Thanks for watching. I've recently made a video about the rebuild and upgrade of my road bike too. If you like this then maybe you'd like that too. Cheers! th-cam.com/video/z9tjRbFYMHk/w-d-xo.html
Great looking bike! Good to see those old cyclo-cross bikes getting a new life. They offer plenty of good comfort, and mixed with modern parts are really awesome commuters and gravelbikes. Nice work!
I like your build a lot but I'd like to mention two things: it's good that the previous owner liked grease so much because nothing was stuck and if you want some break power then you should think about mini v brakes if you can fit them with the big tire size
Thanks, I really appreciate it! Oh yeah, I’m an advocate for grease. I just thought it was funny that the bottom of the seat post was absolutely caked in it 🤣
This is literally what I just did like a week ago with a Univega Via Carisma. Love bringing these old steel bikes to life as a gravel allrounder. Great job !
I know I'm a bit late :D … Anyway very nice build! I really like it and I keep doing these "conversion" myself … One thing I learned just recently is that the rear derailleur doesn't need to be marked as a 9-speed derailleur, the old shimano 8- or even 7-speed will work fine with a 9-speed index shifter and cassette … makes the recycling even easier as the old derailleurs are literally everywhere to get.
I’ve recently started a similar with a 15ish year old Trek 7.5FX which has a shimano Alivio derailleur and 8 speed cassette. You think it would be fine for me to keep that derailleur and buy a 9 speed cassette to go with my Sora shifters?
Yeah you're right. With the older MTB derailleurs they're interchangeable between 7/8/9-speed. Only 10-Speed derailleur wouldn't work since Shimano changed the cable-pull ratio (don't ask me how I know). Cassette hub wise 8-10speed are same size. 7-speed would fit on also an with additional spacer. For reusing old 7-speed cassette hub wheels U can put 8 of 9 sprockets of 9-speed cassette or 9 of 10 sprockets of a 10-speed cassette and use a 9-speed/10-speed shifter with it. Check Sheldon Brown's pages for more on that.
Did the exact same thing on an '87 Peugout! Same tires, 9 speed, Sora shifters, but with a cheap Amazon IXF crankset. Love mine, ENJOY! Great looking bike BTW!
I love that the steel frame is so robust too. I’m not afraid to do anything to it. It’s gonna be interesting to see how well all these carbon fibre bikes are doing in 20 years time.
This was a really cool video to watch because while you seem to know what you are doing, there was still a kind of amateur feel to everything. Compared to the videos of people in fully kitted out workshops, it's much more relateable seeing someone working in their backyard, stripping threads and explaining their mistakes. So from new zealand, thank you for the inspiration
The "yoke" you had on your front brakes are just like the style of brakes I had on a 1960s vista Esquire 3 speed. After that bike stopped working and I didn't have the parts to fix it, brakes went to another bike. And may I say that those are the best caliper brakes I've ever ridden, they stop you on a dime.
Yeah, I really like them too. I think they came out with the other design to stop the wire coming unhooked, getting stuck in the tyre knobs and throwing the rider over the bars
Nice home build! I've got a home-built cyclo/gravel/road bike too. Gravel Kings perfect for most off road riding. Rim brake pads can get a lot of rocks embedded. Gotta pick the rocks out once in a while. If you need lower gears, you change to 10 speed with a Shimano Deore 11-42 rear cassette. Keep your rear derailleur as it'll work fine with some used 10 speed road shifters (e.g. 105/Ultegra). You will want to add a Wolf Tooth RoadLink derailleur hanger extension to clear the largest gear. Once you get your bike sorted for the kinds of riding you do, you will discover that most store-bought gravel bikes aren't really much better!
@@TheSlowworms bro’s! I just bought a 1992 Specialized Roxkhopper. Finna throw the advent 10spd on it and the leather everything. Love you british Bois. You give me so much insporation. Love you guys!!!
Thank you very much! I haven’t got room for as many bikes as I would like and I like to do lots of different types of riding so I like bikes that can serve several purposes 😄
I did a very similar bike from my first big bike, a 90s' legnano city bike, which has a very interesting geometry. I just kept the frame and the front derailleur. I opted for a 3x8 and French shifters (on the stem), only it was hard to find the right canti for drop bars brake levers, whose reach is shorter. Total budget 220 euro, nothing compared to the fun I'm having riding it. It is the only bike I will never sell. Loved you project!
That's awesome! I frequently use my dad's Dawes bike. Good bikes. Love how you show things that didn't go to plan. Most videos just make it seem like everything goes to plan 100%
Thanks Thomas, I really appreciate it. That’s the beauty of using a cheap, second hand, well built bike, you don’t have to worry about making mistakes! What model is your Dawes?
@@TheSlowworms I think you are right! Back then it was “let’s go down this bloody great hill on a tricked out racing bike with ridiculously wide handlebars!”. Nowadays it’s “ Oh no, my derailleur has run out of batteries!”...🤣🤣🤣😉
Durable and beautiful steel frame and modern components, best of both worlds. Been wanting to do something similar, although with a big, silver quill stem.
Thanks very much! It’s funny you should say that because I’ve been looking at quill stems as well. I just want a quill stem that will fit modern bars but I don’t know if that’s possible
@@TheSlowworms You can find modern bars with the old road standard clamp size, which is 26.0mm. So yeah would require buying new bars to fit the stem...
Dude I did this same thing with an old steel Raleigh frame!! Repainted it, got some flared bars, even threw a 63mm suspension fork on it! Great video, keep it up 😎
Nice. I've done something similar recently. Converting hybrid Alivio to Sora touring with drop bars. The major issue were: - Top tube on hybrid frame is 6cm longer compared to similar (53cm seat tube) pure road bike. Eventually I had to go for 37mm downhill stem to compensate. - V-brakes had to be swapped for cyclocross Shimano br-cx50 cantilevers. - And final part was to install front cable hanger (similar to yours) and a seat post clamp cable hanger - both to have cantilevers working.
Thanks! Sounds like a great project? Does the bike still handle well with the shorter stem? I love cantilever brakes too but I think we’re in the minority judging by people’s reactions in the comments 😄
long top tubes are the central problem of conversions like this. I should know, as I did it before. Couldn't get the fit right, finally sold it to a taller person, purchased a genuine (new) gravel bike that fits like a glove.
@@TheSlowworms Handling on hoods and drops is OK. Tops - feels like a steel road bike from 80s where quill stems are also pretty short. Cantilevers is sort-of necessity when switching to road shifters. There are indeed issues with sound and vibration, but personally for me it's not a big deal because roads in the Netherlands are pretty flat so rarely experience those. Often only alternative is "Problem Solver Bikes - Travel Agent" however this is also not an absolutely flawless fix. Honestly I really like when someone takes an older frame and converts it to something modern. There are good modern frames, but if you are lucky to get some nice 90s steel/alu frame (especially Koga) then you can be sure it'll work perfectly for extra 10y. So, thumb up and good work!
@@martinkrautter8325 - you are right. I also had some issues with fit. However in my case I was lucky to have a bit smaller frame so top tube was already 3cm shorter + 4cm saving on a stem and it did a trick.
I have a Specialized Rockhopper expert rigid that I converted to drop bar, Claris 2×9 shift/brake with the original suntour xc pro derailleurs. It is my gravel bike with wider and flared bars. I have mudguards that I have yet installed.
Nice build! Get yourself Kool Stop brake pads and Yokozuna compressionless cables and you will see a significant increase in braking performance. I have those in every bike with rim brakes.
