Specialized Gravel Bike - Convert 90's Mountain Bike to Gravel Bike

[@christianalboroto7574]

The joy of building your own bike can't be beaten. That's it.

[@glennoc8585]

It's a beautiful thing!

[@nicholasfulford209]

Looks awesome, what stem is that & size??

[@cd0u50c9]

Absolutely. As someone who's assembled my own bikes for a fair few years now I can confirm that nothing beats riding a bike you can't find in a shop anywhere.

[@batterybuilding]

Only beaten by building your own wheels which is pretty much the same thing❤

[@chrisg0001]

Umm, I'm elbow-deep in grease and old spoke-dust and I'm cursing every minute of it. Truing these wheels is pure witchcraft...somebody please pray for me

[@Echo_Recon_01]

the way that frame become a Disc frame is Masterclass. 👏

[@daviddahlmann7562]

Absolutely 👏🏻

[@robertspeer6872]

I had the same thing happen when I decided to convert my 90's rockhopper. I just couldn't bring myself to alter a bike I've had and ridden and loved for almost three decades. So I did the same thing, went out and bought another. Problem was the new one came as a complete bike and it rode just as well as the first! So now I have two 90's Rockhoppers, the new one honestly even fits better, and I'm keeping my eyes out for another. This time maybe just the frame only. I loved this video and I feel the same way about these old mtb's. They were what I came of age on and they deserve much better than ending up in a landfill. Thank you for this video and I wish you many happy miles on the bike, it's a great build.

[@violian5]

That work you did on that disc mount is amazing. Looks better than what it would've came from the factory.

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... would've come* ...

[@richmondstar4354]

Surprised he did not take the old rear V brake mount while he’s got the tools and paint?

[@adamdielschneider9957]

I love everything about this video--the concept of the build, the shooting style, and the very helpful technical information. Very satisfying to watch this bike come together!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you, Adam. That's a nice thing to hear. Appreciate it.

[@робертПетров-с8д]

​@@RobertAdairWorkshopсталь шоле Да зачем она

[@AllenTufts-sg8sn]

I couldn't have said it better myself - stunningly good work!

[@BryanSolanoMX]

Best explained video about 90s MTB to Gravel conversion I've seen so far. Now I know how to proceed with my old mountain bike. Thanks!

[@joseott6364]

I race, so I love a good modern race bike, but the aesthetics of a good old round tube bike can’t be beaten. I also love these old mountain to gravel builds, especially where the brakes and wheels are updated. Tip of the cap to you my friend

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you.

[@eibes]

Your video is so well done, clear and informative! It's the best one I saw concerning this subject, and I can tell you I watched a lot of them. Thank you for the time spent on making it for our pleasure.

[@fentuz]

It's worth mentioning that 7-8-9 speed Shimano shifting components have the same ratios so it is possible to mix and math sora with altus/alivio and acera. I use these on children bikes, folding bikes and on my hill climb commuter bike (9S XT cassette as bigger range than Sora and lighter than Ultegra). Also, with 26" MTB, 650B is a good option. I ride/race my modern carbon gravel mullet bike with 650b wheels, XC race tyres and XC transmission (700C are gathering dust)

[@engineroom1670]

I successfully married SORA R3000 and Shimano Deore LX. Works like a dream. BTW Great video.

[@aboomination897]

I rode GT MTBs in the 90s and always say that they were basically roadbikes with fat tires. Used to ride an "all terra" with high tire pressures and basically laid on the bar. Only really needed a drop bar, sadly got stolen. Thx for making that dream come true. Now I wanna look for purple "all terra" frames :D Thank you for all that hard-earned knowledge!

[@LOZUPONEJ]

awesome. I’m sure staying with rim brakes would be fun too

[@nickdavis9280]

I agree with you. It's great to breath new life into old bikes. I do it with British bikes. Great channel!

[@BrianRPaterson]

Lovely job! I reckon discs are essential because they'll work in the wet. I hope the bike had a long and well traveled life. Cheers

[@hamishdore5635]

I get more joy out of building the bikes than I do riding them. Great video, I've always though about adding my own disk brake mounts and this method seems like the most achievable for me.

