Retrofit madness, disc edition

[greengage]

So, I have this nagging thought in my head that my cx/crud bike should be disc brake equipped. I don't have a ton of experience on discs, but I sure do like being able to stop. I have lots of experience not stopping on wet canti's. My current cx bike is canti only.
Due to health, I'm going to be out this cross season. I was planning on just selling the cross rig, but I had a crazy idea: get the steel cx bike converted to discs. This would involve removing canti studs and cable stops, adding disc bracket and new cable stops. Might involve reinforcing the seat stays/chain stays. And a repaint or some creative blending. (Did I miss something?)
So, is this insanity? Frame in question is a Wraith with little market value, but decent personal attachment. I can't really afford it, but I can't afford to lose my shirt moving the frame out the door. Has anyone done this? Who did you have do the work? Were you happy? Who do you recommend? Or am I about to get my sense digitally slapped into me.
All replies welcome, even the open handed ones to the face.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160603/8f388a58bf04e43826a8c474b2eb8573.jpg

[thirdgenbird]

Put a disc fork, disc front wheel, and front hyrd. Leave the frame alone.

[bicycletricycle]

Try mini v brakes first, they are better than what you got.

Disc refit and new fork will cost more than moving that frame and buying a used disc frameset.

[Louis]

^^^^ agreed.

Improve what you have now (which shouldn't be too expensive to do, sticking with rim brakes).

If you have to have disc, then use an appropriate frame and fork from the start.

[cachagua]

Soma Wolverine? Disc-ready, belt-drive compatible, about the price of the very desirable Black Mountain Cycles 'crosser...

You *can* get a Black Mountain disc frame. Costs more. But you'd probably be the only kid on the block, and that's something.

[weisan]

Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:

[greengage]

Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:



That is exactly the slap in the face I might need. Thank you.

[weisan]

You are welcome, green pal! :D

Thanks for being so gracious.

[Cicli]

Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:

Well said.

[oldpotatoe]

Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:

10-4 sir-san..well said..!!:beer:

[cadence90]

Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:
Spot-on. Bravo, weisan.

Not "Retro-Grouch" advice.
Not "Buy Advanced Technology" advice.
Just "Rational" advice.
It really does work.

That is exactly the slap in the face I might need. Thank you.
I did not see this before.
As weisan stated above, very gracious.

Fewer mountains + fewer molehills = a better equilibrium.

[Peter P.]

Costs involved for the conversion will likely exceed the cost of a new frame. Not to mention the chainstays and/or seatstays may be too thin to handle welding the disc mounts onto them.

Either love your bike as-is or replace it.

[bicycletricycle]

Some people like bicycles as objects just as much as they like the experience of riding them.

I see no problem with that.



Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:

[wallymann]

Some people like bicycles as objects just as much as they like the experience of riding them.

I see no problem with that.

alot of truth to this.

my other 2-wheeled passion, motorcycles -- i enjoy modding/wrenching my rocket *almost* as much as i like riding it! if the OP is truly after more riding, then weisan is on-point. but maybe the OP is in pursuit of "that perfect modded bike" and there'd be no harm in that either!

[Anarchist]

Stop. It. Now.

I am getting tired of hearing all the crazy ideas being peddled around telling folks they have to do this and change that in order to enjoy riding a bike. NO, YOU DON'T!

You wanna know the kind of folks who are maximizing their return on investment when it comes to riding a bike? Go talk to Velotel pal.
Do a search on all the threads started by him. Check out what he does with his time, money and energy.

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.

That's all I have to say. :o :D :banana:

There should be a "like" button.

Very well said.

[jtbadge]

Get a TRP CX8.4 or Paul MiniMoto for the front and be done with it.

[geordanh]

Theoretical costs:
Disc mount boss - $30
Pay some guy to braze on the boss - $50
New disc fork - $350
Powder coat - $150

Total $580

I was just about to link to a sweet salsa la cruz in the classifieds that looked about the same size for not much more money and then I realized it was yours.

Just go ride the damn salsa! That thing is sweet!

[greengage]

Theoretical costs:

Disc mount boss - $30

Pay some guy to braze on the boss - $50

New disc fork - $350

Powder coat - $150



Total $580



I was just about to link to a sweet salsa la cruz in the classifieds that looked about the same size for not much more money and then I realized it was yours.



Just go ride the damn salsa! That thing is sweet!



