3speedslow

what size is it.

vdub6541

140mm, unsure of drop angle, need to get my hands on a protractor.

Jeff Neese

I hadn't heard any "prevailing wisdom". Here's my Rockhopper. I've tinkered with the angle a bit but the height is about right for me. The drops are certainly lower than where the flat bar would be - that's the whole point. It moves weight onto the front wheel and lowers your center of gravity for better handling, particularly on fast downhill over sketchy terrain.

3speedslow

Thanks for the return, that is out there. Hmm, could be fun to see what my track bike does with it

email me lawm1 at iCloud dot com. Thanks

cs1

Guitar Ted has an excellent site and a lot of information on setting up the drop bar MTB.



Guitar Ted Productions: Drop Bar Mountain Bike Tips: Updated

Jeff Neese

I've read most of Guitar Ted's site, including that article. I agree with most of what he says, but I also think it depends on the type of riding you do and the handling you expect to get, along with (I suppose) where your flat bars normally are. His opinion does not make it "prevailing wisdom".

Take a look at where the bars are on a cyclocross bike. I guess mine are closer to where I'd put them on a Crosscheck, which is the ride and handling I was going for but in a 26 inch wheel. It depends on what you're after.

cs1

Understand, I am looking at a similar build but in an 86 Rockhopper. It fits me more like a road bike. I was thinking dirt drops with the stock Specialized stem.

Jeff Neese

I don't know what others have found, but I'm using WTB Dirt Drops and there's not quite enough bend in the drops for me. I like the nice wide sweep but I have to tilt the bars down too far to get a good angle on the drops, and then the ramps are tilted too far down. I see myself trying different bars in the future.

MM5

My big Giant Butt.

vdub6541

I'm having an issue with my Kalloy dirt drop stem when trying to fit it to a bar with an ergonomic bend. I think the clamp area of the stem is too wide to go past the very first bend of the drop. Are there any tricks for doing this? I tried spreading the clamp, but it's thick aluminum so it doesn't budge much and I don't want to force it. Am I better off going with a quill adapter and a threadless stem?

Thanks

cyclotoine

some ergo bars have really exaggerated bumps (one more good reason to recycle them all out of existence). Is your stem the same width around the whole clamping area? That might make it difficult to install. one trick is to take a thin nut and a dime and put them in the slot, if there is space. You can use a smaller bolt, but then you might need a washer also behind the nut. Thread the bolt into the nut like the regular binder bolt, then it hits the dime, as you tighten it, it will spread the clamp. Don't go crazy, this will only give you an extra mm or two, but it can be enough and it allows you to have your hands free to rotate the stem as you maneuver the bends through the clamp.

3speedslow

The wide clamping area of the stem is what's causing the problem. To get the bars in there you would have to go past the point I would be comfortable using the stem if I did make the bars fit. Some other bars with less straight always might work with a little less chewing of the surface.

due ruote 

I used this method and got a Midge bar through a Kalloy stem, but it was an epic battle. I about put a hole through the dime and had to spread the stem wider than I probably should have. It is a very beefy stem in terms of material thickness but everything has its limit. Never gave me any trouble though.

If I was to try this combo again I think I would be more inclined to file a bit more taper on the clamp area of the stem, rather than try to force it open. Or just spring for a Nitto stem that already has more taper, and buy cheaper tires or something.

cyclotoine

and since vdub6541 painted his stem it should not be a big deal to do a bit of profiling and touch up his stem, so that is some pretty sound advice also.

Henry III

If you look at a lot of quill road stems the bottoms where the nut is normally located. It's tapered and forms a "V" shape allowing you to angle the bars when your installing them. There was a black quill riser I tossed into the BOC because I couldn't get a road bar into it so it wasn't much use to me and I don't like prying the clamps on quill stems because of seeing too many crack there.

On the three drop bar conversions I've done I've had the bars level with the saddle but just use standard road bars. I've tried dirt drops but don't like the fit and felt really awkward. But I've always had to use a quill or threadless stem with the most aggressive rise and shortest length. Using the original mountain stem never worked as most are too long and give it a race bike stance which isn't very comfy on trails or gravel for me.

