Shogun Metro-1, 90's 700c Hybrid to Gravel Bike!

[jimo746]

Browsing Facebook Marketplace, as you do after a few beers on a Friday evening, I came across this Shogun Metro 1 hybrid/city bike for sale locally for less than I'd just spent on a takeaway...
Collected it Saturday morning and then set to searching for info on it, which is when I stumbled across @HourGlass and his Shogun Metro AT build!
Whilst this isn't strictly a Mtb, at least the handlebars say "Mtb" on them, so it's probably more closely related to a Mtb than a road bike.
I don't think these were ever very "cool" in the 1990's, but it should make an interesting "Gravel" bike project.
Once home I had a proper look over it, low spec Shimano Tourney components, 6-speed Gripshift, and Rigida rims with a 6-speed freewheel.
The frame is cro-mo but nothing special, plain gauge tubing I'm guessing, but it's in good shape, the lack of wear on the components suggest the bike has spent most of its life garaged rather than being ridden
The plan is to strip it back to the frame & build up mostly with what I have in the spare parts pile, it'll probably be 9-speed as I've some Sensah Ignite levers/shifters going spare, and a pair of On-One Midge bars will be going on it too. I'll need to have a search and see what else I have/need to get.

 

[HourGlass]

Looks like a fantastic base!

I'm having some serious Baader-Meinhof at the moment as I'm seeing more and more Metros about the place, both online or chained up in service. Always lovely to see.

Coincidentally, I spied this lovely build on Marketplace for a little inspiration which might interest you. Nitto stem + Midge bar combo is really tidy and I love the wee fenders. I spied this one has a cable stop for the rear brake on the top tube, just ahead of the seat clamp which I'm a little jealous of as mine doesn't have this (just a fixed tube that wraps around the top of the seat tube).

Watching with interest! Good luck!

 

[Frankenorange]

Looks a perfect base for some drop bar off-road fun. You really can just swap the the words Hybrid Bike for Gravel/Bikepacking Bike and there are so many of these unloved hybrids out there , for cheaps, ready for a new life. Some with really good frames, too.

 

[jimo746]

Stripped it down to the bare frame today & started test fitting a few parts. Going with Canti brakes as they should work with the drop bar levers.
It seems I'm missing a few key components (or at least what's in my spares box isn't really suitable) chainset being one, so I've ordered a cheap single-ring crankset in black, and 104 BCD as chainrings is one thing i do have a variety of already. I'm going to try and keep the components black as I think it fits in nicely with the "retro-mod" direction of this build.

 

[jimo746]

Well that escalated quickly! Some Sensah SRX Pro 1x12 parts just arrived .
My "reasoning" is that these parts can always get used on a future build, or on my drop-bar Kona Mtb if needed. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself .
Also had to get a new 25.8 seatpost, bit of a weird size, but at least the saddle will be from my box of spares, also the On-One Midge bars, and an old Hope xc stem.

Anyway, I just need to find a few hours to throw everything at the bike and hope some of it sticks...

 

[jimo746]

Finished putting this together today, only had time for a quick test ride, I'll give it a proper ride at the weekend, but so far so good.
It's no lightweight at around 27lbs, but then that's the same as my drop-bar retro Mtb , no doubt the Shogun frame is fairly basic plain gauge tubing.

The drivetrain is 1x12, I toyed with 2x but decided I'd leave that to the road bike, I opted for a Riro XT crankset (AliExpress), essentially a copy of the Shimano Hollowtech cranks and uses the same 24mm axle standard.
I went with @HourGlass 's recommendation of the 700x40c Innova Pro "Stampede" tyres, which look decent.
I already had some 700c wheels, but then saw @bhill22 was selling some Hope Hoops with Mavic Open Pro rims and Hope Pro3 hubs, so the budget was blown out of the water (again! ).
I've used a 1" Threaded steerer to 1"1/8 Threadless adapter to fit an old 80mm Hope XC stem I had, which holds the On-One Midge bars.
Brakes are Suntour XC cantilevers, I'm thinking the Sensah levers may be designed for cable disc brakes, which may not be optimal for canti brake use, but the test ride suggested braking was adequate, if not stellar. (it's also been a few years since I fitted/set up Canti brakes, so some further tinkering may be needed).





Frame/Fork - Shogun Metro-1 cro-mo

Wheels - Hope Hoops (Pro3 hubs/Mavic Open Pro rims).
Tyres- Innova Pro "Stampede" 700x40c
Quick Releases - from the spares box.

Drivetrain - Sensah SRX Pro 1x12 shift levers & rear mech .
Cassette - Sunshine 12 speed 11-46T
Crankset - Riro XT & 38T narrow-wide ring .
Bottom Bracket - Shimano HT
Chain - KMC X12

Finishing Kit - XLC alloy seatpost 25.8
Saddle - Selle Italia X1 Flow
Stem - Hope XC
Bars - On One Midge
Tape - West Bike
Pedals - cheap well used flats, I'll probably put some Shimano SPD pedals on at a later date

 

[CassidyAce]

Interesting. How do you find the Sensah kit? Is it up to, say, Shimano 105 standards in terms of feel and performance?

 

[jimo746]

Interesting. How do you find the Sensah kit? Is it up to, say, Shimano 105 standards in terms of feel and performance?

I had 2x11 Sensah Empire on a road bike for a couple of years, performance & weight was a match for 105, the finish didn't seem quite as polished as Shimano I thought.
So far the SRX Pro shifts as well as the SRAM SX Eagle on my modern mtb.
There's some interesting alternatives to Shimano/SRAM around, and they get closer in quality each year. Some brands have started to spec them on their new bike ranges eg State Bicycle Co.

 

[jimo746]

An "interesting" first outing on the Shogun today, stayed local and followed some paths along the river, and then INTO the river .
My own fault for taking the low path right next to the river, rooty, rocky, really more Mtb territory.
I can confirm the water was "refreshing" at least...

On the plus side the bike rode very nicely, the Innova tyres are still pretty quick on tarmac too.
Shifting was a dream, a quick flick of the lever and the shift was instant, really impressed with how the Sensah kit performed.
Braking was so-so, maybe a mis-match between the levers and Canti brakes. z

 

[XTSTIMAN]

Cycled through some floods with the other half this year, one almost bottom bracket height, but thankfully not into them!