Bicycle Mechanics - poor boy conversion suggestions

Don't laugh -- I have a Trek 4300 ATB, which I purchased under the recommendations of the local dealer. I explained at the time I purchased the bike that I was looking for something on which to begin road riding, and he steered me into the ATB, explaining that it would be "more comfortable" for me than a traditional road bike. Last year I rode over 1,200 miles (all road or bike path), including one century. It has become painfully clear that I have purchased the wrong bike. I haven't the budget to upgrade to a more suitable road bike this year, and thought of perhaps changing certain features of my bike to at least make it somewhat more practical for its current use. Can anyone suggest modifications such as tires, etc. which might get me by for another year until I can see clear to buy the "right bike"? I would certainly appreciate any advice you might give!

I'd go back and biach to them about it. Then invest in a set of tires.
What is your current setup? Your bike's almost the same as my specialized hardrock, I basically put a pair of 1.95" semi-slicks on it and it goes way faster. I can keep up with roadies up to about 20mph.
You'll find a much better ride with a pair of slicks on your bike. Aside from that, dial your suspension all the way up to it's stiffest. You can probably go as thin as 26x1.25. It'll be the best 40 bucks you ever spent.

Check out Ibex bicycles www.ibexbikes.com . they have road bikes for as little as 429 bucks(i think) and you get a 7005 Aluminum frame, 24 speed Sora, Truvativ triple crankset, and tektro brakes. Not a bad deal to get you into REAL road riding. If that is too much, swap out the tires for slicks, look into a rigid fork(not too much greenbacks, i think), and some bigger front chainwheels.

Either that, or try to find a used road bike. Garage sales and thrift stores, in particular tend to result in the best deals, should they have a good bike...

I'd get a new LBS. You told these guys what you were looking for, and they steered you to something else. Better yet, abandon bike shops altogether, learn to work on your own bikes, and find a decent used bike in your size. The idea of running slicks is a good idea; in fact, if the shop didn't offer to shift the tires on the ATB from knobbies to slicks when you bought the thing, after explaining to them you were gonna ride on the road, I'd say they are a hopeless excuse for a bike shop and deserve exactly 0$ of your patronage in the future.

Don't laugh -- I have a Trek 4300 ATB, which I purchased under the recommendations of the local dealer. I explained at the time I purchased the bike that I was looking for something on which to begin road riding, and he steered me into the ATB, explaining that it would be "more comfortable" for me than a traditional road bike. Last year I rode over 1,200 miles (all road or bike path),

Looks like you've gotten some good suggestions so far, I'll echo a lot of them. I too ran the roads alot on my trusty ol Jamis Dakota MTB. Last year, I really started putting miles on it, 30 mile loops on country roads.

Things I did to really improve it:

-Semi slick tires, added about 1-2 mph onto my average. Riding at 80 psi is a lot different then at 45'ish
-New cassette for the rear, more high end (its only a 7 speeder)
-Nice saddle. Not plushy, good and solid. I'm gonna slap a Brooks on mine sometime this year
-Eggbeater pedals and a good set of shoes
-Swapped the stem and bars for better positioning. Added longer bar ends.

Its still a very enjoyable bike to ride and is my primary commuter scooter and the bike I'll take out for MUT rides.

Keep your eyes open for a good used road ride. Now that spring has sprung, the garage sales will be poppin. Bargains can be found.

Don't laugh -- I have a Trek 4300 ATB, which I purchased under the recommendations of the local dealer. I explained at the time I purchased the bike that I was looking for something on which to begin road riding, and he steered me into the ATB, explaining that it would be "more comfortable" for me than a traditional road bike. Last year I rode over 1,200 miles (all road or bike path), including one century. It has become painfully clear that I have purchased the wrong bike. I haven't the budget to upgrade to a more suitable road bike this year, and thought of perhaps changing certain features of my bike to at least make it somewhat more practical for its current use. Can anyone suggest modifications such as tires, etc. which might get me by for another year until I can see clear to buy the "right bike"? I would certainly appreciate any advice you might give!


My advice differs a little from the others. Semislicks mean different things to different people. Skip over tires with any nobs at all. Go straight to a 90 PSI slick tread (rain grooves arefine, but not necessary). Here are some pages with examples of fast tires:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=18318

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=2314

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=1443

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=15304

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=2314

I have run both IRC metros and a performance slick, and both were great. Ne tires could cost you anywhere from $20-$40.

I would go with something as thin as your rims can handle. I run 26 X 1.25 90PSI tires, and they are fast and stable. The other thing you may want to replace with the newfound speed from your slim tires is the rear cluster (cassette). You could put a 11-27 on instead of the 12-30 or 32 that your bike is running now. ($35-$45).

Finally for a little more weight savings and speed you could swap your fork out for a rigid fork. Bikeman.com has some rigid forks for $45 on up. The $59 Kona fork is pretty nice and would save you about 2 pounds on the front end. Bikeman.com is a small bike shop in Miane, so if you do not want to order from a large catalog company, you do not have to worry about it with them.

http://www.bikemannetwork.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BIKEMAN&Category_Code=COMPFKMTNR

I like local bike shops, so if you could find a good one in your area, they could probably help you out the best, but it sounds like the one you found is not that great. If you want to do the work yourself, none of these changes are that hard. You just need a couple of special tools, and I think there is a post somewhere on this site, that describes how to swap out the crown races without a special tool.

