Specialized Crossroads - Parts Bin Commuter - Bike Build

[@jered2177]

Take us along on a day of being a bike messenger

[@gerekappo]

If i'm not mistaken he said he will do that less and less? maybe youtuber full time? Cant remember what video tho.

[@fredtroutman2252]

I love bringing a bike back to life and making it mine, I don't sell them I just enjoy the find and build and commuting on them .

[@fabianzeiher2343]

Hi, just wanted to say thank you for your videos here. I have an old Scott Yucatan MTB that my dad bought from his first salary like 30 years ago and is largely unchanged. I used it for commuting this summer, but after 80 km weekly the gears, chain, and tires (broken spoke) were wrecked. All winter, I thought about buying a new commuter bike, but I hated the thought of letting the old Yucatan go. Today, I found your channel and all the 90s rebuilds that are going on, and now I am so excited to start my own project. I'll give it a completely new modern drive train, brakes, basket, and some nice bits and pieces, yeah a 2nd life really.

[@RodMesa-e2t]

Not boring for us. I can watch you build a bunch of similar bikes forever. KEEP THE BOLTS.

[@simonmandrakejones]

As the owner of an early 2000's Town bike (a pretty scratched up, crusty one), I appreciate your work.

[@johnbaca8692]

I like to run V-brakes on the front, and canti's on the back. It works just as well as V's on the back as far as stopping distance goes. Nice build!!!

[@bikeenjoyer32]

Dude this bike is awesome! Super refreshing. I love these old hybrid turned commuter builds. I have a trek 7900 multitrack i built up as a fast commuter and i just love it. The narrow flat bars are a cool touch i feel like theyre making a comeback. Have a great morning craig!

[@hellothere8425]

Re-Builder here, I love the bike…and I love the music

[@TheLicewine]

Converted my early nineties Trek Antilope into my dad bike. Those old donkeys are so versatile...

[@goonstroke]

You need some green cable housing, then that kludgy routing on the top tube would be art.

[@joemoreno3521]

Started watching your channel in September and love it. Thanks for what you do. You gave me that push I needed to start rebuilding 26" bikes again and going to bike swap meets. Thank you, keep doing what you doing...🫡 Lacoste, Texas

[@Duendehuntercycles]

Finally some 700c builds looks sick

[@RadioSaladStudios]

Another great one...

[@SiopaoSauc3]

Cheap clamp on cable stop or adhesive backed cable stop would be my preference for the rear brake.

[@oheso]

I'm here for the 26-inch mountain bike builds, and the lots and lots of other things. Both. All. Bring it.

[@tommyb2129]

Yes, please, with the quality crusty frames of yesterday getting a new life. I try to maintain a supply of clean decent quality (low to no cost) parts to rotate onto old frames I find on the cheap. It's new bike day every month without the whacked out price tag of a new plastic disposable bike. Great stuff! Keep them coming!

[@programmingguy6081]

The bike is sweet. I would ride it 😊

[@CMZPICTURES]

Starting to realize that hybrids (the bikes I thought were rubbish when I was younger) are the best bikes. That thing would make a great light tourer too.

[@severs1966]

You can get quite nice adhesive cable guides for cables that have the outer on for the full length

[@mrmrlee]

Inspired by the crust seems a great motto for a bakery, or pizza place!

[@gabrielquinn7208]

Love the build, you should build a similar 700c mtn bike set up for bike touring. Would help me out for the summer lol

[@Robomtb]

Really like this build.

[@EnzoGorlami5497]

You can dye polymer pedals using Rit dye! I got some light pastel ones on deep sale and dyed them black with Rit. All that to say, keep the pedals and try dye them

[@jrsanchez6603]

Problem Solvers make a cable stop clamp which would eliminate the need for the long cable. I use one on my HR and just left the noodly bit unused.

[@Overland_eXploits_Oklahoma]

Pedals work. I would probably drill out the top cable stop and run a single cable. I have also found a cable holder that converts a cable stop to a through. That will make someone a dependable ride.

[@Downhillsmoothtarmac]

Still got your flavour to the build Craig! Looking good!

[@NephBikes]

everyone is building these bikes, they’re nice but definitely very on trend.

