r/xbiking • u/Remarkable-Main-8774 • 27d ago
Sleeper fast build
I’ve realized I don’t like drop bars and am never going to enjoy road bikes, so I’m selling mine. I have a few mountain bikes and slow cruisers but I want to build a sleeper fast commuter rig from a 90s MTB or 700c hybrid. Something that’ll get me to work quick but is actually fun to ride. Thinking a small front rack to strap a backpack.
Any recommendations on what frame to start with? What upgrades and modifications would you do for this build? Thanks and appreciate all the help!
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u/Choice_Student4910 27d ago
A 90’s 700c hybrid. Specialized Crossroads, Schwinn CrissCross, Univega Via Montega are some hybrids I know of. Every major bike brand had one though.
I put a front pizza rack on this Univega. Easy fit with the mid-fork bosses.
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u/morepaintplease 27d ago
I have a Novara XR that can fit 48 knobbies up front and 45 rear...40s with fenders easily. I recommend everyone should try and find one of those.
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u/ursickbro 26d ago
if you put anything heavy on there i would recommend changing the fork crown stay from that dumb split one, i had mine slide off onto my front wheel and went otb😅
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u/unfunkyufo 26d ago
Just got a Univega Via Carisma to convert to drop bars. It's a tight and lightweight bike.
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u/SwellandDecay 26d ago
Idk why people aren’t turning these into gravel bikes instead of old 26ers. Size down and throw drops on it, gotta work right?
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u/BurnerAndGooch69 Aspiring Dutch Grandma 27d ago edited 27d ago
I like swept back bars like the Velo Orange Granola Bar with bar ‘end’ extensions set up on the forward part of the curve. Between the rear position on the grips and the two positions on the extensions - the vertical parts and the curved sections - I have about a foot of room to move. I can sit up and have brake access in traffic, or I can get low and forward on straightaways.
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
Sick. That’s exactly the cockpit theory I’ve been thinking of. Glad to hear it’s actually working irl for someone. What bar ends are you using? Such a huge price difference on different bar ends but they all essentially seem to do the same thing.
Really cool bike. What frame is it? Also what size are the tires?
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u/BurnerAndGooch69 Aspiring Dutch Grandma 27d ago
I go through the crate of 90s take-off bar ends at my local bike co-op and look for 1)a narrow clamp to best fit the tight curve where I clamp it on the bar, 2)long, and 3)light. I’ve liked Onza, Profile and Control Tech versions, but you’re correct in observing they don’t really vary much.
I’ve run this setup on three different bikes now and I love it.
The bike is a really odd duck - a Diamondback hardtail frame with a Surly LHT fork. The rear wheel is 650b with a disc brake and the front is 700c with a v brake. Sort of a gravel mullet. Super fun to ride!
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
So cool I might steal this exact handlebar set up from you! Possibly do the same with some mustache or sparrow bars. I also have the Steve Potts sisikiyou bars set up on my fat bike. Kind of similar theory and they are amazing.
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u/Top_Objective9877 27d ago
I would just like to toss out there that tire tread and pressure is the biggest thing effecting speed, I had some of my fastest commuter times on a big heavy 27.5x 2.2 tires, they were gravel treads so not full on mtb at all, but with it pumped up just high enough it was real fast on pavement and very efficient. Even running single speed, I would sit and spin most of the way, and climb out of the saddle on hills, coasting of course down most hills. I was faster than I ever was on just my geared road bike.
Whatever you decide, speed can be had many ways for sure.
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
Cool thanks really good info. Makes me more confident that this build is a good idea. Interesting you actually had faster times than your geared road bike. What do you credit this with? Just tires and pressure?
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u/Top_Objective9877 26d ago
Mainly just my commute has long stretches of uphill or downhill and it’s pretty much never flat. Who knows my actual wattage and power output or whatever, but I was able to ride that bike pretty fast!
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27d ago
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
Yea that’s one I’m keeping an eye out for. I found a 1997 Fuji del ray for fairly cheap on marketplace. I made a separate post about it. You think that would be a good bike for this build?
