“Gravel bikes are just ’80s mountain bikes” is a quip that’s thrown around a lot. As it turns out there’s a fair bit of truth to that as Robert Adair proves with his modification of an old Specialized Stumpjumper into a gravel bike.
Bike restoration videos are a genre unto themselves on YouTube, and if you’re ever looking for bike inspiration or just want a zen moment to watch someone else do something cool, I highly suggest falling down this rabbit hole.
Most of these builds are restorations of old mountain or road bikes to their former glory, which usually entails stripping the bike down to the frame, repainting, fixing and cleaning components, and replacing any bits that are too far gone.
Also watch: The Niner MCR 9 RDO Full Suspension Gravel Bike Was Ahead of Its Time & Now It’s Going Away
But every once in a while someone takes things a step further and truly modifies a bike in a unique way. Robert Adair wanted to give new life to his ’90s Specialized Stumpjumper, a bike which he says he bought in 1999 for two months’ pay, by turning it into a gravel bike.
And he didn’t simply toss on drop bars and call it a day; he turned the cantilever brake bike into a disc brake bike by replacing the fork and brazing a disc brake mount onto the frame. Just keep in mind this is an advanced modification and definitely isn’t something we should all attempt.
Still, it’s well worth a watch as he explains exactly how he modified his bike and how you could too. You might just breathe new life into that old mountain bike collecting dust in the garage.