90's MTB to Gravel Bike

[sukuinage]

Hi,

I got back into cycling around '99 when I bought a Trek 8900 MTB:

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/value-g ... ition=GOOD

After a couple of years I decided that I preferred road riding with drop bars as I'd done in the 70's and 80's. For the last 10+ years the Trek has remained in the cellar but I'm now thinking of resurrecting it as a gravel bike i.e. with drop bars and presumably a shorter stem.
The bike is currently setup as 3x8 and my thoughts are to use a spare set of 10s Campag Ergos and buy some mechanical discs or maybe use some V brakes as the bike has mounts for them. My aim is to minimise expense as I'm not sure how much I'll use it (thinking about trails in the winter).
What are peoples' thoughts on this? Any suggestions, any recommendations brakes (thinking of second-hand BB7) or for bars (I have shallow drop on my road bike and tourer)? Also anyone have recommendations for good, mixed-use, preferably reasonably lightweight tyres (26")?
I've limited experience with disc brakes as all my other bikes are rim
I'm approaching 60 so not planning any racing, expeditions or other adventures on it!

[mattsccm]

Now, many people would suggest that a gravel bike is a 90's MTB with drop bars and disc brakes . I would suggest a 80's MTB actually but ....meh.
Anyway All these "mays" can also be "may nots")
1) MTBs can be rather long in the top tube. Chuck in the more forward position that drop bars create and you may have reach problems. Try a shorter stem or at least fake this. This in turn may make the handling different which will couple with narrower bars.

2. Brakes. You'll have to match the brakes to the levers. V brakes will need to be the shorter arm jobs which may create tyre clearance issue. If you have disc mounts as well this may be easier. BB7s work with Campag Ergos. The road version of course. Some brakes are designed around Shimano levers which do differ from Campag.

3. Bars. Use what you have until you know it all works. I like flared bars as they allow a nicer, low position off road. On One Midge bars are the extreme end of this type. Shallow, close to the stem etc. But wiiide and flaaared!

4. Matching the gears to the hub can be fun as spacings and cable pulls are all different. Sheldon Browns website is good here. For what it is worth I use a 10 speed Shimano cassette with 10 speed Campag levers and can't see any defect but a bit of wear in the jockey wheels helps. 8 speed Campag works ok with 8 speed Shimano and even better with 7 speed. No idea about 9. You could drop the front mech if you wish and run a single ring or maybe just trun the triple into a double dropping the the outer ring.

5. There is a "drop bars with knobblies" Facebook group which features a lot of these hybrids.

[Nearholmer]

Hello. 64yo chap who rides mostly what is now called “gravel”, mostly on a rigid, drop-bar, steel bike, but sometime on a rigid, flat-bar, steel bike.

I think the first thing I’d do would be to check what reach is going to be like if you fit drop-bars to your bike, and whether you can get the hoods of the drop-bars at a sensible height (level with seat) using an available stem. If you can feasibly get all that right for you: game on.

Personally, I’m very much not a fan of mechanical disc brakes, which to me seem less good than decent vee-brakes, except in regards mud-clearance. The real step-up seems to come with hydraulic discs.

I do have to ask though, why you want to change the bars at all, because doing so entrains a fair bit of fiddling about. Personally, I find flats OK for up to about 2hrs, although less good for climbing. Once beyond about 2hrs, the comfort advantage of drops is very significant IMO.

I’m afraid I can’t advise on tyres for your wheels, because I’ve been using 700c “forever”, but I will say that going tubeless is a definite positive for off-road.

I tried a 29er, so front suspension, for winter bridleway bashing, thinking the front suspension might confer advantage, but TBH I found it was annoying. The very low gears were good for some of it, but the front-end felt all heavy and stodgy, so that idea got forgotten pretty quickly - I find a rigid frame, but with nice forgiving tyres the best combo.

[Stand by to be told by half the forum that “gravel” doesn’t exist, that it’s a mere marketing ploy by evil capitalists, and to hear about how people rode solid-tyred penny-farthings up the north face of the Eiger, and slept at the top wrapped in a copy of the sporting life when they were a lad, so anything newfangled is completely unnecessary.]

[sukuinage]

Thanks for the replies.
I agree with the comment flat vs. drop bars over 2 hrs, think I'm partly motivated by the desire to mess around with it to see if I prefer it
My tourer has been working flawlessly with a 3x8-speed Shimergo setup so I have previous on this. Thought I'd stick to this option as it won't cost anything for now.
I was aware of the difficulties with V-brakes and, even though I'd generally be happy with rim brakes I guess I will stick to discs as it is currently - good to know that BB7s will work with Ergos; are there any other recommended brakes? This is the one area where I'm really ignorant. The current stem on the bike is pretty long so I should be able to fit a shorter one - will have to see what it does to the handling - I always figured that if my body is still in roughly the same position, the handling shouldn't change much. Maybe I'll try some wider bars to experiment.
Will try the Facebook group although I tend to ignore Facebook these days

[mattsccm]

One brake that doesn't play nicely is the Chinese cable operated hydro set up. I could get it to have any bite.
Of course much of the fun in playing around with things isn't it?

