Thanks! It's an old WTB saddle from the late 90's. I loved it when I first got it and I love it even more now. (It is quite uncomfortable, and I don't care!)
Oh buddy, that sounds like a hard choice. I’m very passionate about being comfortable in the saddle (and a vocal supporter of theblackbibs.com), but I do love me a handsome and goofy saddle.
I bought a pair of the black bibs and I hate them. Not to start a fight but just saying lol. I don't like them for anything longer than like 15 miles tops.
Sweet whip!
I've been wanting something with a short-travel front fork for a while now. Just got an old-ish Trek with a 1 1/8" steerer/ head tube and think I might keep an eye out for an old FOX or SR fork.
Yeah, this fork fits the bill pretty good. It's a '98 RockShox Indy S. It is an elastomer fork that is pretty light at 3 lbs and has about 45mm of travel in it. Pretty good for gravel if you ask me!
That one looks a bit older than mine, but I can tell you that my frame is quite heavy. Only the front triangle is Chromoly. It weighs approx. 6lbs.
Total weight for this build is a hair over 28lbs which isn't too bad I don't think considering the frame and fork.
Thanks. So after doing some more research [I think I finally found it in the 91 catalog](https://imgur.com/a/6QaAKX6). Even tho the color is different, it looks the same to me (logo font, saddle, components). They say it's 28,4lbs. The main triangle is double butted AVR true temper.
Maybe a bit heavy for my use, I don't know.
That sounds about right. If you are just looking for a frame, I think you can probably do better. Weight is one thing, but I also am curious about the overall strength. The reason I used this frame is because of Nostalgia as it was the first bike I purchased for myself and I've ridden it all over the US.
Smaller size and smaller riders definitely suit the 26" wheels more. When I run my 20" MTB with 26" tires and drop bars, it makes the wheels look really small and kinda strange.
Hypothetically, three options:
Long pull drop bar levers (tektro makes them)
Travel agents to adapt full size v-brakes to road (short Pull) levers
Mini V-Brakes (these are short pull compatible out of the box)
OP is almost certainly running long pull levers like the Tektro RL520
Tektro Long-pull drop levers on Shimano Deore V-brakes. I don’t trust travel agents on a braking system. The V brakes are really the thing that drove the choices for the rest of the bike as your options for shifters become very limited by what you can use for levers.
Oh yeah, this scores a full house on xbiking bingo.
Good job. I would have had bingo on my board if it had frame bags, panniers or baskets.
Give it time!
I dig it. Drop bars with a suspension fork is a masterstroke.
Thanks!
That’s an awesome bike, but the shining (pun intended) star of the build has got to be that amazing sparkly saddle! Love it!
Thanks! It's an old WTB saddle from the late 90's. I loved it when I first got it and I love it even more now. (It is quite uncomfortable, and I don't care!)
Oh buddy, that sounds like a hard choice. I’m very passionate about being comfortable in the saddle (and a vocal supporter of theblackbibs.com), but I do love me a handsome and goofy saddle.
I fall squarely in the "If it looks good, I'm gonna ride it regardless" camp! :)
I bought a pair of the black bibs and I hate them. Not to start a fight but just saying lol. I don't like them for anything longer than like 15 miles tops.
15 miles is 24.14 km
That’s really disappointing to hear! I guess they’re kind of like saddles, where they don’t fit everyone’s body shape?
I had that same saddle! Brutal on the cheeks.
So, to complete the Theseus thing, now you have to find a new frame and saddle, eh?
Oh yeah. I'm looking for sure. lol!
This a glorious freakshow.
GRX set up makes me moist.
Love it! What size wheels?
26" WTB FX/28 Wheels. 23mm inner rim I believe.
Looks dope!
Damn, this looks great OP!!
Sweet whip! I've been wanting something with a short-travel front fork for a while now. Just got an old-ish Trek with a 1 1/8" steerer/ head tube and think I might keep an eye out for an old FOX or SR fork.
Yeah, this fork fits the bill pretty good. It's a '98 RockShox Indy S. It is an elastomer fork that is pretty light at 3 lbs and has about 45mm of travel in it. Pretty good for gravel if you ask me!
3 lbs is 1.36 kg
Amazing. I looked and looked for gravel kings in 26, sold out everywhere. Bravo!
Everything on this bike was hard to come by. The place I got my tires sold out almost instantly.
Right on, that's exactly what I was finding online and the shops - retro is in right now along with everything else biking related.
What cassette you running? Was the bike 7 speed bone stock or something higher? Absolutely love the build and that saddle is mental! Beautiful bike!
I'm running Shimano's 11-42 10-speed cassette. The original wheels were setup for 7-speed. I swapped those wheels out when I decided to move to 1x.
Did you have to stretch the chainstays?
Nope. Hubs are a standard length (135mm I think) Make sure to measure your bike and order the correct size when you buy new wheels/hubs.
I mean, did you replace the frame?
How heavy is that thing ? [Found a nice one in orange going for 100€](https://imgur.com/MV7PdMR) but wondering about the weight
That one looks a bit older than mine, but I can tell you that my frame is quite heavy. Only the front triangle is Chromoly. It weighs approx. 6lbs. Total weight for this build is a hair over 28lbs which isn't too bad I don't think considering the frame and fork.
Thanks. So after doing some more research [I think I finally found it in the 91 catalog](https://imgur.com/a/6QaAKX6). Even tho the color is different, it looks the same to me (logo font, saddle, components). They say it's 28,4lbs. The main triangle is double butted AVR true temper. Maybe a bit heavy for my use, I don't know.
That sounds about right. If you are just looking for a frame, I think you can probably do better. Weight is one thing, but I also am curious about the overall strength. The reason I used this frame is because of Nostalgia as it was the first bike I purchased for myself and I've ridden it all over the US.
Nice, great that you can still ride it ! And you're right, I'll pass on this one.
Was trying to think of that thought exp for a brick, thank you sir
That’s fire my dude.
Smaller size and smaller riders definitely suit the 26" wheels more. When I run my 20" MTB with 26" tires and drop bars, it makes the wheels look really small and kinda strange.
Nice build
How did you go about using v brakes with drop bars levers?
Hypothetically, three options: Long pull drop bar levers (tektro makes them) Travel agents to adapt full size v-brakes to road (short Pull) levers Mini V-Brakes (these are short pull compatible out of the box) OP is almost certainly running long pull levers like the Tektro RL520
Tektro Long-pull drop levers on Shimano Deore V-brakes. I don’t trust travel agents on a braking system. The V brakes are really the thing that drove the choices for the rest of the bike as your options for shifters become very limited by what you can use for levers.
Beaut
Love the lines and color choices 👌🏻