Retro-modern fusion gravel build madness. The new Superb!

[Mickeyspinn]

Indeed - gravelling before gravel bikes were a thing. And probably ATB'ing before ATBs were a thing.

What Nabeaquam is doing is exceptional! I'm just hacking away to try and get a rideable bike. But I know that if I restored the Liberia to its original form, or bought a full bike and touched it up, I wouldn't ride it. I'm way too sissified by modern (90-early 2000s, before it all went wrong ) bike stuff.

I reckon this hanger (number 12) might do the job with minimal alterations. Unless I'm missing something again, like I did with the previous one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30096510...qWs4h76VvxoBBw%3D%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2047675

12 looks doable you might be able to sneak a little threaded hole on the back edge of dropout to keep it in place ?

 

[M_Chavez]

Yep, I shoudl be able to at least do 1 bolt + QR with this one. Probably even 2 bolts.

Those things are supposed to just be held by QR, I think? Simple fix

I think you can do that, but anything that's only held by a QR runs into trouble when you get a rear flat. Better not to rely on that unless it's a temporary fix.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Four years ago I got a vintage Japanese touring frame and fork. No double butting as I wanted the bike to weigh close to 80 pounds loaded. I used aluminum rivet nuts for the bottle mounts. I put steel reinforced epoxy on them when I installed them with epoxy so they would never spin in the frame when tightening up the bottle cages. You can also drill and punch out alloy rivet nuts if they do come loose. I used inexpensive second hand mountain bike double walled 29er wheels. I removed the disk hubs, laced in a high flange vintage French front hub and a thread on rear 7 speed set up. The replacement hubs were close to the diameter of the original disk hubs. I used the same spokes and didn’t worry about that stupid offset and spoke length. Double walled so I just let some spokes protrude a little more. Good enough, perfect. I made the gear racks out of stuff in my junk stash. A lot of the bike was from my junk stash. I used a old mountain bike stem to get me more upright and back. It has brake lever shifters, triple chainrings and cross top brake levers. It’s very hard to spread a frame with quality chromemolly tubing but it can be done. Sometimes the stay tubing cracks when spread as you really have to spread it way out to get a few mm. I put 38 mm gravel king tires on it. I had to make the dimples in the chain stays deeper and that was not easy. I made a dimpling tool. I love this bicycle. Seventy seven pounds loaded. It works great on long multi day gravel rides. The bottle cages on the fork are mounted with screw on hose clamps. I sleep rough in the bush but carry a pistol in the front of the front triangle, you don’t want that on your body if you fall. The pistol is for scaring away bears, wolves, coyotes and mountain lions. I think it is a security blanket, critters come close and I don’t get concerned, I go back to sleep. It cost way less than a new one and I do just as well gravel riding with people that have mega money bikes. It’s definitely worth the effort to convert a vintage touring bike into a gravel or monster cross, whatever you want to call it. I love it.

 

[M_Chavez]

@Nabeaquam Pistols are outlawed here unfortunately. The politicians said they are dangerous
Low-powered water pistols are allowed, but you have to pass police & doctor checks and agree to weekly cavity searches.

Will have to be a bolt action rifle I'm afraid. But we had this one figured out a long time ago.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

That is awesome

 

[M_Chavez]

Tried installing a rivnut into a brass plate cut-off I had lying around and it doesn't look like rocket science. Will crack on with it at the weekend.

Any thought on re-threading that M5x1.0 (it's definitely not M5x0.8 or M5x0.9) DT mount? I reckon I can just run an M5x0.8 tap into it and that should leave enough thread to hold the cable adjuster... Worst case scenario, I'll have to drill it out for M6.

 

[Woz]

Tried installing a rivnut into a brass plate cut-off I had lying around and it doesn't look like rocket science. Will crack on with it at the weekend.

Any thought on re-threading that M5x1.0 (it's definitely not M5x0.8 or M5x0.9) DT mount? I reckon I can just run an M5x0.8 tap into it and that should leave enough thread to hold the cable adjuster... Worst case scenario, I'll have to drill it out for M6.

What was there originally? Was it a Simplex shifter or something?

Can you actually get the tap in far enough?

 

[jim haseltine]

Yep, Simplex used to use M5x1.0 threads for the gear lever pressure screw and the dropout grip bolt for rear mech hanger plates too I think.
You can find matching bolts but usually not at a chain DiY store. If the 0.8 tap pulls out the threads you can always helicoil the remains to 0.8mm.

 

[M_Chavez]

Thank you.
Ran the 5x0.8 tap through it and it seems to have done the job.

I have messed up my headset assessment - the threads are definitely French, but the race is 27mm. Cups diameter required is 30.2, and stack height is about 35mm.
This is very very messy.
Velo orange headset stack is 41mm, which will be bigger than most retro cut forks Well done guys.
I can't use a JIS bottom cup with a 27mm race unless I install it with a beer can shim.

I found a tange French thread headset on ebay, and it looks like I can buy a 27mm race for the same headset separately. Hopefully it will work.
Failing that I'll need to buy the velo orange, combine it with a lower stack bottom cup and perhaps do a little filing to make this mess fit.

...Still better than fannying with disk brakes.

Frame is getting there - will be drilling it for bottle mounts tomorrow.

 

[Woz]

I would pick a headset based on the how the locking washer mates with the fork steering column and hope it all works.

The pegged style washer for fork steering columns with a groove are more modern.