dlfynrdr

I bought a KHS Elite 100 recently and I LOVE it!!! I got it used because of the aluminum frame and I wanted to upgrade later when I had some spare cash. But I never go offroad with it. I got it because I'm a pretty big fella, and in my younger days I was having bad luck with the skinny little road tires blowing out on me whenever I hit a pot hole. I use my bike only for commuting, which I do every day, So I thought I'd give a hybrid tire a try. More efficient than what I have now, and still tough enough not to blow out every bump I hit, I hope. What do you think? The manufacture specs say my bike is supposed to have a 26 X 2.0. Would another size tire fit it? I was also thinking of upgrading the brakes to disk brakes and the 7 speeds to 9. Any suggestions?

RT

I am 6'1" and 210 and run 1.5" tires on my MTB wheels. Forte (Performance) also makes a nice 2.0" hybrid tire in the VersaTrac.

dabac

Sure. Sheldon Brown has some recommendations regarding recommended tire vs rim widthhttps://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html but there's usually quite a lot of leeway. There's not always that much to be gained by going to skinnier tires though.

A quick google didn't turn up any KHS Elite, but it did show me a KHS ALITE mtb available in 7 speed. But upgrading that one will cost you. The fork seems to be able to take a disc brake, but you'd need to replace the wheel(well, the hub at least) too. Then if you want a hydraulic brake it looks like you'd have to replace the shifter and the brake as well, as it looks like you've got an integrated shifter/brake combo. Can't find any pic good enough to tell if the frame even would take a rear disc.
As for upgrading from 7 to 9: according to spec your bike has a freewheel, and to be able to fit a 9-spd cassette you'd need a freehub. So no 9 for you unless you replace the rear wheel(well, the hub at least) too. And you'd need a new rear shifter/brake too.

Bill Kapaun

Your plan is about the most expensive possibleway to go!

CACycling

+1 on the Forte VersaTrac/K tires. I put them on my MTB when I returned to cycling last year and put 1,000 miles on them before switching to road bikes for most of my riding. Pump them up to their 65 psi max and they roll very smooth. Never flatted with them and have installed them on the rest of the family's MTBs now.

If you have narrower rims (20mm), you could also go with the Forte Fast City ST/K 26 x 1.25. I put a set of those on my wife's hybrid and she loved them. At 90 psi they roll very nicely.

Doing the other upgrades you are considering would not be cost effective in my opinion. A lot of money to put into an entry level bike plus the frame doesn't look to have disk mounts. Stash away the money you would be using to upgrade as you get it and wait till you have enough to buy a bike with the components you want.