Has anyone built a Gravel bike using a retro frame

[ultrazenith]

Re: 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

This makes a refreshing change from the typical GMBN retro vs modern videos, where they'd take a not very good retro, which they're too young (or lack the trail skills) to know how to ride properly, and compare it against a 5k full sus carbon machine from one of their industry sponsors, before concluding that bikes were 100% shite before the 2019/2020 range came out and anyone with an older bike should immediately throw it in a skip and give 5k to their industry sponsors.

 

[epicyclo]

I tried a 27.5" in the Dawes Windrush a few posts up.

A near thing but not quite.

 

[gradeAfailure]

Re:

... which they're too young (or lack the trail skills) to know how to ride properly...

You mean Andrew Dodd, who was born in 1979 so grew up in the halcyon MTB era of the early '90s and has been involved with the MTB world for nearly two decades?

Or Neil Donoghue, born in 1981, who was a professional, World Cup level downhiller and could out-ride every single person on this forum?

Yeah, they don't know how to ride older bikes properly.. :roll:

Back on (sort of) topic - it's not officially retro, but I have plans to build my 2010 Voodoo Wanga as a 650b gravel wheeled, drop barred singlespeed. Should be a fun bike!

 

[jimo746]

Has anyone built a Gravel bike using a retro frame if you have can I see some photos please also was it a worthwhile project or should I stick to riding retro mtb

]

Yes I have....

Take one 1991 Proflex frameset, in need of a repaint, of little value, but rode quite nicely with a little bit of bounce at each end.

Wave the magic "modern" stick at it and....

 

[hamster]

Re: 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...

Frame clearances for the tyres are likely to be tough - my 27" winter / clubman's frame will take 28mm tyres OK and maybe 32 at a squeeze...but nothing more.
Fitting discs to old frames risks folding up the thin fork legs or pencil seatstays that were common at the time. 531 cannot be welded as it's Mn-Mo not Cro-Mo.

 

[jimo746]

Re:

Well this guy did the Silk Road race on an old Bridgestone with M730 parts on it, just goes to show that the old bikes can still compete, maybe not win, but can still hold their own

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/conans-19 ... tone-mb-1/

 

[Prodigal Son]

Re: Re:

Well this guy did the Silk Road race on an old Bridgestone with M730 parts on it, just goes to show that the old bikes can still compete, maybe not win, but can still hold their own

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/conans-19 ... tone-mb-1/

Well... he did not build a gravel bike; he rode his 26in mountain bike on gravel roads.

 

[jimo746]

Re:

The gravel bike was already there, it just needed to be ridden.

 

[nic0]

Re:

Decathlon Rockrider 600 Limited

Look Gravity

 

[secret_squirrel]

Re: Re:

Well this guy did the Silk Road race on an old Bridgestone with M730 parts on it, just goes to show that the old bikes can still compete, maybe not win, but can still hold their own

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/conans-19 ... tone-mb-1/

I saw the photos of that bike on one of the silk road rider reports. Missed the bigger write up above. Thanks. The guy is a legend! The article is worth a read.