ratfink76

I am super excited about the way it came out - thanks!!

Bikedued

I got done just before dark. Too bad my friend didn't tell me the rear rim was toast, so I had to swap on some other rims and tires, so I can ride it tomorrow. Soooo, I guess I won't be using the nice smoky anodized wheels, which is what started the whole build in the first place. The derailleur he traded me the same day, from the same bike, has a frozen solid corroded cable adjuster as well. It's a Deore DX short cage. I am not too happy with the guy right now, obviously. Either way, she's done, and looking pretty spiffy.,,,,BD

Photobomb by Ricky, hehe.

3speedslow

BD, looks sweet ! Bet the ride will be super as well.

With friends like that, who needs...

Bikedued

It is actually now my favorite bike at the moment. I rode it fast, I rode it slow. I also rode it over those grey rocks on the side of a railroad track. That was pretty rough treatment for any bike. It came right through it like it was no problem. All told maybe 200 yards, with no real path. The front tire was shifting 5-6 inches sideways every other second, and the rear tire did okay but spun alot. It was large loose rocks, so you can imagine how they shift. The bike took the punishment, and was even comfortable and somewhat fast to road ride. The Avids, were amazing through the whole ride. They gave one bad low tone squeal the first time I really braked, but never made another sound. I could find a lighter frame maybe, but I like it. It took everything I threw at it, that's all you can hope for. It got a slow leak in the front tire though. Possibly the hasty tire change at 7:30 this morning.,,,,BD

murraysbikes123

I've been following this thread for aages, and a lot of the bikes here have been inspirational to me, so I thought it was time I shared my ride, a mid to late 80s Dawes F2 (fun and fast). My girlfriend also has a matching Dawes mtb conversion from the same era with moustache bars, hopefully I'll get round to photographing them together some time...
Oh and it has a wald basket on the front now. I've been hitting the fire trails with it, and its perfect for the job, but a bit slow on the pavement. I may try it with some Compass Rat Trap Pass tyres as well, I'm interested to see how fast it would be as an all-roads bike.

arex

I really like that color scheme.

mattk42

@murraysbikes123 Wow, I love everything about your bike. The separate bar tape colors has a neat effect. That paint scheme is great too. What drop bars are you running?

murraysbikes123

Heh, thanks guys, the bars are Soma Portolas. Super comfy, i really like them, and the handlebar tape was originally meant to be to see which colour i preferred and it just never got changed, and now i like it too much to change.

Commando

Hey murraysbikes123,

Am I way out there on this, or are those photos showing Adelaide Hills territory?

murraysbikes123

Commando, not ludicrously far off, right continent at least. Theyre both around Melbourne, Plenty Gorge and Mt Macedon.

Commando

Not a bad guess for an ex-pat Canadian

Grand Bois

But it's not a mountain bike and it doesn't have drop bars.

Squeeze

Wow! That Dawes is the craziest looking bike (and I mean that in the best possible way!) posted here since that one with all the neon colors from Wyoming. Street tires will make a huge difference in speed on pavement.

I like BD's green Trek as well. Great color.

Thanks to those who contribute here for keeping this thread my favorite one at bikeforums.net.

--a fellow drop bar MTB owner

dude63

but i ride it in the mountains

mountaindave 

We have a philosophical conundrum...

dude63

if i crash in the mountains did it really happen

polishmadman

It depends. Did anyone else see it?

mountaindave 

Speaking of philosophy, do we like converting mountain bikes to "dirt-drops" to ride mountains or are we avoiding 650b conversions of road bikes (that don't have "weird" geometry requiring huge seat posts and/or high-rise/short-reach stems) to ride gravel and occasional trails? Or do we just convert the mountain bike because it's there?

rhm

Speaking for myself... I converted an MTB frame because it looks like what is want. I know, looks ain't everything; this Alpina frame weighs almost double what I want. Which is:a road bike .
I don't have any mountains. I want a road bike that can handle bad roads. Really bad roads. I want it to look, fit, and ride like a road bike. No dirt drop handlebar or hi rise stem for me, thanks!

The advantage of the beefy frame, I tell myself, is that I could tour on it. Just don't tell that to my touring bike!

Mumonkan

****. this is one of the greatest things i have ever seen.

the photo also has a deliciously 80s vibe to it

10/10, would ride, would look at again.

Squeeze

Here's a shot of mine while out for a fun morning ride on a day off last week, leaning up against a pile of rocks I found next to the trail. How's that for no detail of the bike at all? You guys will have to use your imagination.

Pemetic2006

Nice picture. Where in CO is this?

3speedslow

I like, great job putting that Univega back to work !

3speedslow

Never knew that the original Dawes company had MTBs ! Very cool.

Thanks for showing up on the Forum.

wrk101

1. They are a lot easier to convert.

2. The supply of affordable vintage MTBs is plentiful.

3. I have long torso/long arms and short legs, so the geometry of vintage MTBs suits me well.

4. It has replaced the modern Trek 520 I used to use on trails.

5. MTBs tend to enjoy easy gearing, which is great for this old man living in the mountains.

Did I mention I think they look cool?

My drop bar conversion is my do anything/recreational ride/path/trail/gravel/pavement.

When I go camping, this is the bike I take.

In camping mode:

[IMG]1988 Cimarron by bill, on Flickr[/IMG]