[@nakitojimo2001]

That's awesome.. I'm considering to convert my dad's old MTB (1992 Marin Bob Cat Trail 3 chromo), since he never ride outdoor anymore. Actually I already have a steel gravel bike by myself, but I just want to keep the legacy alive since, like you said, it was still made in USA back then.

[@DilbertMuc]

Wow, I do have an old '95 Stumpjumper M2 in very similar color. For the gravel conversion I bought a modern 80mm Rockshox Reba Air that already has the disc mounts. For the rear brake I kept the V-brakes (XT parallelogram brakes) using an Extreme cable pull adapter. Most of the braking is done on the front anyway and a mechanical TRP Spyre does the job. Built it with Shimano Tiagra 4600 10s STI and 9s XT derailleur (same cable pull) and love it.

[@JohannesCycling]

Doesn't the higher breaking force of hydraulic disc break damage your frame that was never designed for this force? V-brakes can be quite ok, especially if the terrain isn't all to steep.

[@DilbertMuc]

@@JohannesCycling No. The REBA fork is quite sturdy and designed for disc brakes. The early Stumpjumper frames of the 90's were very robust as ultralight hydroformed frames were not invented yet.

[@JohannesCycling]

@@DilbertMuc Yes of course the fork itself is going to be ok, with disc breaks as it was designed for this system. My "only" concern is the frame 😬 Have you done steep downhill descents on this bike where lot's of breaking is required? I live in the Alps, and the road steepness around here is more often than not measured in the double figures %. Some of them are more than 20% steep which can sometimes be frightning when descending on an rim break bike. 😄

[@DilbertMuc]

@@JohannesCycling Yes, I too live close to the Alps and have been riding there for over 25 years with this bike. The M2 frame is accepting up to 80mm forks and also was delivered with a Judy DH (DH=Downhill... cough, 80mm suspension instead of the usual 63mm 😅 ) later on, even before they enlarged the bossing at the steering post.

[@ericnepomuceno4867]

When I first saw your tools I thought no way. Not for an armchair web surfer like me. Then you did the brazing bit and redeemed the whole upgrade. Sweet video.

[@choiseulsang]

wow~! very good to see this video. someday i'll gonna make my old bike to the gravel bike..!!

[@babyrabies]

that's dedication! I just added a surly cornerbar to my old mtb, rewired the cabling and call it a day.

[@InTheImageOfDNA]

Love the idea. I've done a much milder version of it myself on my 2000 Stumpjumper Pro that had been sitting for over 15 years. After I replaced all the overly worn components, I simply put 26x32mm tires and fenders on it. It loses out on absolute efficiency compared to discs and 700c wheels, but it was my first serious and expensive bike and I wanted to keep it as original as possible while still being able to use it. I've put about 2,000 miles on it since and love it all over again.

[@photorockbar471]

I used to switch tires on my 90s mtb to 26 x 1.5 slicks back then when I wanted fast tires.

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

@@photorockbar471 I put a 54/40 chainset on my 1990 Stumpy along with 25mm road tyres to get a fast road bike. Later swapped it back to skinny MTB tyres and left the crazy chainset on it. I used to beat everyone up the steep off road hills because I had no easy gear with a 40-28 lowest ratio and then lie on floor at top gasping for breath. 😁 Been wondering for years about resurrecting it with disc brakes.

[@michaelchimenti4989]

I love those 90s era Stumpys. Especially love the ones with the yellow Rock Shox Judys. Wonderful that you saved a frame from the junkyard and made it a beautiful gravel rig!

[@highestsprings]

Just done similar. Basically an old MTB frame with drop bars. I think its good to keep the old stuff alive.

[@andreanetto69]

I built a gravel monster bike for my girlfriend, last year. It is funny, really funny to ride everywhere (even tarmac with road wheelset), but my excitement to see people that looks at the bike I built…great video!

