Converting a 90's MTB into a retro drop bar bike

[Ming the Merciless]

View attachment 445296
I have to lower the handlebars as they are too upright, but this is how the Trek 950 is coming along. Soon to have racks and fenders. This frame will accept 26", 27.5", and 700c wheels. Salsa Wood Chipper bars(almost a mustache bar) full Deore group except for some SLX brake levers and hoods. Kenda 26"100p.s.i. tires, WTB saddle. Just stuff I had laying around, or was on the old Raleigh Technium City I had made into a tourer. Stem is adjustable, until I get fit figured out. Too upright right now.

That looks like no drop bar bike of the past I can remember. Defo not retro, maybe avant garde?

 

[Gravity Aided]

Maybe, with some early cubist influences.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Maybe, with some early cubist influences.

And some surrealists like Dali

 

[Gravity Aided]

And Ralph Eugene Meatyard, who once lived near me. I think Uncle Jay knew some of his folks.

 

[mcshroom]

I like this conversion, even though I'm still trying to accept the idea of drop bars and front suspension

View: https://twitter.com/between_beyond/status/1119979773571358720

 

[Gravity Aided]

That looks like no drop bar bike of the past I can remember. Defo not retro, maybe avant garde?

Bars lowered, now it has bar tape. And a flat rear tire.

 

[cambiker71]

Another pic of my conversion, it's a simple to use 1 x 7 with brifter and now cyclocross tyres for off road or gravel rides, used it last week to get to a training course near a country park too, still one of my favourite bikes....

 

[Andy in Germany]

Today was the day of the transfer printing, which meant I was either going to be coming back this PM with a smile and several nice shiny transfers, or I was about to break the office printer. Being the pessimist's pessimist I naturally expect the latter.

Thanks to some help from the manager, the printer did as it was told and we've got transfers: We've got transfers, and I haven't destroyed the printer...

Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance,
Happy dance...

Manager now thinks I'm weird.

 

[Andy in Germany]

When the Easter break came and the weather forecast showed sunshine or at least what I've heard some UK cyclists refer to as ‘NAR’ (Not Actually Raining), it theoretically meant we could spray the slowly emerging Randonneur bike. Of course in reality the choice between riding a bike and painting a bike generally came down on the option that meant exploring new places. I mean, I’m supposed to be doing a century this year and I need to build up my mileage…

If you say that fast enough it almost sounds convincing.

However, Elder Son and I have now finally got ourselves into gear, and finally the Randonneur is dark red...

 

[Andy in Germany]

Finally finished the transfer sheet. Yesterday I was speculating in 'Mundane news' what may cause this envevaour to fail:

Lack of toner, software crash, power cut, broken roller, jammed door, roof collapse, meteorite hit, extremely localised earthquake, or possibly all of the above.

I am not what you would call a natural optimist.

mr @classic33 suggested the more mundane possibility that I'd forget my USB stick, and to make sure that wasn't a problem I emailed a copy of the PDF to my work address.

What neither of us thought of is that I'd forget the transfer paper...

Fortunately I remembered this before I'd cycled too far this mornming so I could roll back and get it...

I'm currently printing a test sheet.

So far no meteorites have made an appearance.

 

[Andy in Germany]

To my complete lack of surprise the printer isn't cooperating and hasn't printed yet.

Twenty minutes so far.

 

[Andy in Germany]

To my complete lack of surprise the printer isn't cooperating and hasn't printed yet.

Twenty minutes so far.

And now it has printed the wrong file, wasting a €1 transfer sheet

People wonder why I loathe technology.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Aaaaaaand finally, after about half an hour, a passable sheet, (ie, the bit where the printer messed up isn't on an important part of the transfer so I can use it.)

Now we can put the transfers on over the weekend, hopefully.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Reasons I'm doing this project #846262:

Built by Elder Son.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Looking at my posts of the last few weeks, you could get the impression I’m spending every waking moment gallivanting about and visiting exotic locations.

So let me hasten to point out that there are other things going on, not least regular job applications, fixing bits of the various bikes as they break down, and of course this project, which has mainly been absent from here because there’s not much interest in multiple posts about spraying another coat of clear varnish onto a frame, and also because we had to wait until this month to replace some parts that were so worn even we wouldn’t use them.

Now the replacement parts are on order and the frame is properly wrapped up so it can stop cluttering up the apartment and head over to Eldest Son’s place of work as soon as possible, ready for us to put everything together.

Well, probably almost everything. I have no doubt we’ll find something else missing, but we can live in hope.