'96ish Custom Bontrager CX

[Prodigal Son]

It´s made for dirt so it´s place can be here or anywhere else; a CX Bontrager is imo one of the nec plus ultras of bikedom. Way more rare and lusted after than the 26inchers

 

[wynne]

Very nice. I once nearly ran over the actual Bontrager himself CXing the 3 peaks cyclocross. He'd gone over the bars and was face down in a bog.

 

[R-V]

Those rear dropouts with the eyelets are just gorgeus as the whole frame is

 

[pw_pw_la]

Very nice. I once nearly ran over the actual Bontrager himself CXing the 3 peaks cyclocross. He'd gone over the bars and was face down in a bog.

Hahaha.

That's amazing!

Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[pw_pw_la]

Those rear dropouts with the eyelets are just gorgeus as the whole frame is

Yeah, it's a really beautiful thing.

Bit of a cliche, but no less true for it: I feel honored to have it.

 

[pw_pw_la]

Right then, let's talk build.

A few decisions were made pretty quickly...

The first was that I didn't want to make this a fully period project. I've been really enjoying cherry-picking both old and new components for my bike's recently; things that work harmoniously together; that are interesting and maybe even unexpected. I like bikes that are performance-focussed as well as aesthetically pleasing, it's just about striking the right balance.

Anything goes as long as it goes, Etc.

There's also the whole supply and demand thing. Waiting on just the right vintage component to show up can take months and years and dollar-upon-dollar signs, and sometimes I just want to build and ride a new bike!

The second thing I decided on right away was its overall direction.

I'm not, or not yet, a road guy.

I'm not, or not yet, a drop bar guy.

So in order to get used to riding on 700c wheels with skinny tires, the plan was to build it as a flat bar, MTB-esque shedder.

The main reason for this was that I could use a few things I already had on hand, but mostly because it would help with the fact that the frame is a little on the small side for me. Nothing crazy, but it fits me more like a 26" MTB would.

Ideally I'd want something a fair bit larger, running a lower seat post and drop bars, for something more akin to a traditional CX build.

This smaller frame leant itself more towards a tall post and flat bar set-up. Especially if I wanted to use that amazing Salsa stem. Which I did! Flat bars made the most sense as the position with drops and that stem would likely be all wrong for me.

I do have a WTB dirt drop bar here, so I am also planning to build an alternative cockpit with drops, hoods, n' barcons, at some point. Just to try it out.

Anyway, that was the overall direction sorted. Now I just had to think about specifics...

 

[R-V]

I did the same, built a cx frame with flat bar and an mtb groupo. It's good...

 

[pw_pw_la]

So I started stockpiling little bits here and there:




And then bolting things on that I had lying around the place, trying to get a sense of what might work and what definitely wouldn't!





Other than the Paul Touring Cantis, nothing above would come close to making the final cut. But I included these shots because those periods of discovery, messing around with options and ideas, are some of my favorite times during the building of a new bike. I think it's nice to see where a person went wrong, or how they eventually got to where they're going.

Figuring out what looks right and what doesn't. What works well and what doesn't. Those are the fun parts!

You drink a couple of beers, throw some shit at it, and see if any of it sticks!

It always seems to help me later down the line when I'm running things over in my head and really dialing things in.

Anyway, all this resulted in what I thought was a final plan:

Based on the period the bike was likely from, my plan would be to run a 2x9 set-up, using a mix of Dura-Ace 7700 and XTR M953.

Both are 9-speed and were introduced by Shimano around the same time.

It would be a weirdo road/MTB hybrid, and I liked the sound of that!

It's a vibe.

 

[pw_pw_la]

With a real plan in mind I started figuring out more details.

One of my first discoveries was that there was definitely no room for anything wider than a 33-sized tire in the rear. Which is as trad as it gets for a cross bike! Although finding a tan-wall in that size wasn't at all easy, eventually I stumbled across a couple of different options, including these Donnelly's, a brand unfamiliar to me but recommended by a man with EXCEPTIONAL CROSS BIKE TASTE:



That 33 was actually still a fraction too tight, so while I kept it on the front, at at bike swap in San Diego I found a stray NOS IRD Crossfire in a size 32, and in keeping with the mix n' match vibes of the bike in my head so far, I figured I'd ignore the spasms of OCD trying to force their way into the forefront of my mind, and give myself a little extra wiggle room in the dirt!




This tire is actually a perfect design, so if anyone has, or sees any out there on their adventures, please do give me a holler!

I'd like another (or some others.)

 

[wynne]

Those MXP tyres are some of my favourite all round CX tyres ever - grippy, fast and tough. A very good choice.
As to clearance, that's not unusually tight for old school cx bikes.