[@1carusjohn32]

Converted my Gary Fisher Big Sur to gravel a few years back. It already had discs but had to convert to cable rather than hydraulic -- the road shifters (105) were cable pull. I lucked out as the 105 10 speed road shifters have the same pull ratio as the deore derailleur 9 speed on the mtb. I ended up buying a 10 speed cassette and everything worked fine. I didn't upgrade to 700c and I kept the shock fork on it. The local gravel boys thought it was a bit odd, but the terrain here is definitely a bit more off road and the shock really comes in to it's own. ( Not surprisingly folks are now buying shocks, with a lot less travel, for the front end of their expensive gravel bikes) Your frame probably has better geometry for this than mine. Nice conversion.

[@yardsalecycles]

Saving a bike from the scrap yard is always a plus I always keep an eye out for older specialized especially the hand made ones ... great build

[@MitchBoyer]

Awesome build!

[@p.l.diablo9864]

Id like to see some old groupsets being reapplied, Mavic, Sugino, Sakae. These restomods are great, but I do love some old bling on these classic frames. Keep up the great work.

[@oldshovel]

I love it. I’ve been hesitant to add disc tabs to an aluminum frame. Looks good.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Appreciate it! So far its working out well. Give it a shot on the next one if you're feeling brave.

[@girigauravbhatnagar1]

Thank you for documenting and walking us through this. Lovely!

[@TandemAdventures]

Hey thanks for the great build! I have an old Stump Jumper in my shed. I got it back in ~1994. It was the gray one with red lettering and GRAY TIRES!! So cool!! I just added to my to-do list for tomorrow, "get your old Stump Jumper out of the shed"!! Thanks for the inspiration!

[@peterhehn9511]

I was able to convert my 90's Klein to disc by attaching a plate to the dropout instead of a weld and putting a lefty fork. It looks like a FrankenKlein but your conversion is so much cleaner and almost looks like NOS! Well done!

[@stefannewels1823]

Thx for mentioning the higher BB and also for leaving Your old one intact 🕴👍

[@LukeRichardson1981]

Love this. As a tinkerer myself (I converted my Giant hybrid with V brakes into a pretty decent road bike with disc brakes and did all the work myself) this video really speaks to me. And your final product is beautiful. Well done! The only thing I wouldn't feel comfortable doing is the addition of the disc brake mount, but fortunately for me my frame came standard with an ISO disc brake mount (though the fork didn't have a disc mount) so converting to discs was a simple matter of replacing the fork.

[@Erik-cq4vc]

Loved everything about this video. The walk through of it all, narration and editing not to mention the great final product.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thanks so much!

[@vinbled3622]

I love your videos. You build bikes how you create and edit videos. They are done in a classic way. Functionally everything you need and nothing you don't. Done very well. You can see the quality. Please make more.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you so much. It's nice to hear. I'm working on a 1998 Kona build with 650b wheels, disc brakes and thru axles. I am still sorting a way to fit a tapered fork. I hope to have that done and out in mid October. I am excited about it.

[@ImAnEmergency]

This very much feels like something I could have accidentally stumbled on at 9am on a Saturday morning in 1997 while eating cereal in my pajamas and I love it so much

[@patrick_3723]

Excellent work, and amazing to show how such a frame can be re-purposed - Tidy!

[@BuffsVintageBikes]

Great video and very cool project. Yours is one of the first I’ve seen where the geometry actually looks well fitted for a gravel conversion. Great work 👌🏼

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you very much!

[@leecherone7601]

Nice build! I can’t post a photo, but I run and own Bimble Bikes in the U.K. Our aim is exactly what you have done, we restore, modernise and modify old bikes to meet modern demands and reduce the landfill and footprint, plus like you said, it’s a way to have a unique custom one off! I have built a Gravel bike from a 90’s MarinSan Rafael which as you may be aware are already 700c and have MTB geometry. Well done for your video, your build and the comprehensive guide to what’s required. Lovely looking bike too.

[@callumcheckett5143]

Hi do you have a website? Also are you able to weld a disc brake mount like the one in this video?