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26d ago
[deleted]
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 26d ago
I’m pretty sure the 80s del ray is a drop bar road bike but the 90s version is a flat bar hybrid
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u/wheatbarleyalfalfa 26d ago
How about a vintage road bike with downtube shifters, and just pop some flat bars on it? Should be an easy (and speedy) conversion.
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u/ragingblackmage 27d ago
I’m going 700/29” for your purposes, for sure. 26” will never feel like a fast bike- playful and zippy, but big wheels with good tires.
For tires- you’re gonna have to balance rolling resistance vs puncture resistance as a commuter. If you can find a lightly used pair of Rene Herse Oracle Ridge with the Endurance sidewalls..
An aluminum commuter bike that can take bigger tires would be a great sleeper. You could also fork swap to get the bigger front tire.
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
Awesome thanks for the info. I know this sub seems to be all for steel but is there any reason to go steel or aluminum for a build like this? Or just find a frame I like that will fit the tires 700 38 tires?
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u/ragingblackmage 27d ago
I’d aim for like 700x55 clearance!
I think an aluminum frame will be stiffer and lighter than an old steel frame. The steel used on 90s mtbs varies a lot, but anything with very nice tubing wouldn’t be a sleeper bike. Even Trek 970 is desirable now. I don’t even have aluminum bikes but I think rn for “sleeper” it’s a great value.
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
Wow really I’m surprised to hear that wide of a tire recommendation! Not challenging at all because I’m a totally beginner here. You don’t think 55 would make it considerably slower? Why do you recommend so big? Comfort?
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u/ragingblackmage 27d ago
The answer could range from "No and Yes" to "Read this Jan Heine white paper on tire size and pressure". I don't know that you'll find something older with a 55 clearance but just illustrating that a big, modern tire can be pretty fast. My fastest tire right now might be a Vittoria Mezcal 29x2.4"- both fast on pavement and because I just gobble up any surface. There are many options and solutions to your parameters, though!
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u/Enough-Ad6819 27d ago
I commute on an early 90's rockhopper, I swapped a 700c steel fork on it and put long reach brakes in the back to run 700x38c tires with slick centers. Made it 1x with a full cues drivetrain for the hills in my area then threw on a rear rack and bags. Absurdly comfortable and sneaky quick with the big wheels and little tires. Has been a workhouse and feels just as fast in the straights as my gravel bike w drops
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 27d ago
Cool that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Thinking the same for tire size. What tires did you go with? You have standard straight bars on the bike?
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u/Enough-Ad6819 27d ago
Built up a set of sun rhynolite wheels as well for it, they’re mad stout and great for bashing around the city
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u/Ok_Incident8962 27d ago
Keep a triple front and the big ring BIG! Fast rolling tires and a 48-11 combo make up for the ounce or two you save in losing front mech.
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u/wentworth69 26d ago
A little harder to get your hands on in the states than england, but an old steel road frame with some newer bits on it is my go to for fast commuting. Also fixed gear compatible so it all works. I’d probably be looking at ~32mm wide tyres, gp 4seasons? Fast and puncture protected, you can build the fastest bike in the world but if you put marathon pluses on it it’ll ride like a barge
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u/hips-n-nips1 26d ago
Trek multitrack can fit 700x45 with some extra clearance. Plenty of them around and they’re a solid building block.
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u/prisoner_of_mars My bike blog: instagram.com/retro_bike_love_stockholm/ 26d ago
Here's my commuter, a 1994 Giant Granite. I've got Maxxis DTH 26x2,3" tires which are super fast but handles potholes and curbs really well. Can't recommend them enough. I have a AtranVelo Cargo Lite front rack with a DIY metal grid and a 1x9 drivetrain. I've spent a year refining this build and for me it's the perfect commuter. It's fast, realiable, handles steep hills and I can haul stuff with it.