@@TheSlowworms I've had Shimanos and Kool Stops. I like Kool Stop as they provide in my opinion better grip and last longer. They also have cassette type pads for the brakes you're using, i.e. you don't have to start from scratch when you change the pads. I use the Salmon compound as it works best in wet and wintery conditions. Good stopping power even today at -15 Celsius in my 90s mtb to commuter conversion:)
Well done! I have a touring bike from 2007 or so that has Shimano 105 9-speed components. I've taken it on pretty gnarly trails in Ontario & Québec (loaded for bikepacking trips too). It came with an 11-28 cassette so I'm now in the process of swapping the derailleur & cassette. Will soon be able to climb like a champ!
Thank you! I really really want to try some bike packing. This may be a stupid question, but does all the extra baggage make it a lot harder to ride up hills?
@@TheSlowworms Imagine riding the bike you just built up a hill. Now, imagine riding that bike with a 30 pound weight tied to it (maybe a backpack filled with groceries). It'd probably slow you down. Great way to explore though!
Jury is out on the model year as the Dawes catalogue shows the integrated rear brake cable wasn't introduced until 1993 but it matches the colour in the 1992 catalogue
Oh no way! That’s really interesting, well spotted. I’m leaning more towards 1993 no you’ve said that because surely it’s easy enough to ask for a different colour
Yeah a very nice build. With the bluemels they are fiddly to fit but they will last and provide good coverage. The set i have now has been on 3 of my bikes over many years. With 32mm tyres on my audax Dawes the clearances are very tight but I still think theres nothing to touch them. On gravel and or trails you will find little stones getting caught between guards and tyres unfortunately. I did use the black caps for the mudguard stays the way you originally did which seems to be the only/best way.
@@TheSlowworms they are extremely solid with the exception like I say of little stones sometimes getting caught. I leave them on all year round. Think they suit the bike .
At 6:20 I think you are trying to cut the chain pin with side cutters. These are designed to snap off so you will have a much easier time using pliers or the chain tool to just bend it till it snaps.
Doing this to a Dawes as well. Went to my daughters house and there was a bike left outside a silver dawes. I asked about it and the nieghour said take it they couldn't get it to work. Score lol... Well till I looked at it carefully it was a alloy frame great shimano gears drop bars but someone had put 26inch mtb wheels on it lol no wonder it wouldn't work. I went on the hunt for new wheels on a very tight budget. Luckily I found another bike a ladies dawes 700c wheels for free again the whole bike was scrap except the wheels. Now all that's left is brake set up its got some cyclocross cantis on it just need blocks, new seatpost and saddle and flat peddles then it's good to go. Mutant hack bike lol.
What a good bit of luck! Have you got any cantilever brakes in mind? I really want to get some of those cantilevers with the really long wide arms if you know what I mean. I think tektro do some. Have you got any pictures of your bike?
I love gravel bikes. This looks sweet. Well done! Yea, do another!. I actually have a Dawes Sterling in my shed, i rode it for about 5 years, bought for £90 second hand, really nice bike, maybe i could do something like this.
I just googled your bike and it looks so so cool! You might be restricted with the tyre width because it looks like it has calliper brakes, doesn’t it?
Ahhhh its weird Im looking to exactly this. I needed a cheap bike i dont care about too much but I also want to enjoy riding it as Im going carless and would be wounded if my proper bike got nicked. So ive been looking for older, preferably steel, bikes with canti bosses so I can stick decent tyres in and have good braking too (calipers are shit in my experience). Im also going to put a basket or porteur rack on! England is a bit naff for older bikes compared to America but we have loads of Raleigh pioneer trails if anyone here is interested in doing something similar. Theyre essentially the same as this Dawes. Theres also a few trek multitracks knocking about but nothing major. Its a bit like this video was made for me at this exact moment in my life lol nice one cheers
Nice budget build. I'm keen to start a gravel project as well, but I already have five bikes... There's one thing from the style police: The tyre badges usually are in the 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock position of the valves. And not somewhere else 😉
This is exactly what I'm doing at the moment, looks rad as hell! Mine's an old german steel frame, got some schwalbe g-one tanwalls with a Nexus 8 hub for extra awful-weather resistance. Made the build a tad more expensive but going to be worth it for never having to clean the drive train ever again 👌
@@TheSlowworms Not yet, waiting to hear back from some bike shops about wheel building - tried it once myself and decided the next time i'd just pay someone to do it😆. I think once it's together I'll make a video, the build's going to be two stages for budget reasons - just need to get it running now then hopefully in a couple months i'll be able to sort out the saddle/bars & get a fresh coat of paint on it
Hey nice did nearly the same with a old fashioned trek 720 multitrack - drop bar, sora group, bumm lights, xlc mini v brakes, dtswiss 540 rims with sora hubs, panaracer and ride this baby 3000km in 5 months 👍😊 up cycling rocks
@@TheSlowworms oh sorry I mixed it up not the 540 it was the 545 rim and because no bike shop got time during the pandemic I decided to lace it up by myself with sapim spokes - the wheels are sturdy and fast and not that heavy - costs where about 160,- €
@@TheSlowworms it's not that hard then I thought. First try to truing some (old) wheels to get a feeling for spokes and tension. And after that I did just a rim swap (used zip tie to keep the new rim on the old wheel in place) and go around and barely "transmitted" the spokes and nipples. Some day later I started to lace completely new, with help from online spoke lenght calculator, some TH-cam videos and patience 😊 first wheel took about 6hr in 3 days because the spokes where little bit to long and I supposed that my lacing pattern was wrong. But fixed it with some shims, rear wheel took about 2 hours, after that I did some more and now I'm under an hour for a wheel with truing - it's fun like meditation 🧘♂️ just try 👍
You CAN cut down the "set" straddle. All you need do is remove the and reposition the pivot on the cable and cut the excess cable sheath from the left side. The only issue is making sure your measurement and cut keep the pivot centered as this type of straddle cannot be adjusted on the fly. This is why I prefer modern roller yokes that make self-centering a snap.
Very nice build!😍 I did something simlilar with a Raleigh Corsa (Reynolds 531) in Celeste / Mint Green and it worked out beautifully. 😏 40 Pounds is an absolute Steeeel of a bike! 😜
I just had a watch of your Raleigh build video. Loved it! We should start a 9 speed fan club 😄 I really want to get some of those thumb shifters too. Anyway, I better crack on 😉
@@TheSlowworms Aww Wow! 😍🙏Thank you for watching my interpretation of the Vintage Gravelbike and for your great feedback! Yes, you should! Thumb shifters are just frickin cool! 😎🙌 Greetings from Germany, Armin
A very nice build. I love the color scheme and especially those tires, but I guess the canti brakes make more noise than they are slowing you down. An old Belgian cyclocross saying goes that canti brakes are only good to announce to the guy in front that you are about to crash into him. You could put some mini-Vs instead (difficult if you want to install mudguards though). Or you take normal V-brakes and put a travel agent to compensate the shorter cable pull of the brifters. I swapped the cantis on my CX bike for a set of mini-Vs, what a difference. Now I can brake easily from the hoods, it is almost too much. Tektro makes still affordable mini-Vs, if you want to go fancy, take those from TRP.
Thanks very much! Yeah, a few people have suggested mini-vs. I really like the look of the cantilever brakes though and they really don’t seem that bad. Maybe I’ve just got used to them 😄
I did this with a Target Schwinn Trailways. The difference between it and the Dawes is that the Trailway has more 29er MTB DNA in it so it has more tire clearance and sus fork capability. It currently has 2.0 tires, Sora 9 speed brifters, Shimano LX rear derailleur and a 11-34 cassette. But the real party trick is the vintage mtb 3x square taper crank. I am using just two rings on it: a 42t high and a crazy low 22t! It took a bit of work but it shifts just fine up front but best of all the final low is a stump pulling .67! By comparison a typical 1x with a 42t rear and a 32t front is .76. This combo results in awesome range. I pretty ride it to the trail in the 42t then drop to the 22t for the trail. All built for $160 US! I'll slip you a pic on Instagram or FB.
