neo_pop_71

Charlie Cunningham is amazing! The aeronautical engineer turned custom builder... one third founding member of WTB... and my guru when it comes to trail bike geometry. Don't mess with his ideas, lest we forget that Charlie developed the 135mm "zero dish" rear wheel that is now the industry standard (plus a bunch of other innovations). I'm a firm believer in Charlie's ideas regarding the strength of small triangles in mountain bike frames. All my trail bikes are "too small" in traditional geometry but with the right components and a tall seatpost, they are all a blast to ride! Thanks Charlie!!!

My Holy Grail... only 187 bikes ever made... one day!



Until then...

k_randomfactor

This thread is dangerous to my bank account. Needs to have a warning label or sumptin'.

I have parts inbound for my premier drop bar conversion (DBC). Sticking a Gary II on my 95 Trek 830 with barcons. Not a high end bike, but I like it. That leads me, by a somewhat circuitous route to a technical question for you folks...

I bought a "too small" 20.5" c-t MB-3 cheap to cannibalize for parts to upgrade the 830 (which is a 22.5" c-t frame BTW). The MB-3 is just tiny, so I was planning on flipping the frame for a couple of bucks. However, after reading this whole thread over the last coupla days, I think I can get it to work as a DBC, with a lot of seat post and a super tall stem.

My question is... the MB-3 has 1-1/8" threaded stem set-up, with an old RockShox sus fork on it. I'd, obviously, like to swap it out for a rigid fork. Is there a good source for cro-mo , or Tange MTB, 1-1/8" threaded forks with short steerers, or would it behoove me (and how would I) swap it out for a non-suspension corrected threadless fork? Does anyone make such a critter? Or should I follow my original plan and flip the frame and look for something else?

Thanks.

neo_pop_71

This thread is dangerous to my bank account...

You got that right! Even if you do a budget build with spare parts from what's on hand... these bikes are addictive! I've done a few this year, I'm in the middle of one right now, and I've got four frames hanging in the garage!

As far as your MB-3 build is concerned, finding forks with short threaded steer tubes on Ebay is a breeze, it's the long steer tubes that are few and far between. You could go modern threadless, there are a few companies (SOMA, Surly, etc.) out there producing quality rigid forks. The build that I mentioned above that I'm in the middle of is a dirt drop build but I'm doing it nontraditionally and I'm using 1 1/8th threadless set up. I opted to use a SOMA cyclocross fork because I had a damaged one on hand. The long steer tube eliminated the need for a tall stem.



Here is a link to the thread I started for my current build:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...to-J-P-amp-J-T

k_randomfactor

Thanks friend. If I'm gonna drop the cheddar on a new fork for the MB-3, may as well go whole hog and do a threadless conversion while I'm at it. Now to find a fork with the proper crown height.

I mean, it's just money after all.

Got the stuff to do my 830 yesterday, so hopefully I'll have a pic to contribute soon.

frantik

saw this on CL today for $300



https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bik/3882648019.html

wrk101

Least he could do is put on a set of matching tires.

+1 Crankset looks like direct from a craptastic Wallyworld bike.

Described as a "new bike" "just built". New bike with garage sale used parts, including old mismatched tires = run away. Too bad, I like the concept, but the execution is mediocre.

frantik

yeah i noticed that... was wondering if it was intentional.. like in an attempt to add traction in the rear but improve handling up front.. or if they just bought mismatched tires

the tires don't bug me as much as the crank set though

cobrabyte

$300? wut

likebike23

Don't forget the pedals. Also, could that rack be any higher?

frantik

well it is the bay area.. but i suspect most of the money is tied up in the XTR hubs. The rack does look funky.. maybe it's a 700c rack on a tiny 26" wheel frame?

DsmBerg

95 Gary Fisher Montare. Had to replace the rear hanger (thank god for Wheels Mfg) and "upgraded" the RD to a Deore XT that is a few years older than the frame. The rest is Shimano Stx RC which was previously unfamiliar to me but I am quite happy with the group set all around.

Cheapo bars and well loved Dura Ace bar end shifters in friction mode. Continental touring pro tires. Fun ride but it may end up being sold to a buddy to pull his baby cart. The bailout third chain ring is crazy tiny. You could pull a boat with this thing

The Golden Boy 

I've been saying I'm going to do this for years. I've had the parts for about a year. Had most of it together for 6 months. Finally got a few bugs sort of worked out and taped the bars today.

