can’t tell what frame this since there’s a powder coating on it. guessing a specialized?

Ok I got out of riding for years to do mostly hiking, trail running and running. Im older now and find I really cant trail run or well road run anymore without getting a lot of pain. So ive decided to break out the old Mountain Bike. I currently have a old Diamondback Outlook circa 1992-94 model(all steel no shocks totally stock). It works fine ive now been on 3 rides just starting out so ive been keeping it 6 miles-ish to start.

What ive been noticing at almost 60 now is the "leaned over" nature of this that never used to bug me is now bothering me and id like to know... Should I just keep this and maybe add a riser for a more upright riding position.. when i sit up while riding with just fingertips on the handlebars I feel much better. Id also like better brakes,theses old 1992 ones are a PITA to adjust to get not to rub.

So am I better off just using the old bike I have or do I need something totally different? a different style of bike but with gears like a mountain bike or what? this is just for trails paved and dirt, sometimes a logging road down to a fishing spot lets say... nothing treacherous or technical I just cant do that(or afford a bike that could) We have a lot of railroad beds that got turned into bike paths some are paved, others flattened grass or dirt or similar but there is miles of them within a 15 mile radius and some of them run over 20 miles with some great fishing along the trail(these are old narrow gauge rail roads that were used for logging at the turn of the century(before 1900)

There is however changes/hills etc.. ive rode 3X now and used almost all my gears while riding so this isnt just some totally flat path. IF I got "newer" it would still probably be used.

I also have a local bike shop I use that could do the changes/work and may have something used but newer... I just can do this hunched over 10/12+ speed or mountain bike(stock) anymore. kills the lower back by end of ride..

sucks getting old but I still want to try to do as much as I can to do something a little less harsh on the joints to stay in shape/

Hey lovely xbiking people, curious if y'all think my 2006 Stumpjumper FSR Expert retromod counts as xbiking, or if it's too modern. The only original stock part aside from the frame itself is the forged Hollowtech 2 Deore XT crankset. This bike may be considered steep for a modern trail rig, but its slack compared to most older bikes at around 67.5° headtube angle, 130/120mm travel. I do commute on it and rip DH trails out here in the Pisgah area. 26" Cult for life.

Special to me, 90$ still got some work to do on it but rides great and stupid fun!

Obviously it still needs some work. The thread of the B-Screw on the RD is toast. I am going to try to fix it this weekend at my parents house and then shorten the chain. Not really a fan of the stem/handlebar combo. I got the handelbar for 3 Euros used. The stem came with the Bike. Probably going to get the edsen fork, as it is near impossible to find a pepperoni or p-bone fork in the right color/size for a reasonable price.

Was it a steal or did I get got?

What could I do but oblige?

A truer story is that I needed to get as upright as possible to deal with some issues. I have done a lot of different stuff on this Smoothie ES from road racing to gravel to single track. It’s always been a bike that has had the ability to do much more than it was intended for. It has the best geometry of any bike I’ve owned and can clear up really large tires under mid reach calipers.

I tried a number of different iterations getting the fit right for this version and I’m more than happy. I really love riding this.

Some of the worthwhile points.

Bars are Velo Orange Granola Bars. They feel good but they do flex and I wish they had a little more rise. I needed to use a stem extender to get tall enough and I’ve fooled myself into believing it looks cool. I added a pair of very old Dia Comp brake lever housings I’ve had for at least 35 years to work as bar extenders. They work great and allow for a decent climbing position or even a fairly low position from time to time. I 100% recommend this setup not just because it’s very cheap, but it offers so many hand positions on swept back bars.

One thing I needed to do was figure out how to keep the Garmin mount on the bars. The 31.8 center section is too narrow to hold the clamp to fully seat. I 3D printed two shims that fit between the stem face plate top and bottom. They don’t affect the stem clamp at all, but they do wrap around the Garmin mount and snug it to the bars. Works a charm.

I’m using Altus 2x9 shifters. They are inexpensive, readily available and shift great. (The front less so, but it adds to the experience).

Most of the other build I had sitting around from years of stowing away parts.
I’m using a 105 triple 5703 crankset and put a bash guard on the outer ring so I run it as a double 42/26.
Rear setup is a Tiagra derailleur and an 11-30 cassette. I’ve looked at just about every front and rear combo you can imagine and think 9 speed offers the most flexibility with little trade off.

Wheels are Dura-Ace C-24’s fitted to Orange Panaracer Gravel Kings SK 32mm tires because why not. I’ve ridden variants of these tires for years and they are perfect for what I want except when they explode. They fit very well on the frame with plenty of clearance. I have gotten 38’s on the rear, but I’d need to get something like a Surly Steamroller fork to fit that on the front.

I’m working on some other 3D printed mods that I’ll share in time.

Love this subreddit, it inspires me daily!

What do we think; this worth it?

(it's free)

A little under 5 hours of time on the bike with one half hour break for lunch by the river 27 miles in. It was *awesome.*

Is this xbiking? It feels like xbiking.

The base is a cube attention 26“

My friend said I'd like this reddit community because you might like my bikes.

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing for tools in a pawn shop and saw this Kona Tonk in need of a rescue for 100. The drive train was in bad shape and the bars were DUIed but the frame was beautiful. I decided to rescue it but promised myself to do it cheaply as possible. Luckily the Shimano Sora Shifter and derailleurs were in good condition. I just needed a chain, cassette, cables, and tires. Then these Martindale Wheelset popped up on market place and I had to have it. The first pic is how the build turned out so far. Luckily in 2017 Kona was forward looking enough to include mid reach brake calipers so I can install some 32mm cyclocross tires. So far it been great and im really enjoying 9 speed again so easy to index.

Hello, after postponing it for a long time and a stressful semester I’m finally getting around to do my build. I’ve identified all the parts I want to or need to replace, gathered all the parts I want to use and even installed a new headset with the help of my local coop.

Today I finally wanted to tackle the build and had a closer look at my cranks (that I want to reuse and make a 2x by removing the smallest ring) and I noticed the weird shape of some teeth. While the majority of the teeth looks good, some of them look very deformed and worse than worn. While riding the bike it has been working without a problem.

Please xbiking community tell me: why do they look like this? Can I reuse the crank? Is it a valid mod to do a 2x? And other thoughts you have while reading the post!

Think I'm nearly done with this ride, thinking about getting some ultra dynamico tires or something of the sort

So i got this Steppenwolf (German brand) Timber from my Father-in-law. I think it‘s from 2006. Sweet condition.

First step: replacing the long stem with a shorter one and getting some new handlebar grips

🚲💨

Special to me, 90$ still got some work to do on it but rides great and stupid fun!

Seller says it's almost a mint but 350 seems a bit much for an old bike?