How to make an old MTB into a Gravel Bike

Vintage MTB To Gravel Bike
Modern Components on a Vintage Bike

[@Jan-bf2ht]

The YT algorithm has brought me here and I'm happy I watched til the end :). It's an awesome bike and so cool what you made out of it! Happy riding this '89-beauty!

[@TrentSiggard]

Im glad you're here too! Thank you for watching the whole thing. This channel isn't -just- bike builds, but most videos are usually centered around biking!

[@ryanhart8515]

Its a shame you won't experience the benefits and advantages of the original triple crankset. 1. Three different cadences. 2. Big gear change with one shift up or down. 3.Triples have three rings to share the load. 4. Triples require beefy 678spd chains which last much longer than thin 10/11/12 speed chains. Triple ser ups have much less crosschaining issues than 1x setups. 1x are limited in gear range. Not to mention 1X drivetrains are just not aesthetically pleasing. Especially on vintage ATB's

[@ryanhart8515]

Oh, and 1x's have unsatisfying clunky shifting.

[@TrentSiggard]

Oh don’t worry, my other 6 early 90’s MTB’s still all have triples. Stay tuned for a bike check video this next month.

[@garthgordon9054]

I have a sora 3 x with 9s. 3 is awesome. Especially on retro

[@Thesusoperator]

I love my 3x!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Bike looks amazing. Your editing skills on this video look even more amazing. Subscribed. Looking forward to the next one.

[@fatrobdouble]

Very nice rehab video here, and i love that frame with the matching handlebar. One suggestion i would make when it comes to repairing an "indexed"/"brinelled" headset: try to repack it with new 5/32" balls, lose the retainers (cages and pack it up with just loose balls....fill up the cups with as many balls as you can fit, minus 1. Easiest to do with lots of grease, frame upside down as you pack the lower cup, then slide the fork in, flip it over, and do the top cup. Then you can install the top race, keyed washer, and locknut as usual. Smooths them out 95% of the time..... but i tend to just put a new Tange Levin in a bike like this one...

[@WildcatScience]

It's a great build man! Nostalgia is her name...

[@小头爸爸-s6v]

that pizza rack looks really cool! i dont know much about this brand, but i managed to get one of those bikes myself, but a gray one.

[@RadioSaladStudios]

Very cool setup. Love the basket too, Nicely done.

[@davidkittle5344]

Very cool restoration!

[@Ghost-w9m]

Beautiful work

[@tlister67]

Try using a rubber hammer instead of metal ones to free parts, easier on tools and you.

[@bike.breath]

Sweet find! Cleaned up really nice! Great video.

[@TrentSiggard]

That you! Love your channel as well :)

[@bike.breath]

@@TrentSiggard thanks, mate!

[@garyroberts5478]

Nice build Trent, - re-cycling is a very worthwhile pastime - i built up a 1990 Nishiki Alien using lots of parts from my first ever mountain bike and not long completed a 2000 Raleigh Special Products 250. They are very different to look at but both are a lot of fun to ride!

[@Cycleinc]

Super sick build!

[@GianinMTB]

Super sick bike… I’d like to do something similar. Great video

[@TrentSiggard]

I highly recommend it, it's been very rewarding learning how to service these old bikes.

[@MultigrainKevinOs]

Nice build ! That paint matched handlebar is so darn sharp, would love to find something similar to build up. Great job enjoy the sweet bike.

[@TrentSiggard]

I wanted to put drop bars on this bike, and might in the future, but the OEM yellow bars add so much personality to this bike!

[@ferdinandmelchor4242]

nice build!

[@edwansetiandi6068]

I'll watch until the end, it's cool 🙌

[@PatrickTrosken-yr1hp]

What a great bike restomod. You dringend very well. Greetings from germany 😊

[@josipX]

Nice restoration, maybe you could insert some rivnuts into the fork to replace the cable ties in the future

[@bosanderspublictheology]

Great job!!

[@BīkeĄeön]

Best work shop

[@bw25908]

Nice. 👍🏻

[@stefanogeepoca537]

Bellissimo lavoro bravo ciao

[@hennings3938]

Very nice upgrade of this beautiful old 26"-MTB. I love doing the same, because the are versatile, longlasting and look just cool. If you ever consider putting a matching front wheel on this bike, I myself would hold you back 😀 IMHO it would make the look complete. The only technical suggestions I would make: maybe putting on a larger chainring (38, 40 or 42) for long distance rides, but that's just personal preference. If your happy with the feel of the headset: leave it. I always like the feel of a completely new on. The tools you new can be bought quite cheap or be build by yourself (look here on YT for RJ the bike guy). Anyway: great video, great bike, love the content - keep more bike content coming 🙂 One more follwer 😀

[@hennings3938]

And please consider getting a set of metric wrenches for screw head's sake!! ;-) Greetings from Germany

[@nathandallas4878]

Awesome

[@Sooperhans3636]

Nice video! I wish I knew how to make videos like this. My filming and editing skills are streets behind my bicycle wrenching/restoration abilities.

