Re:
xerxes":4h1w0hjk said:
The issue for me with fitting drop bars to an MTB would be the reach and stack.
hamster":4h1w0hjk said:
low-mid-range early 90s frames are best
I agree, it's a challenge to get a comfortable riding position with drops on an MTB. My attempts predate the whole gravel bike thing - I was aiming for an "expedition" bike. Really a 26" wheeled tourer. For me this sort of bike really should have a relatively upright position - top of the bars level with the saddle, if you want to go "aero" then that's what the drops are for!
Here's my first attempt - a late 80s Raleigh Ozark which turned out alright - it racked up some miles, and did a coast to coast tour over mixed surfaces (sustrans route) but which was never a fast feeling bike.
The second was based around a mid-90s rockhopper. To get a comfortable postition resulted in a fairly ugly bike. It was successful in that it was an incredibly comfy bike as set up, but maybe with hindsight a bit too upright to be efficient. Again it never felt fast on the road. It never really left London to be honest so I can't say how useful it was as an expedition/gravel type of thing - but it certainly took a load with ease and worked as practical transport.
I think I'd agree that the earlier bike was a better candidate. Also you maybe want a taller frame than you'd want for an XC bike?
To be honest this thread is just making me want to go out and buy an expensive modern gravel bike. My feeling is that 26" wheels just aren't as fast feeling on the road - there's a momentum thing with a larger wheel - it just feels less effort to maintain high speeds. I absolutely love 27" wheeled bikes in this respect - IMO it's better still for slogging over distances...Now there's a retro comeback waiting to happen! I'm not convinced that tyre circumference does the same job either. As it stands I have big baloony 26" x 1.95" City Jet tyres on my Dawes (which is my shopping/commuting bike) - they still feel like 26" wheels. Quite nippy but not fast.
Yeah, after years of trying to build a retro gravel bike (and not knowing it) I think I want to try a modern gravel bike. Disc brakes would be nice. And proper road size wheels. But if I wanted to build a "retro" gravel bike I think I'd start with a touring frame or a retro hybrid so I can use bigger wheels. As I said before, I reckon the gravel bike is really a more luxurious, drop bar equipped reinvention of the hybrid if anything.
One other thing to add is that I personally found drop bars to be a bit hopeless off road...