Retro therapy

[Pondo]

So a bit of a bummer as I now have to remove the rear brake to get the wheel off so I can replace the tube.

But, man, that was fun! I really didn’t know what to expect but it’s working really well. I thought I may have gone too low on the gearing or might need more range but it seems perfect for around here. It’s got a good granny gear and top gear is good enough for me.

It is a bit light on the front end though with the wheel wanting to hop on the really steep climbs. I’m thinking a longer stem might help. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to choose a stem length?

Overall I’m very pleased. This has been a fun little project and a good way to do some light rehab on my thumb.

 

[Captain Awesome]

So a bit of a bummer as I now have to remove the rear brake to get the wheel off so I can replace the tube.
View attachment 240256

But, man, that was fun! I really didn’t know what to expect but it’s working really well. I thought I may have gone too low on the gearing or might need more range but it seems perfect for around here. It’s got a good granny gear and top gear is good enough for me.

It is a bit light on the front end though with the wheel wanting to hop on the really steep climbs. I’m thinking a longer stem might help. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to choose a stem length?

Overall I’m very pleased. This has been a fun little project and a good way to do some light rehab on my thumb.

How long is that current stem? Adding length will always help keep the nose down for climbs. Adding compression and lowering your rebound in that fork will keep it from pogoing too

 

[Pondo]

How long is that current stem? Adding length will always help keep the nose down for climbs. Adding compression and lowering your rebound in that fork will keep it from pogoing too

Thanks Capt. I'll have to measure that stem. It's a BMX stem so it's fairly stubby. I'll dig through my parts too as i may have another stem or so that I can try.

I haven't messed with the adjustments on this fork other than air pressure. It doesn't really pogo at all, it's more of a wheelie issue. I've got the pressure a little on the firm side and I use the lockout on the climbs. That's why I was thinking I might need more weight on the front tire. I should fiddle with the compression and rebound though, it will handle even better.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Thanks Capt. I'll have to measure that stem. It's a BMX stem so it's fairly stubby. I'll dig through my parts too as i may have another stem or so that I can try.

I haven't messed with the adjustments on this fork other than air pressure. It doesn't really pogo at all, it's more of a wheelie issue. I've got the pressure a little on the firm side and I use the lockout on the climbs. That's why I was thinking I might need more weight on the front tire. I should fiddle with the compression and rebound though, it will handle even better.

I shoot for 70-80mm to start. Don’t forget that higher bar will drastically affect the pivot/leverage going rearward

 

[Pondo]

Don’t forget that higher bar will drastically affect the pivot/leverage going rearward

For sure. I'm going to lower it a half inch and see how that affects things. I do like the high bars, though. It's a comfortable riding position and really good for pedaling out of the saddle.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I've got the pressure a little on the firm side and I use the lockout on the climbs

That lockout could be part of the problem. One of the drawbacks of thise systems is that they only lock up at full extension, not at sag height, which would optimize the geometry for climbing.
Great looking bike, the Moné bar is money. Do whatever it takes elsewhere to keep that part.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

*another thing to keep the front end planted is technique: stand to climb. It allows you to shift your weight center far forward, keeping it over the bottom bracket. Remember that the angle of the slope has already tipped your bike back a bunch, you can compensate with some body English

 

[OddJob]

That bar is really cool! Love the look of it, the retro vibe, the way it's built; all of it!

I wish I could have kept mine on Midriff-ter, but for all of the reasons mentioned above by Cap't and Matti, I just couldn't get my position on the bike dialed in for best performance with that bar. Standing and climbing is more or less a thing of the past for me, so I needed a bar / stem combo to get me out over the front for climbing, but not compromise my handling in the singletrack and for when the trail goes downhill.

Anyway, your bike is looking great, and I smile whenever I see those shots of your Yosemite hood! Never been to that area, and it's def on my bucket list. Beautiful!

RiDe oN~!

 

[Pondo]

Great looking bike, the Moné bar is money. Do whatever it takes elsewhere to keep that part.

It's going to stay, I'll play with the stem length and position to dial it in.

That bar is really cool! Love the look of it, the retro vibe, the way it's built; all of it!

It is a great bar. It's a great looking piece plus the bend and rise seem to be perfect for me.

It's the Moné Meal replacement bar. From his website:

Why waist your time chewing and eating stupid food…when you could have handlebars instead. These are the Meal Replacement Bar.

-Under 1000 grams per serving

-organic, free range brazing. See photos

-rattle can clear, One way ticket to ‘Tina town. (Tina is Rust’s sexy stripper name.)

-Gold vinyl decals

-For sure causes cancer in the state of California

-Goes good with klunkers or vintage MTB’s

 

[Pondo]

stand to climb

I'll do this too. I tend to spin out on the loose, steep stuff when I stand up. But these bars were made for standing on the pedals.

bar / stem combo to get me out over the front for climbing

That's what I'm hoping to do with the longer stem, slightly lowered. We'll see how it works. I like this bar so much that I'm willing to live with a wheelie happy bike just to have it on there.

Anyway, your bike is looking great, and I smile whenever I see those shots of your Yosemite hood! Never been to that area, and it's def on my bucket list. Beautiful!

Thanks! It's definitely a gorgeous area. Lots of people around this time of year. Give me a shout if you're ever in the area. My bikes would be a bit small for you but we can pull the seatpost out a bit on one of my mountain bikes.

 

[OddJob]

I'll do this too. I tend to spin out on the loose, steep stuff when I stand up. But these bars were made for standing on the pedals.

