Yak's Muddy Fox Courier, Trek Multitrack and other bikes

Next steps, assuming the re-spacing goes to plan, are to fit a new front rack and decide on some lights. Seem to be some good deals on b&m lights at the moment on SJS e.g.: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/lighting/busch-muller-lumotec-lyt-t-senso-headlight-for-hub-dynamos/

Then I'd like to replace the tyres which isn't really essential but I'd like to feel a bit more capable on more muddy rides, and would look a bit cooler. Justifying this to myself because the few days of snow we had last month made my towpath commute pretty sketchy (but fun).

In the long run, I'd really like to get the frame stripped and resprayed as it's really showing its age and some spots of surface rust are causing me concern. I've also got a real hankering for a second bike, which is something I could only dream of in my previous tiny flat. Thinking a nice steel frame road bike but I also have a real soft spot for the pimped up raleigh twentys I've seen on here

re-spacing

Not going to be a problem, don’t worry. And don’t paint the frame, it looks awesome! Just clean and wax it, maybe some linseed oil on the rust spots.

Yeah I do really like the paint as it is, got a nice subtle pearlescent thing too which is lovely, plus having it a bit beaten up is a great theft deterrent. It's kept outside most of the time so I guess I'm just worried about letting it get too much worse but I'll give the linseed oil a go

Decided against re-spacing after talking to a lbs who advised it's not really worth it, providing I don't mind having to wrestle a bit to get the rear wheel in. If that gets annoying and I'm feeling brave I might try the DIY plank of wood method but that scares me. Riding on new wheels felt awesome though, think I've been riding on that knackered old rear hub for about 6 months too long

I've been doing this with the GF's mixte, which is 126 mm spacing and using a 130 mm hub - it isn't much of a bother.

There seems to be a recurring theme of finding out things don't fit and then bending them until they do. Today I fitted a BLB T-rack which looked like a good option as it was similar to the Pelago rack I had my eye on but with the advantage of being cheaper and in stock locally.

Trying to work from home as much as possible but that involves picking up lots of materials to bring home to work on, so picking up a rack this morning, fitting it then loading it up with a load of stuff to take home seemed sensible. I got as far as assembling it before realising that BLB T-racks are categorically not made for 26" bikes with canti brakes:

It did come with plenty of options for attaching to the fork dropouts and fork crown but no arrangement seemed suitable. Luckily my place of work has a big steel vice and lots of tools to bend things with:

I'm pretty happy with it, it seems a lot sturdier for bigger loads than the black jtek one I had before (I've managed to break the same model of rack after loading up a basket doing the big shop). Plus it looks nice and has a little deelie for attaching the front dynamo light which is currently in the post. However the build quality isn't the most inspiring, plenty of dodgy welds and the stays needed a fair bit of straightening up.

Front rack is up for grabs! Feel free to PM to figure out how to get it to you

I'd like to join the queue for that rack if possible

Noted 👍

For the record the BLB rack is also a blatant rip-off of the rack that Pelago designed. And probably made cheaper too, if my previous experience with BLB parts are anything to go by.

Yup - I don't think I'd buy another of those racks in a hurry. Didn't get the impression it was made with much love. It's cheaper than the Pelago but probably still overpriced, all things considered. That said, I definitely pushed it yesterday with the amount of stuff I carried home on it and it seemed to hold up fine, so I'm happy with it (for now)

Think the pics were broken in the previous post, fixed now. I adjusted the angle of the rack since taking them so it's more level now and doesn't interfere with the brake cables.

From what I can tell from your pictures, the welds on my Pelago rack are definitely nicer. I think price and value correlate quite nicely on their products. I have a Stavanger frame as well and it is really well made too.

Really felt like I was pushing the load limits on the new rack and Carradice support this morning! Thought this thread could do with a less shit photo now the bike is approaching its final form:

Struggling to find any 26" Gravelking SKs in black - annoying as they seem like the best choice for the kind of riding I'll be doing on this bike. A couple other options that have caught my eye are Marathon Plus MTB or Continental Traffic II. Any experiences on them?

I've also been scheming on a budget gravel build as my next project. Inspired by @vp1337's Marin (albeit in drop-bar form), I'm currently on the lookout for a 90s steel 700c commuter, or failing that a decent steel tourer with canti bosses. Any leads on that would be most welcome...

Struggling to find any 26" Gravelking SKs in black

I gave up on trying to find those for my Kona and went for Kenda Small Block 8 which i'm pretty happy with so far.

Struggling to find any 26" Gravelking SKs in black

I nabbed the last pair unfortunately.

OT: Looking good! Very functional. I'm not a big fan of tan walls, but I actually think it suits the paint very well.

This is rad. I really like that era of the Courier Comp. What's the biggest tyre you can get on there do you reckon? I've been riding the Billy Bonkers for a year now and have to say I love them. You may not want 'that look' I guess with tan wall, but they roll really quick on road and grip when they need to. But they're also quite fat.

Ooh nice thanks. Kona looks rad too

Oof, lucky! At least they went on a lovely muddy fox tho! Looks great

tbh I stopped being a fan of tan walls about a week after I got them and the rear had already turned black, kind of defeating the point of going for them in the first place.

There's also the continental double fighter.

I reckon I could fit some pretty fat tyres in there. There's a giant gap there with the current 1.75" Paselas on. Currently leaning towards the continental double fighter I think though which aren't really that fat anyway

Fitted the dynamo light yesterday, but wasn't very happy with the mounting bracket that came with the rack from BLB, so spent my lunch break messing around in the workshop and came up with this. Straightened out the original bracket, chopped it down, and (badly) drilled new holes in. It's a lot sturdier now and less dorky looking I reckon, but I didn't really plan it out very well so it now sticks out above the level of the rack, which will be annoying for carrying any large boxes etc. Should be good for now though, and I'll have another go when I find some suitable material and have another lunch break to waste.

I'll also do something smarter with the cable this weekend so please avert your eyes for now

Pictures not working for me.

Lol, literally do that every time. Fixed now I think?

Yep, working fine now.

Nice little hack.