Raleigh Mirage gravel bike build

[Carlton_gang]

Hi everyone,

this is my first time posting a pic of one of my bikes, and it is my finished lockdown project - a raleigh mirage mountain bike that has now got drop bars. I think it fits in best in the MTB section tho.

Aside from the new shifters, bar and quill stem adapter (and seat but that was my fault after crashing) the bike is entirely original, having seen basically no use from new from what I can tell. The paint is immaculate, the components all scratch free.
I'm very happy with the project overall, with the only issues being having to route the cable through the front derailleur differently to get it to index with the road shifter, and also the obvious issue of getting cantilever brakes to work without the integrated hanger in the stem. This was solved with a dia compe adapter which bolts on where the front reflector would go, and also has a hook to catch the straddle wire if the cable breaks - not dirt cheap but highly recommended.
The other new part I used was an ART quill stem adapter which I got from eBay. I specifically chose that one as it still allowed me to use the quill stem mechanism to raise and lower the stem, unlike many of the adapters available. This has worked well and avoided the front end being too low - also highly recommended.

The bike rides great and feels much more stable than when it had the comically short bars on before, and overall was definitely worthwhile

Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Ethan

 

[epicyclo]

Nice job.

What size wheels?

These are well built frames, and ideal for a gravel conversion IMO.

I did a trial fit of 2.1" 650b wheels in a Raleigh Ravine which probably has the same clearances as your bike. There was plenty room.



(Didn't go any further with it because my old Voodoo with sliding dropouts was a better choice - it took a 700c wheel and 2" tyres.)

 

[widowmaker]

Re:

Looks good to me, I'm a fan

I love Raleighs!!

 

[Carlton_gang]

Nice job.

What size wheels?

Thank you , I left the 26 inch wheels it had on there, as they had very little wear on them at all and are reasonably light. The biggest change that I am yet to make is the tyres. It currently has some old chen shin tyres (1.9 inches) on there which probably came with the bike, and they're quite heavy and also a bit dry rotted. They had a lot of tread tho so I decided to use them for summer, and then I think I'll put something like continental double fighters on that are lighter and roll a bit faster on the road.

 

[Carlton_gang]

Re: Re:

Looks good to me, I'm a fan

I love Raleighs!!

Thank you very much. I also like Raleighs, although this is more of an extension of my love of carltons .