bikemig 

I finished the build on my 1979 Viking "European" model bike. It started as a frame. It is made of Reynolds 531 straight gauge tubing and it has Campagnolo drop outs. The bike was designed to be a "club" bike with 700c wheels but it works fine with 27 inch wheels which is what I am using. The bike rides great. This was a parts bin build and I'm happy with the build. The Rigida 16-22 rims laced to Normandy Sport hubs are very solid (they were OEM wheels on a Peugeot UO 10). The suntour ratcheting downtube shifters are excellent and they work nicely with the shimano light action rear derailleur. The Dia-Compe G brakes are solid.

The parts all came from my parts bin but I did buy the correct 531 decals and new (inexpensive) tires, and I installed new cables and housing.

So far I've ridden 32 miles/51.5 km on the bike:

bikemig 

This is my 3d entry (I have a cheapo Sekine that I haven't hit 100km yet with and a frame up Viking "European" which I have ridden 100 km). I've been thinking of building a vintage gravel bike ever since I read this article in CX magazine, https://www.cxmagazine.com/cheap-gra...es-60s-70s-80s

I picked up this early 70s (likely a '71-'72) Raleigh Gran Sport with the idea of turning it into a gravel bike. It came to be as a Frankenbike (even the wheels were mismatched), the rear triangle had been spread to 126 OLD, and the rear dropout was unfortunately drewed. But the bike had promise. My goal is to keep the costs of any "new" parts to the limit for the cheapo build category of $108.

At least the Brooks saddle the bike came with was serviceable. This is how the bike came to me in the wild:

USAZorro

This is a great starting point.

darnet

Put another 7-1/2 miles on the Blue Peugeot, round trip to and from a flower shop. A couple of minor inconveniences encountered.

At the start of the ride, the bike was difficult to pedal, because the rear tire was rubbing on the rear stay. I stopped, re-centered the wheel, and tightened the skewers a bit. This is a regular occurrence, as it has happened on at least one, maybe two previous rides. I might try replacing the skewers, because now I always wonder if the tire is rubbing.



At the destination, while stopped and as I was dismounting the bike, I lost something and fell to the ground on the left side, to my embarrassment. Not too badly wounded, but some scapes, shown in a pic, and I later found some bruises elsewhere (not shown, too personal). No helmet contact. I had told myself a couple of years ago that I would no longer ride with any type of clips or clipless pedals, because I realized I am not competing in a race and I’ve on more than one occasion fallen because a foot got stuck. Lesson re-learned.




Have now ridden a total of 21.5 miles, almost 36 kilometers.

bikemig 

This is a nice bike. I'd make room for a UO 14 (or a UO 10) if I found one in my size. I like bmx style pedals as they work with any shoe for the bikes I ride around town. The rear wheel should not slip when riding. A new skewer might do the job. You've likely done this already but I'd check whether the wheel was sufficiently true and I'd try clamping down the existing skewer with more force as well.

Schweinhund

I will enter my free to me 1983 schwinn traveler, been looking for something like this

bikemig 

I made progress today on the Raleigh Gran Sport Frankenbike gravel project. I loved reading about gravel mutt projects on the web. Here is one post by Guitar Ted:

https://g-tedproductions.blogspot.co...roduction.html

Here is another by cx magazine:

https://www.cxmagazine.com/cheap-gra...es-60s-70s-80s

Today I put together the parts for the bike and mocked up the wheels on the bike. The wheels have suntour gpx hubs and Mavic MA 40 rims that look like they've never been used. I'm running Schwalbe Marathon Racer 700 x 35c tires which fit fine. If the dropout had not been drewed, I would have been able to push the rear wheel farther back and maybe run 38c tires but 35c is fine.

I did buy a new bar (a Soma) and stem (Nitto randonneur). For any bike I'm going to ride seriously, I just buy a new bar and stem for safety reasons. Plus I wanted a little higher stem and the Soma is a little taller than most. The idea, from what I've read, is that for a gravel bike, running a stem that is a bit shorter and a bit higher than your road set up is a good idea.

https://obedbikes.com/blogs/stories/...n%20the%20road.

I'm using a set of Weinmann 610 center pulls that came off a Raleigh Competition. The derailleurs came off the Gran Sport when I bought it. I am going to change the gearing. I'll run a Stronglight 99 rather than the 93 that came stock on the bike with 47/34 rings. The freewheel is a Maillard 7 speed, 13-30, which will give me nice wide gearing.

The bits and pieces (tape, cables, etc.) came from Velo Orange.

USAZorro

That's going to be one sweet ride.

Schweinhund

so far

AdventureManCO 

*fingers crossed* picking up something fun on Friday if all goes well, which might work well for this thread. The Fuji is also still on my mind!

darnet

Using my wooden folding ruler, this UO-14 measures 24 inches c-t-c at the seat tube, and I exaggerate not, a 42.5 inch wheelbase. Wheels are true, I will change the skewer and clamp it tight. I do like riding it, except that I do think it fell sideways rather suddenly the day I broke the left toe clip strap on my way to the ground.

bikemig 

72 parallel, 42 inches was fairly standard I believe for all the UO series bikes. Touring bikes tend to have long wheelbases like this as well.

campfire

I wasn't aware of this challenge, but I seem to have stumbled my way into categories 1 and 2. This is my 1986 Raleigh Kodiak, as I received it (see RAGBRAI Raleigh Revival for more details):



It languished for many years in the garage of a local bike collector. I got it a couple months ago from his estate (after he passed). Thanks to some 3-way horse trading involving a different bike that had the wrong frame size, I have zero dollars invested in the initial procurement. It helped that the tires, brakes, and shifters were non-operable, as the estate had no interest in repairing a 37-year-old bike. I, however, specifically wanted this era of CroMoly touring bike, so I was happy to put in the work required to revive it.

