Converted an ancient 26" wheeled, V-braked, front-suspended MTB into cheapo gravel bike with cheap adjustable stem, drop bars I had laying around, Tektro levers, Microshift bar-cons and a smaller cogset + some fat slick tires. "Cheap and cheerful" as they say..so far don't need to pop for a "real" gravel bike so it's all good!
I love the recycled approach (excuse the pun!) to saving these old bikes! New tech is amazing, but there’s something I still love about creating a bike from parts and going out and riding it 😎😎
@@allanpountney4765 thanks man, good spot, I had to use two of the same direction pads to finish the build - they’ve since been changed for correct pads
I made a 26” aluminum mtb into a gravel - touring bike, stayed with 26 though. Shimano narrow 36 spoke mtb centerlock rims, I have 1 inch contis on them now, but could fit any tire of any width in there as needed.
I've got a Reynolds 531 mountain bike from the 80's which I'm toying with fitting 650bs to give a better tire choice but was stopped by thinking I'd have to get some more bosses brazed on, but now Oooooooo yeah...
I got a vintage Kona MTB 26er frame, and I converted it to 650B, it fit like a glove! I converted it to disc brakes so the mountings of the rims wasn't an issue, but it wouldnt be that difficult either. Best way to get a very cheap chromoly steel frame, which is my absolute favorite frame material
Teamed up with problem solvers adjusters for Road levers, that could be a great solution. - feel free to share the models on here if you happen to know them?! Thanks for watching! 👍👍👍👍👍👍
@@Downhillsmoothtarmac Promax, Litepro and Box One all make a v-brake with 108mm reach. And problem solvers makes a brake post extender that will make it so you can use any set of cantilever or v-brake.
@@Downhillsmoothtarmacmaybe not even necessary, to be fair I haven't tried it myself but I read a few times now that when the brake pads sit higher up for 650b on your v-brake that you should actually use a Cantilever lever with your V-brake the brake performs better and the lever feel should be less on or off. Also Canti levers and road levers have the same pull ratio, maybe worth a try?
@alexsch9956 v-brakes wouldn’t lift enough for a good angle on that frame, plus you’d need problem solvers travel agents to use v-brakes with road levers too - and I already had the tektro adjustable ones lying around - they give a great angle and feel, lots of power too The other option is post adaptors, that raise the posts on the frame a bit - not tried them but heard good things, then you could use whatever brake you like…… 👍👍👍👍👍
Hi and thanks!! I did but the brake cable underneath the grip, it’s the gear cable coming out of the side of the shifter on the old shimano sora I’m using
I was unable to find the tektro brake extension on the web/Tektro site. Can you guide me on where you purchased them (or an alternative extension for 26 to 650 b). Thx for the great video!
I’m not sure if Tektro still make them then, but there are other options I’m sure - you can get litepro extenders for v-brakes on Amazon. I’ll be trying them soon! Thanks for watching 👍👍👍
The exact same brakes He uses in the back are available on ebay. I just bought a pair. For 100 dollars. Im building an old diamondback 97 ztec that I couldn't pass up.
They’re just a budget set with weinmann rims, in the UK they came from a company called Moore Large who have since gone out of business I think most shops would be able to source them easily enough
Looks like the rear tire is not evenly seated in the rim. Looks lumpy when spun and I could see that one section sits lower in the rim than the rest. Let some air out and try re-seating it
It may well have been during filming at some point, I’ve been riding on it since June or July and seems fine, sometimes only a ride will sort it properly - or a bit of soapy water to lubricate
@@Downhillsmoothtarmac I drop the tire pressure down to about 5psi and then work the tire by hand to make sure the tire seats evenly around the rim before filling it back up but, you probably know this.
@@chrisharper2658these wtb tyres are an absolute pain to get seated right. Had to push mine to over 6 bar to get them seated. Feel like a dream now around 2.5 bar though!
