Muddy Fox Pathfinder - freebie > commutourer

When I moved into my house last year amongst the usual crap left by the previous tenants was a Muddyfox Pathfinder, which had definitely seen better days. I had a little look at it at the time but with various seized parts and final exams approaching I didn't do anything with it, and ended up burying it in the basement before moving out.

Now finals are out the way I've found myself with a bit of spare time, so I went and knocked on the door of the old house and found that the frame was still sat in the basement.

My plan is to build it up into a bit of a commuter / tourer for when I move to Glasgow in summer. I've already got a surly crosscheck for faster riding so I want this to be something a bit more chilled. I also want to be chilled about locking it up around the city.

With that in mind it's basically gonna be a parts bin build, but I'd like to get a few new bits n pieces. I'd appreciate suggestions on any of the following:

1. wheels - i need some v compatible 26 inch wheels. Thought I'd be able to snap some up on bay or gumtree for real cheap but they're proving a bit illusive. Anyone help me out?
   
2. Tyres - Id like to put some nice wide tyres on this, pref tan wall. Any recommendations?
   
3. Handlebar / stem combo - the originals are long gone so I'm trying to decide whether to go for dirt drops or a swept back bar a la one one Mary, or similar. Gonna mock the bike up once I've got some wheels and have a play with different positions before deciding, I reckon
   
4. Drive chain - gonna stick with the Shimano Exage brake and gear shifters that are currently on it until I decide between flats or drops, but it's horrible and plastic so would like to change eventually if something cheap crops up.
   
5. Rack - would love to get a front rack on this, maybe with basket for shopping duties
   
6. Finishing - I quite like the saddle that's on it but it's tatty. Might have a go at recovering it or put a beater flite on
   
   

Will probably be a very slow project as parts trickle in but will hopefully be an ideal bike for exploring Glasgee and the surrounding areas come summer!

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Fox bro! Some inspiration perhaps from my edition.

Are 26" rim brake wheels hard to come by in the UK? They're plentiful in the Netherlands. Regarding tyres, you should have ample choice. I have found 2.15" slicks is probably the sweet spot in terms of clearance (with mud guards), currently running Schwalbe Big Apples.

The rack I'm using is a Pelago Commuter, which is affordable and works well. Though the fork crown mount tends to interfere with the straddle cable, be aware.

Curious to see what you'll do with the frame!

Do these Foxes have clearence for around 2.4" tyres by default? If yes, I'll have to keep my eyes open...

Good luck with the project OP, will monitor this thread for sure. :)

Do these Foxes have clearence for around 2.4" tyres by default?

No way 2.4" would fit.

2.2" knobby Maxxis tyres (Ikon) have like ±1mm clearance with the chainstays. I'm currently running 2.15" slicks (Big Apple) and they have a healthy amount of clearance. 2.2" slicks will probably also fit, but from here on out you'll be approaching the upper limit.

I recommend Ritchey Moby Bites In 2.1 flavour - great looking / functional slick tyre. Failing that compass Rat trap

Failing that compass Rat trap

I'd wager these won't fit (and leave enough clearance), seeing as they are 2.3". Would be an expensive gamble. These were on my radar too though, would be pretty cool.

Really want to try the Continental Speed King II, but they're 2.2" though, so will probably be too tight.

very nice

Yes mate, your build is the reason I'm actually pursuing this project! I stumbled across it a while back and thought it looked sick so decided that it would be worth it!

I was actually gonna see if I could track you down to ask about tyre clearance so thanks for the heads up re widths.

I did a little mock-up with my mtb wheelset to get a feel for ride position etc and I reckon it looks pretty sweet already!

The tyres on it there are 2.2 Specialized mtb tyres and they do rub the chain stays but could be okay with a 2.2 slick? Depends on brand, I guess.

What are people's thoughts on crimping stays to squeeze a bit of extra rubber in? I probably wouldn't do it out of choice but would rather not buy more than the one set of tyres.

I also swapped out the Exage chain set for a Stronglight one I had knocking round. Probably equally shit, but looks a bit shinier and is lighter (...and flexier, so may not stick with it). Interestingly also has biopace-esque asymmetric chainrings on it.

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Aha didn’t know they didn’t do less than 2.3. Bum.

Also, re front rack, how did you get around the crown mount and straddle cable issue?

Meant to reply to @jr, soz.

The tyres on it there are 2.2 Specialized mtb tyres and they do rub the chain stays but could be okay with a 2.2 slick? Depends on brand, I guess.

