Bicycle Mechanics - How do you "MOD" a bike

Hi everybody this is my first post on the board. I just bought a Trek 820 for fitness and paved trail riding and wanted to know how do people modify a bike. I like to play with cars (I have a Mitsubishi Evolution) so I would like to change stuff, except for the gel seat I need for my big A$$. What are some mods to make this bike get up to speed?

Thanks,
Steve

lighter wheelset, lighters components (crank, f/r derellurer...etc)

I still think your physical ability outweigh the quality of the bike...
and i am still trainning to be better and faster...(i am a slow rider)

except for the gel seat i need for my big A$$. what are some mods to make this bike get up to speed?


You need lots of sweat..... when you no longer need the big gel seat, you will be fast.

hi everybody this is my first post on the board. i just bought a TREK 820 for fitness and paved trail riding and wanted to know how do people modify a bike. i like to play with cars (i have a mitsubishi EVOLUTION) so i would like to change stuff. except for the gel seat i need for my big A$$. what are some mods to make this bike get up to speed?

Thanks,
Steve

Get yourself a fancy wheelset. They're not only functionally faster, but they're also real noticeable so you gain style points.

Now that you've got two wheelsets, you can mount differrent tires on each of them so you can have a lightweight set of raceing tires and a heavier, more puncture resistant set for urban rides.

Good maintainence.
Clean and lube the chain but don't over lube or it will pick up grime.(just lube the rollers well then wipe off excess)
Check spoke tension regularly.(just tap them all with a hard stick and listen for a dull thud(loose spoke) or sharp twang(tight spoke).
Lube the cables and derailer pivets.
Check for tight things getting loose and loose things getting tight(or sloppy loose)
If you don't, it will fall apart in 1/10th its potential lifespan.

And of course adjust the seat height & tilt and if possible handlebar height, a little here and there untill you got it right this is a lot of adjusting but spread over test and tune time(a full ride or two between adjustments after its in the ballpark).

Well steve, your bike certainly is no jap spec. EVO VII since YOU are the motor. :)
So self improvement and just steadily adding on the miles will help nicely tune your motor. But in the meantime, here are some tips to "trick out" your ride.

Twin turbo = regular daily exercise to increase your aerobic ability.
Cold air intake = taking deep breaths.
New rings and smoother pistons = stretching before a ride.
Castro oil = gatorade.
Fancy paint = new jersey and shorts.
Momo steering wheel = carbon handle bar.
Recaro racing seats = San Marco carbon fiber saddle.
Simpson 5-point seat belt system = Giro Atmos helmet.
N.O.S. tank = GU power gel in jersey pocket.
Big ass wing = thin aero wheels.
Tinted windows = oakleys.
Chromed shifter = Dura-Ace STI.
Performance clutch and transmission = dura-ace front and rear drivetrain.
Carbon fiber body panels = carbon fiber monocoupe frame.
Wide Z rated tires = thin high pressure slicks.
18" chromed rims = 700c carbon wheel set.
Stiff racing suspension = easton carbon fork.
Strobes = light & motion HID.
Neon under the car = rear cateye blinker.
Fire extinguisher under glove compartment = patch kit in saddle bag.
Loud truck horn = Air Zond air horn.
Big open exhaust and muffler = breakfast at taco bell.
McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Pagani, Saleen, Mercedes, BMW = Colnago, Litespeed, Look, Pinarello, Serotta, Seven, Titus, De Rosa, Merckx.
Schumacher, Montoya, Barichello, Coulthard = Merckx, Armstrong, Pantini, Hamilton, Ullrich
Laguna Seca, Monza, Monte Carlo, Barcelona = Tour de [insert country here]

I think I got all the bases covered. :)

Seriously though, the 820 is a mtb. Your best bet is to change the tires to thin 1.5" and below slicks that run at a higher pressure.

Get yourself a fancy wheelset. They're not only functionally faster, but they're also real noticeable so you gain style points.

Now that you've got two wheelsets, you can mount differrent tires on each of them so you can have a lightweight set of raceing tires and a heavier, more puncture resistant set for urban rides.

I bought a used bike with slow wheels and the Bontrager Race Lights. So I need a 2nd cassette for the Bontrager. How do I get both sets adjusted so that I can simply swap wheels without readjusting the derailers etc???

I bought a used bike with slow wheels and the Bontrager Race Lights. So I need a 2nd cassette for the Bontrager. How do I get both sets adjusted so that I can simply swap wheels without readjusting the derailers etc???

Most of the time, they'll work without doing anything.

If they don't, it's because one wheelset has a little more space between the outside edge of the locknut and the smallest cog. Figure out which wheelset has the greater space and put a thin washer under the locknut of the other one to make them equal.

trick spoking on your wheels.

Some folks ahve came up with all sorts of designs that can be madde by using atrange spoke setups. I have no clue how they perform, but some of them look rather good.

Well steve, your bike certainly is no jap spec. EVO VII since YOU are the motor. :)
So self improvement and just steadily adding on the miles will help nicely tune your motor. But in the meantime, here are some tips to "trick out" your ride.

