New posts

MTB Gravel Bike Conversions

April 6, 2023, 12:21 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

Posted by: Vikb

Posted by: fartymarty

Damn that's nice.  Love the green parts.

Thanks. While she never said anything negative about the frakenbike ATB I built for her I think she's happy she'll be rolling on something more "refined" this year. We've asked for purple accent parts.

Purple would look sweet.

April 6, 2023, 12:24 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

Posted by: velocipedestrian

A name like Cybertech probably should have been finished by the Y2K bug. 

I'd wanted one for years by then, and it was my sole mtb for a year or two. It's freaky steep, even with the - 1° Works, and the 34mm head tube and 26.8mm post limit the options. Makes a nice ATB though.

Like the Charge Blender I used to have.  Kinda wish I had kept the frame / fork - ah the days of short / steep bikes (I don't miss them).

April 6, 2023, 6:48 p.m.
Posts: 786
Joined: Feb. 24, 2017

Posted by: fartymarty

Posted by: velocipedestrian

A name like Cybertech probably should have been finished by the Y2K bug. 

I'd wanted one for years by then, and it was my sole mtb for a year or two. It's freaky steep, even with the - 1° Works, and the 34mm head tube and 26.8mm post limit the options. Makes a nice ATB though.

Like the Charge Blender I used to have.  Kinda wish I had kept the frame / fork - ah the days of short / steep bikes (I don't miss them).

Those Blenders were sweet frames. This Trailstar is known as The Duchess these days,more sedate than sick.

June 4, 2023, 12:48 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

All, just giving this thread a bump.

How are everyones gravel conversions going? 

I'm in the process of testing my HT vs Gravel conversion on a 17 mile Strava segment I made that's mainly gravel with a small amount of road and single track.  

I've done the first HT ride with a Minion SS on the rear so its as fast as the HT can go.  Will report back once I've tested the gravel (and maybe even the full sus bike for interests sake).

My prediction is the gravel  will be faster however more uncomfortable altho I did PR the singletrack segment on my HT so that's definitely going to be slower.

June 17, 2023, 12:33 p.m.
Posts: 134
Joined: Aug. 29, 2010

My GravelPackingX experiment has been entertaining!

I've been trying out different width tires and styles of bars.

To start I was on proper gravel style/width tires, WTB Raddler 44mm/42mm. Those were great for commuting and the S2S Trail excursions. As I started coaching the pinner tires didn't have enough volume to take the edge off of the tech that I was riding in Lost Lake even at the speeds I was riding with the 4 year olds. So, I moved up to XC tires - Schwalbe Racing Ray 2.25 and Thunder Burt 2.0.

The XC tires were fun! I pumped them up hard for commuting and aired them down for trail/gravel riding. It is so entertaining riding a rigid bike with pinner, to me, tires on trails! But, the call of Plus tires beckoned and now I have a WTB Ranger 3.0 up front and a Maxxis Ikon+ 2.6 out back. I've also installed Cushcore Pro inserts front and rear which has added about an extra 10 pounds to the bike!

With the Plus tires commuting is a drag. Even with the tires pumped up hard. However, trail and gravel riding is a dream. The traction is unbelievable! I've been playing around with pressures and have found that the Ranger has much better sidewalls than the Ikon. I can ride at around 12 - 13psi in the Ranger without any squirminess. The Ikon doesn't like to have anything below 19psi otherwise it gets really squirmy in anything other than riding in a straight line.

I've been trying out a couple of different types of alt mtb bars.

I started with some knockoff 640mm carbon Corner Bars. I liked how I had them setup for commuting and gravel riding. But, any kind of trail riding the bars were just a bit too narrow and where I had the controls setup on the bars minimized where I could have my hands when riding anything technical. I put on some 800mm Ritchey Kyote bars next. These are much closer to traditional mtb flat bars. These have a 27* sweep and a 63mm rise.

In my nerding out over weird bars I came across bars with built in middle bar ends. I thought to myself 'I can make that myself!', so I did! I bought some bar ends and cut them down shorter and installed them at the start of the sweep on the middle of the bars. Taadaa, homemade weird bars!

I did order another wider set of the knockoff Corner Bars at 720mm because I did really like them. I changed where I had the controls and double taped the bars as well. I also picked up the Redshift add-on roadie grips for the flats (I did have the flats add-on grips for the earlier bar build) and drops on the bars. So far so good. I am enjoying the multiple hand positions and the ability to feel more in control with more width and better control placement.

Alright, enough chitter chatter. On to the photos.

XC tire and Kyote bar setup.

Homemade bar middles!

Plus tires and wider knockoff Corner Bar. And, a new frame bag!

My clumsy double taping job.

