grant40

I have a 90s Serrota CDA roadbike 63cm columbus steel with carbon rear triangle and I would like to put flaT bars on it with a 1x12 sunrace drivetrain. The bike currently has a 2x9 ultegra with a corncob cassette, but I would like to ride gravel and cx with it. Are these mods respectful or would they look straight outta a chop shop. I have asked multiple people and have gotten mixed answers.

bboy314

Prepare for more mixed answers. It’s your bike, who cares what other people think? Especially strangers on the internet.

How’s the tire clearance?

SoCaled 

that is the real question

terrymorse 

So you want to take an old steel frame and modify it for gravel and CX, and you are concerned about how it will look?

It will look the way it seems, like an old steel frame with some out of place components bolted to it.

Will it work? Not very well, as your tire size will be very limited.

Maelochs

"Respectful" to whom? The bike? The bike is not a conscious being as far as you are aware, else you would ask it directly.

Personally, I think the bike would be pleased to be modified in a way which made it more useful and enjoyable to you.

Build it, ride it, enjoy it ... and as for what others might say, <censored> it.

mstateglfr 

A corn xob cassette is so out of place in '24 that having a wider range cassette would make it look less outnof place.

Flat bars?...meh- it's your bike, who cares what others think.

Tire width?...if you are riding 28s in loose or chunky gravel, you may get some looks or joking comments that are rooted in surprise and disbelief. If you like that setup though, have fun.

Eric F 

That's not what my bikes tell me.

Eric F 

Sure, you can ride gravel and CX on a road bike. It might not perform as well as other bikes built more specifically for that type of riding, but you can do it. Your limited tire width will lead to a rougher ride and more challenging handling in loose conditions. It also may lead to more flats, and a higher potential for rim damage. Caliper rim brakes are also not going to perform as well as modern disc brakes in demanding situations. That said, some people enjoy the challenge of underbiking. Appearance is pretty far down on the list of things I would be concerned about. If that's a high priority for you, be aware that it will always look like an older, high-end road bike that is out of its element.

Iride01 

Putting flat bars on it wouldn't be respectful! IMO. However it's your bike. So you really shouldn't care what I think. Both CX and Gravel is done with bikes that have drop bars.

I was curious about the Serotta and found this thread which as a picture of a article from Davis Phinney about a Serotta. Though I'm not certain this is the same model you are asking about.

Road Test/Bike Review (1990) SEROTTA Davis Phinney

Tires might well be the one thing that keeps it from being well suited for CX or Gravel. I was originally wondering if Serotta's came with 27" tires originally. As many BITD were 27x1-1/4" which is about a 32mm wide tire which will do fine in packed gravel. But the specs for the wheel/tire in the article say it's a 700C that is 23mm wide. So you might not be able to get up to the minimum width that most prefer for those genres today.

2x bike in those genre's will be fine with modern components. But those old components probably won't give you the low gearing you may need for anything more than a short romp with the 2x stuff that is on it now.

icemilkcoffee 

Like he says. The tire size will be rather limited, both by the early 90's road frame, and by the Caliper brakes.

mstateglfr 

Dont tell this to all the people who enter local gravel races on flat bar fatbikes and destroy a lot of the field using drop bars.
The next time I am passed on gravel by someone using flat bars, I will be sure to yell to them that they are doing it wrong.

skidder

Additional to tire clearance, how about drop-our width for a wheel with a 12 speed cassette on it? And a lot of newer wheels are through-axle, so can the frame use one of those?

Its your bicycle so you can do what you want with it.

Iride01 

I know that. That's not why I made the comment.

The OP ask if it'd be respectful. And I don't think that bike ever had flat bars on it from the factory. As well, it gave me a reason to vocalize my distaste for flat bars. With the exception that flat bars are generally wider a drop bar gives the same hand position. Albeit the shifter and brakes aren't in that position. All they do is remove the other choices of hand position.

Eric F 

Valid points. This might limit the 1x possibilities to a max. of 11-speed.

SoCaled 

got the makings of a great signature line quote

squirtdad

I think point is that it is not required to convert to flat bars to do gravel. and CX is mostly done with drop bars.
or you can do flat bars with aero bars as is not uncommon in gravel races.

what ever floats the boat...er steers the bike ? for the OP

bigger concern as others have noted is what is max tire size and what is drop out width and it's impact on going 12 speed

shelbyfv

Respectful? The poor thing lost any sense of shame when it was built with the unfortunate carbon rear.

Eric F 

I'm one of those folks who enjoys underbiking...to an extent. I ride my gravel bike on a lot of the same dirt I ride my MTB. I like the challenge of riding a bike that is not totally optimized for demanding terrain. That said, my gravel bike has 40s, and the front tire has some pretty reasonable tread. I like a challenge, but I'm not a fan of falling down a lot. There is also a limit to how demanding the terrain is before I hit the "nope" line. There certainly are local MTB trails that I won't ride my gravel bike on.

rosefarts

A 142mm thru axle hub is functionally the same as a 135mm hub with QR. His bike is definitely 130. With the carbon rear triangle, I wouldn’t stretch it. Even if he did, it’ll barely clear 25-28mm tires.

Thats why 90’s mtb’s make good gravel conversions. 135mm hub, loads of clearance, almost road geometry.

I’d choose another frame.

Steel Charlie

Too bad the motorcycle dirt guys don't realize how wrong flat bars are. OMG - they even ride risers ! !

tFUnK

Apologies for posting this so many times recently but I think it addresses the OP quite well. I went thru a similar exercise going from 2x10 dropbar to 1x10 flatbar and it's a fun ride. Lightweight, zippy, aggressive, and with the 640mm flat bars (with some sweep) it's fun and gives me better control and confidence (not that I lacked any of that with 42cm drops before, but if you're used to mountain biking you might like the feel of this cockpit). I'm limited to ~25mm tires and it's not great on gravel but I definitely still tackle some trails on it. In fact, the ability to run bigger tires is the one thing I wish for with this build but it is what it is. Its looks may offend some but I think it looks pretty sweet.

If the frame is what you got already and you just want to try it out, no one is stopping you. But if it's a frame-up build I echo others: get a frame that can handle bigger tires, and run a wider gearing range for trails.

Camilo

Do it. The 9 speed hub will take any 9 or 10 speed cassette.

Reynolds 

I don't know about respect, but if you do that it won't be a road bike anymore but won't be a gravel or CX bike either. Just my 0.02.

MarcusT

Yup, tire clearance. I had 28s on my Trek road bike, attempted gravel and...no. 32s did not fit. IMO, anything less than 32 on gravel is "challenging".
What's with all these drop bar fanatics? If it's not your bike, who cares?

Maelochs

Apparently, despite the huge range of handlebar styles which have been and still are used on bicycles worldwide, a certain vocal minority has decided that "real" bikes have drop bars.

Let's not laugh at them. They cannot help it, and maybe in time their minds might open enough to see a bit more of the world.

Pedal on, however it works for you.