I’m always looking for vid builds like this. I have a Bridgestone RB3 waiting for restoration. This vid definitely game me ideas on that! Thank you so much!
I have a 93 specialized stumpjumper with a damn blown rockshox fork, can't find ANY rebuild kits OR rigid forks for it :c I'm glad you got yours sorted!
@@TheSlowworms ah it's not an M2, the shock seems to be a Mag 10 without dust covers. It does have an olive green paint job in decent shape, and looks great with the gold colored shock bodies. I wish I could rebuild it to keep the look lol
Very nice looking, though at first sight it is definitely too long for drop bars, maybe some 70mm stem would help, but geometry still will be unproper.
I have the prebuilt version of this bike, and ‘11 Cannondale caadx and it’s such a great bike for exactly your intent. I ride it more than my carbon road bike anymore because it’s just easy…fat tires, flat pedals, it’s durable.
Oh no way?! Is it a Dawes Easy Street as well? I know exactly what you mean. I feel so much more comfortable riding around this bike that I’m not worried about beating up a bit. It’s a work horse. 👍
Great vid I'm doing a Dawes currently into a gravel come everyday bike. It was left outside my daughters nieghours a grey galaxy Al its alloy more like a mtb frame. That might be why they had put 26inch wheels on. Now it's got a set of 28 inch on it from another donar dawes ladies bike. Just gotta put new blocks on it and some better tyres and I'm set.
Oooooo, I would love a galaxy. Fun fact: this is the same frame as a Galaxy but with different brake mounts. How did they manage to get a 26 inch wheel to work? Have you got any photos of it?
@@TheSlowworms they couldn't get the brakes to work I think that's why they gave up, the wheels will live on as there fine for the kids bike. I haven't taken any pics yet but will be soon. I just gotta dig in the parts store to get some brake blocks.
@@TheSlowworms they gave up too soon. Now the 26" wheels are proving useful yesterday I found a claud butler mtb outside a house with other rubbish with a free sign on it. I'll have to send you some pics of the galaxy
There are Shimano shoes for clipless pedals in which you can walk around like you can in normal shoes. I got the SH-CT5. Also, there are pedals with a clipless and a flat side.
@@TheSlowworms There are two things to consider: a) The cleats can't be pushed as much forward as you might like b)they come with a 2bolt system, that means you have to use SPD pedals. There are road pedals for the SPD system though, if you don't prefer to use MTB pedals anyway.
@@chrisko6439 thanks! I’ve got the SPD pedals so I’m half way there. They’re the ones that are supposed to be flat on one side, although they don’t really feel that flat 😆
The end result is really nice. If you're intention was to make a frankenstein bike that wont get stolen then I think you've failed lol. The final result looks like something all-city or surly would put out. Also, I've seen people convert the old frame derailleur hangers with replaceable ones, might be something to look into if you're gonna do any sort of hard abuse to this bike.
Thanks very much, I love all-city and my dream bike is a Surly so I really appreciate it! Yeah, I’m not really sure how you’d make a bike unworthy of being stolen. Maybe if you bought a second hand bike that was once a supermarket bike maybe? I haven’t seen that done before. I’ve seen people use hanger extenders so they can use a wider ranger of gears. It sounds like a good idea. Do you know any more about it?
Thank you! I didn’t know a lot about them until I bought this one to be honest. I’ve now bought a Dawes Hybrid from the same year for my girlfriend. That’s gonna be my next video. I don’t know much about the Dawes Lightning. What’s it like?
@@TheSlowworms I'd say similar to this one except it wasnt Reynolds tubing or anything fancy. Simple drivetrain and weimann brakes. It's pure nostalgia for me though. I can still remember how shiny and nice it looked. I used to go into the bike shop every day just to make sure it was still there😁. Hand built in England!
Thanks for the support Dennis! It’s really appreciated. I recently made a video about a big upgrade I did on my cheap road bike. I’ve just bought another Dawes hybrid for my girlfriend so that’ll be another project.
Cool. Nice bike. I had a Bridgestone MB-Something before. I really liked the frame and I would have loved to modify it sort of like this (just upgrade the drivetrain, convert to curved bars, change the seat). But I ended up selling the bike one time that I moved
Just done a Dawes Street for a work mate, really nice bikes to work on and it rides really well. We stuck with a triple 7 and flats but I used a more up to date Atlus set with modern trigger shifters. All in plus the bike it came to £120 which is a bargain.
@@TheSlowworms it’s a Giant Revel 3 from 2015! I used it when I first started MTBing a year ago but I’ve graduated to a full sus 29er now. I don’t want it to sit in my garage unused and we have lots of great gravel trails near me so I figured, why not convert it!? It’ll be an educational experience, too, since I’m learning how to work on bikes - my local bike shop has been awesome with helping me out! 😁
That sounds like a great idea! There are so many really good “how to” videos from Park Tool and GCN/GMBN on TH-cam as well so you’ll be fine. Have you started it yet?
Sick bike man! I just bought an old dudes custom Steel cx frame, I'm about to build a bike really similar to yours. I respect the budget outlook too. Bikes are one of those things that just keep on trucking.
@@TheSlowworms It's a MEECH frame, hes a custom builder in Arizona. Give him a google! The bike is built, but the barend shifters I bought are trash. I'm giving myself a christmas present of some sora brifters. Should be 100% after christmas, I'll see if I can't make a short video. Cheers!
Thanks James! I think you might be right, it’s hard to tell without taking the paint off but the lugs looked brazed on! Such a good era for bike building!
Thank you so much 😊 It was seriously so much fun. It was really hard not to just install the parts individually as soon as they arrived but it’s definitely way more fun to wait for everything to arrive and do the bike build all in one go 👍
I really like your build, because the bike I want to have is almost similar to yours.) I discovered a lot of info about gravels and their prices and I won't be happy to spend at least 600$ for starter platform, so...my dream is to buy budget hybrid and convert it into something like gravel (maybe even with internal gearhub), because hybrid and gravel is almost the same thing. Anyway, your video is awesome and I wish good luck in your hobby.)
Thank you very much! I just sold a bike with an internal Sturmey-Archer hub funnily enough. I really liked it but it only had 3 gears. I always find that with a cheaper bike I’m less precious about it. This bike is gonna get a bit wet from time to time and I’m not worried, so I’m likely to use it more often.
@@TheSlowworms, to be honest, I am afraid a bit of using internal gearhub. This thing is really cool, but its hard to find duals for dropbars for gearhub, and they aren't cheap at all. So, very possible, that I will use traditional gear system for my future bike. And I am really glad to hear, that u like your custom bike.)
I’d never thought about having an internal gear hub on a drop bar bike but that is such a good idea! I just did a bit of research to figure out how it would work. If you did decide to use Sturmey-Archer internal gear hubs you can get shifters that go in the bar ends. Would that work or would you want the shifters to be part of the brakes?
