From a $20 Frame to a Wireless Gravel Bike
6 minutesA few years ago, working as a mechanic at my local bike shop, I spotted a beautiful bike. It was a bright red vintage road frame that had been adapted to fit some modern rim brakes and wireless shifting. It had deep dish carbon wheels and looked very clean. It left me inspired to build something similar someday.
Later, I joined a group on Facebook called Gravel bike Conversion from old 26r MTBs and I saw lots of people slamming 700c wheels into 26" frames. It was also particularly inspiring, but I didn't see a suitable frame for a long time.
A little over two years ago, I was browsing the St. George Bicycle Collective with my buddy Nick when we spotted this leaning against the wall.
It was a 26" steel frame that somebody seemed to have put 700c wheels into without a second thought as to if it was designed for that or not. I snapped this photo, and promised myself I would come back for it. When I came back two months later, the frame was in the recycling pile without the wheels. I asked about it, and after knocking out the headset, they agreed to sell it to me for $20. The wheels and tires were an additional $10. It felt like a steal.
I took it home and threw on a bunch of spare parts I had. It was pretty wonky: 1x11 with some old road brakes, just a front U-brake, and a used flattop chain. I 3D-printed a 31.6mm shifter clamp so the mountain bike shifter I had would fit the bars. I rode it for a few weeks until I left for my mission in Honduras.
The Singlespeed Era
When I got back, I didn't have very much money and this was the only bike I had. I spent ~$70 on Amazon and found some used tires at the Bicycle Collective, plus a few extras. I got a chainring for $10 (38T) and a singlespeed kit + tensioner for about $25 (18T). The saddle and bar tape came from Amazon too. Everything else I either had floating around or was at the Bicycle Collective. This singlespeed setup took me almost a thousand miles in 2025.
A few changes were made; tires and wheels eventually came along.
Going Wireless
Come July 2026, I knew I would be leaving my job at the local bike shop again, and I wanted to do something cool (and I needed some cash). I took the opportunity to really customize the heck out of this frame. SRAM had also just released their new Eagle series, which included the S500 AXS derailleur. I really wanted to become more familiar with the S-Series lineup (which replaced SX, NX, GX, X01, and XX1). I ordered the S500 derailleur and the S200 chain, as well as the AXS Blip Buttons.
Ultimately, the changes were as follows:
- SRAM NX Cassette (12 speed, HG driver) — spare/free
- SRAM DUB Bottom Bracket (68mm) — normally $40, but got shop pricing
- SRAM Descendant Cranks — spare/free
- Evosid 3-bolt Chainring (40T) — $30
- Ergon Gravel Bar Tape — $40
- Redshift Cruise Control Handlebar Inserts — $40, but got shop pricing
- SRAM AXS S500 Derailleur — $390, but got shop pricing
- SRAM S200 Chain — ~$30
- SRAM Blip Buttons — ~$100
- 3D-printed Blip holders
One of the reasons I went with Blip buttons was because this was a rim brake bike. There's no way to use a standard AXS brifter without hydraulic brakes, so I designed a custom adapter for the Shimano brake levers I had that would allow the Blip buttons to slide into place. I 3D printed a few versions, and settled on one that fit well.
Normally Blip buttons require a secondary shifter to pair with a derailleur in an AXS system, but they communicate directly with the derailleur. To get around this, I paired a spare AXS pod controller to the system, paired the Blip buttons, and then got everything running before pairing the AXS pod to another bike at the shop. The Blip buttons continued working without the main shifter!
I took this bike on a few rides and really enjoyed it. It was pretty fun to have gears again.
The Original Owner
The craziest thing happened at the end, when I listed this bike for sale. I ended up getting $900 for it ($100ish in profit over two years of spending).
One guy reached out on Facebook Marketplace claiming the bike was his. His name was Kendall.
Kendall
Crazy, that's my old 1996 Novara mtn bike. Tange Prestige tube sets. I paid $300 for the Vicious fork to replace the original Manitou 1" travel suspension fork. I might be tempted to buy it back except for its 26" wheels. Good luck selling, that Prestige tubing is sweet.
Isaac
Woah! I've wondered for a long time what it was. I've been riding it for about two years and I've changed it several times. When did you last see it?
Kendall
IIRC I donated the frame and fork to st geo bicycle collective about 8 years ago.
In late '90s I was barreling down little cottonwood canyon up in SLC, the trail in the bottom called Hell Hole (or sth like that) trying to keep up with crazy younguns. Got big air off a rock and landed bad, taco'd front wheel, ripped out a cantilever brake boss, and broke my collar bone. Got the canti boss repaired and painted frame. It was originally a lime green and grey. It was REI's top comp bike. I replaced fork in 2004ish. Those early elastomer forks were a joke compared to today but we sure thought they were the shizzle.
Tap your fingernail along the top tube, sounds like crystal. I'm guessing butting was ~8-5-8, It is a superb frame. Too big for most folks, I'm 6'4".
Ultimately, I was able to find a photo of one of these frames with the original paint. I guess it sat at the Bicycle Collective for a really long time before they decided to scrap it.
It was probably one of the most insane connections I've ever made with somebody online.
Extras
Here are some extras, if you want some eye candy.
Then of course there's the video from last time: