Gravelfy me
Initially I bought my Shand Cylces Bahookie frame to build it up as short travel hardtail mountainbike. At some point I had it equipped with a 120mm fork, a dropper post and grippy 2.8″x 650B tyres. But as I started commuting the full distance to work every day, I step by step exchanged parts.
In the latest configuration it had a rigid carbon fork, aerobars, fast rolling XC tyres and the 34T oval chainring (the biggest I could fit on the frame).
That still was to offroady for what I face while commuting. So I started looking into Gravel bikes: For one they are better suited for mostly road use and they supposedly have a more upright riding position than pure road bikes. Before spending a lot of money on a new frame, wheels, etc. I decided to see if dropbars would work for me in the first place.
So I went parts hunting and here’s what I ordered:
- Continental Terra Speed Protection 40x700C
- GRX brake/shift levers
- Wolftooth Tanpan
- Jagwire brake hose and adapter kit
- Procraft RR Pro Compact dropbars
- Control Tech Falcon TRI aerobars
- Deda grip tape
Tyres
Bahookie front end 
Bahookie rear end
Coming from an MTB background the 40x700c tyres look super skinny even on 25mm rims. I selected the Continental Terra Speed ProTection tyres because I intend to use them mostly on pavement and I didn’t feel comfortable with pure slicks. Compared to the Speed Kings they accelerate quicker and have a higher pitched hum to them. The smaller width and higher pressure make for a significantly ‘harder’ riding experience.
ProTection means they have a higher puncture resistance and the rubber is the iconic Black Chili Compound, which should provide low rolling resistance, good grip and last longer. With the cream coloured sidewalls the tyre look even lighter and are a good match to the light green of the frame.
I set them up tubeless, which was a cinch, since they fit snuggly on the rims. I could probably have inflated them with a pocket pump.
Have I mentioned that I love the smell of new Conti tyres?
Mullet brakes and shifting
I wanted to keep a 1x drive train, so I decided to only have shifting capability in the right lever. The left lever is setup to act as a remote for an optional dropper post, but it can’t operate a front derailleur. I chose the RX810 levers, because they have the ServoWave feature, which shortens the initial stroke until the brake pads make contact with the rotor. This is not only a nice to have feature but in my case is essential, as I planned to combine the levers with XTR calipers I still have. I wanted to do this with regard of a future gravel frame I have my eyes on. This is also where the Jagwire hose and adapter kits come into play. I needed two different adapter kits because neither has all the parts to attach the hose on both ends for this mullet brake.
The mullet setup continues with the derailleur. There is a difference in cable pull between (Shimano) road and MTB components (at least for the rear mech). So you can’t just combine them. That’s why I bought the Wolftooth Tanpan. I translates the cable pull from the GRX to match the requirements of the SLX derailleur.
Wolftooth Tanpan 
Wolftooth Tanpan on an SLX rear mech
The Tanpan can be inserted either directly at the rear mech or anywhere between shifter and mech, when used with a little ferrule. The clever design allows for the shift cable to easily loop around the roller and be clamped with a little screw. Installation is simple enough and takes less than 2 minutes. After that all you have to do is fix the cable to the mech and adjust the derailleur.
I found the clutch causes the chain catch at times when shifting to a bigger sprocket. For now I leave it off and look into reducing the tension a bit. My goal was to make the shifting work. Everything else is a bonus.
As I use a 12speed cassette and derailleur with a 11speed shifter, I locked the biggest sprocket out by adjusting the limit screw. So effectively I have a 11speed drivetrain with a 34T oval chain ring and a 46-10 cassette. This should be enough range for commuting with an occasional detour over back roads.
Cockpit
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cockpit setup
The first thing of the new parts that I installed, were actually the dropbars. I did this before I even unboxed the other parts, because I wanted to see, if this this could actually work for me. The bars have a short reach and drop and are only 420 mm wide. The first bend is rather tight, so they provide a good horizontal length to hold onto. To me they are quite a change from the 740mm I had before, but the felt very comfortable on my short shake down ride today.
The stem is still just 45mm long, which is a very odd combination with the road bars. My main goal with this conversion is to sit more upright on the bike and take the pressure off my palms and shoulders. By being able to bring my hands closer together on the handlebars I hope to achieve this. In the long run I plan to get a different frame. One that is better suited for a gravel bike and a quite bit shorter.
I made two mistakes:
- I cut the hose for the front brake a bit short. 5-10 cm more would have been better
- I started wrapping the bar tape from the top and so the edge of the tape is facing against the hand at the first bend
The Control Tech aerobars have enough vertical offset as not to block the top of the dropbars. I like that the extensions dip downwards before they bend upwards. This feels more comfortable than without that dip.
The armrest can be adjusted by using different holes underneath the pads to attach them to the base. Slotted holes allow for a small degree of rotation as well. By swapping the vertical piece between the clamp on the dropbars and the extension you can adjust them vertically in 20mm increments.
I did a short shake down ride to brake in the pads and see if anything needs adjusting. The initial impression is very good. But I still feel I the frame could/should be a little shorter and the 40mm tyre look lost in the MTB fork and the frame. Maybe next bike season I build a proper gravel bike.
DISCLAIMER: I don’t have any affiliation with any of the companies or brands mentioned. I bought all the parts you see in the pictures from my own money and I don’t get any compensation for this article.
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