I was exactly this with my Reid Urban X2. I was half way through get the parts when some bastard stole it. Who steals a half completed bike?! No chain, no cables, no bar tape, crappy stock wheels with old worn out and skinny Schwalbe Smart Sams.....good luck with that buddy. Anyway, I'm now pulling a Trace Velo and build a budget carbon gravel grinder. Miss the Urban though 😢
The late 70's early 80's touring ten and twelve speeds are really decent "gravel" bikes that need little to be decent again. Keep your eyes out for most japanese steel "touring" bikes at garage sales (CL and Facebook prices are too expensive). I happen to garbage pick mine and put about 150 bucks into it (mostly tires), and it's great!!!;
@The Slowworms I'm not an expert by any means.... The article www.cxmagazine.com/cheap-gravel-bike-steel-vintage-road-bikes-60s-70s-80s Kept me from spending a lot on a gravel bike (I'm more bmx / enduro sort and ride mostly very tech single track). Some of the vintage stuff can be pricey in my area, but sometimes you find an affordable bike that works. The bike I had was a 79 takara touring 12 speed that weighed quite a lot but even my older brother mr road bike snob that cycled for Notre Dame admitted it road pretty dang good (even though it's definitely not high end). The touring bikes are very upright and comfy. They also have decent tire clearance, and I have yet to really break anything. I have other hobbies that involve distance travel vs technical riding where I wouldn't want to use my more expensive mountain bikes. Like packrafting with bikes, going deep woods on abandoned colonial roads to metal detect old homesteads, bombing around town maybe a bit "tipsy" running errands etc... (Not just due to theft or damage but the vintage bike with decent upgrades is WAY more efficient). That is where these budget builds shine.
Nice build, ive done a similar thing with an old Peugeot, mines only 8speed for now as i plan to upgrade to a clutched derailleur set up in the future. also I replaced my cantilever brakes with mini Vbrakes which work with the drop bar shifters, they dont look as nice but they work a lot better!
Yeah, I know what you mean with the V-brakes. I was considering changing these cantilevers to V brakes as well. How did you get the drop bars to work with the V brakes In the end, don’t they have a different pull length?
@@TheSlowworms you have to get mini v brakes, I got some cheapy ones on eBay. They have a shorter pull ratio to work with the drop bars compared to normal vbrakes. The set up is a bit hard without any barrel adjusters but they do work well when you get them right
@@TheSlowworms there is a couple on my Instagram, Lyndon_osgood is my tag. i think theres a few differences since i last put a pic up. ive got various other pics of my other bikes on there aswell. :)
Thanks for watching. I've recently made a video about the rebuild and upgrade of my road bike too. If you like this then maybe you'd like that too. Cheers! th-cam.com/video/z9tjRbFYMHk/w-d-xo.html
These Bikes are a real treasure for me. They´re fast, cheap and versatile. I love mine für the daily commute. Your´s looks very nice.
Absolutely! What bike have you got?
Great looking bike! Good to see those old cyclo-cross bikes getting a new life. They offer plenty of good comfort, and mixed with modern parts are really awesome commuters and gravelbikes. Nice work!
Thanks very much Alexander! It's actually an old hybrid bike but I really like modernising older bikes and adapting them for a different purpose.
I like your build a lot but I'd like to mention two things: it's good that the previous owner liked grease so much because nothing was stuck and if you want some break power then you should think about mini v brakes if you can fit them with the big tire size
Thanks, I really appreciate it!
Oh yeah, I’m an advocate for grease. I just thought it was funny that the bottom of the seat post was absolutely caked in it 🤣
This is literally what I just did like a week ago with a Univega Via Carisma. Love bringing these old steel bikes to life as a gravel allrounder. Great job !
Thank you so much! I’d never heard of that bike but it looks great. Have you got any photos of it?
I've just started a similar project with a Univega alpine 508. I'm going to stick with flat bars though because I'm still a mountain biker.
I'm doing the same exact thing right now!
That’s great! How did you get on?
Ah that’s great! What bike are you using?
I love this idea. I am about to do a gravel bike build with a hybrid bike. I may steel the idea of brown tires, seat, bar tape.
Thanks! You should do it, it’s so much fun! Let me know how you get on
I know I'm a bit late :D … Anyway very nice build! I really like it and I keep doing these "conversion" myself … One thing I learned just recently is that the rear derailleur doesn't need to be marked as a 9-speed derailleur, the old shimano 8- or even 7-speed will work fine with a 9-speed index shifter and cassette … makes the recycling even easier as the old derailleurs are literally everywhere to get.
Thank you very much! That's a really good tip, I'll have to give it a try
I’ve recently started a similar with a 15ish year old Trek 7.5FX which has a shimano Alivio derailleur and 8 speed cassette. You think it would be fine for me to keep that derailleur and buy a 9 speed cassette to go with my Sora shifters?
Yeah you're right. With the older MTB derailleurs they're interchangeable between 7/8/9-speed. Only 10-Speed derailleur wouldn't work since Shimano changed the cable-pull ratio (don't ask me how I know). Cassette hub wise 8-10speed are same size. 7-speed would fit on also an with additional spacer. For reusing old 7-speed cassette hub wheels U can put 8 of 9 sprockets of 9-speed cassette or 9 of 10 sprockets of a 10-speed cassette and use a 9-speed/10-speed shifter with it. Check Sheldon Brown's pages for more on that.
Did the exact same thing on an '87 Peugout! Same tires, 9 speed, Sora shifters, but with a cheap Amazon IXF crankset. Love mine, ENJOY! Great looking bike BTW!
😂 sounds like a great build. Have you got any photos? Thanks man 👍
Great! I too love '80's/90's bikes. Fun, well built modifyable. This one will be a friend for years. Sorry for being late.... Thanks!
I love that the steel frame is so robust too. I’m not afraid to do anything to it. It’s gonna be interesting to see how well all these carbon fibre bikes are doing in 20 years time.
Awesome. Loved it.
Thank you very much! I’m a big fan of your work!
Hey OldShovel, really like your videos mate.
Would you say that you really….dug it?
Sorry. I’ll see myself out.
No you will not! You get VIP seating with jokes like that 😂
Mah men oldshovel❤️
Grease is cheap, and it never hurts to use plenty. I always appreciate greased quill stems and seatposts on these older bikes.
Yeah, loads of grease is better than no grease
This was a really cool video to watch because while you seem to know what you are doing, there was still a kind of amateur feel to everything. Compared to the videos of people in fully kitted out workshops, it's much more relateable seeing someone working in their backyard, stripping threads and explaining their mistakes.
So from new zealand, thank you for the inspiration
The "yoke" you had on your front brakes are just like the style of brakes I had on a 1960s vista Esquire 3 speed. After that bike stopped working and I didn't have the parts to fix it, brakes went to another bike. And may I say that those are the best caliper brakes I've ever ridden, they stop you on a dime.
Yeah, I really like them too. I think they came out with the other design to stop the wire coming unhooked, getting stuck in the tyre knobs and throwing the rider over the bars
I did mine up very similarly. Perfect use for those old frames.
No way! Have you got any photos?
Nice home build! I've got a home-built cyclo/gravel/road bike too. Gravel Kings perfect for most off road riding. Rim brake pads can get a lot of rocks embedded. Gotta pick the rocks out once in a while. If you need lower gears, you change to 10 speed with a Shimano Deore 11-42 rear cassette. Keep your rear derailleur as it'll work fine with some used 10 speed road shifters (e.g. 105/Ultegra). You will want to add a Wolf Tooth RoadLink derailleur hanger extension to clear the largest gear. Once you get your bike sorted for the kinds of riding you do, you will discover that most store-bought gravel bikes aren't really much better!
This bike is SO PRETTY. Im in the US, looking for something to build into that thing. I love the green and brown, one by, drops bars, its PERFECT.
Thanks Zachary! I’m glad you like it. Let me know how you get on 🙂
@@TheSlowworms bro’s! I just bought a 1992 Specialized Roxkhopper. Finna throw the advent 10spd on it and the leather everything. Love you british Bois. You give me so much insporation. Love you guys!!!
Big fan of upgraded bikes. Good to keep them alive.
Amazing build! So refreshing to see someone who just wants a proper bike for any situation built practically! Well done!