Of course I had to get out and try out all the new Lego bits! (To steal a term from A.Major!)

I guess it's not really a gravel bike anymore! It's more of a rigid mtb. Oh well, I can still go gravelling and bikepacking even though it isn't in that category anymore! Haha!

June 18, 2023, 8:58 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

Ride - I'm loving the setups.  That's one thing im finding is that setups are all very personal and tailored to what you need your bike to do.

June 18, 2023, 10:03 a.m.
Posts: 134
Joined: Aug. 29, 2010

Thanks!

This bike project started because I'm recovering from a serious mtb crash from last summer. I used my humerus as a battleram and exploded my elbow at one end and fractured my shoulder blade at the other!

I thought I wouldn't be allowed to ride any kind of trail but be allowed to ride a bike so a gravel packing bike fit the bill.

Experimenting with different setups has been super fun! It is very much Adult Lego!

March 31, 2024, 12:52 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

An Easter Resurection if you will...

I've gone back to drops on my Krampus and scored some GRX400 brifters off ebay which will hopefully mate to my XT 785 calipers.  The plan is to mid the left brifter so I can use it for the dropper.

Lots to figure out but I should be fun if it all works out.  I liked drops but not the crappy braking from the cable Clarks brakes and lack of dropper.

March 31, 2024, 2:58 a.m.
Posts: 786
Joined: Feb. 24, 2017

Posted by: RideEverything

Homemade bar middles!

Plus tires and wider knockoff Corner Bar. And, a new frame bag!

My clumsy double taping job.

Of course I had to get out and try out all the new Lego bits! (To steal a term from A.Major!)

I guess it's not really a gravel bike anymore! It's more of a rigid mtb. Oh well, I can still go gravelling and bikepacking even though it isn't in that category anymore! Haha!

This machine is delightful, it illustrates a bunch of ideas I've wanted to play around with. 

One day, the parts collection always evolves...

March 31, 2024, 6:27 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

I can see drop bar mtb being the next big craze once gravel loses it shine.

March 31, 2024, 8:01 a.m.
Posts: 171
Joined: Feb. 12, 2020

aka monstercross. Personally Im not sure what the difference is, whenever Ive owned a cross/gravel bike I took it on trails too!


 Last edited by: Jotegir on March 31, 2024, 8:02 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
April 1, 2024, 11:29 p.m.
Posts: 199
Joined: Nov. 20, 2020

Posted by: fartymarty

An Easter Resurection if you will...

I've gone back to drops on my Krampus and scored some GRX400 brifters off ebay which will hopefully mate to my XT 785 calipers.  The plan is to mid the left brifter so I can use it for the dropper.

Lots to figure out but I should be fun if it all works out.  I liked drops but not the crappy braking from the cable Clarks brakes and lack of dropper.

Let us know if that works, I want to mad-scientist a brifter to a Saint caliper but I'm having a hard time talking myself into dropping the cash without knowing it will work.

April 1, 2024, 11:50 p.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

Posted by: TristanC

Posted by: fartymarty

An Easter Resurection if you will...

I've gone back to drops on my Krampus and scored some GRX400 brifters off ebay which will hopefully mate to my XT 785 calipers.  The plan is to mid the left brifter so I can use it for the dropper.

Lots to figure out but I should be fun if it all works out.  I liked drops but not the crappy braking from the cable Clarks brakes and lack of dropper.

Let us know if that works, I want to mad-scientist a brifter to a Saint caliper but I'm having a hard time talking myself into dropping the cash without knowing it will work.

Will do.  

I've read that all shimano brakes and levers work together - road and mtb.  I've run XT/Zee and Zee/XT for years.  As the caliper dimensions on a road caliper and mtb caliper are likely to be similar if not the same it will make piston movement the same.  Given I've swapped 2 pots with 4 pots area of piston doesn't seem to factor in the equation.  And people have mixed Magura/Shimano therefore it should work.

April 2, 2024, 1:08 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

I Spec B(odge)

April 17, 2024, 8:48 a.m.
Posts: 1306
Joined: Aug. 13, 2017

Update - I've got the GRX400 levers on, paired up to XT and SLX calipers.  Microshift R10 mech and modded GRX400 (https://www.reddit.com/r/gravelcycling/comments/16svlb6/shimano_grx400600_dropper_post_conversion_mod_how/) lever for dropper.  Bars are taped up with old bar tape and ready for a shake down ride to work tomorrow.  I also changed the bars to some 500mm wide Ritchey Corralitos which I have read good things about on Radavist and Bikepacking.com.

In the stand / garage the brakes feel great - as you would expect 2 pot Shimanos to feel - way better than the cable Clarks I was running.  The proof will be in the pudding when I take it for a ride and hopefully snap some photos.

Forum jump: