chit chat thread
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Just what I needed, another project. 1987 Cannondale RS500. Goal is turn this into a “gravel” bike with its primary use for getting around Road America. Can’t complain for $125.
My experience with gravel bikes so far is they're basically a road bike with bigger tires right? Can you get different gearsets easily for these? Any attempt to do disc brakes?
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My experience with gravel bikes so far is they're basically a road bike with bigger tires right? Can you get different gearsets easily for these? Any attempt to do disc brakes?
My understanding is it’s essentially the Baja craze of cars, just with bikes. Turn road cars into off-road cars. I just want to change the bars and pedals into something more “mountain bike” like and then do as wide and tall of a tire with a more knobby tread pattern.
I could probably convert to discs, but I don’t think I will need them for my application. And yes, you can change the gear sets for these, but the Shimano 105 should be good enough for my needs.
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My understanding is it’s essentially the Baja craze of cars, just with bikes. Turn road cars into off-road cars. I just want to change the bars and pedals into something more “mountain bike” like and then do as wide and tall of a tire with a more knobby tread pattern.
I could probably convert to discs, but I don’t think I will need them for my application. And yes, you can change the gear sets for these, but the Shimano 105 should be good enough for my needs.
I've got a buddy with some very expensive gravel bikes that he raves about but when I've done rides on actual grave I just don't understand the allure. They're fucking stiff as hell with drop handlebars and it makes the whole experience really miserable. But the 1x gearsets he's got are wonderful. And they look cool so there's that lol.
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I've got a buddy with some very expensive gravel bikes that he raves about but when I've done rides on actual grave I just don't understand the allure. They're fucking stiff as hell with drop handlebars and it makes the whole experience really miserable. But the 1x gearsets he's got are wonderful. And they look cool so there's that lol.
The look is a big thing lol I’m definitely going to be changing to a standard handle bar as the drops will be difficult when just getting around the track. As well as the shifter/brake position. Tube shifter will be tough around RA.
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lookup cyclocross bikes. they are basically what you'll be building. its a sport invented for the road race guys to have something to do in the 'off season' in parts of the world that have winter. i turned an 80s hybird into a cyclocross bike for my commuting for a while. its really the best 'all-rounder' if you ask me. light enough and low rolling resistance with small tires that you dont feel like the bike is slowing you down, but capable enough to do just about any dirt trail that doesnt have jumps and logs and stuff.
those calipers are awfully tight on the rims, be careful with knobby tire sizes, there isnt much room there. if the bike has 700c wheels, you could downsize to 650c and add long reach calipers, but that might be more effort/$$ than youre looking to put forth
and you cant put disc brakes on any bike to fix tire clearance, either. its frame dependent. you could change the front forks to add discs, but for the back you're stuck.
drop bars are actually quite comfortable if you get them in the right spot. you could get a new, longer stem, or one that has a 45deg rise to get the bars up in the air more.
i'd recommend converting to STI shifters (the kind that are integrated into the brake levers) and keeping your bars. the geometry of straight bars on a road bike can be awkward. for a cheaper fix, I used thumb shifters. also, depending on what bars you use, you can run into issues with brake levers. putting mountain bike style brake levers on a road bike doesnt work that well, and visa-versa. they pull different amounts of cable.
Dan
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My understanding is it’s essentially the Baja craze of cars, just with bikes. Turn road cars into off-road cars. I just want to change the bars and pedals into something more “mountain bike” like and then do as wide and tall of a tire with a more knobby tread pattern.
I could probably convert to discs, but I don’t think I will need them for my application. And yes, you can change the gear sets for these, but the Shimano 105 should be good enough for my needs.
Nice Cannondale! Shimano 105 is great, I have it on one of my bikes and have zero complaints. Converting to discs is possible, but not worth it at all. That, and any "adapter" mounts for the rear would put a lot of stress on parts of the frame not intended to see braking forces. You would also need new hubs, so at that point the cost is getting way up there.
Just slap on the biggest tires you can fit and have fun! Another bar option is bullhorns. I had some Nitto RB021 on a fixed gear I rode in college (still have the bars) and they were perfect for hilly terrain since I never used drops and were incredible for climbing.
...Not that you needed any more opinions, I just like bikes and wanted to chime in haha
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lookup cyclocross bikes. they are basically what you'll be building. its a sport invented for the road race guys to have something to do in the 'off season' in parts of the world that have winter. i turned an 80s hybird into a cyclocross bike for my commuting for a while. its really the best 'all-rounder' if you ask me. light enough and low rolling resistance with small tires that you dont feel like the bike is slowing you down, but capable enough to do just about any dirt trail that doesnt have jumps and logs and stuff.
those calipers are awfully tight on the rims, be careful with knobby tire sizes, there isnt much room there. if the bike has 700c wheels, you could downsize to 650c and add long reach calipers, but that might be more effort/$$ than youre looking to put forth
and you cant put disc brakes on any bike to fix tire clearance, either. its frame dependent. you could change the front forks to add discs, but for the back you're stuck.
drop bars are actually quite comfortable if you get them in the right spot. you could get a new, longer stem, or one that has a 45deg rise to get the bars up in the air more.
i'd recommend converting to STI shifters (the kind that are integrated into the brake levers) and keeping your bars. the geometry of straight bars on a road bike can be awkward. for a cheaper fix, I used thumb shifters. also, depending on what bars you use, you can run into issues with brake levers. putting mountain bike style brake levers on a road bike doesnt work that well, and visa-versa. they pull different amounts of cable.
Nice Cannondale! Shimano 105 is great, I have it on one of my bikes and have zero complaints. Converting to discs is possible, but not worth it at all. That, and any "adapter" mounts for the rear would put a lot of stress on parts of the frame not intended to see braking forces. You would also need new hubs, so at that point the cost is getting way up there.
Just slap on the biggest tires you can fit and have fun! Another bar option is bullhorns. I had some Nitto RB021 on a fixed gear I rode in college (still have the bars) and they were perfect for hilly terrain since I never used drops and were incredible for climbing.
...Not that you needed any more opinions, I just like bikes and wanted to chime in haha
This is a new avenue for me, so lots to learn. Thank you for the info.
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Just what I needed, another project. 1987 Cannondale RS500. Goal is turn this into a “gravel” bike with its primary use for getting around Road America. Can’t complain for $125.
Might as well throw my unsolicited pair of pennies out there, since there's not a lot going on on this site...
lookup cyclocross bikes.
^This.
Similar to the way BMX bikes developed from Schwinn Stingrays, mountain bikes evolved from bikes we would call "beach cruisers" today. Over time, both of these types of bikes have become very specialized to the type of riding that they are intended for. As you alluded to, the "gravel bike" is analogous to the "baja craze" in the car world. Taking something that was designed for one task, and applying it to almost the opposite task.
You can certainly try to ride a road bike with dirt tires around at RA, and it will be a fun challenge. Road bikes are designed for high speed on smooth surfaces, so the seat is high and the bars are low to keep your torso horizontal for reduced aerodynamic drag. The trade-off is reduced balance and maneuverability at low speed. With the terrain and traffic that's typically present at RA, you'll never get up to the speeds that the bike was designed for, and will have a fun time just trying to keep your feet off the ground.
You can raise the bars and lower the seat to gain control. This more relaxed posture and added maneuverability will allow you to tackle the same trails at a higher speed. However, if you happen to hit a tree root or a large rock at this higher speed you'll find that your featherweight road wheels fold like a cell phone of similar vintage, leading you down the same trail as if you were trying to build a mountain bike out of a beach cruiser...
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Ode to the old e21 back in action.
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Looks like you had fun hanging it
I have a few hoods I've saved just for this purpose someday. Such a cool idea, looks great.Haha it was not easy thats for sure!
Previous owners left some paint in basement. Hopefully one of them is the right color and a quick touch up will take care of it.Let me know if you want the decals for your hood projects. I love doing stuff like this. I thought about buying up some hoods to do livery designs and selling them.
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the minute i get my hands on another e30 hood, youll be gettin a call from me
the question is: tictac, bastos, or fina
Dan
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Question, this may be a silly question to ask in a BMW forum, but y’all are smart and know people. I’m looking for a SAAB fanatic for a friend who has an 87 900 turbo (awesome) in need of some TLC. Anyone out there know of someone who is a SAAB expert? It’s a little niche, I know.
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If my count is correct, it was over 10 years ago that I sold my previous e30 to @visian , so it was time to pick up another.
It’s a 1987 325i 5 speed in schwarz over cardinal. My friend’s parents owned it for the last 10 years but only put 3,000 miles on it during that time, and it’s been stored out of the elements.
We’ll see if this gets a thread or not. I’m not planning on going crazy with this car. This will be the simple, carefree summer cruiser to serve as a counterpart to the angry, money pit Volvo.
Congrats @thefullbanana just saw this! Enjoy the vert
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Question, this may be a silly question to ask in a BMW forum, but y’all are smart and know people. I’m looking for a SAAB fanatic for a friend who has an 87 900 turbo (awesome) in need of some TLC. Anyone out there know of someone who is a SAAB expert? It’s a little niche, I know.
He want to sell it?
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Question, this may be a silly question to ask in a BMW forum, but y’all are smart and know people. I’m looking for a SAAB fanatic for a friend who has an 87 900 turbo (awesome) in need of some TLC. Anyone out there know of someone who is a SAAB expert? It’s a little niche, I know.
I actually do know a guy. Can you send me info.
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Question, this may be a silly question to ask in a BMW forum, but y’all are smart and know people. I’m looking for a SAAB fanatic for a friend who has an 87 900 turbo (awesome) in need of some TLC. Anyone out there know of someone who is a SAAB expert? It’s a little niche, I know.
SAABcentral.com is a pretty useful forum that has a lot of 900 content! I had a '91 900 for a bit a few years back (not in this area unfortunately so I don't know of anyone local), I miss looking at and driving that car but I really don't really miss the endless hunting for parts...
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