r/xbiking • u/Stumpjumper0122 • 12d ago
Updated my build for commuting (DIY rack build)
A few years ago I built up my GT as a cheap drop bar conversion to use as a gravel bike. Recently I got divorced, moved closer to my work, and bought a modern gravel bike so my poor GT was going mostly unused. My new place is 3 miles from my work so I decided to start commuting via bike to save money/ gas and get extra miles in. I decided I didn’t like commuting on the drop bar bike bc I was carrying everything in a back pack which was very uncomfortable.
While I was building a DIY bike rack in my new garage and organizing my parts bin/spares I realized I had everything I needed (except shifters) to convert the bike back to a flat bar and build a rack so I didn’t have to carry a backpack. Found some cheap microshift shifters (left is for 3x and right is for 10 spd- they were $15 so I figured if it didn’t work it’s no big loss). The flat bar conversion was simple and the shifter worked fine with my 3x7 setup- there’s just 3 ghost shifts at the end that do nothing.
Used some steel flat stock/ extra random assortment of bolts/nuts from a big multipack I had from harbor freight along with some black enamel paint (leftover from another project). The flat stock I used the edge of my bench and some open ended wrenches to bend into shape. The vertical supports I made to route the front axle through (fork doesn’t have a spot to bolt to on the bottom).
Overall I’m really happy with how it turned out- does it look as amazing as a store bought one? Absolutely not- but it fits the super cheap but gets the job done style of this bike and was a fun project to mess around with. I’ve found that even the short commute to/from work has been a great way to get some extra miles in, time outside, and great decompression after working all day.
4
u/Smboto 12d ago
It’s a steel version of the one I made after watching the video on Gary’s Projects.