Happy riding.

I'd make a couple of suggestions....

#1 Find an LBS that will LISTEN to you and not steer you to whatever they want to sell.

#2 If you are wanting to go to a road bike find out the size that you need, your GOOD LBS is essential for this. See what they have for last years models or used road bikes, you never know what you are going to find.

#3 If you don't have the budget to buy at your GOOD LBS, check out Ebay. Knowing your size beforehand will be a huge help. You can find some great deals there but you have to know what you are looking for.

#4 If the budget doesn't permit a new/used bike here are two big things to change on your current bike. Go to narrow/slick tires on your MTB, add multi position bar ends to your handlebars. These will give you the best improvment for your buck.

Semper Fi

I just wrote a long post, but for some reason it timed out...
Basically:
Slicks
Bar Ends
Toe Clips
Tighten up suspension if still set for "off roading"

Check garage sales/thrift stores.

My first suggestion, like several of the other posters, would be 1 1/2" wide slick tires. You can actually get some skinnier ones, but 1 1/2" is about as narrow as you can go without starting to look goofy.

My second suggestion would be to think about your position on the bike. Once you get over about 12MPH, most of your energy goes to overcome air resistance. If you can drop your torso even a little, it will have a major benefit. If your knees aren't going to hit your belly, try to get your handlebar height equal to or 1 or 2 inches below your seat height. Taking a hack saw to narrow your bars a bit helps too. Just don't get carried away. generally you can take off about 3/4" before you start having problems with shifter and handgrip space.

Never underestimate the value of an alternate hand position. The simplest bar ends will allow you to rotate your wrists 90 degrees every so often. On any ride over about 20 minutes you'll like that. Most riser bars sweep back too much to install bar ends without looking goofy again.

Good luck!

Slicks (1.5" is a good compromise speed/comfort)
toe clips: For $10 you get a whole lot of the way towards clipless efficiency for 1/10 of the price.
bar-ends/lower your bars.
Pick up a fixed fork. You may still be able to find a good steel fork kicking around bike shops, from when people converted to suspension. Bad ones are heavy and too stiff for comfort.

If you do look for a used road bike, make sure you get the right style. Do you need a competition style, or a more practical commuter with rack and fender fittings.

I ride Tom slicks, 26X1 inch. No problems at all and very fast.

Good luck,

ehenz

Depending on your rim size, you could go to a 1" front tire, not sure what rims come on a 4300, keep em pumped up to a higher pressure.
Your bike obviously had a front shock, you can usually pick up a steel fork for next to nothing, you are going against the trend there, maybe $15 or $20 for a yanked off from another lbs. run a pair of bar ends and you should be close to a decent road ripper, if you are looking for higher gearing, sadly thats not as cheaply done. even used cranks are going to cost you a bit more than it is worth.

Or keep on stuffing your spare money away and start talking to another LBS if you can, try an find one that would take your bike in on a trade? wuld reduce the purchase price a bit for you. Good luck.

Scoob

the biggest tire i would run on those rims would be a 26X 1.75. Nothing less then that.

the biggest tire i would run on those rims would be a 26X 1.75. Nothing less then that.

Why?

Many of us who commute on MTBs run 1.25" tires regularly over many miles and rough roads with no problems.

i had 1.35" Hutchinson Acrobat cyclocross semi-slicks on my MTB... so, so, so much faster than knobbies! I logged tons of miles in them and never got a flat (knock on wood). I suppose bar ends will help some... put your plastic toeclips back on.

Other than that, Instead of trying to concert... i say look for a good used roadie..you can get good deals like these

trek elance 400t (what i have) - 150$
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3669753605&category=58093&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

bianchi - 250$
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3669336260&category=58092&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

bianchi - 250$
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3668224792&category=7298&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWA%3AIT&rd=1

Sell the Trek on Ebay. Take whatever you get for it and re-invest it into a used bike on Ebay or elsewhere.

55/Rad

If it was my bike I would go with;
1) Skinny road tires
2) Change stem +-6 degree rise or so
3) Change handlebars to something with more hand positions for long hauls

I'm running a 2004 Trek 4300 with Continental Sport Contact (http://www.conti-tyres.co.uk/conticycle/tyreinformation/sport%20contact.htm) slicks - 26x1.3. These are very fast compared to the knobbies.

I'm changing my bar and stem, the ride position is too high for my liking. Besides that, it's a fantastic bike for the price.

If it was my bike I would go with;

3) Change handlebars to something with more hand positions for long hauls

Those handlebars are interesting but i just can't figure out how they work. Properly mounted would one "level" be even with the stem while the other "level" is higher? lower? It would help to see it on a bike.

Chuckie

It's an old bullhorn bar, a throw back to the late 80's, early 90's.

You mount them so the ends are higher than where the stem mounts. I actually liked them and they offered a myriad of hand positions. When your hands were on the lowers, they acted as good branch blockers.

L8R

Check out Ibex bicycles www.ibexbikes.com . they have road bikes for as little as 429 bucks(i think) and you get a 7005 Aluminum frame, 24 speed Sora, Truvativ triple crankset, and tektro brakes. Not a bad deal to get you into REAL road riding. If that is too much, swap out the tires for slicks, look into a rigid fork(not too much greenbacks, i think), and some bigger front chainwheels.


fuji has a $360 model.