Thank you very much! I haven’t got room for as many bikes as I would like and I like to do lots of different types of riding so I like bikes that can serve several purposes 😄
I did this with an old 90’s Kona MTB from Facebook marketplace. I added drop bars and a 1x9s Sora groupset. I absolutely love it.
Sounds awesome! Have you got any pictures?
I did a very similar bike from my first big bike, a 90s' legnano city bike, which has a very interesting geometry. I just kept the frame and the front derailleur. I opted for a 3x8 and French shifters (on the stem), only it was hard to find the right canti for drop bars brake levers, whose reach is shorter. Total budget 220 euro, nothing compared to the fun I'm having riding it. It is the only bike I will never sell.
Loved you project!
Thank you! That sounds great! Have you got any photos of your build?
That's awesome! I frequently use my dad's Dawes bike. Good bikes. Love how you show things that didn't go to plan. Most videos just make it seem like everything goes to plan 100%
Thanks Thomas, I really appreciate it. That’s the beauty of using a cheap, second hand, well built bike, you don’t have to worry about making mistakes! What model is your Dawes?
Our ‘budget gravel bikes’, used to be a five speed racer with cow horn handlebars, in the late 70’s!👍🏾🛠
I didn’t know they had even invented the wheel back then 😉
@@TheSlowworms Get back to school!🤣😉
🤣
In all seriousness, I think modern bikes have probably made mountain biking too easy and people are looking for a challenge.
@@TheSlowworms I think you are right! Back then it was “let’s go down this bloody great hill on a tricked out racing bike with ridiculously wide handlebars!”.
Nowadays it’s “ Oh no, my derailleur has run out of batteries!”...🤣🤣🤣😉
Durable and beautiful steel frame and modern components, best of both worlds. Been wanting to do something similar, although with a big, silver quill stem.
Thanks very much! It’s funny you should say that because I’ve been looking at quill stems as well. I just want a quill stem that will fit modern bars but I don’t know if that’s possible
@@TheSlowworms You can find modern bars with the old road standard clamp size, which is 26.0mm. So yeah would require buying new bars to fit the stem...
Oh yeah! Good thinking 💡
nice bike! Always love a budget build because it's great to see how clever you can be to make it cheap and functional
I 100% agree. A lot of the time I think the advantages you get from buying a new bike aren’t great enough to warrant the extra money too
Dude I did this same thing with an old steel Raleigh frame!! Repainted it, got some flared bars, even threw a 63mm suspension fork on it! Great video, keep it up 😎
Nice! Have you got any photos anywhere?
@@TheSlowworms absolutely! But I'm not sure if you can add photos to youtube comments 🤔🤔
Are you on Instagram?
@@TheSlowworms ya @Spencybikes
Incredible job!
That's is a lesson to the overprice bike companies 👍
Thanks Marcio! 😁👍
Nice. I've done something similar recently. Converting hybrid Alivio to Sora touring with drop bars.
The major issue were:
- Top tube on hybrid frame is 6cm longer compared to similar (53cm seat tube) pure road bike. Eventually I had to go for 37mm downhill stem to compensate.
- V-brakes had to be swapped for cyclocross Shimano br-cx50 cantilevers.
- And final part was to install front cable hanger (similar to yours) and a seat post clamp cable hanger - both to have cantilevers working.
Thanks! Sounds like a great project? Does the bike still handle well with the shorter stem? I love cantilever brakes too but I think we’re in the minority judging by people’s reactions in the comments 😄
long top tubes are the central problem of conversions like this. I should know, as I did it before. Couldn't get the fit right, finally sold it to a taller person, purchased a genuine (new) gravel bike that fits like a glove.
@@TheSlowworms Handling on hoods and drops is OK. Tops - feels like a steel road bike from 80s where quill stems are also pretty short.
Cantilevers is sort-of necessity when switching to road shifters.
There are indeed issues with sound and vibration, but personally for me it's not a big deal because roads in the Netherlands are pretty flat so rarely experience those.
Often only alternative is "Problem Solver Bikes - Travel Agent" however this is also not an absolutely flawless fix.
Honestly I really like when someone takes an older frame and converts it to something modern.
There are good modern frames, but if you are lucky to get some nice 90s steel/alu frame (especially Koga) then you can be sure it'll work perfectly for extra 10y.
So, thumb up and good work!
@@martinkrautter8325 - you are right. I also had some issues with fit.
However in my case I was lucky to have a bit smaller frame so top tube was already 3cm shorter + 4cm saving on a stem and it did a trick.
I’m glad it’s worked out. Apparently Tektro Mini shifters work with drop levers as well 😊
I have a Specialized Rockhopper expert rigid that I converted to drop bar, Claris 2×9 shift/brake with the original suntour xc pro derailleurs. It is my gravel bike with wider and flared bars. I have mudguards that I have yet installed.
Nice 👍 Have you got any photos?
7:10 someone was like "VTEC POWAAA"
🤣 why is it that anyone with a V-Tec has to red line it though?
You make a new life to your bike!
Yeah man! You should give it a go if you haven’t already. It’s great fun!
Nice build! Get yourself Kool Stop brake pads and Yokozuna compressionless cables and you will see a significant increase in braking performance. I have those in every bike with rim brakes.
Thank you! Funny you should say that because I was just looking at some new brake pads. Have you had a lot of experience with them?
@@TheSlowworms I've had Shimanos and Kool Stops. I like Kool Stop as they provide in my opinion better grip and last longer. They also have cassette type pads for the brakes you're using, i.e. you don't have to start from scratch when you change the pads. I use the Salmon compound as it works best in wet and wintery conditions. Good stopping power even today
at -15 Celsius in my 90s mtb to commuter conversion:)
They sounds perfect! That’s good to know, thanks!
Well done! I have a touring bike from 2007 or so that has Shimano 105 9-speed components. I've taken it on pretty gnarly trails in Ontario & Québec (loaded for bikepacking trips too). It came with an 11-28 cassette so I'm now in the process of swapping the derailleur & cassette. Will soon be able to climb like a champ!
Thank you! I really really want to try some bike packing. This may be a stupid question, but does all the extra baggage make it a lot harder to ride up hills?
@@TheSlowworms Imagine riding the bike you just built up a hill. Now, imagine riding that bike with a 30 pound weight tied to it (maybe a backpack filled with groceries). It'd probably slow you down. Great way to explore though!
Ahh, I see. Maybe I’ll travel light to start with. Thanks!
I was given an old Bianchi Ocelot in exchange for a couple tune-ups, in my size. This is something like I've been considering for this bike.
That is awesome! Can I see it once you’re done?
Jury is out on the model year as the Dawes catalogue shows the integrated rear brake cable wasn't introduced until 1993 but it matches the colour in the 1992 catalogue
Oh no way! That’s really interesting, well spotted. I’m leaning more towards 1993 no you’ve said that because surely it’s easy enough to ask for a different colour
SKS make mudguards that come in sizes up to 45mm wide.
Not sure if they would fit but you can measure to make sure.
Thank you! I’ve been looking for wider mudguards for ages so I really appreciate it
@@TheSlowworms do a follow up video! I really enjoyed that video since I am building my own gravel bike right now.
@@Medievalfan94 thank you so much! I’ve got an old 26” Trek bike that I’m getting parts for right now
Yeah a very nice build. With the bluemels they are fiddly to fit but they will last and provide good coverage. The set i have now has been on 3 of my bikes over many years. With 32mm tyres on my audax Dawes the clearances are very tight but I still think theres nothing to touch them. On gravel and or trails you will find little stones getting caught between guards and tyres unfortunately. I did use the black caps for the mudguard stays the way you originally did which seems to be the only/best way.
Ahh that’s interesting. Do you leave them on all year around? Do you find they rattle very much or are they pretty solid?
