mainstreetexile 

Looks perfect! How fat are those tires? They look wider than 26x2.125s.

Chris Chicago

They are cst cyclops pros, 26x2.4

IthaDan 

Just dropping this here. Maybe we can get ftwelder to chime in.

hairnet

That's looks like tons of fun. Definitely the way to go if I find a more aggressive mtb

Italuminium

Dayum, look at that front ring!

obrentharris 

Here's mine. I got it new and just sold it a few weeks ago. I think the new owner is going to have as much fun on it as we did.



Brent

Sixty Fiver

Nope... not yet.

IknowURider

1999 Red white and Blue (Lance Era) Trek 930, brush painted flat black. (doh, click on the photo. Uploading here is kinda tricky!)

Sprayman

Greetings Comrades;

This thread has given me the itch to build one of these bikes, but I'm a bit confused about something. Would you use the same size frame you would ride in an un-converted mountain bike? Or, would you use a bigger or smaller frame? Road bike frames are normally sized differently, so I would think that you would have to take that into account before you put drops on a mountain bike.

Thanks

striknein

As long as you stick with a top tube that's close to the length you're used to riding, you can make it work. The biggest hurdle you'll face when converting a mountain bike to drops is the sometimes short head tube.

RFC

Just a few shots of my `1988 Fisher Procaliber, which you have seen before in SS mode but now with a new transmission in in pathbomber mode.

scozim 

For some reason I like the "loud" color bikes - that looks fantastic.

rodar y rodar

I agree on both counts. Those screaming Hawiian Shirt paint jobs had to grow on me, though- I`m a reformed hater

due ruote 

It's all about the era.

Hey, check out this new Tears for Fears album!

Oh look, my portfolio just doubled again last month.

Let's go ride our bikes!

RFC

Thanks all. This is the fourth build and I think a keeper.

cyclotoine

You really need a zero offset post! You're like me.. tall and need the saddle far forward. I only used zero offset except on the fixed gear because it has shorter cranks.

shoota 

Love the bird shot included. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, and a bunch of Double-crested Cormorants. I thought you were in FL there for a minute

Creme Brulee

sprayman, i'd say use the biggest mtb you can stand over. don't worry about the top tube too much, if the saddle is at the same height as the bars you can reach much farther

frantik

thing is with MTBs, many of them have a higher bottom bracket, so the standover height for a given seat tube length will tend to be higher on a mtb vs a road bike. I can ride a 58cm road bike, but my tallest mtb has 55cm seat tube, and even less stand over.

As others have said, focus more on the top tube length.

If you're planning on doing a conversion for a bike that won't see a lot of offroad, then you can probably go with a size up from your normal mtb size. But if you plan on doing off roading too, you might want to go with something with more stand over clearance

RFC

Agreed. I'm one of those guys with enhanced legs. I have nosetbacks on most of my bikes. Now that I know I like the build, I'll get one in 26.8. BTW, the Origin 8 posts are pretty good.

RFC

You are an astute Birder, my friend. These birds have the right idea - spend the winter on a golf course in Scottsdale. The Valley has many ponds, lakes, and canals; each it's own micro ecosystem. On the cancel gravel grinder across the neighboring reservation, which has a great deal of water and good habitat, I have seen 30 species. U

hairnet

I too use a zero set back for my mtb. It's that 70* seat tube. Normally I have the saddle all the way back.

frantik

RFC it look like you could just get a shorter stem (i know that one matches perfectly) and then not need your saddle so far forward... or is it more about where your legs sit over the pedals?

I'm still dialing in the fit of my drop bar mtb.. i took it on a 12 mile test ride and by the end i really felt like my saddle was too far back. The seat tube on my univega is a little more slack than on my 1986 Diamondback... my DB fits me pretty much perfectly so I compare all of my new bikes to it. Since it's a lil more slack I suppose it makes sense that I would need the saddle slightly more forward

Fit is pretty complicated... I don't know if I managed to somehow get a perfect fit by accident on my DB or if I just got used to it and now that's what I prefer

Creme Brulee

the toptube length is almost irrelevant. if your saddle is wayyyy up high cause you bought a bike with a toptube length that sounds good, you're gonna be reaching out and down. the reach will be greater than if you have the saddle lower. so if you like numb hands and a sore back by all means get a tiny mtb with a super long seatpost

Bikedued

Unless it's a Bridgestone. I had an MB-5 with a top tube so long it was ridiculous, then it had a 130mm stem on it. I was like superman on that thing, and I'm not small by any means.,,,,BD