Shogun 'Dad Bike' - gRaVeL cOnVeRsIoN
- Thread starter HourGlass
- Start date
HourGlass
Dirt Disciple
July was a busy month for this little Shogun.
The begining of the month saw the Shogun join me for the 2024 Melburn Roobaix, a sort of piss-take on the Paris-Roubaix.
(This write up from The Radavist should assist the unitiated).
It was a pretty miserable day in Melbourne town, but despite the torment of rain, cobblestones and traffic (it's not a closed-course event), the bike didn't skip a beat. The field was litered with 90's klunkers, steel gravel conversions and cafe cruisers and I was delighted to received a few approving nods from other participants. Needless to say, I had an absolute blast.
Special mention to the Innova Stampede tyres that kept me tyre-side down on the super slippery lane ways. They continue to impress.
The Shogun also partook in its first multi-day outing, with my brother and I completing the 'Murray to Mountains' Rail Trail in Victoria's north-east. It was a very cruisy route which saw us pedal about 200kms across the two days.
My brother ended up piloting the Shogun for this ride as it happened to be a little better suited to his suite of bikepacking paraphanalia.
I ended up riding my other (very un-retro) 700c steel gravel bike which I brought with me from the UK.
For those playing at home, the Shogun wears an Orucase Smuggler handlebar bag and Topeak Backloder X saddle bag with the wishbone 'anti-sway' attachment. Forgive the poorly holstered drink bottles.
This bike continues to be a very comfortable, yet very capable machine. I look forward to my next adventure on it (if I ever get it back!)
Thanks for reading!
The begining of the month saw the Shogun join me for the 2024 Melburn Roobaix, a sort of piss-take on the Paris-Roubaix.
(This write up from The Radavist should assist the unitiated).
It was a pretty miserable day in Melbourne town, but despite the torment of rain, cobblestones and traffic (it's not a closed-course event), the bike didn't skip a beat. The field was litered with 90's klunkers, steel gravel conversions and cafe cruisers and I was delighted to received a few approving nods from other participants. Needless to say, I had an absolute blast.
Special mention to the Innova Stampede tyres that kept me tyre-side down on the super slippery lane ways. They continue to impress.
The Shogun also partook in its first multi-day outing, with my brother and I completing the 'Murray to Mountains' Rail Trail in Victoria's north-east. It was a very cruisy route which saw us pedal about 200kms across the two days.
My brother ended up piloting the Shogun for this ride as it happened to be a little better suited to his suite of bikepacking paraphanalia.
I ended up riding my other (very un-retro) 700c steel gravel bike which I brought with me from the UK.
For those playing at home, the Shogun wears an Orucase Smuggler handlebar bag and Topeak Backloder X saddle bag with the wishbone 'anti-sway' attachment. Forgive the poorly holstered drink bottles.
This bike continues to be a very comfortable, yet very capable machine. I look forward to my next adventure on it (if I ever get it back!)
Thanks for reading!
dirttorpedo
Senior Retro Guru
Nice drop bar conversion. I did something similar with a Miyata hybrid and enjoyed it for a few years until I added a very similar touring bike to my collection. Couldn't rationalize having both so sold the hybrid after cannibalizing the best parts off it.
HourGlass
Dirt Disciple
Shogun is back in my stable after a brief stint living at my brother's house. Lovely to have it back - it's a delight to ride!
There are a few little additions I thought I'd draw attention to in no particular order. Some have been on the bike for some time, others are slightly more recent revisions.
Swapped out the original (and very pitted) headset for this tidy Tange unit. Model is the Falcon and is alloy with sealed bearings.
SunRace bar end shifter swapped out for Dura Ace SL-BS77 (9s).
I picked up the set of shifters at the FXYO / Roobaix swap meet back in April for all of $15. They're a bit tatty but the operation is so much smoother than the SunRace shifter. Unlike the SunRace, these have a friction mode making future plans to upgrade to a (clutched) 10-speed rear derailleur possible. A worthwhile upgrade!
Cosine Stem swapped out for this Race Face Ride. No change in length / rise but the RF stem is a little more svelte and matches the skinny tubing better. I also ran this model stem on the old Marin which I thought was an appropriate nod to that bike.
Whilst we're here, I abandoned the eBay-spec threadless adaptor in favour of this Profile Designs option. We encountered some creaking on the Murray to Mountains ride and upon inspecting it / troubleshooing, it became apparent how inconsistent the wall thickness was on the eBay item.
Thus, I've vowed to avoid the cheepies going forward. Jury is out on whether the top cap remains silver, or it gets the blaaaaack treatment.
Finally, I did end up sourcing the crank cover caps by Specialites TA. I'll admit that they're a bit extravagent but I think it ties the ring in with the crank nicely. Fit is good but it's worth noting that these are designed for a double chainset, thus you'll need 2mm chainring spacers on the back if you're using a single ring as pictured.
Having taken care of some of the details, I'm pretty happy with where this bike is at. Mind you, no project is ever really finished...