[@MrAdz91]

Glad you like the frame mate. Bike looks amazing! Makes me regret letting it go now but the misses made me do it lol. It cleaned up well to be honest

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Thanks mate!! Pretty happy with it!! Thanks for the frame!! 🙌🏼

[@the_one_camoma]

Poem about crust INSPIRED BY THE CRUST Wheels whisper secrets on the winding trail, As sunlight dances, casting shadows pale. Each bump and bruise, a story to trust, The road beneath me, a canvas of rust. With every turn, I find my heart's thrust, Awash in adventure, inspired by the crust.

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Probably the best comment I’ve ever received ♥️

[@the_one_camoma]

@@2NDLIFEBIKES Happy to read it 😃 Feel free to use it for whatever you want. It's yours now 😉

[@DavidSnow-s2r]

Looks sick. Keep up the great work and stay safe out there.

[@VintageVeloCustomz]

Great Build!

[@bassameldodo2264]

Looks great ! Very inspiring

[@michaelmann6482]

Those early-mid 90s Crossroads are such fun bikes. Basically a Hard Rock with 700c wheels. Often same or very similar colors and components. I would have stayed with cantis if for no other reason than to avoid the janky zip tie cabling 😉

[@LeonielSoriano]

Chaoyang is our goto budgettyre here in the Philippines. Fixed, SS, Gravel, Mtb. Cheap but durable.

[@bogdanm5657]

I've had the same rear braking problem to solve. I have guided the brake cable through the canti metalic guide on the frame than added a short piece of housing cut to measure to the v-brake noodle. to keep everything alligned, a 135deg v-brake noodle helps a lot. V-brakes, clean look, better stopping power.

[@carlbarton772]

Build away, love the content. New to this channel so A beginners how to would really help.

[@dominikheszler]

the break levers look like the Shimano LX levers my dad has on his 90s mountainbike

[@Opethjunky613]

It would be cool to do a modern version of the 26er. Flat mount mt4 or XT brakes, xt group, some kind of steel 650b frame, cool 650b wheels like enve ag28s, nice bars, cool fenders. Maybe like a midnight special or something like that.

[@ericbattley_og]

Tires look a lot like Schwalbe G-one all round’s! Have em on my gravel bike, love them!

[@Globu74]

Damn! Someone talking about the Crossroads! I had 2 frames sitting at home, wanted to build a 700c fat tire commuter but never had the time/parts to finish it. Couldn't find a good 10s wheelset in 130mm rear spacing with wide rims. You should add fenders and racks.

[@tonyjennison3199]

Old cross bike frame maybe would make an interesting build. I've got a Speshy tricross, loads of frame bosses and tyre clearance but fast as anything. American rondo bikes are cool too, usually lots of neat touches on them.

[@MichaelWilde.pushbikegraddad]

Have you thought of building something using a 1960/70s shopper, such as a Raleigh stowaway , twenty or Dawes Kingpin.

[@angusd9219]

You should try Ergon grips they make cool ones with cork or antlers

[@jp93309]

I built a 700c hybrid Univega Via Montega and added a front pizza rack. Ripping fast grocery getter.

[@maetl.morphology]

If the brake levers are linear pull and you don’t want to mess with the (nice imo) current setup of v-brakes, then get one of those seatpost clamp v-brake cable guide things, or one of the ones that goes around the top tube if that works better. If your brake levers are canti pull ratio but are running fine with the linear pull v-brakes, you could consider running cantis on the rear using the frame’s routing and leave the v-brake up front. People now would call it a ‘mullet’ (meh) but it’s not totally unprecedented for the time period of the frame. Before cheap linear pull brakes took over in the late 90s, there were products like Onza HO and Avid Tri Align which came in front and rear variations-longer, higher profile arms for the front brake, and shorter ones for the back. Various cyclocross cantis have retained that approach over the years.

[@matthewbourne659]

My 95 rock hopper has the same cable guide. I used a small metal cable guide/clamp on the top tube near the seat post so I could put v-brakes on it.

[@LiquidKittens]

Cheap narrow bars over expensive moth bars any day ❤

[@glennpettersson9002]

Great build really clean. My own preference would be canti's because you can use road brake levers on a moustache bar or a track bar , bar end shifter or an inverted thumbie, or go whole hog with a 3x6, so many possibilities, so much speed 😁

[@JasonLeung-4roller]

The short pull levers (meant for Canti/road brakes) on long pull v-brakes.. meh.. just change out the levers to long pull and keep the v-brake, and you're good. Excellent channel. 26" rebuilds are my favorite too!