The 27" tires were shot (one was an OEM Raleigh tire), so I spent $25 on a set of used tires that came attached to 700c wheels (Not sure whether that counts toward the budget?). Here's an early test ride with the new tires:



I had a new chain in stock. I relubed bearings and derailleurs. Tuned up shifting and brakes. Installed a new BB cartridge ($17.11). Added a bag & lights I already had.



(Yes, that is a welding clamp, as the BB cup needed some extra persuasion before it would come out).



Shiny new part. The only one on this bike!



I also cleaned and repacked wheel bearings, chain rings, and the cassette:



Then my wife & kids were rear-ended on our cargo bike, and I took a few weeks off from the project. As the kiddos are (slowly) healing, this bike has taken on a therapeutic role. In addition to its many benefits, our rides now help all of us to work through this traumatic experience. Here's the first ride we took after the wreck:



The scenery is pretty. But beyond that, this is the most important ride I've ever taken. It means so much to see the kids asking to ride again.

Fast forward a bit, and the (recovering) kids did a 32.5-mile tour last week:


I'm now back in the saddle, and this bike has taken over as my daily commuter. Between upgrade/repair sessions I've accumulated 137 miles in the last few weeks. Mostly commuting, with a couple short tours thrown in. My goal is to take this bike on RAGBRAI (500 mile bike tour, starting in 38 days). So the mileage will increase. I picked the "revival" name before the crash, but the bike really does represent a revival for us. We're rising again after our crash, and this bike gets to be part of that resurrection.

So the bike has been well worth the (mucho-cheapo) investment:
Tires/Wheels - $25 (Does this count as an expense, if the tires were the main need, and the wheels came with them?)
BB Cartridge - $17.11
Brake Pads - $24.36 (not sure if/when these will be installed, but I did buy them, so they probably count towards the budget cap).
I may swap out chain rings and the cassette, but those would come out of my spare parts pile. So I'm not sure if I'll put more money into it. It's riding pretty well with just the time & lube investment.

Given the 27-->700c conversion, this is also a bit of a Frankenbike. Plus the previous owner added brifters and that unique stem.

More to come in the next 38 days!

Fredo76

I replaced Bella's spring seatpost with a regular alloy post to get rid of the bouncies. Also re-routed and trimmed the rear brake cable, and bought a Wheelsmith clincher rear wheel and trued it up a bit, then put the same model clincher tire on it as the sew-ups (Vittoria Corsa Control Graphene 2.0).



Bella at 198 miles.

I would like to enter her in both the "From the frame up" category, and the Frankenbike category, please.

campfire

Saylorville! I rode across that lake on Ragbrai 2006. Good memories. I'm a little bummed they're bypassing the lake this year.

And I chuckled that you did the 700c-->27 conversion at the same time I was doing the 27-->700c conversion.

AdventureManCO 

Well it doesn't get much worse/better than this! Eager to see the work of your hands!

leftthread

Maybe add a cost exclusion for a new bar and stem from budget limits?

Schweinhund

a tease


same crank..

USAZorro

I respect peoples' concerns for self-safety and by no means wish to minimize them, but tires and tubes can radically affect safety and are generally considered "consumables". Failure of a stem or a bar is a much less common occurrence than an old tube blowing out. Also, unless one is riding over very rough terrain, there are signs of compromise that can be caught before failure with modest diligence. Pretty much any component on a bicycle CAN fail, so where would a line be drawn? Exempting things beyond consumables in the "Mucho Cheapo" category is not somewhere I wish to venture.

AdventureManCO 

Project picked up and secured, and in worse shape than I thought, which should be absolutely perfect for this thread!

Teaser…

jdawginsc 

Is that a picture of China on the seat-tube? If so, it calls for Campy Super Record!

Mr. 66

I think this was left on my dad's car... 1969 lol. This was just the best spot for me to drop the bomb.

M. Cramer says so!

iab

Still working on it. Got 3 bikes going. Have most of the bits. All frames are out. Frame for the left is in Ohio, the middle is in Wisconsin and the pile on the right is for an off-topic (bet steel) frame in Italy. I'm shooting for mid-September as a finish date. I give it a 50/50.

zookster 

Finally got out to put some miles on my Challenge bike yesterday afternoon. 1972 Montgomery Ward 10 speed. It actually rides ok. A little clunky but that was expected. Love using the shifters!



One of 2 murals on the side of Monday Night Brewing Co.


Fountain in Uptown entertainment district.


Dog park in City Walk Park.


Restored bus at the old Greyhound Bus Terminal.

Senior Ryder 00 

This was an odd accumulation of 66 miles. It was made up of a lot of short trips. My longest day was 8 miles in two outings. A few 5 mile days, but most were two to three milers; groceries, hardware store, lunch run, etc. Did six miles on Wednesday to finish up. Put the decals on and took pictures yesterday.
The base bike is a 1983 Raleigh USA Grand Prix. All except the wheels & tires came from my parts bin. The bars are Sakae Randos, The stem is a Kalin riser. Shifter/levers are a set of Shimano Sora that I revitalized. Derailleurs are Deore XTs. Crankset came with the frame. Bar tape was recycled from another bike. The brakes are Weimann center pulls that came from a bike that I upgraded. The saddle is an old Avenir MTB. Wheels & tire were a $25 purchase from the bike co-op.

Hope there wasn’t a time limit since it took me 75 days to complete everything.

Cheers,

Van

AKA: Senior Ryder 00