[hamster]

Unlike @mattsccm I am pretty positive.

Gravel bikes have an almost identical geometry to classic mid-90s MTBs - say a GT Zaskar.
Later 90s are much less happy conversions, as Matt says, because the top tube got longer.

Here is a Dawes Edge which I converted to drops, and still ride.
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/daw ... ps.465985/

[rjb]

Something like this.
My everyday hack.
A Falcon K2 MTB purchased from SJSC in 1988 and converted to drops.

[Nearholmer]

The geometry comparison depends heavily on what date of MTB we are taking about, and which gravel bike, given that the latter vary from near-CX, to near modern MTB in geometry. Some people seem to like long, stretched-out bikes, and some people (me included) seem to like quite short, tucked-up bikes.

The particular one in question doesn’t look hugely stretched-out, so is probably a go-er for conversion, depending upon the OP’s tastes and ‘body geometry’.

[mattsccm]

I'm all for it.

In the middle of such a conversion myself. Have failed a few times but as more junk accumulates there is more to play with. Straight seat post now spare and shorter stem.
Just contemplating those drop bars that have a bit sticking out of the curve that allow MTB disc brakes to be used. Another trip to Aliexpress coming I reckon.

Much hindered by me being shorter than ideal for my frame I wish to convert.

[sukuinage]

The geometry comparison depends heavily on what date of MTB we are taking about, and which gravel bike, given that the latter vary from near-CX, to near modern MTB in geometry. Some people seem to like long, stretched-out bikes, and some people (me included) seem to like quite short, tucked-up bikes.

The particular one in question doesn’t look hugely stretched-out, so is probably a go-er for conversion, depending upon the OP’s tastes and ‘body geometry’.

I don't think it should be too stretched. I used to use bar ends and would quite often grip at the end of them to have a similar hand position to being on the hoods. I think the stem is long as well so can fit a shorter one. Need to measure up and compare to my road bike position. The bike is currently at the back of the room with my commuter (not used since WFH) our two touring bikes and two road bikes in front of it.

[Winders]

If you’re into minimising cost, pick up a set of Microshift 3x8 bar end shifters and a pair of Tektro RL520 brake levers and you’ll be sorted for using your existing setup with drops. Once you’ve dialled in the right bar reach and height and found your preferred 26” tyre you can always go back and sort something less traditional for shifting and braking.

[Valbrona]

1) MTBs can be rather long in the top tube. Chuck in the more forward position that drop bars create and you may have reach problems. Try a shorter stem or at least fake this. This in turn may make the handling different which will couple with narrower bars.

Why it might be better to leave it in the cellar.

[oaklec]

Regarding V brakes and road sti levers, travel adapters that replace the v brake noodle are available to make things work

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/cables/prob ... lver-each/

Regarding tyres, panaracer gravelking in 26" is available and work rather nicely off road

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tyres-large ... nch-50559/

I have had a couple of attempts of building a gravel bike using 26"er's and it is possible and they can work fine but both ended up considerably heavier than a swish off the shelf Gravel bike

[rareposter]

1) MTBs can be rather long in the top tube. Chuck in the more forward position that drop bars create and you may have reach problems. Try a shorter stem or at least fake this. This in turn may make the handling different which will couple with narrower bars.

Back in the mid/late-90's a friend converted his Kona MTB (renowned as being quite long bikes) into a drop bar "all-terrain" bike by removing the very long stem that it came with and replacing it with a really dinky short stem and a normal set of road bars, it gave a very similar position.

As you note though, bikes from that era (with very long stems and fairly low, flat geometry) convert far better than a modern MTB which already has a very short stem.

What are peoples' thoughts on this?

I reckon a conversion will work but take a note of the bike measurements before you start taking it to bits - saddle to bar distance in particular because you'll need to basically convert the existing stem length into "new stem plus forward reach of drop bars" length.
I would also use the opportunity to simplify the drivetrain dramatically and go 1x, ditch the front mech (you'll still need some sort of chain retainer) and put maybe a 10sp cassette on there and a clutch rear mech.

26" tyres are likely to be the limiting factor - it's getting increasingly difficult to find them, at least any good ones!

[Nearholmer]

If the bike is comfortable now, what might be a good idea would be to create a cardboard template. I have in mind a big triangle, with apex at a fixed point on the saddle, and the two other angles at your hand positions.

If the photo is exactly like your bike, I think you might need a stem that is fairly short, but has a high rise (this sort of thing maybe https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/stems/deda- ... lack-70mm/ ) to avoid ending up too far down, because the steerer tube looks very short/low. It looks as if rjb has used something similar, perhaps even shorter on his/her bike, and hamster’s seems to have a very erect stem. Spa do some pretty high-angle ones https://spacycles.co.uk/m9b0s88p1710/SP ... -Rise-Stem