[@kevinruger8819]

Subscribed! You are a great inspiration!

[@brandonhobock7086]

Is that chain rubbing the metal tab in the derailleur? Looked like it.

[@victorgeissler1143]

Hey, loved the build :) just wanted to say that i think you routed the chain the wrong way through the derailleur. That explains the noisy chain. Cheers

[@synack42]

I personally prefer the 90's 700c hybrid frames. Feels like the best configuration for city/suburban riding. Faster rolling tires, but still with flat bars for casual riding. Problem is always finding one on marketplace. You can find endless 26" MTBs in my area but these are definitely harder to come by. I ended up with a GT Vantara frameset and it's definitely my favorite build by far.

[@ykcinasak]

Nice project, I like it when old things come to life. It seems to me that the brake levers are not for V-break.

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Correct. They are not, should have mentioned it in the video as it’s be pointed out a bunch haha

[@TESTA-CC]

Im Doing exactly the same, Top Man 🤙🤙

[@jenkinsdale5]

Awesome bike, maybe there is room to change a 700c hybrid to a 27.5, on a future bike with disc brakes.

[@RichWhite-q4o]

Looks great. Have done a really similar build with a 94 Crossroads. Deore 1x11, gravelking semislicks 700x43. V brakes, Fairdale bmx style bars. Commute every day on it. These steel framed hybrids (this frame’s Tange) are the perfect all rounder - they ride beautifully. Think you’d go a long way to beat the Crossroads in this respect. Is it a flat bar gravel bike from over 30 years ago? Who cares as long as you’re riding and enjoying it. Shame I can’t add some photos of mine here

[@programmingguy6081]

IMHO you should get cable clamps in place of the zip ties for the cable routings. You should be able to find some old crusty ones. Then you don’t have to worry about getting scratched by the zip ties.

[@seraphan6]

Yes, switch to cantis. Those levers will work better and the cabling mess you've created is abysmal. Other than that, though, this is a great build and refreshing change (to reference your lead-in monologue).

[@xis10ial13]

Yeah canti levers and vbrakes is shit.

[@ajc5869]

Those cheap aliexpress Chao Yangs have served me very well on my commuters. That tread pattern has been sold under a million names but it’s really good for the price.

[@rogerhart612]

I would ride it with the V brakes

[@nilehinds2659]

U have amazing mustache ❤🔥🔥🙏🏻

[@ianewhall]

I've just gotten a Crossroads with a kind of rounded top bar/seat stay all in one nice line. It's a pretty small frame, but has a vibe similar to this.

[@epexlinux]

Polished up a 1996 GT Backwoods that has flame decals on it using your tcut techniques. Lots of scratches on it but came up good. Nice one

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Nice work! Sounds sick!

[@epexlinux]

@2NDLIFEBIKES Just ordered a bunch of stickers they are so good

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Awesome!! Thank you.

[@Mavczers]

Wanted to buy one a few years ago. A few month ago finally I did buy one. Almost new with 3x7 CX drive train. I went full on nice parts with XT dual pivot v brakes, silver ritchey handlebars and headset. 1x10 tiagra 4600 in full silver (on flatbar) and 11-36 cassette. Oh and since the bike is plum I have red Panaracer Gravelkings to make almost fit. It rides fun but I made it too posh to make more than Saturday trips while at mom's house (have 4 bikes in my flat already). Thinking about making it more realistic to have ad not worry about thieves

[@JonathanHay-h4v]

Is the front brake on the left?! Is that how they are these days or is it personal preference? I need to dig my old Kona out of the shed and get riding again. Keep up the good work 👍🏼🙂

[@silvianogonzalezjr8017]

Sweet build. Was able to get a previous coworker one these in a 55cm (i think). He proceeded to put new cheap online parts on the bike. Rode it into the ground shortly thereafter. :/ Same color as this one. No green pedals though haha

[@MonkeyShred]

You knowwww... Those brake levers are technically for canti's so..... if you want some V brake levers I'd be happy to swap ;) I'm pretty sure they're MT62 levers btw

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

I did, and I was surprised how well the worked 😂 I was thinking of swapping the levers out so…… maybe. Hahaha.