I picked up an threadless 31.8(with bar shims to 26.0)Avenir stem on Amazon with a 25 degree rise and 60mm and works great. Best part was it was dirt cheap at $15 shipped. Since I use just standard compact road bars I like to use wider bars normally 44mm as I use a 40mm on my road bikes.

frantik

man that looks like fun.. great build

vdub6541

Thanks guys, I will try the coin trick, and if that doesn't work I think I'm going to switch to threadless as I had plans to keep a flat bar/lever/cables on hand so I can swap it out if I ever get bored/want a change of pace.

Thank you! Just waiting for the trails to dry up so I can take it out!

Bicycle Addict

I just picked this Nishiki up for $50 NZ ($35 USD) yesterday.
LX derailleurs, Cranks, Hubs, and 105 brake levers and XTR Canti's, and I think they are Dura Ace Bar Cons.
Pretty happy with it, it needs a higher stem for me and wider bars than the Nittos that are on it now.
possibly going to enter it into Narhays Clunker Challange.

hankaye

Howdy All;

Looooong thread here with some incredible builds. Making a return to biking after about a half century give or take a few years.
Before I found this thread I found a 1995 Stumpjumper FS on C/L. Bought it, paid to much even with the shipping from NE Ga. to
SW N.M. included. But that's ok, got something I liked the looks of. "Know Your Bike" had this information;
https://knowyourbike.com/specialized...jumper-fs/1995
The following show it is fairly well used but just right for a Re-do.
Hope I get this photo thing right... These are the C/L pix





This is the 19" seat tube frame and it looks like the TT is close to 23" long.
I'm one of the short legged long torso types so I may have lucked out ... from what I've been reading.
The front forks were deflated when it arrived. As I live in an RV my storage space is about nil. Old parts ...
non existent. LBS is 65 miles away (Las Cruces, N.M.),and the bike is there right now getting a full once-over
from the folks there. I have a LHT front fork on order for it and am unsure what the prognosis is for the
Rock Shox Mag 21front fork. I may rebuild it myself or haul it to the local CO-OP (Silver City, N.M.). I'm not bad
at mechanics, did aircraft and my own vehicles since the 1960's. But figured I'd let the experienced eyes of
the shop folks do it's initial check-up.
I would appreciate any thoughts and suggestions that y'all might feel would be helpful and if ya don't seem
to mind a new fella to ask some questions I'd be grateful.

Thanks,

hank

due ruote 

Hank, looks like you got yourself a good platform for a build. Will this bike see more time on or off road?

hankaye

due ruote, Howdy;

Thanks, Around here most of the roads are gravel, this area is rural SW desert. Caballo Lake SP is a mile up
the road and there are as mentioned the gravel roads that abound throughout the area. Basically, the ground
around here is relatively hard packed caliche. Already have gone and found tires and tubes that are hopefully
are Goat-head resistant. Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 404's with the thick tubes to go with them. Then I'll give
them a squirt of the "No Tubes" stuff as the suspenders to go with the belt, so they say.
Thanks again for the reply.

hank

Turbort88

I’ve wanted to contribute to this thread for a while and have finally built a bike worthy to post. I purchased this Schwinn Cimarron with all of the original components but without the wheels. Here’s the build list.

Frame: 86’ Schwinn Cimarron
Derailleurs/Brakes: XT M730
Crankset: Sugino XD2
Shifters: Rivendell Silver friction bar ends
Cassette: 8 speed Sram
Wheelset: XT 780 hubs with Mavic XM 719 rims
Tires: Compass Cycles Rat Trap Pass 26x2.35 standard casing
Stem: Nitto Dirt Drop 80mm 26.0 clamp
Handlebar: Soma Portola 56cm
Brake levers: Dia Compe Gran Compe non aero
Setpost: Suntour XC
Saddle: Brooks B17

Bike is still in the shakedown mode but on my past two commutes to work (I’ve since added a rear rack) I’ve bested my previous fastest avg speed set on my Rivendell Sam Hillborne.

bikerinnola

Thought I was done with my Diamondback Apex, but every time I come back to this thread I leave with new ideas.https://

kingston 

Looks like you spared no expense on this beauty. Very nice!

nbru

Excellent build - thanks for posting.

Is there still room for fenders with the Rat Trap's? I just picked up an '89 Trek 800 (lower end I know, but the frame is in great shape and it cost next to nothing) and have been considering these tires, but I'd like to run fenders. Your parts list is nearly identical to what I had in mind.