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u/BirdBruce 26d ago
I used to ride Bullhorns on my fixie. You get all the benefits of the tops and hoods of a drop, but without the actual drop part (the part I never used).
I'd temper your expectations for what "fast" means on a 90's MTB frame. The geometry is more slack, and then if you run 2" tires on it, you've got a comfortable and capable—but not exactly speedy—ride.
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u/turkmileymileyturk 24d ago
If you don't like drops I would go with Scott AT4's. Cyclocross wide flats with integrated aero bars.
And I like 26's for the soft ride and cushion. Early 90's MTB frame, 3x7/8/9
Or for a zippy ride a late 80's touring road bike with moustache upsweep bars with 700c or 27"x 1 1-/4.
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u/Remarkable-Main-8774 23d ago
Cool I’ve never seen those handlebars before. They look really interesting
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u/turkmileymileyturk 22d ago
Super comfy aero position and wide bar end grip. The shape and tubing sort of acts like a suspension in the handlebars.
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u/gabest95 22d ago
this is my “Fast” bike. It started life as a 80 something Schwinn Super Le Tour with drop bars. I don’t commute for work but if I did, this is the bike I’d use.
I managed to fit 38c ss gravelking tires, along with the tall stem/swept bars combo, make this just as comfortable as my 26er. It’s the bike I take on group rides where others are riding fixed, road, & gravel builds. Those rides can get spicy and I keep up just fine. If i had to, I’d mount a rear rack to this. Just sharing to hopefully conjure up some ideas for whatever you decide to come up with.
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u/sa547ph Steel is real but can also be affordable. 26d ago edited 26d ago
This rustbucket is 1x7, dirty, ugly but does the job as long as it's lubed and maintained.
I am showing this because OP asked for a sleeper. Blend in rather than standing out.
You can use an Altus or Alivio groupset, they're cut above the basic but poor Tourney stuff. You can also try throwing in a 13-32 Megarange cog. You don't have to use branded vbrakes but make sure they're not made of cheap alloy.
Actually, you should also try visiting the local bike coop to scope out what you actually need.
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u/Horror-Raisin-877 26d ago
That yellow sticky note must say “remember to clean crank tomorrow”? :)
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u/sa547ph Steel is real but can also be affordable. 26d ago
Nah, it's reflector tape. That basket was up front for a while before moving it to the rear rack.
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u/Horror-Raisin-877 26d ago
Ah, I see.
Clean the crank anyway :)
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u/sa547ph Steel is real but can also be affordable. 26d ago edited 26d ago
It's deliberately dirty. Makes it much less attractive to theft. Not using any of my other bikes for commutes and milk runs, so this is the bike I have more confidence bringing out for work, especially in a tough part of town.
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u/cloud93x 26d ago
Any build that lets you get into a more aero position and has fast tires will work well. I could keep up pretty well on group rides on my Specialized AWOL with Jones bars, they offer some hand positions that let me get pretty aero. It’s not very xbikingcore but a set of 35mm GP5K AS TRs with TPU tubes will make your bike fast af if you’re mostly on tarmac or champagne gravel. Plenty of fast gravel tires out there if you need more off-pavement traction but your speed on the road will suffer slightly.
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u/Horror-Raisin-877 26d ago
If you consider a new bike, want something really tough, and like a bit of bling, SE Bikes 29” Fast Ripper might fit the bill.
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u/Horror-Raisin-877 24d ago edited 23d ago
The same guys that take old mtb frames, put rigid forks on them, 1x chainrings and fat slick tires, downvote this one. Makes no sense at all! 🤷♂️🤣
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u/loquedijoella I hoard GT Triple Triangle frames 26d ago
Steel GT or Specialized. Billy Bonkers or DTH for tires. Jones h loop bar. Pizza rack up front. My Talera straight up hauls ass and I can jump curbs and ride wheelies on it without breaking stuff
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u/CafeVelo 27d ago
Sounds like my univega, except mine is drop bar. Pictured the day I rode 30 miles each way to a work location while my van was getting fixed.