[@Nix_sound]

You didn't need to use the cable stop for the rear brake, could have just used a continuous outer, all the way to the noodle. Why on earth do you set up the front and rear brakes euro (left hand front)?

[@barriobikes68]

Just out of curiosity, do you have access to some green chainring bolts? If you are still unsure about the red, that could be another option. Just a thought. Either way, maybe a different type of build for you, still love the outcome. 👊🏾

[@ifffopfmn]

I feel like it is different from your usual builds. Gave me something to think about. Maybe try a 27.5 conversion on a 26 new time if you haven't already

[@eccentricbeliever7]

Heath Ledger Joker colours

[@programmingguy6081]

Keep the chainring bolts and the pedals.

[@peterbaskind9872]

I like building bikes for others. I am working on one, for instance, on an employee in my office. Building for others is WAY CHEAPER than building for myself. I also get a project to keep me occupied and get to do something nice. Bonus. I’ll get that build done as soon as I get that dang BB out. I need a bigger cheater bar. And maybe more WD40.

[@luism644]

Damn, I was hoping you’d show us how you thread the cable through the noodle on the seat tube. Lots of 90s specialized frames have that noodle which frustrates bike mechanics. Fortunately on my hard rock the cable had its original housing which actually covered the break cable through the noodle. I still have that tiny bit of cable housing on my bike and my bike mechanic is grateful that they can still use it, but it’s falling apart. I’m not sure it will survive another re-cabling

[@nechitabogdan-m1t]

the brake levers look like bl-m730/731/732/733 shimano

[@Downhillsmoothtarmac]

Also, did you find your v-brakes worked ok with those brake levers? They looked like canti-pull ones at first glance?…

[@boberzragadik]

is this fixie crankset?

[@jamiemckechnie1]

Bring some stickers to Marlon’s garage?

[@jered2177]

Id ride it with or without brakes

[@ArnoldQMudskipper]

Will you be doing cheap bike build-off?

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Definitely, once Max out lines all the rules I’m gunna jump to it. I have a frame and some parts in mind. Should be a fun one!! ☝🏼

[@jered2177]

Do you consider your typical bike😮 style as hipster? Nice build

[@mickfbr]

Na the bolts tie in good so do the pedals I thought..

[@alexsilage3578]

Front qr on the wrong side. Lazy rear brake cable solution. Chain routed incorrect through derailleur pully wheelz. I wish I had three thumbz.

[@Lucacarlotta]

I'm building up a sausalito and also got a crossroads (but with a stick seatpost). I've been thinking to use 650 b rim brake wheels on that Sausalito, what's your opinion on that? Lots of love for hybrid conversions!

[@toonanvers3750]

chainringbolt YAY pedals NAY :)

[@HunterAtheist]

Consider changing the channel to "2nd Part Bikes" since there's always a 2nd part to your videos with an update to w build. lol Love the channel, but hate 1x personally. haha

[@Abandon7d]

Dude. It's not different :-)) other than its got 700c wheels. But we love you anyway :-) How about a proper "blade" cyclocross concoction based on a vintage-ish Italian steel frame. Or a L'Eroica conform build.

[@pentiuman]

If he made a Part 3, and added a cat in a basket, it would NOT be cute. Unless the cat was in a tuxedo. Then, it would get at least 10 views!

[@insertnamehere8686]

Whatever works but I would have went with cantilever.

[@love2spinvinyl]

Can it be considered crusty if it doesn’t have zip-ties 🤷‍♂️

[@SeantheRD]

You wanted to build something different and then proceed to build another steel frame flat bar 1x monster cross commuter bike?

[@robandrews9165]

Got a 90's (i think) Mongoose MTB frame with brakes and grips if you know anyone matey? It's proper crusty

[@koyapol]

nice build. not a fan of the stem, bars and levers.

[@JogieGlenMait16]

It's okay. But what would be a good bike project? a crusty e-bike conversion.

[@not-a-raccoon]

Love the bikes but you're too far away from the camera 😏🤣

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

😂😂

[@Rick-ku4ur]

Love the bikes but you’re too close to the camera.

[@2NDLIFEBIKES]

Don’t know what to say to you. It’s a small room. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@falafellosro8168]

yo, on the topic of frames hiding in plain sight - I have an interesting retro frame I am looking to give away for free, I think you'd make something awesome with it! 🫡 is there any way to message you about it?