I can remember back in the late 1980s and early 1990s when a mountain bike became the must have accessory for school children (and indeed adults) everywhere. I got one too, a Townsend BX-40 which I still have. Today it would probably be referred to as a BSO (bike shaped object) but I thought it super cool at the time. It has 15 speed basic Shimano derailleur gearing and horrible plastic cantilever brakes which worked well but were always challenging to keep in adjustment. It was also very heavy and came fitted with tractor tyres which felt like pedalling through treacle after being used to an old sit up and beg bike which was a hand-me-down from my sister and definitely not cool but the 26 x 1 3/8” wheels glided along effortlessly in comparison. The tractor tyres were quickly binned for a set of Schwalbe City Jets which improved matters considerably.
I always have mixed feelings when referring to this and other similar bikes as BSOs as I happily covered thousands of miles on it and when I began cycling again as an adult, I dragged it from its resting place and with some oil and grease it was good to go again. It was a basic machine with basic components and a heavy hi-tensile steel frame but was a functional bike and gave me many hours of enjoyment. It is currently on the retirement bench at the moment but it will re-surface again at some point in the not too distant future, if only for the nostalgia factor. I’d tweaked it over the years and may return it to original specification.
I was perfectly happy riding my old MTB but I became the owner of a 531 framed Carlton which was in another league in terms responsiveness and speed and the Townsend was quickly retired at that point and many other old but quality (and some not so quality) bikes have come my way but I always thought about MTBs and wondered what one would ride like with better quality components, etc.
I could always see a lot of good points in these early mountain bikes. They were always strongly built, though often heavy at the cheaper end of the market, lighter ones were around too and had the same plus points as their cheaper counterparts of having a strong durable frame and mounting points for racks, mudguards etc made them an ideal touring bike for anyone on a budget. It’s personal preference but I would consider the more upright riding position more comfortable than the stretched out position you often end up with on a drop barred bike and unlike a traditional 3 speed roadster they had wider spacing on the back dropouts so anything is possible from a gearing point of view and they also had cantilever brakes – yes I hate setting them up but they work so much better than long reach callipers. There is also much better clearance for wide tyres than you will find on any normal lightweight frame. I’m not the first to realise this and there are many out there riding and touring on MTBs converted to their own spec for touring, commuting or whatever they require.
Some time ago, I acquired another old MTB; it had been painted in a rather lurid colour scheme so any transfers etc were gone so I have no idea who built it. It is I would guess mid to late 1980s as it is of lugged and brazed construction which is unusual in all but the earliest mountain bikes in my experience. It was also quite light by MTB standards and took a 26.8mm seat post which suggests thin wall tubing. I do wonder if it is Reynolds 501 but I cannot tell. The question was what to do with it. It had obviously seen plenty of use and the main components were all decent quality very well worn so it realistically needed a complete rebuild anyway.
I had also hankered after one of the modern 7 or 8 speed hub gears for a long time as I generally prefer a hub gear to a derailleur but sometimes a 3 speed Sturmey Archer just doesn’t cover it depending on where and how you intend to ride. I decided to build my “new” MTB with a Shimano Alfine 8 speed hub, with the matching dynamo hub in the front to power modern LED lamps back and front. I wanted to turn it into a bike that could be multi-purpose, for utility riding, touring or long day rides, I considered the gear range of the Shimano hub perfectly adequate and the dynamo hub lights add further practicality.
The frame did have clearance for 700C wheels and I did consider this (and other sizes as well) and using calliper brakes but concluded that the high bottom bracket and tall frame would mean that I wouldn’t be able to straddle the finished bike! So I decided to stick with the US 26” size and decided to use large slick tyres. I have good experience of Schwalbe tyres over the years so decided to go with the Big Apples. I did consider repainting the frame but decided against it for now – it’s not actually rusty, the colour scheme is a nice 1980s relic and as it looks slightly rough, it may deter thieves!