[@falcoperegrinus82]

Some of the music reminded me of "how it's made", which is a good thing

[@pottery1950]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@greghenderson6011]

Well done! Looks great. I agree with not cutting up your original bike. I made that mistake with my road frame (Columbus SL tig welded) from back in the day and I have regretted it ever since.

[@madrabbit64]

I did the same but with a 2011 Ridley CX bike…..kept the cantilever brakes (Avid Shorty Ultimates), put a SRAM 1x 10 speed on it keeping the Fulcrum Racing 7 wheel set. She’s fast and amazingly still turns heads.

[@PolyglotBikepacker]

This transformation is truly impressive, it is super cool and totally kicks the expensive industries ass

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you! That's awesome.

[@PolyglotBikepacker]

@@RobertAdairWorkshop I am also using my 2017 steel bike until it falls apart and then I will perform magic on it.

[@mattialodi7554]

Best video about “gravelizing” old mtbs I’ve seen so far. And it happens at the right time, I’ve almost completed my 1995 Trek 930 GRVL 😂

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Sweet!

[@oldcountry3821]

New subscriber, based on this video. What a great build and accompanying description. Thanks for saving the old StumpJumper frame. The end mill and brazing work to create and fix the rear disc break mount was very impressive. I'm thinking about a similar project here in Germany. Essentially, you have only very positive comments, so we all can't be wrong. You are the real deal. Continued success to you and your channel!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Awesome, thank you!

[@automataFrank]

15:50 you are right. A lot of high quality made in USA frames ends in the landfill .. we can also have a reference to how we can manage these kinds of projects... You could re build a few bicycles and sell it. The thing is, many don't have the same equipment. Really fun and educative video . Greetings from Ecuador south America

[@weeringjohnny]

Having to braze on a rear brake mount probably puts some people off from doing a conversion like this. I kept the V-brake on the back and used a mechanical disc on the front fork which I had to get new. A decent V-brake set up stops you well enough and in any case it's the front that does most of the braking as your weight is pushed forward as you slow down. .

[@paulmiddlemass6465]

Yeah that would be my method without having the tools to do the mount at the back. For the same reasons you give.

[@agustinmerino3453]

Can´t enjoy more watching this video. Not just for the skills on bike mechanic or attention to details like painting or so, but also the video editing. Everything in this video is smooth and pleasing. Love it!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

That's great. Thank you!

[@radeko.9918]

Watching it is so satisfying. It’s like therapy

[@anomaly3460]

I follow projects like this firstly for the cool factor but also bc how important it is to bring life to some well deserved vintage bikes & save the 530 lbs of deadly greenhouse gases that it takes to produce each new bike. That GB looks so fresh😎

[@kridstax2248]

Awesome build. So cool watching the machining and brazing of that adaptor

[@OriginalGabriel]

Buddy of mine was back home and found his old late 80s/early 90s mountain bike from HS and brought it back to the shop to convert to a drop bar winter commuter. Was such a fun build; we even sourced some neon yellow cable housing to play off the logos.

[@FreemanBR]

Absolutely love the 90s technical course instruction vibe of the video!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Awesome. Thank you!

[@photorockbar471]

Nicely done bike change. I converted a 1994 Trek MTB to a gravel style bike. You definitely don't need to go through the trouble of adding a rear disc brake mount since V brakes provide plenty of stopping power for most riding. If converting to 700c wheels, then the brake mounts will be at the wrong location in the rear and will require a brake pad extension. One can always use a disc brake on the front if one desires extra braking when they get the 700c trail fork.

[@ThisTimeTheWorld]

There are some long slotted v brakes for conversions. You can alternate 26in and 700c wheels for events or seasons.

[@paullevy-adophy9198]

And there's hydraulic v-brakes by Magura I think

[@ThisTimeTheWorld]

@@paullevy-adophy9198 they are great but can flatten weak rims

[@TheTest4echo]

Thats beautiful man I really appreciate seeing people bring new life to these truly amazing bikes. I did the same thing to an older Stumpjumper years back.

