Has anyone built a Gravel bike using a retro frame

[mynchiboy]

Re:

Intresting thread this! It's cool to see all the interpretations out there.

Here's my sort of gravel tribute based around a Xizang frame. It's not perfect for me geometry wise (yet) but okay to thrash around as is. I find midge bars very comfy by the way, with their wide width and shallow drop. I was out on it today..

Bike currently sits around 17-18 lbs as a SS, can't imagine gears would add too much either, with sensible choices

 

[CassidyAce]

Re: Re:

Try drops on a 1999 Kona Explosif and you are just about in the Superman position. :facepalm: :facepalm:

1995, not 1999, but here's an Explosif with drops, and mudguards, and set up for touring - second post down:
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.p ... start=1575

 

[dirttorpedo]

My Miyata triple cross can take 38's with fenders. I built it up as a drop bar touring/commuting/gravel bike. Its pretty good. Then I bought a modern 650B, steel, disc braked gravel bike. It takes 42mm slicks with fenders and 2.1 knobbies without. Its low trail and designed for bike packing/commuting/gravel riding. Its pretty fun.

I'm toying with a drop bar mountain bike build. I have an old Ritchey Ultra or a early 90's Kona that would form the basis of that project. I just need to find a few more decent bits from land fill bikes to make it happen.

 

[Titiritero]

Re:

Has anyone built a Gravel bike using a retro frame

I used a Trek Multitrack 721 for that. Not strictly retro (2001) but it's the same bike as their 90's cousins (steel, horizontal top bar, etc.).

Multitracks can be had cheap (specially if you don't go for the top of the range 750), have a very upright position so they would accept a drop bar conversion better than equivalent mtb frames, and at least mine takes easily 700x42 tires with mudguards, 700x50 (i.e 2.0") without them. Other alternatives are the Specialized Crossroads, Diamond Back Outback and the offerings from Scott (these ones with less tire clearance).

If you google "trek multitrack gravel" you will get tired of seeing conversions.

 

[jimo746]

Re:

GCN are converting a retro Saracen mtb frame into a "Grahvel" bike.
Parts 1 & 2 are on YouTube...

https://youtu.be/K-NGiqdxDGc

https://youtu.be/2Cm9tA1zRgM

 

[epicyclo]

Here's one I built using my old Voodoo Bokor 26"
I managed to cram in 2" Stan's Crow tyre on 40mm Easton Arc rims
Built for Highland dirt tracks, and pretty reasonable on the road.
(I'm not a roadie so don't know what "fast" is but I can do a 200km audax comfortably on a 3 speed upright bike)



And for proper Retro, I resurrected a 1950s bike that was purpose built for rough stuff, so perhaps the proto-gravel bike.

Dawes Windrush - the extent of the modifications for rough stuff seem to have just been shifting the pump pegs from under the top tube to the downtime so it could be comfortably shouldered.

Nice on the road and amazingly capable offroad in double vision riding conditions (yeah, I should slow down, but those are 1950s brakes )

 

[unkleGsif]

...... look at the biscuits thread and have a cup of tea.

Say what..... did I miss something important???!!!!!!

 

[legrandefromage]

My gravelly Zaskar build from around 2004

I was using it to commute and a bit of off roading before I found this site and rebuilt it

 

[legrandefromage]

Ignore the daft ow bars, new forks sorted that

1990's Saracen Protrax built up in 2011 - oh and my 1987 Mercedes 500SE in the background :mrgreen:

 

[mr-mac]

Re:

Here is a crazy thought for a gravel bike....

Take an old 27” wheel road bike almost always very relaxed geometry in say 531 so fairly light but strong and comfortable.

Now there are some ok 27x1 1/4 tyres but I am thinking use a 27.5 rim with gravel tyres and one steel frame can easy add disc brake mounts. There would easy be room for the 27.5 rim if the bike you buy was designed for mudguards and originally used long reach brakes.

Plus 27” wheel bikes/frames are cheap....

In fact one of my fave bikes ever was one I bought for £10 out local paper when I was 18 and needed a bike to get 6 miles to work. Bare in mind I knew nothing about bikes. It was a crap, painted white by hand, scrapped and crap looking thing but was cheap and worked.... years later I realised it wasn’t as crap as I assumed, was an old 27” wheeled 531 frame, cinelli stem, cinelli bars, stronglite cranks, suntour ratchet levers, 27” alloy rims on campag hubs, campag saddle, campag leather saddle and shimano AX derailleurs and cassette. However due to 531 and nice relaxed geometry it would chew up the miles with comfort and so well. I mean it was early 90’s and nobody wanted road bikes and it looked so crap I could leave it outside a pub in city centre without a lock on a regular basis and it never walked...... but it was brilliant and actually well kitted out.

Would have been ideal with 27.5 rims and gravel tyres and a few other tweaks to make it a gravel bike. Long arm derailleur and triple group at front if needed...