Looking at a few options for a light(er) 700c gravel cruiser. My Karate Monkey is nice, but the big meats, and heavy frame are a little overkill for speedy gravel cruising. My LHT has been assigned to gravel duty in the past, but it's not ideal either. A while ago I started thinking about building up a gravel specific machine, and seeing if I could do it from the parts bin. While cleaning the garage today, an idea came.
Take the old faithful Antelope frame, the touring wheels from a Miyata 100LT I sold, and some Nitto mustache bars. I'm thinking about a 1X8 drivetrain. I don't need a huge gear range, but it would be nice to compensate for slight inclines/decline, and for the wind.
The 700c wheel actually fit well in the frame, although I don't think fenders will be an option. Not that I really want any for this specific build either. I've got some Shimano bar end shifters I could use, and some Shimano 600 brakes that are in pretty nice shape. I'll need a new stem, as this one puts the bars a bit too far forward. You'll also notice a stem extender in there. This frame is really too small for me, by a long shot. But, with the seat-post extension, and the stem extender, it's a pretty nice fit. Add those 700c wheels, and this thing has about an inch more BB clearance that the Karate Monkey. This might just turn into a really sweet, nice and fast gravel machine.
