Kästle DIY-Gravel (On The Budget)

I like it! Was thinkingh about a similar set-up for the bottecchia since I could just take the 1055 shifters from my previous workhorse. Do the levers give a good brakefeel with the cantis?

Cheers, and do it!
It's perfect for me tbh, it even feels a bit better than the Tektro level I had on before. The stopping power is great as well - though I have brand new brake pads.

Cheers, that's good to know! I have a couple of ideas and optiond for a drop bar set-up but I guess it'll come down to either stis or some kind of home made dt/shifter sti lever. The Geometrie of the Kästle looks pretty cool, if it was mine I would consider painting it tho :)

If it would be cheap I'd choose bar end shifters over STI's any time, but in Hungary they're ridiculously expensive. Honestly, the geo is the only thing I dislike about this bike, but I can live with it. Painting is a bit pricey, and it's too much of a hassle, so I'll just leave it ugly - less chance it gets stolen. :P

Took some pics. More here. Hideous watermark to cover the helping hand. :P

Awesome!

Cheers mate!

I like how it's getting less ugly and more on point with every iteration. It's certainly fbnpna qualified now! Good work.

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I can't fit mudguards with those tyres unfortunately, but I seldom ride on wet roads. I was thinking of a black seatpost as well, we'll see. :)

@russmeyer Haha, thanks!

Minor changes. Didn't use it much after getting my Marin (but since that's still not sorted I use this). Need a proper pic without all the junk attached.

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I dig it man. New seatpost did wonders

Cheers!
It'll get new tyres and some other random stuff by August I hope.

New stuff!

Continental SpeedRide 700x42C tyres
Icon semi-compact handlebar
+I've removed the in-line brake levers and some other junk

The tyres were a dream to install, took like 5 mins/wheel and I am very bad at this.
Next stop: 2x7, all I need is a front derailleur.

This is really cool! Nice project.

Why 2x7?

Cheers!

More gear range and easy upgrade. :)

Upgrade done. New compact handlebar and I have successfully hacked the STI and the LX front mech together, works fine! Next stop: bigger chainrings and better brakes (and a proper lens).

I need a proper lens damn it.

Really like the combination of the sloping top tub, zero setback seatpost and compact bars, looks like a lot of fun to ride :) In my experience, the lx cantis aren't even that bad with decent brake pads.

Deffo my favourite machine! :) The cantis are actually Altus C50, and I can actually lock my wheels with them, using some thick XLC pads.

And as of today the Kästle is no longer mine, it has a new owner who will use it more than thrice a year! Been a fantastic journey building this bike, I've learned a lot during the process. :)