There are a few little additions I thought I'd draw attention to in no particular order. Some have been on the bike for some time, others are slightly more recent revisions.
Swapped out the original (and very pitted) headset for this tidy Tange unit. Model is the Falcon and is alloy with sealed bearings.
SunRace bar end shifter swapped out for Dura Ace SL-BS77 (9s).
I picked up the set of shifters at the FXYO / Roobaix swap meet back in April for all of $15. They're a bit tatty but the operation is so much smoother than the SunRace shifter. Unlike the SunRace, these have a friction mode making future plans to upgrade to a (clutched) 10-speed rear derailleur possible. A worthwhile upgrade!
Cosine Stem swapped out for this Race Face Ride. No change in length / rise but the RF stem is a little more svelte and matches the skinny tubing better. I also ran this model stem on the old Marin which I thought was an appropriate nod to that bike.
Whilst we're here, I abandoned the eBay-spec threadless adaptor in favour of this Profile Designs option. We encountered some creaking on the Murray to Mountains ride and upon inspecting it / troubleshooing, it became apparent how inconsistent the wall thickness was on the eBay item.
Thus, I've vowed to avoid the cheepies going forward. Jury is out on whether the top cap remains silver, or it gets the blaaaaack treatment.
Finally, I did end up sourcing the crank cover caps by Specialites TA. I'll admit that they're a bit extravagent but I think it ties the ring in with the crank nicely. Fit is good but it's worth noting that these are designed for a double chainset, thus you'll need 2mm chainring spacers on the back if you're using a single ring as pictured.
Having taken care of some of the details, I'm pretty happy with where this bike is at. Mind you, no project is ever really finished...
Frankenorange
Orange 🍊 Fan
Sweeeeeet 
Uncle Grumpy
Devout Dirtbag
Somehow I missed this first time around. I did the same thing a few years ago.
My Shogun Metro thing came about some years ago when I found a Metro frame and fork on a hard rubbish pile. A friend and I built it up to give to one of my friend's friends who was working too hard and needed some exercise. Fast forward 12 years - he still rides the 'gun and is much healthier. I have a soft spot for the versatility of the Shogun Metro.
Move forward to 2020 and I found another Metro, also sans seat, on a neighbour's hard rubbish pile and took it home thinking "gravel bike conversion".
Stripped the whole thing down and because I was restoring a car at the time, it got resprayed in Chrysler Alpine White, same as the car.
Tried my hand at doing some striping on the head tube as well, just for fun.
Built up with Salsa Woodchippers, 105 9sp shifters, Thomson stuff, Shimano brakes, Ultegra cranks, XT rear derailleur, 105 wheels and Conti Radler 700 x 40c treads. Been fun, though the gearing is a little tall for some of the longer dirt hills and the wheels have since been swapped for something with more spokes.
Obligatory garage door shot...
All up, a cheap and cheerful gravel bike which has been reliable. The neighbour whose rubbish pile it was on saw me on it and commented "new bike?"
If only he knew...
My Shogun Metro thing came about some years ago when I found a Metro frame and fork on a hard rubbish pile. A friend and I built it up to give to one of my friend's friends who was working too hard and needed some exercise. Fast forward 12 years - he still rides the 'gun and is much healthier. I have a soft spot for the versatility of the Shogun Metro.
Move forward to 2020 and I found another Metro, also sans seat, on a neighbour's hard rubbish pile and took it home thinking "gravel bike conversion".
Stripped the whole thing down and because I was restoring a car at the time, it got resprayed in Chrysler Alpine White, same as the car.
Tried my hand at doing some striping on the head tube as well, just for fun.
Built up with Salsa Woodchippers, 105 9sp shifters, Thomson stuff, Shimano brakes, Ultegra cranks, XT rear derailleur, 105 wheels and Conti Radler 700 x 40c treads. Been fun, though the gearing is a little tall for some of the longer dirt hills and the wheels have since been swapped for something with more spokes.
Obligatory garage door shot...
All up, a cheap and cheerful gravel bike which has been reliable. The neighbour whose rubbish pile it was on saw me on it and commented "new bike?"
If only he knew...
Last edited:
HourGlass
Dirt Disciple
Absolutely sensational build, mate! Some really good kit hanging off your bike.
9-sp shifters have me a little envious. Bar end shifters are fine for flat-ish touring but regular gear changes off-road (or even if you're in traffic) are a little tedious.
Also, what is it with hard rubbish bikes without their saddles / posts?! Do people keep them as momentos?
I suspect I'm due for new wheels soon too. There is a little play in the rear hub which I intend on addressing soon, but I took would prefer a higher spoke count / non radial-laced wheelset.
Great builds. Love them. Skinny old steel doing it's job still.
Thanks for the love, gang! Just returned from a little ride down on the coast so I'll pop up some pics shortly.Love the ongoing changes and the tales of the journeys it has been on. Superb build thread.