[@MustardDonkey]

thank you for the insight on picking out frame size and component choices!

[@Demdere]

Excellent video. Thank you for going into the details about considerations!

[@nlanni]

Great job! I have a modern gravel frame with a slanted top top like your mtb frame for stand over clearance.

[@haqitman]

That brazing is brilliant! Glad you talked about fit. The fit of old mtbs is rubbish. By moving the seat forward and using a shorter stem you've corrected for a lot of issues. Also a shorter stem improves the steering control and feel to more like modern geometry. Nicely done!

[@Lotharya]

I found your video just after I did on an old Specialized Allez 1991 a full change of components for ultimate items I could found and I spend a lot of money doing that, but as I keeped on my mind the idea during the process I learned a lot while doing all of this. As you just said nobody has a bike let like yours

[@miller1520]

Wow, that's one magnificent build. Particularly liked the weld, came out wonderfully. Cheers!

[@kimsperling]

90s mountain bikes are such a cool base for new builds. I used to ride a 90s Cannonade M400 converted into a singlespeed and it was such a fun and versatile ride. Unfortunately I had to sell it when I moved.

[@jessesisco2841]

I love this video! I have 2 old 90’s/early 00’s bikes that I built with my grandpa and were some of my first bikes. My wife doesn’t understand why I don’t get rid of them since I never ride them. I’m planning to do something similar with one of them, maybe doing an electric conversion and using it to commute as well!

[@bikemike1118]

Building can be fun … but that’s a one time event. It’s all about the riding, bro! Otherwise you could build little ship models as well. They even have more parts than a bike…

[@lukewalker1051]

You are a true artisan. Well done. Extraordinary work.

[@Hannemann237]

Robert, awesome video. Thank you so much for this. Please more. maybe consider a longer video with even more details - I think a lot people will like it. Looking forward to your next video

[@benodaboy]

Wow - finally I've been looking for an walkthrpugh build for a 26 to gravel bike conversion for weeks - this is by far the best. I'm converting my 2003 jamis croscountry 1.0 because the frame is so good. It's already got the disk brake mounts so should be sweet. Man I'm so excited. Fantastic looked bike - great choice of color on the front fork

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Wow, thanks!

[@lazylee74]

Having a 1998 Rockhopper the scene at 1:54 where you decided to keep the bike really resonated with me. ❤ Great project and video btw, I enjoyed it! 👍

[@michaelbonade4667]

I have a 2000 or 2001 Stumpjumper pro M4 that I bought new… A year or so before Covid, my road bike was put out of commission with a broken pedal thread on my carbon FSA cranks….i just started riding my Stumpjumper…it already had slicks on it…I was enjoying it so much I took my time loooo no ing for a replacement crankset for my Fuji….and also started looking for parts to rebuild a 92 Cannondale 3.0 Criterium…. I’ll never sell the Specialized…the Stumpjumper always had nice frame colors and parts specs… Your blue frame is probably my favorite…other than red 👍🏻👍🏻

[@alasdar]

Очень грамотно выполнена работа как по постройке, так и в плане пояснений о нюансах таких работ, относительно выбора размера рамы. Конкретно рама на видео очень подходящий вариант, но при этом многие другие 26 рамы не подойдут, так как имеют неподходящее строение заднего треугольника и перьев. У меня велосипед переделанный из найнера, так как в такую раму можно поместить вообще любые покрышки, сейчас стоят 29х1,95.

[@jp93309]

I converted a 94 Stumpjumper FSR full suspension to 1x10 dropbars. I kept the 26” wheels and cantilever brakes as my terrain is pretty dry and flat. It rode like a Cadillac soaking up bumps.

[@AlanWGMeraz]

First time i see someone welding aluminum pieces with bare torch, looks really nice but im not sure how much time will pass before the joint brakes. Also love how old mtb frames are basically roads but taller and wider, looks brand new.

[@ajwright7936]

The mount you developed is absolutely amazing. this is so cool. very very inspiring.

