I second what Chris L said regarding geometry. The repack/klunker geometry makes for a decent cruiser, but isn't as readily adapted for drops.
More aggressive "NORBA" geometry came a couple years later, around 87-88. 71 head / 74 seat tube angle is characteristic NORBA. My '88 Schwinn KOM has that geometry and it rides superbly with drop bars and a dirt drop stem. Unfortunately, those are the same years that the MTB manufacturers decided to start making welded frames instead of lugs (much easier to update geometry without the constraint of lugs, I guess), so finding a lugged frame with better geometry is tough. I'd prioritize the geometry over the lugs, but I'm lucky that my KOM has both. And then a few years later, suspension forks (and the requisite geometry) became the thing, especially for the top-end bikes. The Trek 9xx "singletrack" series held out as steel and rigid for longer than many (lugged til '93, TIG after), so keep an eye out for them. All their catalogs are on http://www.vintage-trek.com/ (along with Fisher and Klein), so it's usually pretty easy to date those bikes. I'd shoot for 88-89 and newer, rigid fork models. That also puts you firmly into the 7-speed / 130 mm OLD era (circa about 89). I had success in converting a 90s TIG-ed Univega Alpina 504 into a drop bar gravel tourer for my girlfriend. The frame is full DB cro-mo, with good geometry and tons of clearance. No lugs, but it is purple! She loves how tough that bike feels without feeling slow. Cheers, Tim On Mon, Jan 26, 2015 at 2:37 PM, drew beckmeyer <drewbeckme...@gmail.com> wrote: > ah yes, good point. i am familiar with those early 80's mtb angles and > havent ever really found them to be a problem, but youre right to point out > a newish rider might not feel the same. > > > On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 12:14:24 PM UTC-8, drew beckmeyer wrote: >> >> so now that i have been doing longer/overnight rides, my fiance is >> showing interest in joining me. she is a great camper already, though slow >> to warm to bicycles. id like to start setting up a reasonably capable and >> attractive (touring) bike for her, but i dont want to go too far into the >> money pit because i'm not sure how long this interest will endure. at the >> same time, i cannot really abide a crappy bike, or a bike that is good but >> looks crappy. so im looking for a middle ground with a final build less >> than 500$. (lots of parts lying around should make this doable) >> >> i found this '85 mb2 on ebay. >> 1985 bridgestone mb2 >> <http://www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Bridgestone-MB-2-Commuter-REFURBISHED-Shadow-Blue-Gold-Shimano-4130-Chromo-/141498139737?pt=US_Bicycles_Frames&hash=item20f1f24459> >> >> im aware that there are maybe some slightly more capable bikes in the >> price range, but this has lugs and is pretty, which will be a selling >> point. the size is right for her and everything. >> >> you guys know more about these than i do, so.. >> >> is this a reasonable price? >> any issues that would prevent this from working as an occasional tourer? >> any better options that fulfill the affordable/reliable/attractive >> criteria? >> anyone know the rear spacing? 126 might be a deal breaker. >> >> thanks! >> >> >> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