@@TheSlowworms they are extremely solid with the exception like I say of little stones sometimes getting caught. I leave them on all year round. Think they suit the bike .
At 6:20 I think you are trying to cut the chain pin with side cutters. These are designed to snap off so you will have a much easier time using pliers or the chain tool to just bend it till it snaps.
Doing this to a Dawes as well. Went to my daughters house and there was a bike left outside a silver dawes. I asked about it and the nieghour said take it they couldn't get it to work. Score lol... Well till I looked at it carefully it was a alloy frame great shimano gears drop bars but someone had put 26inch mtb wheels on it lol no wonder it wouldn't work. I went on the hunt for new wheels on a very tight budget. Luckily I found another bike a ladies dawes 700c wheels for free again the whole bike was scrap except the wheels. Now all that's left is brake set up its got some cyclocross cantis on it just need blocks, new seatpost and saddle and flat peddles then it's good to go. Mutant hack bike lol.
What a good bit of luck! Have you got any cantilever brakes in mind? I really want to get some of those cantilevers with the really long wide arms if you know what I mean. I think tektro do some. Have you got any pictures of your bike?
@@TheSlowworms I will have to take some
I love gravel bikes. This looks sweet. Well done! Yea, do another!. I actually have a Dawes Sterling in my shed, i rode it for about 5 years, bought for £90 second hand, really nice bike, maybe i could do something like this.
I just googled your bike and it looks so so cool! You might be restricted with the tyre width because it looks like it has calliper brakes, doesn’t it?
Great video! I love the candidness and honesty! 🎉
Ah thanks Derek! I really appreciate it!
Nice, I did the same with an mid2000 Specialized Sirrus fitness bike frame.
Nice! Have you got any photos anywhere?
Easy cleanup , came as described fast. Great product
😂
Im righg now in the process of making my own gravel bike!! Thanks for the video helped a lot😀
Awesome! Have you bought a bike or any of the parts yet?
@@TheSlowworms yes! im transforming the bike that I own and the parts are on their way🤩
Nice! Let me know how you get on 👍
Ahhhh its weird Im looking to exactly this. I needed a cheap bike i dont care about too much but I also want to enjoy riding it as Im going carless and would be wounded if my proper bike got nicked. So ive been looking for older, preferably steel, bikes with canti bosses so I can stick decent tyres in and have good braking too (calipers are shit in my experience). Im also going to put a basket or porteur rack on! England is a bit naff for older bikes compared to America but we have loads of Raleigh pioneer trails if anyone here is interested in doing something similar. Theyre essentially the same as this Dawes. Theres also a few trek multitracks knocking about but nothing major. Its a bit like this video was made for me at this exact moment in my life lol nice one cheers
No way! I’m glad I can be of assistance. Have any bikes taken your fancy yet?
Nice budget build. I'm keen to start a gravel project as well, but I already have five bikes...
There's one thing from the style police: The tyre badges usually are in the 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock position of the valves. And not somewhere else 😉
Noooo! Why’d you have to do that to me! Now I can’t un-see it 😭
Another bike won’t hurt 😉 What bikes do you have?
Very humorous and fun video to watch.
ahh thanks Sonal, I really appreciate it! 👍
Welcome I like your style of presentation it's easy to understand.
This is exactly what I'm doing at the moment, looks rad as hell!
Mine's an old german steel frame, got some schwalbe g-one tanwalls with a Nexus 8 hub for extra awful-weather resistance. Made the build a tad more expensive but going to be worth it for never having to clean the drive train ever again 👌
Thanks Ed! I really appreciate it. That sounds like a great build! Have you got any photos of it?
@@TheSlowworms Not yet, waiting to hear back from some bike shops about wheel building - tried it once myself and decided the next time i'd just pay someone to do it😆.
I think once it's together I'll make a video, the build's going to be two stages for budget reasons - just need to get it running now then hopefully in a couple months i'll be able to sort out the saddle/bars & get a fresh coat of paint on it
@@roseroserose588 Fair enough. I’m not brave enough to build a wheel yet. Let me know when you get a video up! 👍
I'm gonna build one too, oh men the bikes out there are really expensive. Thanks for the vid!
No worries. You should, it’s so much fun! Are you looking at second hand bikes?
I like new bikes but I also like old new bikes too. Great job!
Sounds like you like all bikes! Thank you!
Hey nice did nearly the same with a old fashioned trek 720 multitrack - drop bar, sora group, bumm lights, xlc mini v brakes, dtswiss 540 rims with sora hubs, panaracer and ride this baby 3000km in 5 months 👍😊 up cycling rocks
I was trying to get a multitrack before I bought this bike! That sounds like a nice bike and a lot of miles. Were the wheels expensive?
@@TheSlowworms oh sorry I mixed it up not the 540 it was the 545 rim and because no bike shop got time during the pandemic I decided to lace it up by myself with sapim spokes - the wheels are sturdy and fast and not that heavy - costs where about 160,- €
How did the lacing up go? I’m a bit scared to try that myself
@@TheSlowworms it's not that hard then I thought. First try to truing some (old) wheels to get a feeling for spokes and tension. And after that I did just a rim swap (used zip tie to keep the new rim on the old wheel in place) and go around and barely "transmitted" the spokes and nipples. Some day later I started to lace completely new, with help from online spoke lenght calculator, some TH-cam videos and patience 😊 first wheel took about 6hr in 3 days because the spokes where little bit to long and I supposed that my lacing pattern was wrong. But fixed it with some shims, rear wheel took about 2 hours, after that I did some more and now I'm under an hour for a wheel with truing - it's fun like meditation 🧘♂️ just try 👍
@@ThomasGmomo2xlc ah I see! I need to bite the bullet and just give it a go. Did you use a wheel trying stand or did you manage without?
You CAN cut down the "set" straddle. All you need do is remove the and reposition the pivot on the cable and cut the excess cable sheath from the left side. The only issue is making sure your measurement and cut keep the pivot centered as this type of straddle cannot be adjusted on the fly. This is why I prefer modern roller yokes that make self-centering a snap.
Doesn’t that mean the the side of the cable with the nipple is going to be longer than the other side? So it won’t be centred?
This thing looks just beautiful, man!! Nice work!
Looks really nice, my dad's got a retired old race bike.
I might do something similar
Thanks Daniel! You should! It's so much fun. What bike is it?
Be glad that there was a lot of grease in there. It is better than the alternative which could have been seized aluminum parts to the steel frame.
Yeah, I was glad. I don’t know if it needed an inch thick of it on the bottom of the seat post though.
Very nice build!😍 I did something simlilar with a Raleigh Corsa (Reynolds 531) in Celeste / Mint Green and it worked out beautifully. 😏 40 Pounds is an absolute Steeeel of a bike! 😜
I just had a watch of your Raleigh build video. Loved it! We should start a 9 speed fan club 😄 I really want to get some of those thumb shifters too. Anyway, I better crack on 😉
@@TheSlowworms Aww Wow! 😍🙏Thank you for watching my interpretation of the Vintage Gravelbike and for your great feedback! Yes, you should! Thumb shifters are just frickin cool! 😎🙌 Greetings from Germany, Armin
A very nice build. I love the color scheme and especially those tires, but I guess the canti brakes make more noise than they are slowing you down. An old Belgian cyclocross saying goes that canti brakes are only good to announce to the guy in front that you are about to crash into him. You could put some mini-Vs instead (difficult if you want to install mudguards though). Or you take normal V-brakes and put a travel agent to compensate the shorter cable pull of the brifters. I swapped the cantis on my CX bike for a set of mini-Vs, what a difference. Now I can brake easily from the hoods, it is almost too much. Tektro makes still affordable mini-Vs, if you want to go fancy, take those from TRP.
