Tips to make an old steel more FUN?!
 

I'm looking for some inspiration (so show me pictures if you've done this) and advice!

I want to take my old '75 Sekine and turn it into a monster. I'd like to take the handlebars down to some bull horns, add a new fork, and get some bigger mountain bike tires put in place to do some more off roading.

I've learned that after getting my Sports, that's all I really want to ride around, which is why I want to change it up on the Sekine--it'll give me more places to go ride (i.e. trails, etc).

Has anyone done anything like this to one of their old steel road bikes?

Anyone know what kind of components I'd need?

General tips?

Thanks!

I would not turn the bars over but change them to a more upright bar, along with the stem. As for tires that is simply a matter of what fits in your frame.

People have been turning old road bikes in cross bikes for years. back in the early '90s we used to do several "hybrid Conversions" a week to old low end 10 speeds.

However depending on just what type of trail riding you want to do, you might be better off passing this along and buying a used better quality hybrid of all ChroMoly construction or a real cyclocross bike.

Is there a Rat Rod forum?

spend some time also checking out the drop bar conversions here; there may be some good inspiration for you. Truly a bike that you can ride everywhere.

Maybe you could do a 650B conversion. That's the latest thing in mountain biking, so there would be plenty of tires available. The smaller diameter rim will create more clearance for fatter tires. Whether the frame would have clearance for mountain tires, I don't know. You'll have to measure/experiment. You'll need some longer reach brakes, again you'll need to measure once you slide the new wheel in. There's lots of info on BF about 650B conversions if you want to see what others have done.

Ok...not sure how long a road frame will hold up to offroading...your were talking mountain bike size tiere.......but understand where you are coming from.

here is what i did took a classic, but not expensive super high end, campy/ofmega/univeral equipped italian bike and turned it in to fun run around bike.

walk basket up front, VO postino bars, and tektro city levers.

This bike is just fun to ride...hop on an go, it handles well and for whatever reason it just puts a big smile on my face.

this is not to say you should do the same, but this is my option for your perusal

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ps0ddad4ed.jpg

That looks very very cool!

That smacks of hipster fixed gear butchery. Don't.

Keep the drops, or at least hang onto them if you have to switch bars.

Was there something wrong with the current one?

Your Sekine is not likely to be a good mountain bike. The gearing is too high, for one thing, and the geometry is going to be wrong (too steep for comfort). However, if it is a 27" and you are interested in gaining some clearance around the stays and the forks, you might consider converting to 700c. This should allow you to run 700x32 cyclocross tires for additional flexibility, without trashing the geometry.

Yes. The current conversions I've run personally have been 700c to 650b (which I was unhappy with) and 27" to 700c (which was much better). This does not mean that you would not be happy with a 650b conversion - but it's likely that a 700c would be easier to pull off for your intended purposes.

I've also converted a 700c hybrid to cyclecross/gravel. That particular conversion is actually easy, since there are no tire clearance or brake reach issues to deal with.

For 27' to 700c - you'd need new wheels or new rims and spokes to match. It goes without saying that you would need the cyclocross tires (Michelin Mud2 works well, as do some of Kenda's current offerings). You would also want to consider swapping out the chainrings for smaller ones, and also the freewheel cluster for something with a few more gears and a 28-34 tooth low gear. Plan to get a new chain if you change the gearing. The brakes might need to be swapped out for longer reach ones, though it's less of a problem if you have centerpulls already, as they already have sufficient reach in a lot of cases.

27' to 650b conversion is a much more involved process. You would definitely need long-reach brakes, in addition to the new rims, spokes and (IMO, somewhat rare) tires. A 650b does allow one to run large carcass tires (32mm and larger), thought the selection of knobby types is limited at present (unless you can make 27.5 tires work somehow). The end result is a bike that rides really well, has clearance for fenders, racks, panniers, etc. without being too bulky or slow. Drawbacks include slightly reduced ground clearance at the crank, and reduced availability of tires/tubes (Wal-Mart would be a no-go).

Don't ruin the appearance. Convert with kid gloves. Keep the colors the same if possible. Hang onto the original parts, because you never know when you're going to want to convert back.

One upgrade worth the cash (IMO) is a swap from stem-mounted or downtube-mounted shifters to bar-ends. This adds instant value to the bike, and makes it easy to use in the dirt and gravel. It's a great cyclocross setup and what I use on all my bikes (except the Vista).

For the Sekine, Suntour bar-cons, Dura-ace or Campagnolo friction-shift barends should be the most appropriate / period correct. Indexed bar-ends are okay, too, as long as they have a friction option.

Really nice $75 mountain bikes are everywhere here, whereas I've seen exactly ONE Sekine in the wild. Why not be time/money/parts ahead and just pick up an aluminum MTB to blast around on?

OP needs a MTB. Older, rigid, cheap. Smooth and fairly narrow tires if street-to-trail is the goal. Drop bars added, if you want. (I would)

+2. It will be lighter and quicker too, with better stopping power.

OH My! I've been doing it all backwards! I just spent the last number of weeks changing this:


http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...7&d=1385484622

Into this:http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1390333987

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=360967

1975? Sekine Champion double-butted Titlist equipped sweet little vintage road bike. All alloy bits and wheels, SS spokes and mostly original.

_dylan -- You may want to spend some time checking out the Alt Bikes section. They do some crazy cool stuff over there, much of which probably gives the C&V people fits. :lol: I've been checking it out because I'm thinking of building up a cafe-racer style 3-speed rat bike, and there's a ton of creativity over there if you're looking for ideas.

I've converted two bikes to 650B, and am considering converting a 70's Zebrakenko. Some older Japanese bikes will accept a 42mm wide 650B tire with fenders. most will take a 38mm wide tire. These tires will allow you to ride comfortably over most dirt and gravel roads. There are some threads on this forum, and a google forum, groups.google.com/group/650b , that discuss 650B size tires.

Although rims and tires were scarce a few years ago, they are a lot more common now. Your LBS might not have them, but they are available on line.

...If you really enjoy riding on the Raleigh Sports, then just sell the Sekine to someone who wants a
decent old road bike and use the money to buy yourself something more along the "monster" lines you
dream of......there's a limit to what you can do swapping components on a bike designed for another purpose.

Or maybe you're just trolling the old guys....................I can't tell any more here.