Double post … sorry !

you might find it pretty long when you put drops on it (unless it’s too small for you as a mtb)

Fits me fine as its a small but am also concerned it may be a tad long ?

Wow, what a coincide! I have just been in my garage looking at an old MTB with canti’s on and thinking exactly the same.

I did it to an old mtb frame which was too short. I still found it too long & the bars a bit too low.

I’ll be honest I don’t think it would work, wrong geometry and the money you’d spend converting it you could throw a couple more quid in and get one of these.

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adventure/multi-sport/cdf

I am guilty of having done this to a beautiful Dave Yates fillet brazed MTB frame once. Like the Captain said, it was the wrong geometry and just didn’t work with drop bars. It was terrible to ride. Maybe a 29er MTB would be ok, but a 90s 26er was just wrong.

I’ve got an old 29er inbred with sliding dropouts that has me wondering about this. It’s a little short on the top tube length for me. Do you think it would be a good candidate? Anyone done anything similar to an inbred that could share pictures?

I am guilty of having done this to a beautiful Dave Yates fillet brazed MTB frame once. Like the Captain said, it was the wrong geometry and just didn’t work with drop bars. It was terrible to ride. Maybe a 29er MTB would be ok, but a 90s 26er was just wrong.

not to mention the fact it made even my commuter bike look like a thing of beauty…

I’ve got an old Orange Gringo with a set of Kona Project II’s, running drop bars and 9 speed Tiagra shifters. It’s my winter bike, has a set of Marathon winters on it.

Lovely riding adaptable bike. I prefer it now to back in the day when it was my leading MTB with an XT/Hope/Pace build.

Geometry, what?…..how does it ride? I just put a shorter stem on it.

I had a Karate Monkey with an Alfine hub. It was a nice bike but didn’t really get the 29er off road thing.

As I already had a mountain bike and thought 29ers really weren’t all that much, I converted it into a road bike with drop bars, Versa shifters for the Alfine etc.

I loved it but the frame really wasn’t long enough in that guise so I put all the bits onto a Croix de Fer frame instead, it is mint!

I have. Soma Sparrow bars, SS and 26″ Conti cross tyres. Not yet swapped the forks. I was thinking of going with a set of 700c wheels and fork, but have yet to check the geometry with a spare set if forks I have. Finding 26″ cross tyres is not easy. Conti wire been was the only option I could source.

I have an old 1997 scott summit set up as a monster-crosser – the frame was sold with a 130mm stem, so a 60mm stem and drop bars works well.

I did it with an early 90s Litespeed; short 15′ rise stem and Nito ‘tach type bars, singlespeeded with eno rear hub. Rode beautifully and (IMO) looked really good but… the 26″ wheels with narrow tyres looked ridiculous! 8)

TiRed – Member
I have. Soma Sparrow bars, SS and 26″ Conti cross tyres. Not yet swapped the forks. I was thinking of going with a set of 700c wheels and fork, but have yet to check the geometry with a spare set if forks I have. Finding 26″ cross tyres is not easy. Conti wire been was the only option I could source.

Had never heard of sparrow bars, look interesting !
Mine is 26″ and have some conti cross tyres, all i need now is some midge bars and some bb7`s and should be good to go ….. not sure how short a stem to go with ?

I’ve got an old 29er inbred with sliding dropouts that has me wondering about this. It’s a little short on the top tube length for me. Do you think it would be a good candidate? Anyone done anything similar to an inbred that could share pictures?

Exactly that.

Dropbred

Built up with a 450mm fork which is too short really. I was after a Fargo/gryphon type thing but to get the bars high enough would require a an ugly stack of spacers. So it’s more like a fat tyred cx instead. It’s good though and if I can find a 9sp mech I’ll put some gears on it when the weather picks up. Also longer forks as it flops into corners a bit at the mo.

That Dropbred is exactly what I was thinking of doing. Thanks the inspiration Paul.

What fork is on it at the moment?

looks like an original inbred fork

I run my Surly KM with monster bars and a 60mm stem, means my position after a fit is perfect and I am huge.

It works lovely!

road this for a couple of years and a lot of miles picked the frame up off ebay for less than £30 and everything except the froggleggs 2nd hand – geometry fine for me but doubt if ever had suspension – the converter to run canti’s with 700c wheels weighed more than the frame

It’s actually a sample. Like the original steel inbred fork but with tapered legs and only 450mm A-C whereas the 29er should have 470mm. I’m getting a longer one next time I see Brant. People seem to use the singular forks happily or a carbon one which would save some grammes – that one weighs loads.

I’ve made an old mtb into a road bike – a bit too long and low.

My monstercross isa 29er in a size too small with a shirt high stem. Works well imo.

Apart from the short fork. How do you find the position / geometry of it when using the dropbars?

Nope, never even considered making a capable off road bike into something that isn’t really suited to going off road 😕

😉

It’s good. I’ve got a CX bike and had a bike fit on that last year so I’ve used that as a basis for the position but with the saddle slightly lower and the cockpit a bit shorter, more MTB like I guess. I’ve also got a Pompino with Midge bars and I think I’ve set them up better on this. Riding in the drops is fine, more stretched than I imagine a Gryphon would be but less than a CX bike. On One actually made a prototype adventure bike and the short forks are from that.

Another pic:

Dropbred in the sun

Thanks Paul. It certainly seems to have possibilities with the right fork on the front. Maybe a Salsa Cromoto or Fargo V2. It’s a shame those early frames didn’t have rear rack mounts

I quite fancy making a Fargo type thing out of it.

I went with (inverted) Soma Sparrow bars as I needed 25.4mm to retain the hydraulic brakes. They are a bit like Midge bars. I also needed a 11/8″ to 25.4 stem. This is 100mm and I had it for other duties. The reach and drop on my Genesis ioid is fine for me and feels like my rode bike. I use Ergon grips not bar tape.

Handles fine. New forks is a cheaper option than 700c disk wheels, but tyre selection is nil!

Ride is great.

I run my Surly KM with monster bars and a 60mm stem, means my position after a fit is perfect and I am huge.

It works lovely!
That’s really nice! Just wondering about the se-up there? What size is that and how tall are you?
I built up a Kona Koa couple of years ago as a CX type bike, with pretty much the same results. Too long, too low, ended up riding on the top all the time.

BW – I am 6’4″ and the frame is a 21″ (XL), I have it set up for my measurements and it is the same position as my geared crosser and my mtb now.

BW – I am 6’4″ and the frame is a 21″ (XL), I have it set up for my measurements and it is the same position as my geared crosser and my mtb now.

Mr.M.Mountain, I take it they’re Midges? Also, bit of a hi-jack, but got any close ups of the paint?

Sorry also for the hijack – Close ups on my blog and larger versions of the same images here and yes they are midges

edit: it was all done freehand

An experiment that didn’t really work:

Although shown with skinny tyres I did try nobblies too

700c with cross tyres but no drops …. better

Drop bars, 42c tyres …. again didn’t work!