Great build mate. Nice to see a drop bar conversion as a change

Great looking conversion, glad you managed to get the post out and sort the brakes!

Gravel Bikes are just monster cross with a Strava account 🤣

Part of the issue, in my opinion, is the fact that you are using "non-aero" lever. They are at a mechanical disadvantage. I would also triple check that the pull ratio is correct.

Tektro makes an uglier, but superior performing, gum hood aero lever. It would also clean up the cable routing as well.

Great video as always, and thanks for showing not only the smooth/trouble free parts of a build but for also including the issues and problems that present themselves on most builds. It makes your videos approachable and relatable. Well done!

Those brake levers were designed for caliper brakes. Its just another compromise when you convert to gravel. I dare say not as many people need a gravel bike as say they do. It's a one tool in the shed option IMHO. As far as the bar tape goes, experience will imoprove the results. On bar end shifters, you have to pull and stretch from the first wind to the last. 😎

Top tip, place the spacer above the stem and the cap on top and you can get good headset compression to get the stem working, while you source the right spacer 👍

drill a cable housing sized hole in the stem to route your front brake cable down to the canti hanger. Nice build. Nice bike.

10/10 Coffee cup.  

Good build and don't worry too much about the bar tape, redoing bar tape with something completely different is a low effort, inexpensive way of making the whole bike feel new again.

Great project!

Trying to find a xl frame used bike online iz really hard because you can't tell the frame size by looking at the front steering tube length like with road bikes.

The pull ratio on a road bike lever is different to that of a mountain bike lever which is why the brakes don’t work as well. Tandems often use a Brake Booster which attaches on the caliper and improves the ratio to assist with stopping. Google it 👍🏼 Bike turned out great by the way, beside the fenders and the Gold finger was a nice touch 😉👍🏼

Turned out nice.

Instead of drop bars i cut mine off to make bull horns and I added time trial brake levers. 2 on each side. The cable goes through the inner set to the bar end levers. Its way better than it was when I had drops

Nice. Braking is just a suggestion on some canti set ups 🙂

Bro. 💯 Nondrive_side here bud. Deja Vu vibes.  Spokes polish is best with tin foil and oil

Think you could even go a size narrower. I would for the roads I ride. Znd have a set alike these in case I have a period I want to ride different routes.

If it does for you what you need it to do... Always said,  wished as a kid I'd turned my rigid mtb towards a gravelbike. Would have made more sense for the terain I used it for. For city stuff, upright, full fenders, closed chainguard.,The practical outfit. Would not put fenders on this one. It is either full or none for me. When I ride for fun, usualy nice weather or else I get dirty to take a nice warm shower afterwards. So no fenders on funride and training bikes.

I have the feeling the stem is too short now as you're close to hitting your leg with the shifters when steering.

The frames on most MTBs are too long for drops. I'd also fit V brakes and levers because cantis just about slow down a bike a little bit if it's dry and everything is clean and you give them plenty of notice, usually in writing. I wouldn't waste the time, I have an 80s touring bike that I can fit with cyclo cross tyres and that just works. I'd keep a bike that was designed around flat bars on flat bars.

It looks lovely but fitting brakes that work worse than my 50s tandem is a bold choice 🤣

Very lucky with the seat post... Whats that gold polish at the end please