Which old mtb for flatbar gravel conversion?
- Thread starter Eziemnaik
- Start date
-
- Tags
- conversion mtb
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Spiderweb
Not So Special One
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Anything rigid with the mounts you require, I have a old Steel frame Trek 830 which is perfect but there are so many different brands to choose from.
biggs682
Touch it up and ride it
- Location
- Northamptonshire
My ideal base would be a Marin Bear valley
Rusty Nails
We remember
- Location
- Living in the slow lane
So many good steel mtb frames around from the 90s, it’s a difficult choice.
Personally I would always look for the old Marin bikes, but difficult to go wrong with with frames such as Kona, Trek, Orange or Specialized, or even the old Raleigh Special Product makes, as long as they have the mounting points.
Personally I would always look for the old Marin bikes, but difficult to go wrong with with frames such as Kona, Trek, Orange or Specialized, or even the old Raleigh Special Product makes, as long as they have the mounting points.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
I would generally say look for an old Raleigh MTB, since they were the most common and there's still thousands of the things around now. Dawes also made some nice steel MTBs as did Claud Butler, both much less common than Raleigh though.
1994 Raleigh Sabre.
These welded frames are 18-23 Hi-tensile, nothing fancy but they are strong, and have comfortable geometry. One plus point is they have long chainstays which is good if you want to fit a rack.
1991 Raleigh Highlander
The more expensive Raleighs were lugged 501 like this, or very rarely even 531.
The chainstays on these are slightly shorter, but the top tube is longer than the welded frames. If you have a short upper body the welded type frame will probably be a better fit, as the lugged one has more reach. The Reynolds tubing bikes are a bit lighter, but the difference isn't massive.
1994 Raleigh Sabre.
These welded frames are 18-23 Hi-tensile, nothing fancy but they are strong, and have comfortable geometry. One plus point is they have long chainstays which is good if you want to fit a rack.
1991 Raleigh Highlander
The more expensive Raleighs were lugged 501 like this, or very rarely even 531.
The chainstays on these are slightly shorter, but the top tube is longer than the welded frames. If you have a short upper body the welded type frame will probably be a better fit, as the lugged one has more reach. The Reynolds tubing bikes are a bit lighter, but the difference isn't massive.
12boy
Guru
- Location
- Casper WY USA
I like the Bianchi Nyala I am currently messing with, having found the frame, fork and a couple of other parts at the baleful. Tange chromo, butted and around 9 lbs for bare frame and forks. Weighs
about 27 lbs now. Bought a headset, cabling and some vbrakes, the rest being stuff laying around.
about 27 lbs now. Bought a headset, cabling and some vbrakes, the rest being stuff laying around.
Attachments
DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
Trek 800 Sport, later ones, have all the mounts. 18" one going soon, already updated with decent gears...
Gravity Aided
Legendary Member
- Location
- Land of Lincoln
I've made four or five such conversions, I tend to use larger MTB frames. The Panasonic was too large for mountain biking, so I made it into a tourer. I look for good, relaxed geometry, good steel, alloy wheels, and a long top tube. It doesn't need to be light, as you are just going to weigh it down. Lighter MTBs often have butted tubing, which is a bit less sharp in terms of ride quality.
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These look great!
@Gravity Aided what do you mean by less sharp?
@Gravity Aided what do you mean by less sharp?
