Has anyone built a Gravel bike using a retro frame

Stumbled across and read all 18 pages of this thread, lots of great stuff to digest. Lurking here for some time but now thinking I should post and see if anyone can help.

Having recently moved to Wessex near the Ridgeway, I've decided neither my 700c CX race bike nor my 650b lockdown special "new" geometry hardtail is doing what I want a bike to do in riding all the gravel tracks and byways and bridlepaths round here. The former doesn't fit wider than 38mm tires, the latter is overkill (heavy and slow). So a lightweight retro 26er conversion or monstercross is what I want -- I think!

But I'd like to keep all options open while I experiment with it, so I'm looking for something fairly verstatile with post mounts AND disc mounts on the frame, sized quite small (13"-14" for my short legs and shortness in general) that will take both 26 and 650b wheels. So far I've found a few ~15 year old Scott Contessas that fit that description but wondering if I should be looking at any other framesets? Women's specific maybe?

When did MTB geometry really start to change to become long in the toptube, is mid 2000s still ok for finding a frameset that isn't too low and long? I haven't ridden my Giant Iguana circa 1993 in about 5 years so can't remember to compare to my latest MTB purchase.
I do have a small ti frame that might work for you. V and disc mounts, small. I was going to build it up for my son or wife, the former is growing fast and it would be too small already, it may fit my wife but she's happy on a 12 inch frame I built up.
 
So looking at a few Marins relatively close to me on Ebay, I'm wondering a bit about size. They all appear to be 15.5" so 17" in other framesets (? apparently Marin measured c-to-c?) and for that size the toptubes are around 22" so ~550mm which is a fair bit longer than my road and CX bikes. Am I better off with the smallest size (14") given my height (5'2" and short armed and legged?) The advice seems to be to size down for a MTB-to-gravel conversion so am I just asking to hate it if I go with the 15.5?

Ones I'm looking at:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403673025212 Palisades Trail 1996
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284823866792 Bear Valley also 1996
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185426255352 Palisades Trail frameset only 1993
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394085029731 and this Kona Muni Mula 2002 which ironically meets my requirement of disc and post mounts but also 16" with the same 22" toptube.

Thoughts before I get impatient and just buy something because it's only 50 quid?
Definitely get the correct sized frame. Personally I'd try to get a frameset that's a bit nicer - Equivalent of a Kona Cinder Cone or Caldera would be my target. And I personally like fully rigid frames - don't feel like messing around with vintage suspension - particularly on a gravel bike.
 
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This picture popped up on some feed or other today and made me think of this thread.

Does this remind anyone of the classic nineties xc race pose? I’m not sure about anyone else, but this chiropractor-friendly pose is not my chosen bike fit these day. This is what the marketing folk seem to be selling at the top end.

658432C4-C5A3-482E-82E5-33F13BA60ABB.jpeg

As for the gravel bike thing, I have a Light Blue Darwin frame (shop soiled) I have built up with 10 speed campag daytona shifters, a 9 speed xt mech onto an 8 speed cassette with Spyre mechanical disc brakes. I really like it a lot - comfort, handling, fun. I like drop bars and don’t get sore wrists like I do on flats. I use the drops for descending. The bars are level with the saddle and it took me a while to find a frame with short reach and high stack. I’m 6’1” on what is a medium but hta is slack enough I don’t get toe-overlap.

Just did the Dorset dirt dash on it fully loaded - handled it superbly. It done much cycling in the last couple of years. Sit bones hurt, legs knackered but I got back on it for the second day and I instantly thought this is super comfy. Just works for me.

Others were there on all sorts of bikes including 26ers. We all seemed happy.
 

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It was all so supple then….

Could we…should we….


Memories, of the way we were.
 
Looks really good that. It’s always about the reach for me but that looks like it could work.
 
Yeah, I bought the stem based on measurements off my road bike so I'll be interested to see how much I screwed that up...
 
Yeah, I bought the stem based on measurements off my road bike so I'll be interested to see how much I screwed that up...
Don't forget to allow for BB height! A sniff more rise a little less reach....uhhh hmm ...been there!! it ends not being about what looks right but what feels right 😂 I suddenly had a flash of "ah f#@k it" inspiration and flipoed the drop bars over and hacked the ends off ! It's like a bar end position but in the curl!??
Looks erm well...🤔 But heck is it comfy 💪
 
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