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Softride MTB / gravel bike drop bar conversion - $400 (Boulder / Louisville / Lafayette)
Nyland Way near Baseline Rd
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This was a pretty funky bike to begin with, what with the carbon fiber "leaf spring" seat beam. I made it funkier by adding drop bars and big poofy slick tires. I was inspired by stories of ultra cyclists who used Softride bikes to bike hundreds of miles at a time. Anyway, this was my experiment to see just how smooth a ride I could get out of a bike.
Highlights:
- The funky carbon fiber beam actually works! Riding over bumps and gravel it just absorbs a lot of chatter that would otherwise be transmitted into your body.
- Steel frame and fork, made in USA
- old school WTB "dirt drop" handlebars
- 9 speed bar-end shifters (currently set to friction)
- Highly adjustable V brakes with linear-pull drop bar levers
- Note I've been told these V brakes can adjust to work for 700c wheels, and that the frame / fork will clear a 700x40 tire
- Ultegra ultra-wide-range triple (24 - 39 - 53)
- 11-34 9-speed cassette
- Deore 26" wheelset with Compass Rat Trap Pass 26x2.3" slicks
- I purposely left the cables / housing long and unwrapped so I could play around with different handlebars / stems. You can trim it up as you please after you get it set up how you like it.
- Looks decent from 10 feet away, but up close you can see some cosmetic damage to the paint here and there. Worst is some scratches on the right fork, looks like someone laid it over at some point in the past.
It's a size Large, the equivalent of a 20" MTB, with roughly 58.5cm effective top tube.
It looks like there's a big drop from the saddle to the bars, but when you sit on the thing the beam actually sags down a little - this is by design, it's a very active suspension.
I'm trying to downsize but I'm not in a huge hurry. If there's no interest I will probably tear it down to the frame and sell for parts. I will take trades, mostly interested in vintage and randonneur gear at the moment. Oh and I have a ton of gear I'm looking to get rid of so if you want for example a 700c wheelset with gravel tires or something else I would be happy to mix and match. I'll throw in some white bar tape too if you decide to buy it.
Thanks for taking a look