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Awesome :)

[@tgtech7074]

This is awesome! I’ve never really thought about doing something like this, but I’m inspired now. What was the overall cost of this build, including the original bike? Also, I’m super curious to hear how you’re liking the Apollo! Any plans for an update video on that soon?

[@daniellarson3068]

Nice - Recycled the bike for another 30 years of functional service. I see many of these videos where they remove the front derailleur and tend to compensate for the loss by adding wide range rear cogs. Can you have the wide range rear cogs and keep the front derailleur to climb those long steep slopes?

[@demarciorosa1146]

Great place that you're filming with, where are tis place? looks like Alaska , i dont know, were are this?

[@vandaniltoncezar]

Very crazy

[@pedalpukus]

Remember! All bikes are gravel bikes!

[@mbs0202]

Great video mate

[@noahcushman7578]

Nice bike. The rack at the end really wasn’t for me, but it’s not mine

[@黄辰旭]

It must to using the small or med size mtb, the dropbar with STI will add lots of EFFECTIVE REACH about 120 to 150mm. Med size mtb with drop bar is for over 6 feet tall rider. Too long is not comfortable.

[@jasper5945]

Nice! What bike repair stand are you using?

[@TrentSiggard]

It's a cheap one from amazon. Park tool, whats up!!!

[@aguscintawana-tw6rs]

👍👍👍

[@techstryker]

❤❤❤

[@f1hotrod527]

The Microshift advent X cassette bolted up to your vintage wheels?

[@TrentSiggard]

I got a new wheel from REI Shimano HG hub

[@williamdikeman8603]

yo what is that sick jacket you're wearing?

[@TrentSiggard]

Don't know the brand, but it is from Costco!

[@frank-lg6vc]

Hi, could I get an ID on the bottom bracket? Thank you.

[@bradleycordaro]

did the new wheel fit the rear spacing? or did you have to cold set it? thanks

[@GrahamBewley]

It looks like around 10:12 he's doing a little bendy action on the rear triangle, presumably for wider rear spacing

[@TrentSiggard]

Graham is correct! At about 10:10 you can see me stretching the rear triangle. I know there are more exact ways to do it, but this quick and rudimentary way has worked for me!

[@abelsandoval6746]

Beautiful build! What the crankset that you used? Thank you!

[@marcusathome]

Nice build and worth the efforts and as you say, used for shopping. What does this make a Gravel Bike then?

[@TrentSiggard]

Rigid 90s mountain bikes share similar geometry with modern gravel bikes. Throw a new drivetrain on, and it’s more like a modern gravel bike. This bike is going to get many uses over the years- it’s one of my favorites at the moment due to its comfort, versatility, and the fact I got it for $75!

[@marcusathome]

@@TrentSiggard yes, true! I converted an old Stumpjumper into a gravel bike myself. One defining characteristic of a gravel bike, to me, is a drop bar.

[@TrentSiggard]

That’s a change I want to make to this bike in the future! The yellow bars that came with it, though, are too special to swap over immediately. Mocroshift has drop bar levers that will work perfect when that time comes!

[@fatrobdouble]

@@marcusathome i feel like a significant minority of bikes marketed as "gravel" have flat or alt bars installed. I also feel like "Gravel bike" is just a bougie way to say "hybrid."

[@marcusathome]

@@fatrobdouble every bike is a gravel bike, depending on where you ride it. :) And often enough sub-categorization into segments goes too far. Yet I have some criteria what makes a bike a gravel bike: slightly slacker geometry than that of a road bike (i.e. 90s MTB), must fit tyres 35mm+ and comes with a drop bar. Resto-modding an old MTB, randonneur or even hybrid bike into a gravel bike is giving these old beauties a 2nd or 3rd life and is worth it, provided the frame is of good quality. Trent's bike in its current incarnation is more like a daily driver, a hybrid, versatile, but to me it doesn't fulfill the criteria and use case of a gravel bike: has a drop bar and allows to go fast on dirt roads.

[@64bitblic]

cool bike and video editing but the music is like a church summer camp recap that goes way too hard

[@TrentSiggard]

Hahaha a lot of the time when I’m working on bikes I’m listening to copywritten music, I’ll try to put in headphones and make more ASMR type audio. Thanks for the input

[@64bitblic]

@@TrentSiggard im mostly teasing

[@shaynebrookes9467]

Needs drop bars

[@JogieGlenMait16]

dude got too much power he broke off the left crank arm.

[@bruceclark5627]

Ride the bike you have on gravel.end of story

[@TrentSiggard]

True