noyb72

Hello,

My second post, was directed to this section by the guys in the commuter section. I have a Diamondback Edgewood that I want to modify. I am pretty good with a wrench but haven't turned one on a bike for 25 years or so. I've done some research so I will try to give as much information as possible.

1. Primary issue is the fork. It is a SunTour 63mm comfort fork that is way to soft for my weight, I would like to install a rigid fork but the SunTour is 1 1/8" threaded and I can't find a rigid replacement to fit for the life of me. I have read that their are shims that will let me use 1" forks and that would be fine. I just need to get rid of the SR.

2. I can outspin the 48t chainring anytime I am on less than flat ground. I want to install a 52t triple chainring, I have found a few options in the 60-70 dollar range, I just need to know which one. The bike has a SunTour SR NEX208 which is compatible with a square 122.5mm bottom bracket.I will change whatever I need to.

3. I need to get rid of the suspension seat post because it won't allow me to pivot the seat and I realized how uncomfortable a not level seat is after I lifted my seat.

I understand that I am putting lipstick and rhinestones on a pig, and I'm OK with that. I've put over 500 miles on the bike and it fits me like a glove. I ride 30 miles round trip Mon through Fri and I am working hard to average 15 MPH, currently I'm at 13.5 or their abouts.

I appreciate your opinions and any help you can give me.

Thanks in advance.

Ron

xenologer

1 1/8 forks are common
I'd stay away from shims and reducers
here's a suspension corrected fork thats workable; its's threadless though so you'll need a new headset and stem (still, better than 1"reducer and new headset)
https://aebike.com/product/dimension-...k0086-qc30.htm

square taper cranks, just use whatever the derailer will fit

seatpost, available at nearest LBS

noyb72

Great!

My LBS told me I would have to modify my frame with a tool I'd have to buy for them. Needless to say I'm looking for a new LBS. Can someone walk me through the conversion to threadless?

So do I need cranks and the whole deal or can I replace the riveted rings with bolted?

Any advantage to a specific material or type of post? I have a dream of a brooks dual rail compound sprung saddle if that matters.

I appreciate the help more than you know.

Ron

Bill Kapaun

Your bike has (according to bikepedia.com) a 14-28 Freewheel in back.
Switch to a 13-28 for about $20.
That's about a 7% increase in high gear.
Your crank swap is a lot more $ for an 8% increase.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...&condition=new

noyb72

Well,
Chalk that up to more bum dope. My LBS also told me that I couldn't replace my freewheel, I would have to buy a new wheel and cartridge, they said they could do it for just under 100.00! The money I'll save on this will let me get SPD petals and shoes, and probably go toward the threadless conversion.

Once again, thanks.

Ron

Ron

Bill Kapaun

Actually, pedals work far better than petals.

IF you order the Freewheel online, buy the Park FR-1 freewheel removal tool with it for about $7-8, combine shipping and do it yourself. The only other tool you need is a wrench that opens to 1".
You do the job for $30 and have the tool for future use.

noyb72

So, I did think of another question if you'll bear with me.

The bike has 32H SSW700 double-tunnel alloy rims and I am going to change out the tires for Kevlar. How skinny can I go with tires on these rims? Also, is their any advantage to different tubes?

Thanks
Ron

cny-bikeman

Any time you are looking for tire vs rim compatibility Sheldon's site can help: https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

But keep this in mind: Narrower tires are not necessarily much faster, neither for rolling resistance nor weight reasons, and they are more prone to pinch flats and rim damage. If you go too far high speed turning performance can be worse.

Sixty Fiver

You need a 1.125 fork with suspension correction, a new thread-less headset, and a thread-less stem to replace the old set up.

Changing the freewheel to one with a 13-x will increase your top gear although if you are spinning out the 48:14 ratio (91 gear inches) on a 700c hybrid your cruising speed should be around 25 mph @ 90 rpm. Spinning out usually refers to higher cadences than this.

The most effective gearing is actually a few steps down from this with your 17 or 18 tooth cog and spinning this lower gear faster will increase your speed and put less stress on your knees as 91 gear inches is more than what most competitive track riders use.

If you are a masher and prefer lower cadences then a higher top gear would be of benefit.

Sixty Fiver

If you are commuting 30 miles a day I'd look for a tyre that will offer a good blend of ride quality, durability, and speed and as someone already pointed out... skinnier does not mean the tyre will be faster and the ride quality could suffer greatly.

My old Trek hybrid was a fabulous bike as long as I ran the right tyres... it was viciously stiff and with some fast rolling 700:35 cross tyres it had a ride quality that was unmatched by most of my bikes and the rollout was excellent. The wider higher volume tyre also let me blow through things that I would want to avoid if I was riding narrower high psi tyres.

Bill Kapaun

Apparently your bike comes with 40MM tires
You should be able to go to a 28MM without problems.
I have 26MM mounted on my Hybrid w/20MM wide rims and they are fine!

You'll appreciate the much quicker acceleration due to less weight.
Downside is you pretty much have to have a decent floor pump to keep them topped off @ 100 or so PSI.
You need smaller tubes with that much of a change unless you like folds in the old one.

noyb72

Sixty fiver has it correct. I couldn't spin my legs at 90 RPM if it meant saving all my daughters lives. I can, however, push just about whatever gear I have on level ground.

So, currently my shopping list looks like:

2 28 700c tires and tubes (should I switch to presta valves?)
A 1.25 Suspension corrected fork
A threadless headset (no idea about those)
A threadless neck
I'll probably get a flat MTB bar (I have felt that tyoe bar would be more comfortable since I got the bike)
A new freewheel

If I work somewhere in the lower half of the product ranges, do you think the bill would be less than $200.00? That's not the primary concern but I don't want to get stupid about this.

Once again, thank you all so much!

Ron

willysm38

HELP! I need a 32h Ssw700 double tunnel alloy for my Diamondback Edgewood bike. Mine is bent bad...Its the rear rim. Any idea who makes these or a suitable replacement??