# turn an old road bike into a cx bike?



## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

I've seen people take older road bikes, like 70s/80s vintage, and make them into cheap cx bikes. Thinking about trying this but not sure where to start. I tried it with my old Nishiki but there wasnt enough room for the tires in between the chainstays. How wide does it need to be to fit tires and what else should I look for? Or should I not bother? I know they will be heavy but I'm just looking for something to use for training during motorcycle racing off season. Use to ride a road bike a lot but seems quite boring to me now- want to try something different.


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

my buddy has been riding a converted Schwinn Varsity all season long. He converted it to Single Speed and ditched the stock rims, but his initial outlay was only $50 for the base bike.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewcone/4030817469/sizes/o/


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## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

Nice. Any info on the build? I don't mind forking out a little money for parts and doing the work. Any idea what year that is?


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## steve_e_f (Sep 8, 2003)

He is just using some budget road wheels he got used and a standard freewheel.
Ritchey rubber (it was cheap).
He swapped those bars and some MTB grips onto it as well.
All shifting related hardware was stripped except for the shifters themselves.
Other than that its stock. Stock cranks, pedals, seatpost, seat, brakes, pads(?). No glamour here, hence the Warpig designation. He gets a lot of love from the crowd.


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## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

I just did a search using different terms and found some good threads with info. Looks like it could be a real pain if I don't find the right bike. I'll snoop around and see what is out there.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

I have a 6 speed steel bike. early 80s I guess.

full Shimano 105 6 speed, 1050 group, with downtube shifters.

The frame and the 105 road brakes can fit up to 700x32c tires. I actually set them in and it works.

I do have a set of Dura Ace 7400 brakes ( also 8 speed ) but they have less clearance. would fit probably 700x30c tires.


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## Kram (Jan 28, 2004)

I have an old Gitane (early 80's) that I converted. I can get 30c tires in it. Here's a pic; At this point it had the rear triangle widened to 130 spacing and was a 1x9. I now have is set up as SS. It's my training/fixie/pit bike.


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## cyklopath (Feb 24, 2007)

I've seen this thread over and over, and dreamed of doing the same thing eons ago (and did it for a while...).

I can understand doing something like this if you already have the road bike in hand. However, I can't help but wonder why someone would not just get a used cross frame and transplant the applicable road components to the new frame... Used cross frames are fairly common, and relatively cheap. 

I paid a whopping $200 or so bucks on my frame/fork and it was NOS. The rest of the parts in the build came from my attic junk pile.


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

it's generally a waste of money because the tires won't fit under the brake arches, chainstays or the front fork. If you run itty bitty tires they spin in the mud and get flats pretty easy. It always seems like a good idea on paper. but in truth it's better to just buy a used cross frame at the end of the season or ride your MTB in races. If you just want something to ride on gravel roads, a bike with 25c tires should do fine.


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## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

Yeah I'm really not wanting to spend even $200 for a frame. I race sport bikes and that is where I direct my moolah. I see a lot of older bikes on CL going for almost nothing. I don't often see cx bikes going for cheap. Maybe I should just go for a mountain bike but I'd like to have something I can also take out for a road spin sometimes. Hmmm... think my Free Agent 24 inch cruiser would work!? hehe....Thanks for the advice. Points well taken.


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## mcgyver29er (Mar 12, 2007)

*Old Hybirds & Touring bikes work Great!*

Look for old hybrid or touring bikes. Already have tire clearance for wider tires and canti brakes. Just swap the flat bar for drops.

Scooped up a Trek Multi-trak 700 for $60 OF Kijiji. Ripped off the gears, put some drop bars on it and 1 cog and some spacers. Swapped out the crank for a road crank. Found the magic gear 42X16. Great bad weather bike. Sold it to my buddy Niel Armstrong for what I invested in it. Total cost $140ish.

Also found an old Raleigh Montage Frame and fork for $5. Semi horizontal dropouts are a breeze for single speed action. I actually raced it fixed the next day at Provincials in Ontario. Currently sitting in my garage waiting for crappy weather to ride it / commute with it.

I once got an 80's Raleigh Gran Prix for free. It had plenty of tire clearance. But the caliper brakes sucked. Did my first few CX races on it.

But I would say an old purely road bike is not too good because of the tire clearance issue.

Keep your eyes peeled to the classifieds and I am sure something will pop up sooner or later.
Good luck!


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## tekkamaki (Apr 10, 2007)

Old road bikes can work but there are better options if you don't already own an old frame.

Cross bike go pretty cheap on ebay come December and January. You should be able to find a used frame/fork for $100-150. A touring bike would work also if you find one really cheap.

I raced a 1986ish Trek Reynolds 531 Roadbike last season. It was fine other than the clearance and braking issues. I used cheap Kenda kwick 30c tires, they run small and roll fast, traction is limited however.

If you dont have a frame already just keep looking for a cheap cross frame, they are out there. Any semi-modern cross frame and using decent tires will do- in the end its really the rider that matters.


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## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

I've seen a couple of older road frames in the last day that were dirt cheap but I'm not sure that I can tell a pure road frame from a touring or hybrid frame. Is there any way for the untrained eye to tell?


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## tekkamaki (Apr 10, 2007)

Save yourself some trouble and just get one of those Nashbar X cross frames and a steel cross fork. the frames are only about $115 and steel forks are super Cheap.


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## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

What's a Giant Quasar? Found a guy giving away one sans wheels for a case of busch and a jug of wine.


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## ooboohabanero (Nov 4, 2009)

tailgunn said:


> What's a Giant Quasar? Found a guy giving away one sans wheels for a case of busch and a jug of wine.


THAT's a deal...


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## Crack Monkey (Apr 19, 2007)

From another thread...



T-Mar said:


> The Quasar was a late 1980s, entry level, sport/touring model. Original price was in the $200-$275 US range, depending on the exact year.


For free, if all it needs is a wheel, it might work ok.

As for finding a touring/hybrid vs a road bike... many touring and hybrids will have cantilever brakes, where almost all road bikes will have calipers. You can also look at the tire size that is installed - if it already has 700x28 or 700x32 tires, it has enough clearance to be usable. If it only has 700x23 tires, you'll have to break out the measuring tape and measure the space between seat-stays and also the space between the chain-stays.


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## tailgunn (Aug 10, 2006)

Got it- look for cantis. Thanks.


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## wobblyRider (May 10, 2009)

Here's a pic of my rebuild:








I'm pretty lazy. Just put a pair of cross tires on my old trek 750. Don't know if I can change the handle bars to road style and new shifters. Any ideas?


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## wobblyRider (May 10, 2009)

Sorry, wrong bike... Let's try this again.
<a href="https://s701.photobucket.com/albums/ww15/wobblyRider/?action=view&current=mycbike.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i701.photobucket.com/albums/ww15/wobblyRider/mycbike.jpg" border="0" alt="My trek 750 set up for a cross race"></a>


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Not bad. Change the bars.


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## mzeffex (Dec 1, 2009)

I did this, just a couple weeks ago infact. Racing it sunday.


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## proline69 (Mar 2, 2010)

Wow even 3 yrs later same price .


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## jroden (Jun 15, 2004)

these are great frames, you need to run a wider bottom bracket for clearance, it's a light frame that handles well

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trying to get a road bike to work ends up wasting time and money and it gets clogged with mud


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