Mountain Biking - Question about my crankset

hey guys, my bike is a 06 specialized rockhopper comp (specs:http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2006&spid=21740), Ive been doing alot of searching and reading alot on making my bike alittle more road oriented since im from nyc and i doubt im ever going to hit the trails. I know that the best option is to just get a road bike but im kinda attached to this bike and my apt can only fit one. Ive already switched to 1.5 tires and im planning to swap out the suspension for kona project 2s since i always lock it out anyways (plus i get to save some weight up front). The next plan is to swap out the cassette for a roadie's and get a 48/36/26 crankset upfront...then further down the road ill probably swap the riser to a drop bar and MAYBE swap the 26" to probably the mavic speedcitys with the brake adjuster adapters.

questions:

I know that the cassette shouldnt be a problem aslong as i stick to a 9 speed but is replacing the RD recommended?

Am I able to just replace the individual crankrings instead of replacing the whole crankset?

Is there a 26" wheelset that will allow me to fit road thin tires?

lemme thank everyone in advance for their help on this topic and please any advice besides "just get a road bike" would be greatly appreciated. thanks again =)

thats just cruel. doing that sort of a thing to a MTB. The right thing to do is to take it out to pasture and let her go. No MTB should have to live with the embarrassment of being a "road bike"

thats just cruel. doing that sort of a thing to a MTB. The right thing to do is to take it out to pasture and let her go. No MTB should have to live with the embarrassment of being a "road bike"

How much do you think i can get if i do decide to let her go?

I know that the cassette shouldnt be a problem aslong as i stick to a 9 speed but is replacing the RD recommended?

For optimal shifting with a true road cassette, yes. I'd rather run an IRD 11-28 and leave the RD alone.


Am I able to just replace the individual crankrings instead of replacing the whole crankset?

Yes, but it may not save you much compared to a complete crankset.


Is there a 26" wheelset that will allow me to fit road thin tires?

When traveling, I take my hardtail with a knobby wheelset and a slick wheelset. 26x1.0-ish tires fit fine on a 21.5-22mm wide XC rim. I don't think I'd run anything smaller than 26x1.25-ish on the 23.5-24mm wide rims. I'm not sure but I think the spec'ed Sun Mach 4 rims would be OK. My Sun 0-degree XC's are a bit on the wide side.

If you're going to do anything more, stop. Buy a road bike. The switching to drop bars and all won't be worth it.

thanks cachehiker, alot of people are recommending the same thing. the current route is to go 11-28 like you said and change to rigid fork and bar ends then call it a day :) thanks for your help :thumb:

Definatley dont put drop bars on the mounty.
We'd all hear it cry in shame.

Definatley dont put drop bars on the mounty.
We'd all hear it cry in shame.

yea ive decided not to...thanks for your input :D

That's funny...I put risers on my roadie, haha.

That's funny...I put risers on my roadie, haha.

lol are you getting flamed for it? I Xed the drop bar idea and just went with bar ends...i definitely like the extra position and control