Yeah, when you put it that way...
This has been an eye opening thread.

[josephr]

Some people like bicycles as objects just as much as they like the experience of riding them.

I see no problem with that.

same as the guy that builds up his 1994 Honda Civic with a turbo kit,fat-can muffler, and spray paints it Hulk-green. A church puts up one of those 100' tall crosses next to the interstate. Some dude put up a replica of stonehenge in the Texas....

Still, many of us laugh and say 'what a waste of ______'...There's a balance there we're all trying to find, right? I say if the dude wants disc brakes on his bike, more power to him.

[sandyrs]

I don't think you're crazy for wanting discs on a cross bike but retrofitting them to your current bike is definitely not the move. There are plenty of sub-1k disc cx framesets out there.

[greengage]

I don't think you're crazy for wanting discs on a cross bike but retrofitting them to your current bike is definitely not the move. There are plenty of sub-1k disc cx framesets out there.



Some of the question simply came from personal attachment and the MUSA variable. But, yes, I get the picture. Both of those variables have little to do with the basic equation for enjoying the ride.

[Fatty]

Ya know if you just want to stop better in the rain, these would be a mighty cheap experiment.

http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222344259/1250/Tektro-926AL-Mini-V-Brake.html?gclid=CNGCkdyijM0CFYI9gQodWisE6A

[alexsteinker]

Yeah, when you put it that way...
This has been an eye opening thread.

There is a Cincy Builder that may do it for ya. Lundbeck Cycles.

(I'm From cincy too)

[unterhausen]

I have to say that I'm a disc convert, but not really a proselytizer. For my own bikes, I would use discs on dirt/singletrack/gravel. Most pure road bikes I foresee in my future will have rim brakes. Although it's possible I will only have one road/gravel bike and a mountain bike, not sure how that's going to play out.

I am not a big fan of cantis, but I'm revising my road bike right now and putting cantis back on. I'm moving the posts to get more mechanical advantage, I put them on fairly low the first time. I can do it myself, and after this revision, I'm going to need a paint job, but I don't see the benefit of discs for a bike built with cantis. Although going front disc only is a worthy choice. I have had problems locking the rear wheel with the canti, I don't think I need any more braking back there.

I was one of those, "a rim brake is just a big disc brake" people for the longest time. Then I got a disc bike, and I am really happy with them. I will have a disc road bike sooner or later. It's not the sort of thing that makes riding a lot better though. The one advantage that is growing on me is the ability to switch wheels easily. And I really like big tires for a lot of the riding that I do. Pinch flatted a 28mm tire a couple of weeks ago, the 38mm tire I was riding on the road last year would have laughed at that pothole, but there I was in the middle of the night fixing a flat.

[makoti]

Quit messing around with your bike (once you get it to fit and work well) or overly concerned with how you look, what others think or the kind of clothing or glasses or trainer or shoes or brakes or tires or chain/belts...whatever, get out there and ride...MORE. And when you are out there, pay attention to what's happening around you, be present and alert, don't miss out on any chance encounter or opportunity.


Are you trying to kill the bike industry?! ;)

[miguel]

hi, i've had a disc retrofit done to a frame before.

i purchased a serotta CSI for like $75 - big dent in the TT and other stuff - and had Eric Estlund / Winter Bicycles stick the tab and build a new fork. i rode the bike around for a year or so and at the time i wanted something that had bigger tires (30+), paid eric for a new bike and eventually traded the serotta to forum user gomango. i got the frame for $75 and all the work done to it was good so it was worth it. i kind of wish i still had it as i want a disc brake go-fast bike now!

the serotta was a pretty iconic frame with lots of positive user reviews. im not sure if i would do it the same way but it certainly was fun.

if i was in your place with the wraith i might choose differently. you're going to have some weird stuff going on with the canti posts in the back and blah de blah blah whatever.

save your pennies and buy this:

http://rideendpoint.com/products/coffee-grinder

you will be happy

sentimental attachment to bicycles is dangerous. i only say this because catastrophic loss or breakage is something that happens to bicycles and if you can limit your own letdowns it's probably better for your mental health.

[AllanVarcoe]

Some people like bicycles as objects just as much as they like the experience of riding them.

I see no problem with that.

Agreed! Also I agree with your first post about trying V brakes.

He also did say that this setup wasn't working for him so there is no real element of following a trend or something. He just enjoys the luxury of stopping.