My 2.15" slicks currently have around 3mm of clearance on each side I'd say? Hard to tell.

2.2" is only 1.27mm extra, so can't imagine slicks in this size will be a problem (depending on how much room you want to leave). Your 2.2" knobby tyres do look beefy and cool though. I also thought it was a shame I had to retire (heh) mine.

re front rack, how did you get around the crown mount and straddle cable issue?

Like this:

Though this has caused problems when the brake pads wore down, as you will need to pull the cable further to brake, resulting in the top of the straddle cable hitting the underside of the rack mount (preventing you from moving the brake pads further, i.e. braking properly).

I don't really have a solution for this currently. Best idea is probably to make a 'custom' rack mount, which goes under the straddle cable. After all, it's just a bent piece of steel with some holes.

LOve these foxes - excited to see how this turns out!

Could you not bend the steel to go under the straddle cable?

Could you not bend the steel to go under the straddle cable?

Possibly, though the steel is hardened so can imagine that would be quite tough. Also I would be shortening the mount, and it's already not reaching the farthest hole on the rack.

Been out the country for a few months which is why nothing has happened with this for a while, but now have a few weeks of holiday before starting new job so I've been able to start playing around with this!

Bought some Ergotec Trekking bars which feel very comfortable. I'm currently running them with an adjustable stem I had knocking round so I can play with the set up until it feels just right. As it is in the pics feels pretty good - works out with bars about level with saddle and about 90mm extension and a decent bit of rise.

I'll need to find a stem which resembles these dimensions. Found a Kalloy number on eBay which looks like it could fit the bill. Alternatively I could keep the quill adaptor and buy a threadless stem. Any thoughts?

I've pinched the wheels from my brothers mtb for now while I await a more permanent solution. Still can't believe that I haven't found a decent 26" v brake wheel set going for a reasonable price.

I decided on Schwalbe Big Ben Plus 2.15" tyres. Would have loved some phatter gum walls in there but nothing bigger would fit and these are really practical for reliable commuting in city with glass etc.

Waiting for new cables to tidy all that up and will probably install a front shifter for now and see how I get on and which gears I use. Could go 1x at some point.

I was thinking about getting a Turbo or Rolls saddle, but now I've stripped the ratty cover from the existing saddle I'm wondering about trying to re-upholster it myself. Might be a bit of fun and keep costs down, plus the profile of this one is similar to the replacements I have been looking at.

Bad / frustrating bits:

• realised left crank arm is bent
  
• cantis are from cx bike and even with pads slid all the way to the bottom of the arm they still sit a bit high on the rim. That said, they work for now and can be something to replace in the future.
  
  

Still to sort out:

• new stem, cover saddle, buy my own wheels, re-do cables as mentioned above
  
• new grips - thinking some old school foamies
  
• rack - I'd quite like to try a front rack but may go for rear rack due to cost / simplicity of interchangeability of panniers with my Crosscheck. I could then whack a wald basket on the front
  

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Gonna be awesome with a proper stem and racks. :) Can't wait to see it finished!

sweet thread, sweet project, subbed

Tijs, how do you find the handling when the front is loaded? I've never tried panniers on the front but this bike feels like it has a lot of trail, so just wondering whether it's sluggish and heavy?

how do you find the handling when the front is loaded?

Mind, I have never ridden another (front) loaded bike, so I don't have any reference point or comparison I can make.

With that being said, I personally think it's fine, but I would probably define it as sluggish and heavy, yeah. For me it has never been a problem, have also descended with 50kph+ on MTB tyres without any trouble.

Bike is looking good! Are you thinking of mudguards?

@cagimaha here is that muddy fox build I was talking about.

You should chuck up some pics of your mega courier.

I have an 8spd wheelset for sale :) this looks really cool btw, very fun looking bike

@Tijs hmm interesting - I've never ridden with front racks either so would be a voyage of discovery. Will have to think on this a bit more.

Yeah absolutely, cheers for the remainder! Will start having a look for guards now. I was thinking grey might look quite cool over black for a bit of retro aesthetic

@ldphotoworks - Thanks! Did all the cabling yesterday so it's starting to feel a bit crisper, too.

Can you give me some more details about the wheel set please?

@jr how’s the project shaping up? I’m the new owner of a similarly painted courier which will no doubt be undergoing some gentle changes itself, currently gorging myself on old muddy fox threads in anticipation....