1987 Schwinn High Sierra. Stock Deore components, stock front wheel with high flange Joytech hub and stock Suntour roller cam brakes. I think the cranks and the big chainring were replaced when I got hit 20 years ago. Suntour Barcons Stem is the ubiquitous SR Custom, bars are SR Road Champion and the brake levers are drilled DiaCompe with Schwinn Approved turkey levers.

OTS 

"Yeow, that black chrome High Sierra is drop dead gorgeous !

Nice work.

Need to finish mine.

frantik

that schwinn is sweet.. but.. please.. no turkey levers

Sirrus Rider

I second that vote!

shoota 

Thirded

Sixty Fiver

neo_pop_71

I agree with frantik and Sirrus Rider... however Golden Boy, if you are clever and can fabricate, you can fasten a spare set of downtube shifters to the posts after you discard the suicide sticks and you'll have a poor man's version of the WTB shifter mounts.

hairnet

Since I have been riding more off road and reading a little about dirt drops I feel like I have my set up all wrong. Apparently mine is too much like my road bikes with the exception that the reach is a little short.
I see yours fits what I have read about on setting up dirt drop MTBs. How does it compare to your road fit or to how other MTBs would be set up? I could buy a steep rise stem but I can't help feeling like I will have too much weight on my hands with so little reach. My bike also has older slack MTB geometry and the top tube isn't so long compared to seat tube. I also ride to the trails so what may be best for the dirt may not help me on the ride there.

likebike23

That's funny you say that. I briefly looked at doing that to a set of levers one night. It was late, and I wasn't having any luck with the mounts I have, so I put it down for a while. Do you know of any links to successful attempts at mounting shifters to the turkey lever bosses?

blilrat

I like the setup. It looks like you could use this one off road. What fork are you using? Those straight blades look great.

Italuminium

Miles ahead of the competition. Makes one wonder why the level TT, steel undersized bikes hung around so long.

Sixty Fiver

The frame and fork are custom built (Moulden)... it is a most versatile bicycle with the hybrid Schwalbe Hurricanes as they have a great roll out on the road at 70-75 psi and will handle moderate trails at 30-35 psi.

Quite often my rides start out on the road and then I get distracted by stretches of trail and singletrack.

wrk101

Sixty Fiver: nice inspiring build. I have an older Rocky Mountain, paint is trash. It might just be my first repaint. These mtb drop builds are so flexible, anything from touring bike to single track trail bike.

At some point, the market is going to figure this out and value older rigid frame mtbs.

Sixty Fiver

In the mid eighties we had a pretty thriving community of bicycle builders here and Jim Moulden went off and started his own shop after working with Proctor / Townsend... although he built road and touring bicycles his passion was mountain bikes and he really pushed the limits with his frames and founded The Hardcore Bike Shop which is still in business to this day and the place to go if you are serious about getting dirty.

I believe they still have the last frame Jim built before he retired hanging from the wall and it was for sale.

This was one of his super lights built with what I believe is a mix of Reynolds 853 and Tange / Ritchey tubes and filet brazed... I still have the custom stem the bike came with. It curbs out at 23 pounds and you have to consider those Hurricanes are a 600 gram tyre but I wouldn't trade them since they are such a great all rounder and have been bulletproof for what has to be 10,000 miles... they still have nearly as much tread as the new set that is waiting to replace them.

If I swapped a few parts and ran some superlight tyres the bike would come down to the 21 pound range which is what my hand built steel road bikes weigh.

From the same era, I have a few custom Arvon frames here that we are preparing to sell... Arvon is not one to brag but said the workmanship on these frames is some of the best he has ever done and I agree. I should have one of them mocked up here pretty soon replete with our own LD stem for authenticity.

These early steel mountain bikes are so wonderful... looking at them you can see the evolution of what has become such a major segment of the cycling industry and if you ever get to velko Cult in Portland they have an incredible museum of early mountain bikes made by people like Ritchey, Cunningham, Potts, Chris King, and from many legendary companies like Fat and Yeti. Many are one of team issue bicycles and I have met Chris Iglehart who is now building out of Portland but helped design and build bicycles for Fat Cycles.

He is a contemporary of our own Frank the Welder (FTW) and speaks extremely highly of him and his absolutely mad skills... and that he is a pretty humble genius.