Retro therapy

[MattiThundrrr]

Haha the bars cost more than the frame! Once you put a name on parts, they get pricey. There's a point at which you stop paying for improvement in quality and start paying for the desirability. I still love that moné bar, its desirability outweighs logical thinking

 

[Pondo]

Awesome build @OddJob!

Thanks!

Haha the bars cost more than the frame! Once you put a name on parts, they get pricey. There's a point at which you stop paying for improvement in quality and start paying for the desirability. I still love that moné bar, its desirability outweighs logical thinking

Yep, that's absolutely true. I'm trying to give the small domestic companies a little business and I love the exposed brazing on these bars. I had actually planned to move these bars to a klunker build at some point but they work so well on this bike that I think they may stay.

 

[Frankie plekhand]

Thanks!

Oops i meant @Pondo

 

[Pondo]

Well, this project is pretty well wrapped up for now. The shim showed up so I switched back to the red stem and mounted it about an inch lower. That seems to be sufficient so I don’t think I’ll bother with a longer stem. I put a tube that holds air in the back tire. That was a process. I had to loosen up the brake adapter to get the wheel off. When I put it back on the brake had to be readjusted. Not a mid-ride job. The axle doesn’t sit all the way up in the dropouts due to the adapter and needed to be readjusted on the trail. I tried out this brown Brooks Flyer and I really like it. It looks great and is very comfortable. It may stay on this bike. Then I headed out of town to some local trails I haven’t ridden in quite a while.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Well, this project is pretty well wrapped up for now. The shim showed up so I switched back to the red stem and mounted it about an inch lower. That seems to be sufficient so I don’t think I’ll bother with a longer stem. I put a tube that holds air in the back tire. That was a process. I had to loosen up the brake adapter to get the wheel off. When I put it back on the brake had to be readjusted. Not a mid-ride job. The axle doesn’t sit all the way up in the dropouts due to the adapter and needed to be readjusted on the trail. I tried out this brown Brooks Flyer and I really like it. It looks great and is very comfortable. It may stay on this bike. Then I headed out of town to some local trails I haven’t ridden in quite a while.
View attachment 242238View attachment 242239View attachment 242240View attachment 242241

Gorgeous trails!

 

[Pondo]

Some locals have been building new (legal) trails so I checked out a short fun loop near the parking area and then headed out on the long loop I used to ride.

 

[Pondo]

It was a great ride despite the 95 degree morning. This trail has a lot of ups and downs and some great scenery. I still wasn’t able to make it up the hills I couldn’t make it up before, so that’s all good. Still lots of poison oak to dodge also. Including all over the area I had planned to take a break, so I skipped it.

I got a flat on the front from all the rocks. I’m going to have to go tubeless. Just took a few small jumps and rolled or bypassed the bigger stuff.

I still have my helmet from 30 years ago so I wore it today.

Man, what a great ride. I love the bike and had a blast throughout!

 

[Pondo]

I am going to need to go tubeless I think. Can you get away with a low brow tubeless conversion on most rims? Or is it better to just get tubeless compatible rims/tires?

I'm also going to upgrade the front tire. I've got an old Panaracer Swoop on it now and it's just ok. I need something that's good in loose, dry rocky conditions. Anyone have any recommendations? I should probably pick @OddJob 's brain as he rides in Arizona.

 

[Captain Awesome]

I am going to need to go tubeless I think. Can you get away with a low brow tubeless conversion on most rims? Or is it better to just get tubeless compatible rims/tires?

I'm also going to upgrade the front tire. I've got an old Panaracer Swoop on it now and it's just ok. I need something that's good in loose, dry rocky conditions. Anyone have any recommendations? I should probably pick @OddJob 's brain as he rides in Arizona.

You can make any setup tubeless




Dry conditions? Maxxis Minion hands down

 

[Pondo]

You can make any setup tubeless




Dry conditions? Maxxis Minion hands down

Cool, thanks. There's some good tips in that video. I've got a Minion on the back of my TransAm but haven't tried one on the front so I'll give that a shot. Unfortunately the new tire I bought for the rear isn't tubeless compatible. It can go on another build.

 

[metalchewy]

Such a great looking MTB. I really like the way this one came together. Offroad bikes like this make me want to hit the mountain tomorrow instead of ride around town like I've meen doing lately.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Looks like a really fun bike to ride and looks awesome!

