purple and turquoise paint splatters and the funky rear triangle that seems about right. It rides great but is going to need new cables, housings, bearings, grease etc.

I am curious what you all think about a drop bar conversion. I barely fit, it is a bit too large but I think with a short stem it will work. What do you think?

Pompiere

Check post #2010 on page 81 of this thread for another Nishiki like yours. Most people find that the length of the frame is the limiting factor, i.e. the MTB frames are more stretched than the same sized road bike. A shorted stem helps, but you also have longer reach to the drops, so it cancels what you gained with the shorter stem.

Chris Chicago

Super cool bike.
Whats a dog ear?

Velocivixen

@Chris Chicago - I think he may be referring to a bike computer mount.

gomango

Well, I like what you did here.

I have been looking to upgrade the drivetrain on the Fargo this winter to XT or XTR. I have access to a full XT drivetrain off a friend's Niner. He's going with XTR and I may just grab the whole deal and go with Veloce Ergos as well. I just haven't decided yet as I also have DA bar ends that may work nicely as well. It's all 9 speed.

Chrome Molly

Thanks.

I meant to say dog fang (a chain keeper device that keeps it from falling off the inner ring).

Chrome Molly

Thanks Grady. Do the new XT shifters have road shift ratios? I think the 9 speed XTR was the end of the line for the "shared" ratio, but maybe someone else here knows.

I'm re-assessing the fleet to determine if I'd rather get some 10 speed Shimano road ratio shifters so I can further tighten up the gear range. 8 speed works well enough, but I'd like just a little tighter gearing in the "soft gravel" range.

Since I went with a 10 speed chain already and 10 speed cassettes are as cheap as 8 speed ones, I may as well figure this out. I don't care for the combo brake and gear chores with a single lever on the Shimano system, and that might be even more iffy off road. Maybe I'll have my first try with MicroShift. It has to be something I can ride the hoods with, so no bar ends here as this bike still sees a fair share of singletrack and will need that fast control. I ride the hoods instead of the drops offroad, against everyone's better advice...

Won't do it unless the Veloce ergos find a suitable home, and they just might...

Chrome Molly

Nevermind my ratio comment, I see you said it's 9 speed already. Too early to read...

gomango

Good question on the ratios. The stuff I'll pick up is all 9 speed I think, but I'm not positive.

As for riding the hoods, I am also quite guilty. I do ride in the drops on my Fargo, but not so much on the Merckx.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong......

As for the MicroShift stuff, you should come over and grab my Fargo for a day. I have Microshift bar ends on it atm.

You could see if you like them. I've grown tolerant.