Converting retro MTBs to 1×10 monstercross

Anyone converted their old pride and joy into 1x? Began to convert my old M-Trax to a drop-bar rough tourer/do it all (‘gravel’ wasn’t a genre IIRC back in 2010) – I got so far but then a Vagabond came along.

But old 26ers? Seems a labour of love IMO, and I’d love to build one.

Poll:

Which would make your 1992 Rockhopper/(insert retro MTB of choice) better?:

– Drop-bars?
– Wider flat bars?
– 1x?
– Disc brakes?

If you’d asked me that back in 1992 when I had a Rockhopper I’d have answered ‘Are you mad? Want purple-anodised 400mm flat bars and a mint sauce sticker please. And more gears, not less…‘

I kind of tried this (on a very small budget) to reuse an old M2 (1998 alu Specialized) as a road going training bike, with slicks, drop bars, single ring – and fixed gear rear. Put on drop bars – it was pretty quick and kept me fit, but it seemed pretty long once you’d got onto the drops – I guess messing around with stem length might sort that. It was quick, but would take some tweaking to feel ‘right’.

I wish I’d done this with my old steel Marin frame, and turned it into a monstercross/gravelized/tourer type thing.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/HBNIRM3/nitto-rm-3-gravel-handlebar are probably worth ~£32 after using code, just take note of review, the clamp section is road component width!

I bought a decent monstercrosser as a second bike to my 90’s mtb, so when I bought a 2nd mountain bike a bit later, monstercross wasn’t top of the list of things to do with mtb#1

– Drop-bars? No!
– Wider flat bars? YES! 820mm? wide enough? Yes!
– 1x? – 1!
– Disc brakes? – Yes!

Plus a big ol’ front tyre, and a 90’s “dropper” post

im interested in this thread, i have a 2005? rockhopper sitting in the shed…i did find possible forks for about £44, but cant find the website now 🙁 i presume hydraulic brakes and drop bars dont mix

Like your style nedrapier. I suppose that’s the opposite option for an old 26er (gravel tourer vs plus(?) klunker)

A mean green machine! Short on info – what f&f? 90s MTBs to my memory were still quite limited with tyre-clearance above 2.2

Magic ratio?

I presume hydraulic brakes and drop bars dont mix

If you need to go so fast downhill offroad* that require hydros over mechanicals, then yes you can get them at a price (and also hydro-hybrid systems) but then *drop bars just might not be your best option at that point. ymmv. Some unsane monstercrossers will definitely disagree. I’m more the bimbletour/90s ATB rider so can get by with anything from well-setup cantis, thru Vs to BB7s.

I have an old emmelle i quite fancy gravelling up. Tange tubing and evryfink.

Think it would look pretty decent

1999 Dekerf Generation, and Salsa Cromoto fork. Dave Yates did the disc work and paint job disc tab on, canti bosses off, cable stops swapped for hydro guides. Metallic green with a yellow/gold top coat. Gert lush.

Decent tyre clearance for a 90’s mtb – 2.4 Conti X King on a Crest on the back. Enough room not to worry about paint, but not so much that I want try anything bigger!

Not a magic ratio – Philcentric BB (second hand from scotroutes). Tensioning is at discrete stops and the next one up is a bit too tight, bit too slack as it is, but I don’t drop the chain. That often.

I’ve been thinking of doing something like this with my Ti Seven Sola. It’s being used by my middle son atm as a get about bike and being generally unloved and the fact it’s dripping with a lot of the exotica from the mid noughties is completely lost on him. 🥺

I like mine so much I sold the road bike…

Built just before lockdown for an April trip I’d been planning, it came into its own over the spring and summer. I’ll be loading it up for a Welsh multi-day trip in two weeks, really looking forward to it.

To answer the original question: 1x would improve it. I could get the same ratios with a 1x set-up as my current 2×9, but it’d mean spending money. Which I don’t like.

Bought a old MTB frame(from here I think) that was rough but had been modded with a EBB and basic disc mount

Tidied it all up and had it powdercoated, added some Salsa forks, Avid BB7’s and what not and ended up with this.

To be honest the bars(On one Midges) were shite to ride on (not enough length in the drops) so converted it to a flat bar with Avid speed dial levers not long after, much more fun after that.