[@manooko]

Thank you! This is 1) a video that is clear and beautifully narrated 2) a wonderful project 3) an inspiration for everybody who love bikes!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

That's good to hear! Thank you.

[@Natalie-rc4cx]

Your sentiment and skill is inspiring.

[@tinycmo]

When youn said you were going to leave your original bike as is. I made an audible sigh of relief. It is indeed perfect, and I bet it rides as well as the day you purchased it.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Right on!

[@davidwolf6927]

Great work, I like your attitude to reuse, repair, rebuild!

[@decentdad1160]

whoaa watching the welding with the blow torch, thats genius! have never seen that before

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Delboy's Garage has a really good video on brazing aluminum if you're curious. Its the one I used when preparing to do it myself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWOUe3eMmayUors

[@ericjensen4434]

I enjoyed this a lot. Might try doing this myself. But the best part is at 2:00 minutes in. Great decision!

[@bilalhajar3597]

I like your craftsmanship on this project. Well done !

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you very much!

[@christiankeim]

I did a gravel conversion on a 96 stumpjumper but used a chromoly version. I literally kept everything i could including the canti brakes. Came with mavic rims, dt swiss spokes laced to deore hubs. I swapped stem, handlebars and shifters. My frame is a medium but measures close to a 55, i have a video in my channel of it. These make great gravel grinders

[@MarceloParauapebas]

One more 90s bike saved! Thank you for doing it!

[@gusreyes5447]

I love your work. Well done like a professional. And that’s true about 80-90s frames that were purely manufactured in the USA is awsome. Had a collection of Cannondale bikes from the late 80s to the early millennia and after that they started manufacturing ones from Taiwan which was really sad.

[@Neilzn]

Very nicely done! I still have my first new mb purchase from 1997, a Cannondale killer V500 I would love to do this to it.

[@juandavidpertuz9928]

Hi Robert! Is typing Juan from Colombia. A a great job, I'm really fascinating with this building. Thank you for share it.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@TsunamiKitten]

This is great. I have two frames that were once "state of the art" that are just sitting there. Now I have a plan. Great job and thanks for posting!

[@mulaschnick]

That's really cool! I am planning to do the same with my old Rockhopper from '94. Did not dare to weld the ISO mount to the frame yet and it is quite difficult to find a 1-inch fork for 26" wheels and a disc brake mount. Currently I have a Rockshox Mag-21, which is not stable enough for the dic modification. But your bike looks awesome! Great work!

[@BuildFixGo]

You’ve just made me sad that I sold my 1997 Stumpjumper. Man I loved that bike and would love for it to be my daily commuter

[@losingmyfavoritegame8752]

That bike turned out great! Excellent work!

[@sharonmc5192]

Randomly came across this in my feed. Very impressive. What a fantastic bike. Well done

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Thank you, Sharon.

[@Jabberwocky400]

awesome bike, dude. I admired the work on the disc mount. Want do that on my old mtb

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

That's nice to hear. Thank you. Good luck with yours. It'll be a fun project.

[@REVMuscleCars]

I have an old Raleigh M80 Disc which I first updated to a "modern" XC MTB while keeping it a 26er. Perhaps its time to hunt another frame or change it up into this Gravel form.

[@SamNivlem]

Awesome build! Video was very entertaining, informative and well edited. Great work!

[@rextrinidad6646]

Amazing build and attention to detail.

[@tlarent6330]

Well thought out design for a cool gravel bike. Excellent graphics and presentation. Now I want to build one!

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

Go for it! It was a fun project and I got to learn a new skill with the brazing.

[@craigthomas8198]

Beaut! what precision. I love the 90's GT triple triangle frames if you ever come across one for a rennovation.

[@RobertAdairWorkshop]

That would be cool!

[@mikecalver1]

Nice bike, great disk conversion

[@angela-onesroman8873]

Excellent work my friend, I really admire your outlook on the old frame. I appreciate your passion and pride in your work, thank you, subbed 👍🏽...

[@123supporter]

Great bike, love the orange fork.

[@TK-nc3ou]

90s mountain bikes were amazing machines!!!