Drop Bar MTB Conversion
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2020
- Converting a vintage mountain bike to a drop bar country rambler. I found this $20 frame and with my well-stocked parts bin was able to set this gem up as a sweet, wide-tired touring machine. So much fun!
Love it! I'm currently doing the same thing; drop bars on mtn bike with bar ends. About to install dia-comp friction. Thanks for sharing your passion!
Nicely done. I'm an older rider (62 in two weeks), and I'm converting a 2001 Sirrus Comp from flat bars with indexed shifters (Shimano Deore XT) to compact drops with MicroShift bar ends, and the rear will be in friction mode. Younger folks who have never tried friction shifters don't know how smoothly they shift and how easy they are to use. I'll be using Tektro brake levers as well, model 520 long pulls, for compatibility with V-brakes. Flat bars just don't work for me, and once converted, this old steed will be a super fun rambler bike like yours.
wait your simple little life right good i have not watch your channel in about 2 years
good to see you men
Thank you!
Absolutely sweet bike. Old mountain bikes make for some excellent all-rounder touring/commuting/"gravel" bikes, and now we've got brands like Velo Orange who just make it so easy to make them look good too.
Thank you! Yeah they are pretty sweet aren’t they? 👍
Well done! I've been an advocate for upgrading early rigid steel MTBs into modern all-rounders. Widely available for cheap and often made with quite good tubing. Great geometry and lots of braze-ons for attachments.
Well done, you!
Splendid machine! This sort of build is something I love to do myself. I don't have new bikes, just old steel frames with beauty and character -- and with assorted components, some really high-end, some quite ordinary. Great job! Dr Sudevan Wisconsin
Ive been building numerous bikes like this for several decades, not just old steel MTBs, but also 700c hybrid bikes and touring bikes. I use the same few Velo Orange stems too. I really dig various dirt drops and a really high h'bar set up for offroad riding.
My favorite bike Ive built was a lugged Miyata 'cross/hybrid bike (free!) now a gravelish singlespeed /fixed gear trail bomber. It even uses an old Hite Rite seatpost 'dropper'.
These sort of bikes are incredibly useful, practical, affordable and capable. Its the rider, not the bike!!
I ride my 'Crossafix' on rocky mtb trails and the singlespeed aspect makes it ultra fun. I feel like a little kid.
Not only are these bikes simple, they are extremely reliable.
Great video, beautiful countryside and scenery. Calming in a world in madness. Thanks
Thank you so much!
That title is an awful lot like the channel Old Shovel. A very relaxing channel to watch.
Yeah he has a great channel! I really enjoy it 👍
Love the old steel! And you can't go wrong with a bit of purple anno'd Dia-Compe! Love my old 90's DeKerf. Like your Brooke's, I got it in a thrift shop for a price that make you weep. Dressed it in new 2x XT drive train. Really would like some Paul's Motolite's for it in red anno. Dare to dream. My Old 80's Mt. Zefal pump fits in the frame perfectly!
Oh sweet! Sounds like a great build!
Rhyming pannier with Kanye. 10/10
Hahahaha! 😆👍
Looks like a hard core touring bike to me! Love it!
I was given an old Bianchi Ocelot in exchange for a cleanup/tuneup on a couple other bikes, and I rebuilt it as a nearly bombproof clydesdale road bike. It's a lot heavier than my 'proper' road bike, but very easy on my mind when I'm riding over questionable roads, and it's a great training/winter bike. It came with a simple rear rack, which I left on, and I also had a Nashbar front mini-rack, with a matching bag. If I still lived in town, this would be my obvious market bike.
This is really inspiring. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome and thank you for watching! I really appreciate it 👍
Super work. Really enjoy to watch. Good rides:)
Thank you so much!
Beautiful bike. Your video is quite inspiring.
I have a 30 year old steel frame 3X7 MTB with 26" wheels that I want to rebuild this summer.
Right on! Thank you so much! That would be a fun project for sure. It feels so satisfying actually doing the rebuild and then every time you ride you get another huge kick of satisfaction 👍
Good job 👍🏼I still own my diamondback topanga good old cromo frame owned since new 28 years ago still in use 👍🏼
Thank you!
sir i love your content, I love your vibe greats shoots also. thankyou for sharing it to us.
Thank you so much, I appreciate that!
Nice rebuild into a useful gravel trail bike with those sturdy tyres. I prefer the drop bars myself with those bar shifters. Great job 👍
You have a great bike. I have one similar to yours but it is a little newer, an old Trek 950 from 1992. It’s a perfect all rounder (commuter, trail, touring bike and more) full fenders (same fenders that you installed on your bike), friction bar-end shifters on Nitto Randonneur Touring Bar, Brooks B17, lights, racks and bags. It has been set up this way since 2003, before that it was set up with a Mustache bar (installed on 1997). About 8 years ago I replaced the fork from one that belonged to a LHT. This was a perfect fit. Good luck with your bike!
Right on! Thank you. Yeah some of these older bikes seem like they were designed to be touring rigs. I actually have some nitto noodle bars and a nitto stem to put on this machine. Since this video I’ve put some Jones bars on but I like it more with drops. Such satisfaction in these old steeds👍
Oddly satisfying. Thanks for posting.
Thanks. And thank you for watching! 👍
Very nice man 😎👍
The attachment bolts on those shifters are left hand threaded amazingly.
It looks super!
Thank you so much!
We are kindred spirits, brother. I felt like I was listening to myself talk. I'm presently putting on around 100km week on a mid eighties Kuwahara Touring frame. I've sandblasted and painted it, took over a year selecting all the perfect bits. It's a mix of vintage and modern. For example, I love FSA wing bars, had two sets, one for the pinarello, and one for my Kuwahara. Only thing is, to run modern bars you need a modern stem. All these vintage steel wonder frames are built for quill stem. I know you can buy adaptors, but they are ugly and I wanted to make my own. I also routed front and rear brake cables through the bars, and the front cable even goes through the stem down to the center pull brake. Super tidy. I've used modern rims with an 8 speed cassette. Sitting on Panaracers, 700×35. I've kept the original Suntour downtube levers and Suntour Cyclone front and rear derailleurs. I've polished up a vintage Ritchey seatpost and mounted a tan Brooks cambium saddle. I have a lot of vintage cranksets, and chose some lovely Shimano cranks for my Ritchey Chainwheels. Brake levers are obviously road levers that let the cable exit out the back to go under the tape. I decided to carefully drill holes to internally route it. It's flawless, shorter route, and smooth corners.
Great job Jeremy. Greetings from Greece...
Thank you so much! Cheers👍
This looks a lot like the 1987 Miyata ValleyRunner ATB I’m converting to a drop bar tourer. Even the paint job is nearly identical. I think it’s going to be a great bike. Prior to conversion, I rode it 30 miles and found it super comfortable, and it hit 46mph with aplomb. I pick up the new wheels today from the shop. Swapped out the rear derailleur, tektro levers, origin8 drop bars, schwalbe billy bonkers tires, 70’s suntour bar and shifters, and went from a 6spd freewheel to 8 spd cassette. Taking it on a 70 mile mixed surface this Sunday. I will eventually upgrade the cantis to v brakes.
Hi Jeremy, I loved your video, what a great bike you've made. I am collecting parts for my own project right now. I've bought a beautiful and original nineties KHS Summit mountainbike, cromoly steel, hardly scratched, brand new looking blue/green frame. I am planning to build a drop bar touring bike with sti shifters out of it, using all kinds of used parts that deserve a second chance. I am really looking forward to start building and enjoy riding it. Keep up the good work! Kind regards from the Netherlands, Frank.
Right on! It is such a great feeling to bring an old frame to new life. I also personally think you can put together an old bike that’s better than 95% of the new bikes on the market. That might just be me though. I hope it goes great for you and I’d love to see it all finished up 👍
@@jeremygoertz I'll let you know when it's finished :)
Beautiful bike! I'm embarking on a similar project, but the frame I have doesn't have nearly the character and charm of this one. Well done.
Thank you! Have fun with it. It is such a blast. I’m actually revisiting this project here int he next week as well. Going to change the bars and installed studded tires so it will be better suited to winter riding. 👍
Nice one brother😊
what a great video! love these japanese made lugged old mtbs and just look at the fork :)
Thank you so much! Me too. There's something so great about these old bikes 👍
If a bike looks right, it usually is right. Yours looks so right, like it should have been built that way originally.
PS Great workshop !
Personally I believe drop bars are a must on Touring Bikes , especially a good wide bar....they have much more variation and better stability than flat bars and the Salsa Bars you are using are cool...nice machine
Such a beauty things!!
Thank you!
Hey, you're not old dude! ✌️
Nice set up. I am trying to do that on my vintage Trek 930. I located a Surley 26 inch touring fork so can be a gravel/ tourer.
Right on! It’s so satisfying isn’t it? 👍
Thinking about installing trekking bars on one of mine.
Might give your idea a try. Someone bent the toptube on my aluminum gravel bike when I had it locked against a pole. They must have kicked it. I used to have a 26" wheeled LHT and it covered lots of rail and canal trails. Thanks for motivation.
15:06 "If I had to use a single word to describe this bicycle I would say: it's just a good rambler, a country rambling bicycle" :D
Seriously though, brilliant video, thanks for sharing
Curious if you've tried re-adding the Cigne stem? I noticed you said you leaned in more than you'd like to. Based on some research I've done, a few people suggest getting the hoods a few inches above the saddle nose. I have a few 26" dirt drop conversions done this way and they are so comfy and leisurely. Great to ride around town or even take on a multiple day trips, as you mentioned.
I ended up putting the Cigne stem on my daughters bike but the happy stem is working out pretty good. Having said that, I just got a new project bike and might steel the stem abs bars off of this and put a Jones H-bar onto this bike 🤷♂️👍
Sweet! Exactly what I was looking for, found this old Merida Dakar 660 and I’m going to turn it into a beautiful touring bike. Thanks for the video!
Oh that would be sweet! 👍
which groupset is this? I want to use shimano brifters (drop bar) with an old deore lx group. some people say this works, some say I need a road bike front dereilleur. do bar end shifters always work?
I have just been spending the last few weekends messing around with the same setup (converting Deore LX to drop bar). I found that the friction bar end shifter is compatible with the mountain front cranks and derailleur, but with a triple chainring it's not as elegant as indexed shifting. Ended up changing to road cranks (Tiagra) and a road front derailleur which all works well with brifters instead of the bar end shifters. But the setup he uses in the video (bar end shifters and long pull brake levers) is probably the simplest way to convert, saves having to change anything in the drivetrain apart from cables.
I too like old 26" wheeled MTBs. Unfortunately the ones I find all seem to have too tall BBs (same height as front/rear dropouts) which feel twitchy to me (21"-22" frames). The Grant P designed MBs and late 80's and early 90's Specialized MTBs had nice low BB's.
Yeah those bike that Grant designed are so nice. Super desirable now too and find one is like finding gold 👍
I worked for a guy who told me "A taller BB just lets you sit up higher and see more scenery". Perfect for a touring bike.
Are these bars the Cowbells or Cowchippers? These seems to have a good amount of flair on them.
They are indeed the cowbell 3 bars 👍
Beautiful! What stem did you say you were running? It's exactly what I'm looking for.
Thank you. It’s a Velo Orange Happy Stem 👍
@@jeremygoertz great! Few follow-up questions. Is this stem stout enough to run on a touring/gravel build? I don't see any rating on Velo's website.
Velo also mentions it's not compatible with their quill adapter...but very clearly that's not the case in this video ha! Have you had any issues with it?
Awesome build my friend! I'm currently converting an old Hard Rock to a drop bar rambler. I've been struggling to find info on which bar end shifters to use for an old Shimano 3x7 groupset. Which did you use on yours?
Thank you! That sounds sweet. I have some dura ace and I’ve been able to make them work with quite a variety of setups. I do prefer to run them in friction mode though. Some folks prefer index mode and then I think compatibility can become an issue. I’ve also had great success with micro-shift in friction mode up to 11 speeds. They can be cheap than shimano too. Hope your build finishes up nicely 👍
@@jeremygoertz thanks so much!
Great vid! Sweet build!
How come the drop bars wouldn’t work with your Karate Monkey?
Thank you! I talked with some folks at surly and they just said the frame geometry isn't designed for drops. I guess the top tube is fairly long. I've never had such a hard time getting drops comfortable as on this bike. Having said that...there's always a way to get it done I'm sure. I also have a new shorter stem that I'm going to be trying out. 👍
Did the same with my Kona Cindercone but kept the thumbies.....I couldn't live with the bar end cables like that! They look a lot better under the bar tape though.
PS, what's the name of the stem, it's a corker.
The stem is a happy stem. The former one was the cigne stem from Velo Orange.
Interestingly those old bike (kuwahara, Federal, GT, etc) price are pretty high in my country because of Bike trend these days...
And some of those price closely into modern bike (300-600$)
More original of those bike + part, more pricey those bike are
Have you checked out Old Shovel on YT? Worth checking out if you haven’t. All old school mtb resto’s and refurbish.
Yes! I love that channel. 👍 Such great videos and packed with good life advice.
What is yours handle post brand?
It's a Velo Orange Happy Stem. They're pretty slick👍
Hey Jeremy. Would you have any advice for getting into selling knives? (i.e. marketing & growing your business). Great Video as always!
Thank you. That’s a fairly in depth topic but the main thing I would say is don’t undersell your work. Have you seen this video I did? th-cam.com/video/gjSbrfP-z6A/w-d-xo.html
Jeremy Goertz Thanks. I haven’t seen it yet but i’ll be sure to check it out.
Size of the frame?
Frame size?
_#100!_
Long Pull Brake Levers are not supposed to work with cantilever brakes
Where in Canada?
Just outside of Calgary👍
Is this worth it?
100%
you did a nice job . Is there anyway to not have those shifter cables hanging out like that?
" i'm an old guy " ?? 😂
Pfft , im 77 and ride an xc Mtb trail e bike .
I don’t consider e-bikes to be a bicycle. However for a 77 year old that might be a great means of transportation.
WAIT.....SIMPLE LITTLE LIFE???????
Hahahaha yeah you bet! Gotta have a place to dumb other stuff I'm interested in 👍
@@jeremygoertz dude that is awesome , you have a new SUB now
Thank you so much! 👍
what is the name of your brake caliper?
They are Oryx by Tektro 👍
You look like bald and bankrupt