I agree & that’s exactly what I did - long enough to know I liked my 32 x 16 gear. Then a great deal on a Melvin presented itself. It reminds me of the Huret Jubilee rear derailleur I once owned, but more robust.:) It’s a little jewel & so minimalist. I love it! Sent from my iPhone I second using a rear der instead of a Paul Melvin, at least to start. I did this on my Bontrager Race when I didn't want to build another geared mountain bike. Initially mostly a parts bin build with some new and NOS stuff. Had a stash of Suntour rear derailleur parts I think from the old bike shop and was able to piece together a short cage onto a mountain rear der and used that as the chain tensioner along with a short bit of gear cable to adjust it. Still in use. Did the same on a Gary Fisher X-Caliber with a Shimano Ultegra rear der.
Have fun with your build.
Thanks,
On Monday, November 3, 2025 at 10:16:19 AM UTC-6 Hoch in UT wrote:
No need for a Paul Melvin. You already have a derailer. Just use the rear derailer and a piece of shift wire to set it in place. I am just so excited about this I need to share. I own a Clem L and a Gus and I love both. I end up riding the Clem a lot on what I call "the neighborhood route". It's just what it sounds like, a ride through nearby neighborhoods. It's attractive because if I ride every street in these two neighborhoods I get in 25 miles on traffic free roads and I am never more than 3 miles from home. It's dead flat and the closely spaced homes block most of the wind. I know it sounds boring but I can add in nearby gravel roads, single track and packed gravel paths. It works for me. But, the Roaduno really called to me when introduced. Having ridden a fixed gear road bike in my youth I was really intrigued by the thought of a very light & minimal not to mention fully lugged Rivendell. But I chickened out. So now for something completely different. Sitting in my garage for about 20 years is my first mountain bike. It's a 2001 Trek 6700 hardtail, a MUSA aluminum frame with a primitive suspension fork and 26" wheels. I am in the process of converting it to a fully rigid off road worthy light as hell fun bike. I have not switched out the fork yet but it is far along enough for a couple of "proof of concept" rides. Holy hell this thing is fun! It may be the antithesis of my and your Riv's but perhaps not. It really is in the spirit being so minimal and low tech and strikes me as a genuine "just ride" machine. My bars are high and it even has V brakes.:) Anyone have a Paul Melvin you are not using?Cheers, Richard
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