Twin turbo = regular daily exercise to increase your aerobic ability.
Cold air intake = taking deep breaths.
New rings and smoother pistons = stretching before a ride.
Castro oil = gatorade.
Fancy paint = new jersey and shorts.
Momo steering wheel = carbon handle bar.
Recaro racing seats = San Marco carbon fiber saddle.
Simpson 5-point seat belt system = Giro Atmos helmet.
N.O.S. tank = GU power gel in jersey pocket.
Big ass wing = thin aero wheels.
Tinted windows = oakleys.
Chromed shifter = Dura-Ace STI.
Performance clutch and transmission = dura-ace front and rear drivetrain.
Carbon fiber body panels = carbon fiber monocoupe frame.
Wide Z rated tires = thin high pressure slicks.
18" chromed rims = 700c carbon wheel set.
Stiff racing suspension = easton carbon fork.
Strobes = light & motion HID.
Neon under the car = rear cateye blinker.
Fire extinguisher under glove compartment = patch kit in saddle bag.
Loud truck horn = Air Zond air horn.
Big open exhaust and muffler = breakfast at taco bell.
McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Pagani, Saleen, Mercedes, BMW = Colnago, Litespeed, Look, Pinarello, Serotta, Seven, Titus, De Rosa, Merckx.
Schumacher, Montoya, Barichello, Coulthard = Merckx, Armstrong, Pantini, Hamilton, Ullrich
Laguna Seca, Monza, Monte Carlo, Barcelona = Tour de [insert country here]

I think I got all the bases covered. :)

Seriously though, the 820 is a mtb. Your best bet is to change the tires to thin 1.5" and below slicks that run at a higher pressure.

That's some funny stuff... :D

You could really pimp your ride by mounting a neon strip on the bottom of your downtube. How sweet would that be?

Well steve, your bike certainly is no jap spec. EVO VII since YOU are the motor. :)
So self improvement and just steadily adding on the miles will help nicely tune your motor. But in the meantime, here are some tips to "trick out" your ride.

Twin turbo = regular daily exercise to increase your aerobic ability.
Cold air intake = taking deep breaths.
New rings and smoother pistons = stretching before a ride.
Castro oil = gatorade.
Fancy paint = new jersey and shorts.
Momo steering wheel = carbon handle bar.
Recaro racing seats = San Marco carbon fiber saddle.
Simpson 5-point seat belt system = Giro Atmos helmet.
N.O.S. tank = GU power gel in jersey pocket.
Big ass wing = thin aero wheels.
Tinted windows = oakleys.
Chromed shifter = Dura-Ace STI.
Performance clutch and transmission = dura-ace front and rear drivetrain.
Carbon fiber body panels = carbon fiber monocoupe frame.
Wide Z rated tires = thin high pressure slicks.
18" chromed rims = 700c carbon wheel set.
Stiff racing suspension = easton carbon fork.
Strobes = light & motion HID.
Neon under the car = rear cateye blinker.
Fire extinguisher under glove compartment = patch kit in saddle bag.
Loud truck horn = Air Zond air horn.
Big open exhaust and muffler = breakfast at taco bell.
McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Pagani, Saleen, Mercedes, BMW = Colnago, Litespeed, Look, Pinarello, Serotta, Seven, Titus, De Rosa, Merckx.
Schumacher, Montoya, Barichello, Coulthard = Merckx, Armstrong, Pantini, Hamilton, Ullrich
Laguna Seca, Monza, Monte Carlo, Barcelona = Tour de [insert country here]

I think I got all the bases covered. :)

Seriously though, the 820 is a mtb. Your best bet is to change the tires to thin 1.5" and below slicks that run at a higher pressure.

now that breaks it down REAL good nice post. what wheels do i get i have the 26" now so is that like 550cc compared to 700cc?

now that breaks it down REAL good nice post. what wheels do i get i have the 26" now so is that like 550cc compared to 700cc?

If you still have the fat knobby tires on the bike, the cheapest thing you can do is simply get a pair of steet slicks. As long as you are riding mostly on pavement, you don't really need tires with knobby off-road tread. A pair of 26x1.5 slicks will make the bike much faster and easier to ride on pavement. You'll likely need smaller tubes also, but those are only a couple $$'s each. I did this to my Trek 4500 and immediately noticed that I cruised on pavement 4-5 mph faster for the same effort.

If you want to spend a little more, you can get a lighter weight set of wheels as well as slick tires. The 26" diameter is pretty standard on a mtb.

700cc is a road wheel size. 26" is what a mtn bike should have.

if your tricking out an mountin bike...as far as upgrades, look at lighter wheels, replacing steel components with aluminum (i love carbon...but am unsure how it will deal with any rigorous off-road use over time as compared to metals), drivetrain upgrades, and of course a better saddle.

Try to get some slicks that's 1.5" or thinner in 26" cause that's how wide your wheel is. The slicks air up to a much higher pressure and make better contact with pavement. However, once u lose the knobs you won't ride as well off road.

That's some funny stuff... :D

You could really pimp your ride by mounting a neon strip on the bottom of your downtube. How sweet would that be?

They make those for bikes, it's an EL strip powered off a 9V battery. :D

Well steve, your bike certainly is no jap spec. EVO VII since YOU are the motor. :)
So self improvement and just steadily adding on the miles will help nicely tune your motor. But in the meantime, here are some tips to "trick out" your ride.

Actually I'd like to tweak Slvoid's advice a bit. Take your engine and turbo out of the Evo and mount it to the bike; I think then you should be able to keep up with the boys in France.

Actually the Gel Seat would be the first thing to go if I was making the changes. For small rides they are ok, anything longer a smaller, harder saddle is more comfortable because of the fact that the support does not give out on a hard saddle unlike a gel seat. Then I would change the handlebars and grips and stem. After that I would go for the drive train, then suspension, then brakes, and finally wheels and tires.

Actually the Gel Seat would be the first thing to go if I was making the changes. For small rides they are ok, anything longer a smaller, harder saddle is more comfortable because of the fact that the support does not give out on a hard saddle unlike a gel seat. Then I would change the handlebars and grips and stem. After that I would go for the drive train, then suspension, then brakes, and finally wheels and tires.

Time for a road bike. =)