Between you and OJ, y'all have got me wanting to get back out on the trails!

 

[Pondo]

Such a great looking MTB. I really like the way this one came together. Offroad bikes like this make me want to hit the mountain tomorrow instead of ride around town like I've meen doing lately.

Looks like a really fun bike to ride and looks awesome!

Between you and OJ, y'all have got me wanting to get back out on the trails!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. It was a fun build and it's proving to be really fun out on the trails. Now I just need to figure out how to keep air in the tires.

 

[ingola]

I'm new to the trail thing but that just looks like fun.

 

[Pondo]

I'm new to the trail thing but that just looks like fun.

It's very fun for me. It gets me out in the woods where it's beautiful, peaceful and healthy.

 

[metalchewy]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. It was a fun build and it's proving to be really fun out on the trails. Now I just need to figure out how to keep air in the tires.

I use Mr truffles for puncture protection and keep it above 40lbs for rim blows. I could go tubeless and have thought about it many times. I also carry co2 fillers with me. Much faster than a pump.

For tires and gravel or sand, I've enjoyed the latest tire on my trail bike. Schwalbe tough Tom's. there are outer good tires. If you hit the gravel on the downhill, pull weight of the front tire a bit. On the uphill lean back on the seat . I find that caBoulder.

My last wreck on the mountain was in 1" sized gravel. Cst rock hawks were on at the time. Too little air though the tire wall folded around a curve . Bounced and the Slid on on my shoulder about 25 feet into a boulder. Cracked the helmet and bought a new one. Mild concussion. No stitches.

 

[OddJob]

It's very fun for me. It gets me out in the woods where it's beautiful, peaceful and healthy.

Those words "beautiful, peaceful, and healthy" say it all. It has kept me engaged to the mountain bike and the world it opens up for the past 36 years.

Yes, as Capt suggests, you can convert a 'normal' mtb rim to be used for tubeless set up. But get tubeless tires for sure. The sidewall is shaped differently, often different compounds are used to make it more pliable to grab on and conform to the rim better. I like the Bontrager tires because they have a compound that really 'sucks on' to the rim edge and seals well. Also, certain brands of tires are very finicky with certain brands of rims for this set up. Search 'reviews by bike shop mechanics' for these anomalies.

In case you missed my tutorial on setting my Midriff-ter tires up tubeless this year, here's the link:


I also highly recommend Orange Seal sealant! It has great elasticity for the hot / high / dry climates and the particles I mention in the video really do help seal larger holes and it's higher viscosity doesn't break down as fast as others.

I really like the feel and stance of the bike in this setting. A drive train side would have been the frosting on the cake, but it's still really good! I cropped it and gave it some juice....

Ride on my dirt loving friend~!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Great shot!
Left side bike photos are rare but in your case I like being able to see all of that brake hardware!

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

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.

Looks like you had to go as hard as I did on the new parts. Ish got expensive!

 

[BobbyStillz]

Those words "beautiful, peaceful, and healthy" say it all. It has kept me engaged to the mountain bike and the world it opens up for the past 36 years.

Yes, as Capt suggests, you can convert a 'normal' mtb rim to be used for tubeless set up. But get tubeless tires for sure. The sidewall is shaped differently, often different compounds are used to make it more pliable to grab on and conform to the rim better. I like the Bontrager tires because they have a compound that really 'sucks on' to the rim edge and seals well. Also, certain brands of tires are very finicky with certain brands of rims for this set up. Search 'reviews by bike shop mechanics' for these anomalies.

In case you missed my tutorial on setting my Midriff-ter tires up tubeless this year, here's the link:


I also highly recommend Orange Seal sealant! It has great elasticity for the hot / high / dry climates and the particles I mention in the video really do help seal larger holes and it's higher viscosity doesn't break down as fast as others.

I really like the feel and stance of the bike in this setting. A drive train side would have been the frosting on the cake, but it's still really good! I cropped it and gave it some juice....

View attachment 242343

Ride on my dirt loving friend~!

@Pondo That's the shot!

It's wild, with the colors on your bike, full Sun actually highlights the details instead of blowing them out. I would post a cropped version as well (for a closer look)...