What to do with this ancient Cannondale MTB?

[scottm]

I bought this at a pawn shop in Merced in about '91-'92, supposedly a high-end bike for it's time. Kinda craptastic now, but I hate to part with my old race bikes. I don't really need another bike, my Epic does everything I need, and this is taking up space.

Thinking of maybe a fixie? Not that I'd ride it much or at all, but what would it take? How do fixie bikes tension the chain without a horizontal dropout?

 

[scottm]

.....

 

[beaufort-fj60]

don't you have a machine shop? make some custom adapters

 

[scottm]

don't you have a machine shop? make some custom adapters

I build chain tensioners for some of my machines, could just do that, or leave the derailleur, wondered what was common in this conversion.

 

[mtnsurfer]

Put some fenders and a rack on it, and use it for short trips around town.

 

[rutbeer]

Chop it, channel it, and stetch it....cruiser bike!

 

[4XLT]

Put some of these tires on it and go from trails to beach!

And take a riding partner:

That bikini body on a bike might go over like a fart in church in Kirk Park or Holland State Park though...

 

[scottm]

I'm between Holland and Saugatuck, conservative and liberal, heaven and hell. Those tires look wider than the 2.5" that barely fits in this frame.

 

[tcb]

I'm between Holland and Saugatuck, conservative and liberal, heaven and hell. Those tires look wider than the 2.5" that barely fits in this frame.

yeah, looks like a Surly Pugsley to me.

 

[RHINO]

scott its a simple tensioner like this example that bolts to your rear derailer hanger.
SURLY SINGLEATOR at JensonUSA.com

 

[2mbb]

Put some fenders and a rack on it, and use it for short trips around town.

x2 on making it a townie. That's what I did with my first MTB. I took the knobbies off and put on some slicks, rear rack and some shopping bag panniers.

 

[tonkota]

put a lumber rack on it and haul 2x4s from the hardware store.
konaworld

 

[american psycho]

put a shimano 8-speed internal on the back, single ring up front (middle ring mounted on the outside of your 3x cranks), get a chain tensioner if you need it, get a rack for the back (tap that fat aluminum drop out no problem), riser bars, paint it some other color like olive drab or burnt orange, and put lots of stickers on it.

Chain Tensioners and Guides at JensonUSA.com - Your Mountain & Road Bike online parts supplier!

fixies are for posers.

 

[scottm]

Or I could just ride it as is, why make it look like something I guess. It's currently a six-speed, kinda stiff shifting but it'll do it. The dropouts are tapped, I think there are upper mounts as well I could use for an old rack I have. No need for a townie, I'm six miles from the nearest store, not a likely use for me. I did hold onto my Burley trailer, always thought I could make a grocery hauling trailer if I went full hippy some day.

 

[General Sherman]

I bought this at a pawn shop in Merced in about '91-'92, supposedly a high-end bike for it's time. Kinda craptastic now, but I hate to part with my old race bikes. I don't really need another bike, my Epic does everything I need, and this is taking up space.

Thinking of maybe a fixie? Not that I'd ride it much or at all, but what would it take? How do fixie bikes tension the chain without a horizontal dropout?

I had that same bike. Bought it new in 1991 (i think) I remember that paint job was way cool. The fade from light to dark was state of the art. It originally came with thumb shifters, so someone has replaced the shifter with the ones you have now. It also looks like you have a pretty rare 1" threaded headset from Salsa. Way cool upgrade from back in the day. Also, That generation Shimano XT woulds last forever. Newer shimano stuff was built with weaker springs to make it less compatible with competing component companies. Those derailleurs seem to last forever. For the truly old school in the know, I still use a Suntour front derailleur on my hard tail. It has never let me down.

 

[scottm]

Not much is original, I upgraded most everything. The original headset didn't hold up because of the short tube, I liked a smaller frame for speed, just sucked up the abuse it gave me, still won races against full-sus guys. I've put better bikes into the recycling bins, but I always had spare bikes. I'll be down to one bike if I scrap this, although my son never rides the hardtail I bought him.