The hubs and headlamp were ordered from Germany as complete wheelset built with Mavic rims as I was able to take advantage of the strong Sterling against the Euro to keep costs down a little. Once I got the wheelset, all I really had to do in many ways was put it together. The hub spacing was correct (135mm I assume, I never actually measured it) and wheels fitted easily although fitting the Big Apple tyres proved surprisingly problematic. A set of plastic mudguards and a basic rack was fitted back and front. The original seat post was butchered and tended to slip so I ordered a new one of those too and I fitted a Brooks B17 saddle (borrowed from another bike I want to refurbish).
I thought through many combinations of handlebars – straight bars with bar ends are the obvious choice for this type of bike but I considered drops and also North Road bars but decided to try something new and try some butterfly or trekking bars as they always looked to me like they should be comfortable with many potential hand positions.
So the bike was built up. I replaced the worn Shimano headset with a Stronglight A9; the original stem was used with the Zoom Butterfly bars. When I got it I was missing brake levers so two basic Shimano MTB brake levers were sourced from EBay. The rear Suntour cantilever brake wouldn’t work for me, the return spring seems to have been damaged so I replaced it with a Shimano cantilever brake and retained the original Suntour one on the front. Setting up the hub and the cassette joint was easy enough but it’s not the most user-friendly of things I would prefer not to ever have to remove a wheel at the side of the road. Thankfully I am using puncture-resistant tyres!
I was unsure about gearing and chainrings and reluctant to commit to buying a chainset before checking my gearing calculations were correct, I used an old 42/52 racing bike chainset with the original bottom bracket axle (which was designed for a triple) turned around to use the narrow side and this seems to give the correct chainline with the inner ring so I have 42/21 direct drive which gives gears in the ~28 – 81 inch range. There is very little need for any gears higher than this unless you are actually racing. In time I will try and source a 42 tooth single chainring and appropriate sealed bottom bracket unit as the existing Shimano bottom bracket is very worn. The threads on the BB shell aren’t all that great either but this will be less of a problem with a sealed unit (I think!). With a single chainset, it will open up the possibility of using a full chain case should I choose which will reduce chain cleaning time.
It took quite a few attempts to get the position of the butterfly bars in a comfortable position as I had no reference point for doing this as I never used these bars before. Then it was tricky to find the correct position for the shifter and the brake levers… But it’s all perfect now and very comfortable and I have become very good at unwrapping and re-wrapping bar tape…
Having now done a number of short rides and then a longer ride on Sunday past of almost 60 miles, I am very pleased with how this bike has turned out. It’s no lightweight, but it was never going to be when you fill one hub full of gears and another full of dynamo. The Big Apple tyres roll very well and provide good cushioning on bumpy roads although I was expecting the overall ride quality to be better. I’m still playing with tyre pressures but I guess this is frame is quite short in the wheelbase.
The bike rides really well I feel. It’s quite responsive despite the weight and the 26” wheels (larger wheels do roll better without question in my opinion). It’s also very comfortable and very stable and very easy to ride. The butterfly bars do give options for hand positions, the Brooks saddle is comfortable as always, the MKS pedals I used offer good grip and with a rack back and front it is a hugely practical machine. I’ll see how well it lasts as there are mixed reports on the reliability of these hubs but at the moment as it is working it is lovely, changes gear so effortlessly and I am hugely impressed with it. The cantilever brakes are strong and powerful and I am hugely impressed with the Busch and Muller lamp.
So it wasn’t exactly a cheap project and I’ve more to do with replacement chainset etc but I am definitely pleased with the outcome as I have an excellent general purpose bike that should give years of service. It’s not perfect of course, it would be nice if it was lighter for a start and as mentioned, I think the Shimano cassette joint arrangement is unnecessarily fiddly. Despite being impressed with their stopping power, I still don’t like cantilever brakes! It is unfortunate that this model Shimano hub is not offered with hub brakes. But overall I am really pleased and can’t wait to take it on a tour someday soon!