Thanks very much! Yeah, a few people have suggested mini-vs. I really like the look of the cantilever brakes though and they really don’t seem that bad. Maybe I’ve just got used to them 😄
I did this with a Target Schwinn Trailways. The difference between it and the Dawes is that the Trailway has more 29er MTB DNA in it so it has more tire clearance and sus fork capability. It currently has 2.0 tires, Sora 9 speed brifters, Shimano LX rear derailleur and a 11-34 cassette. But the real party trick is the vintage mtb 3x square taper crank. I am using just two rings on it: a 42t high and a crazy low 22t! It took a bit of work but it shifts just fine up front but best of all the final low is a stump pulling .67! By comparison a typical 1x with a 42t rear and a 32t front is .76. This combo results in awesome range. I pretty ride it to the trail in the 42t then drop to the 22t for the trail. All built for $160 US! I'll slip you a pic on Instagram or FB.
Thanks for the photos. It looks and sounds like great fun!
you need a slightly lighter color for the steering wheel wrap, and it will look absolutely perfect!
like a saddle and tire stripes)
What if I get a slightly darker saddle? I hate the saddle.
I’m always looking for vid builds like this. I have a Bridgestone RB3 waiting for restoration. This vid definitely game me ideas on that! Thank you so much!
Thank you for watching! I just had a look at what that is, it looks really nice! Let me know how you get on.
Proof positive that gravel bikes are a triumph of marketing.
🤣 not as triumphant as the ever increasing diameter of handle bar clamps
I think it looks flippen awesome too!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it! 😊
I have a 93 specialized stumpjumper with a damn blown rockshox fork, can't find ANY rebuild kits OR rigid forks for it :c I'm glad you got yours sorted!
Ooooo that sounds nice. It must be a pretty high end bike to come with a front fork in 1993. Do you know if it’s the Stumpjumper M2?
@@TheSlowworms ah it's not an M2, the shock seems to be a Mag 10 without dust covers. It does have an olive green paint job in decent shape, and looks great with the gold colored shock bodies. I wish I could rebuild it to keep the look lol
Hooked on building these out as well. Off topic, I've got a mid 2000's dawes fixed gear aluminum frame that is absolutely my favorite. Great frames.
Me too! Ahh nice, you got any photos?
@@TheSlowworms luis_jrtx on insta
Very nice looking, though at first sight it is definitely too long for drop bars, maybe some 70mm stem would help, but geometry still will be unproper.
Thanks! Just wondering, how did you come to that conclusion?
I have the prebuilt version of this bike, and ‘11 Cannondale caadx and it’s such a great bike for exactly your intent. I ride it more than my carbon road bike anymore because it’s just easy…fat tires, flat pedals, it’s durable.
Oh no way?! Is it a Dawes Easy Street as well?
I know exactly what you mean. I feel so much more comfortable riding around this bike that I’m not worried about beating up a bit. It’s a work horse. 👍
Great vid I'm doing a Dawes currently into a gravel come everyday bike. It was left outside my daughters nieghours a grey galaxy Al its alloy more like a mtb frame. That might be why they had put 26inch wheels on. Now it's got a set of 28 inch on it from another donar dawes ladies bike. Just gotta put new blocks on it and some better tyres and I'm set.
Oooooo, I would love a galaxy. Fun fact: this is the same frame as a Galaxy but with different brake mounts. How did they manage to get a 26 inch wheel to work? Have you got any photos of it?
@@TheSlowworms they couldn't get the brakes to work I think that's why they gave up, the wheels will live on as there fine for the kids bike. I haven't taken any pics yet but will be soon. I just gotta dig in the parts store to get some brake blocks.
@@tecdesigns8183 I’d be impressed if they managed to get those to work. I’ve heard of people fitting 900c wheel bikes with 650b but that’s about it 😆
@@TheSlowworms they gave up too soon. Now the 26" wheels are proving useful yesterday I found a claud butler mtb outside a house with other rubbish with a free sign on it. I'll have to send you some pics of the galaxy
love it. Though the bars need to be rotated down and the hoods slipped up on the bars for proper fit
Thanks mate!
There are Shimano shoes for clipless pedals in which you can walk around like you can in normal shoes. I got the SH-CT5. Also, there are pedals with a clipless and a flat side.
They actually don’t look half bad! Thanks! Maybe I’ll get some of those for my road bike.
@@TheSlowworms There are two things to consider: a) The cleats can't be pushed as much forward as you might like b)they come with a 2bolt system, that means you have to use SPD pedals. There are road pedals for the SPD system though, if you don't prefer to use MTB pedals anyway.
@@chrisko6439 thanks! I’ve got the SPD pedals so I’m half way there. They’re the ones that are supposed to be flat on one side, although they don’t really feel that flat 😆
Great video, rad bike and good low key humour.
Cheers mate! I really appreciate it 🙂👍
The end result is really nice. If you're intention was to make a frankenstein bike that wont get stolen then I think you've failed lol. The final result looks like something all-city or surly would put out.
Also, I've seen people convert the old frame derailleur hangers with replaceable ones, might be something to look into if you're gonna do any sort of hard abuse to this bike.
Thanks very much, I love all-city and my dream bike is a Surly so I really appreciate it!
Yeah, I’m not really sure how you’d make a bike unworthy of being stolen. Maybe if you bought a second hand bike that was once a supermarket bike maybe?
I haven’t seen that done before. I’ve seen people use hanger extenders so they can use a wider ranger of gears. It sounds like a good idea. Do you know any more about it?
Great vide! A Dawes Lightning was my first bike! I have a soft spot for them! Nice job😁
Thank you! I didn’t know a lot about them until I bought this one to be honest. I’ve now bought a Dawes Hybrid from the same year for my girlfriend. That’s gonna be my next video.
I don’t know much about the Dawes Lightning. What’s it like?
@@TheSlowworms I'd say similar to this one except it wasnt Reynolds tubing or anything fancy. Simple drivetrain and weimann brakes. It's pure nostalgia for me though. I can still remember how shiny and nice it looked. I used to go into the bike shop every day just to make sure it was still there😁. Hand built in England!
Nice bike conversion. Geht gut mit den richtigen Teilen
Ah Danke!
this really motivated me to do a project like this! Thank you, good video.
Thanks Aleix! You should do it, it’s great fun! Let me know how you get on? 👍
Minus points (for style) for giving the stem positive angle. Also the fork seems to be bent backwards a tiny bit, but maybe it is so by design.
Right... any plus points?
That is a beauty of a bike mate!
Thanks Mate!! 😊👍
Dawes frame..nice way to start
Thanks! I didn’t really know much about Dawes before I bought this bike. I’m more of a Raleigh fan I think
I love the classic look. I can’t wait to see your next project.
Thanks for the support Dennis! It’s really appreciated.
I recently made a video about a big upgrade I did on my cheap road bike.
I’ve just bought another Dawes hybrid for my girlfriend so that’ll be another project.
@@TheSlowworms I caught the gravel update and the other upgrade. Nice work.
Cool. Nice bike. I had a Bridgestone MB-Something before. I really liked the frame and I would have loved to modify it sort of like this (just upgrade the drivetrain, convert to curved bars, change the seat). But I ended up selling the bike one time that I moved
Thanks! Ah that’s a shame. You should pick up a new one. They aren’t very much and it’s so much fun! 🤙
Just done a Dawes Street for a work mate, really nice bikes to work on and it rides really well. We stuck with a triple 7 and flats but I used a more up to date Atlus set with modern trigger shifters. All in plus the bike it came to £120 which is a bargain.
Nice! Is the Dawes street the same as my Dawes Easy Street or is it a completely different model?