That's what I'm hoping to do with the longer stem, slightly lowered. We'll see how it works. I like this bar so much that I'm willing to live with a wheelie happy bike just to have it on there.


Thanks! It's definitely a gorgeous area. Lots of people around this time of year. Give me a shout if you're ever in the area. My bikes would be a bit small for you but we can pull the seatpost out a bit on one of my mountain bikes.

That would be awesome!

Maybe a more traditional threadless mtb stem, flipped to a 'negative' rise ( you know what I mean!) would help achieve that for you. My problem on my build was that the bike frame was already just a bit too small for me, so I had to get more 'out' than 'down' or it would have been too aggressive of a riding position.

 

[ingola]

https://www.timeanddate.com/countdo...31T12&p0=1176&msg=Build+off+end+&font=cursive

 

[OddJob]

Looking forward to your finishing touches on this vintage mtb build, @Pondo ! Bring it on home!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Awesome bike. So clean and sharp.

I know you were getting a lot of your parts off of Amazon…. But it still adds up?

I try to keep my builds around ~$350, all in. The proper rat rod blew way past that, unfortunately…. Was this thing expensive counting all receipts and swapped in parts? (If you don’t mind me asking)

You’ve got a lot of nice new technology on that older frame and it just looks fabulous…. But I’m thinking it could be a bit pricey after while.

 

[Pondo]

Looking forward to your finishing touches on this vintage mtb build, @Pondo ! Bring it on home!

Thanks OJ! I should have it wrapped up this weekend. It's been busy at work and very hot so I've been putting it off a bit hoping for a little cooler weather.

Was this thing expensive counting all receipts and swapped in parts? (If you don’t mind me asking)

I don't mind at all; in a word, yes. I haven't kept track but I bet I spent at least $400-$500 on this not including used parts I had on hand. I'll do some figuring...

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Thanks OJ! I should have it wrapped up this weekend. It's been busy at work and very hot so I've been putting it off a bit hoping for a little cooler weather.

I don't mind at all; in a word, yes. I haven't kept track but I bet I spent at least $400-$500 on this not including used parts I had on hand. I'll do some figuring...

No biggie on the exact dollar amount. Just curious At the rough cost.

-Just looking at the bike as a whole: the forks, the saddle, the cassette …. All the components, really, the whole thing actually looks super high-end, soup to nuts!

 

[Pondo]

I bought the bike 2 years ago just for the frame. I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $100. I used the frame, bottom bracket, seatpost and binder bolt.

Amazon parts:
Cranks with chainring and bolts: $40
Pedals: $23
Stem: $10
Headset spacers: $9
Shifter & cable: $60
Rear tire: $35
Disc brake adapter: $24

Parts not from Amazon:
FSA headset: $25
chain: $22
cassette: $66
derailleur: $45
bars: $140
grips: $15

So my estimate was only under by a bit with $515 on new parts.

I'm not going to add the cost of a Brooks saddle as the Specialized saddle from my original GT is around here somewhere in a box and will go on eventually. The rest of the parts I had are used parts that I've had on other bikes and range from old to really old. A good parts bike would yield all of those parts for $100-200. In fact I could have done the whole project with a good parts bike and kept the cost down around $200-250 total but I wanted to use some parts I had in the stash and I also wanted to trick the bike out a bit. And I'll probably continue to trick it out as I get around to upgrading some of the lower level parts. Tubeless rims come to mind for starters. So yeah, kind of spendy but it's a nostalgia build for me and won't be getting kicked down the road. I've got some other projects to build up that will cost under $100. And others that will cost more than this one. And the madness continues unabated.

 

[Pondo]

Just looking at the bike as a whole: the forks, the saddle, the cassette …. All the components, really, the whole thing actually looks super high-end, soup to nuts!

Thanks! I think it looks great, very much in line with what I was hoping for. My original plans were to go with high end parts from folks like Paul's Components, Chris King, Phil wood, Stan's, etc. But my estimates shot past $2k really quickly so I scaled it back.

What really caught me off guard is just how good this bike is to ride. I didn't see that coming at all. It's really a different animal than my original with this collection of parts despite the fact that it's the same frame. It's so much fun that I'll be riding this bike a lot which makes it all worth it really.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

I bought the bike 2 years ago just for the frame. I paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $100. I used the frame, bottom bracket, seatpost and binder bolt.

Amazon parts:
Cranks with chainring and bolts: $40
Pedals: $23
Stem: $10
Headset spacers: $9
Shifter & cable: $60
Rear tire: $60
Disc brake adapter: $24

Parts not from Amazon:
FSA headset: $25
chain: $22
cassette: $66
derailleur: $45
bars: $140
grips: $15

So my estimate was only under by a bit with $540 on new parts.

I'm not going to add the cost of a Brooks saddle as the Specialized saddle from my original GT is around here somewhere in a box and will go on eventually. The rest of the parts I had are used parts that I've had on other bikes and range from old to really old. A good parts bike would yield all of those parts for $100-200. In fact I could have done the whole project with a good parts bike and kept the cost down around $200-250 total but I wanted to use some parts I had in the stash and I also wanted to trick the bike out a bit. And I'll probably continue to trick it out as I get around to upgrading some of the lower level parts. Tubeless rims come to mind for starters. So yeah, kind of spendy but it's a nostalgia build for me and won't be getting kicked down the road. I've got some other projects to build up that will cost under $100. And others that will cost more than this one. And the madness continues unabated.

Compared to a new bike, still super affordable. -as long as it’s fun and you’re riding it, it’s worth the spend!

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Awesome build @OddJob!