jimmyr

I am putting this in the C&V forum, as I am sure several of you have either done this, or have contemplated doing it.

I really don't have much of a budget, and would love to have something along the lines of a Surly Long Haul Trucker. With my expenses right now and the economy, that is not in the cards in the forseeable future. I have an old Trek 460 that I have slapped a cheap MTN bike triple on the front which works great, and that is what I ride daily. But...clearances are too tight to put on fenders, the wheelbase is pretty short for a rear rack, and there are no places to mount anything on it.

I also have a steel Ross Gran Tour (not I or II, just 'gran tour') with 27" wheels. It has plenty of clearance for fenders, places to mount racks, etc. Would it be cost prohibitive/worth it to:

• convert to 700c wheels
• convert to a triple on front
• upgrade to either freewheel or freehub on rear with upgraded 9 speed

There's other things I would like to do (bar-end shifter, new handlebars, etc) but those are the most important and most expensive. I could do this piece-meal and buy as much stuff off ebay as I could, but in the end would I still end up spending about as much money and engage in way too much turd-polishing to be worth it?

I know you have some opinions....lemme hear 'em!

Thanks!

phillyrider

Never short on opinions around here. In my opinion, with the current economy, I think that e-bay prices are softer than a few months back because folks are not spending as much. If you watch a few auctions, you may notice that ending prices are lower than usual - offerings may be less. Others may disagree. I've gotten some better deals on suntour superbe stuff than expected with fewer bidders.

That said. I would vote for not upgrading - but putting aside funds to get a complete bike with the components that you want. If things continue to soften up, there may be some good deals out there in the near future. If you save up - you may do well.

Watch a few auctions with a price point in mind. You'll see what I mean. There are folks who sell on e-bay. It would be interesting to know if they're holding back offerings (I would if I were them).

phillyrider

I forgot to add this as an example. Here's a 3Rensho that went for $49. Unfortunately, it was a little too big - otherwise, I would have picked it up.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tab%3DWatching

unworthy1

OMG: a SanRensho for $49! (and it looks genuine despite the really weird build-out.)
I think this is that sign of the apocalypse we read about

Dork Disk

Make that $500-he ended early and relisted

unworthy1

whew, that's a relief!^ now I can just wait for a slow death from grinding poverty...

USAZorro

Didn't sell - no bids.

phillyrider

I didn't see that. Just curious, if I had bid $49 - wouldn't the seller be stuck, or have to ride it out?
Surprised me that nobody put in a starter...

sonatageek

E-bay gives the seller plenty of room to squirm out of a deal. All they would have to claim is that the item was no longer available for sale and the $49 bidder would be SOL.

jimmyr

Yeah, you're probably right about just waiting....patience isn't my strong suit!

I was watching a nice LHT with Tubus racks and a computer for the last 9 days...it went for under a grand.

Bummer to be broke....at least I have a ride that works!

KarmicPedals

Right at the top of the page it says (looks like he meant 499) :

"The seller ended this listing early because of an error in the listing.
This item or one like it has been relisted. "

due ruote 

Back to your original question...I wouldn't put a lot of money into it, or you'll just find yourself shopping for a frame that's more deserving of your new components. That said, if you could pick up a used triple, you could do a lot with a 6 or 7 speed rear on the 27" wheels (I'm assuming they're serviceable). There are still plenty of good commuting tires available in 27". Put some bar-ends on, and you're in business.

bmaxwell

here are my thoughts about the upgrade thing... if you have the parts or access to the parts inexpensivley then go for it.... if you have to spend tons of funds to get the bike you want then just get the bike you want.

I am currently working on a project to put campi vleoce components on an old low to mid level nishiki frame... with the intent of getting them back on an italian frame in the future... the reason being I was given the nishiki frame... I had a great bianchi that was too big for me so I stripped the parts and am putting them on a frame that will work and then I can ride... the big frame is being sold and then I start to save for another italian frame that will work better for me.

so it all depends on how you want to get the end that you are looking to get to.

etherhuffer 

My point of view comes from being 6' 4" and not liking everything new. New means more speeds than needed, components that may not fit or be to your liking. New geometry is not the same as old geometry.

I got a Raleigh R300 frame and wheels with cranks for 100 bucks. I added a Nitto Noodle, Sora 7 speed shifters and put on new brake pads and tires. Total cost about 400 bucks for something that fits reasonably well and got me from Pitt to DC with decent comfort. I would rather change to a steel frame that is larger, and I can do this again for reasonable bucks. There are plusses and minuses either way, but start with the frame/matierial/geometry/wheelset you want and go from there. All else is personal preference.