This video is awesome! So fun! I have a commuter bike that I would love to turn into a gravel bike, too. Now I’m off to go buy some parts! 😆
Thanks very much Michaela! What bike is it? Let me know how you get on? 🤟
@@TheSlowworms it’s a Giant Revel 3 from 2015! I used it when I first started MTBing a year ago but I’ve graduated to a full sus 29er now. I don’t want it to sit in my garage unused and we have lots of great gravel trails near me so I figured, why not convert it!? It’ll be an educational experience, too, since I’m learning how to work on bikes - my local bike shop has been awesome with helping me out! 😁
That sounds like a great idea! There are so many really good “how to” videos from Park Tool and GCN/GMBN on TH-cam as well so you’ll be fine. Have you started it yet?
@@TheSlowworms for sure! My LBS has been super helpful as far as teaching me things, too. I haven’t started it yet, but soon!
Sick bike man! I just bought an old dudes custom Steel cx frame, I'm about to build a bike really similar to yours.
I respect the budget outlook too. Bikes are one of those things that just keep on trucking.
Thank you Joseph! That sounds like such a cool build. What make is the frame? Let me know how you get on!
@@TheSlowworms It's a MEECH frame, hes a custom builder in Arizona. Give him a google! The bike is built, but the barend shifters I bought are trash. I'm giving myself a christmas present of some sora brifters. Should be 100% after christmas, I'll see if I can't make a short video. Cheers!
@@mango9087 those bikes look sick mate! Have you managed to make your short video yet?
9speed is where it's at, sick build, love the Gravel kings
Yeah man! I think we need to make a club in honour of 9 speeds! 😆
You got a like and subscribe from me. Btw, that looks like a proper hand built lugged Dawes that would have been built in the Brigg factory.
Thanks James! I think you might be right, it’s hard to tell without taking the paint off but the lugs looked brazed on! Such a good era for bike building!
Love the transformation nice job man 👌🏽
ah thanks! It’s nothing on your Surly 😄
6:36 the clapping of uncut shifter cable during setting :3
I had to rewatch it to see what you’re talking about 😆 To be honest, even when it’s all set up I get nervous about cutting the shift cable 😅
Hello if you want to make it 2x10 try, just try the racework r10 upkit. Its good for 11-36tt cogs. 10 speed
Ah nice! Is that a rear derailleur extension?
Wow what a cool build 😎
Thanks mate! 👍
Great video! I'm planning to do the same thing soon :) 40 euros hybrid mixed with all the other parts from a 40 euro road bike
Thank you so much 😊
It was seriously so much fun. It was really hard not to just install the parts individually as soon as they arrived but it’s definitely way more fun to wait for everything to arrive and do the bike build all in one go 👍
That’s a nice conversion
Thanks Cobwobbler!
Beautiful , Good Job !
Thanks mate!
Der gute LIDL-Ständer. Sehr gut :)
😂 it does the job. Although it’s not very strong 🥴
90s MTB is actually already a gravel bike LoL. Though in the era of John Tomac he puts a drop bar and race on it.
Yeah, they are pretty close. You just don’t get bikes specifically built for gravel grinding with 26” wheels. A bike is what you make of it though.
Totally dig it, curious about the total approximate cost though.
Yo! It’s funny you should ask that, because I’ve made a part 2 of this video with a price breakdown. Check it out! 🤘
I really like your build, because the bike I want to have is almost similar to yours.)
I discovered a lot of info about gravels and their prices and I won't be happy to spend at least 600$ for starter platform, so...my dream is to buy budget hybrid and convert it into something like gravel (maybe even with internal gearhub), because hybrid and gravel is almost the same thing.
Anyway, your video is awesome and I wish good luck in your hobby.)
Thank you very much! I just sold a bike with an internal Sturmey-Archer hub funnily enough. I really liked it but it only had 3 gears. I always find that with a cheaper bike I’m less precious about it. This bike is gonna get a bit wet from time to time and I’m not worried, so I’m likely to use it more often.
@@TheSlowworms, to be honest, I am afraid a bit of using internal gearhub. This thing is really cool, but its hard to find duals for dropbars for gearhub, and they aren't cheap at all.
So, very possible, that I will use traditional gear system for my future bike.
And I am really glad to hear, that u like your custom bike.)
I’d never thought about having an internal gear hub on a drop bar bike but that is such a good idea! I just did a bit of research to figure out how it would work. If you did decide to use Sturmey-Archer internal gear hubs you can get shifters that go in the bar ends.
Would that work or would you want the shifters to be part of the brakes?
I was exactly this with my Reid Urban X2. I was half way through get the parts when some bastard stole it. Who steals a half completed bike?! No chain, no cables, no bar tape, crappy stock wheels with old worn out and skinny Schwalbe Smart Sams.....good luck with that buddy.
Anyway, I'm now pulling a Trace Velo and build a budget carbon gravel grinder. Miss the Urban though 😢
The late 70's early 80's touring ten and twelve speeds are really decent "gravel" bikes that need little to be decent again.
Keep your eyes out for most japanese steel "touring" bikes at garage sales (CL and Facebook prices are too expensive). I happen to garbage pick mine and put about 150 bucks into it (mostly tires), and it's great!!!;
Nice! Have you got any suggestions for some good Japanese touring bikes?
@The Slowworms I'm not an expert by any means.... The article www.cxmagazine.com/cheap-gravel-bike-steel-vintage-road-bikes-60s-70s-80s
Kept me from spending a lot on a gravel bike (I'm more bmx / enduro sort and ride mostly very tech single track). Some of the vintage stuff can be pricey in my area, but sometimes you find an affordable bike that works. The bike I had was a 79 takara touring 12 speed that weighed quite a lot but even my older brother mr road bike snob that cycled for Notre Dame admitted it road pretty dang good (even though it's definitely not high end). The touring bikes are very upright and comfy. They also have decent tire clearance, and I have yet to really break anything.
I have other hobbies that involve distance travel vs technical riding where I wouldn't want to use my more expensive mountain bikes. Like packrafting with bikes, going deep woods on abandoned colonial roads to metal detect old homesteads, bombing around town maybe a bit "tipsy" running errands etc... (Not just due to theft or damage but the vintage bike with decent upgrades is WAY more efficient). That is where these budget builds shine.
Fabulously skill, this is really inspired me for my new grave bike, Thank you for sharing such amazing experience!
You should do it! It’s so much fun. Let me know how you get on? Thanks for the kind words Tofu!
cool stop brake shoes - the salomon coloured!
Thanks bud!
"That must be the fastest bike in the West...South". Aahahhaha, the pause before "South" cracked me up!
I’m so glad you picked up on that! It makes me laugh so much too 🤣
Nice build, ive done a similar thing with an old Peugeot, mines only 8speed for now as i plan to upgrade to a clutched derailleur set up in the future. also I replaced my cantilever brakes with mini Vbrakes which work with the drop bar shifters, they dont look as nice but they work a lot better!
Yeah, I know what you mean with the V-brakes. I was considering changing these cantilevers to V brakes as well.
How did you get the drop bars to work with the V brakes In the end, don’t they have a different pull length?
@@TheSlowworms you have to get mini v brakes, I got some cheapy ones on eBay. They have a shorter pull ratio to work with the drop bars compared to normal vbrakes. The set up is a bit hard without any barrel adjusters but they do work well when you get them right
Ah, i see. That’s pretty cool. I didn’t know that so thanks. Have you got any photos of your bike?
@@TheSlowworms there is a couple on my Instagram, Lyndon_osgood is my tag. i think theres a few differences since i last put a pic up. ive got various other pics of my other bikes on there aswell. :)
Just found you, that bike is so nice 👌