pikers

As the title states, I need to know whether I should get a new bike, or is what I have sufficient enough to be made into a decent road bike. I don't plan on making any trips over a great distance...20 miles would be my absolute max.

I have a trek 930 (shown here:https://bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeS...7099&Type=bike) which is really meant for of road use but I was wondering if I could change the overall setup and use it for a road bike. The frame is surprisingly light and I really do like the bike, but the front Rock Shox and the tires are horrible for road travel. I'm really new to all of this, so any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

jyossarian

You could set it up for road use, but you'd still have a mtb frame. Kinda like Cadillac Escalades are trucks, but you wouldn't go off-roading in them. Parts wise, I'd get a rigid fork (drops weight and increases pedaling efficiency), slicks (less resistance) and if you really want road bike type positioning, mtb drops (like On-One Midge bars). Throw on some foot retention and you should still be way under the cost of a new road bike.

DVC45

Slick tires, fenders (if you like them), barends/trekking bar, are all you need. Unless the suspension fork really bothers you, I'de just leave alone.

pikers

Great, thanks. I actually like to be a little more upright when I ride...I could never really get comfortable on road bikes. Any recommendations on forks and rims? I'm not hardcore, so anything for the average Joe would work.

Thanks!

DVC45

Why do you want to change the rims?

jyossarian

Check Nashbar. They've got a rigid steel mtb fork. Unless you really like spending money, just change the tires and leave the rims as-is. Of course, if you like spending money and doing research, 650B or 700c rims might have enough clearance, but you'd have to get some brakes w/ enough reach. But seriously, it's more money and trouble than it's worth.

pikers

Thanks for the feedback. I just thought I would need to get new rims as road tires are usually thinner than the monster truck tires I have on there now...shows how much I know about bikes :-) I'm not looking to spend a ton of cash...if I really wanted to do that, I would just buy a new bike. I'll check out that fork and look for some tires. Any input on tires?

Tom Stormcrowe

The proper answer to this question is always a resounding YES!

The proper number of bikes(n) is always one more than the number you currently own(X).

n=(X+1)

It's been proven mathematically

pikers

Since you all seem very patient and helpful, I would like to bother everyone with some REAL noob questions :-)

How do I know what size/type fork will fit my bike? I've seen threaded and threadless; I'm assuming this is referring to the top part that goes into the frame. Can I use a road bike fork on this frame, or would that screw things up? Do I need to look for specific mounts for my brakes?

Should I be looking for a specific type of tire?

Thanks again!

FLYcrash

I'm quite a noob myself (I've never upgraded a fork myself) but can comment a little on the threaded/threadless issue:

Some forks are threaded and some aren't. This refers to male threading on the top "steerer tube" of the fork. The compatibility problem is with the headset (the bearing assembly that allows you to steer) which itself can run into some expense. I think the frame itself doesn't really care except for the diameter of the races that get pressed into the head tube. You can get a fork that doesn't match your old one, but you'd have to replace to headset too so that they are compatible.

Hopefully someone else will chime in because I haven't the faintest about stem compatibility, stack heights, etc.

Edit: The specs on the link you gave is 1 1/8" threadless. So as long as the website's accurate and your bike is stock, get a fork that's compatible with that (ubiquitous!) standard and transplant the headset. I think that would be the cheapest way.

FLYcrash

Your 26 x 2.10 tires are ISO 559 mm tires. Getting ISO 559 tires (26 x decimal) is the only part that's non-negotiable. The width can vary a little, but the bead seat diameter can't, because that's metal (or kevar) on metal.

You'll want tires that are quite wide to fit your rims well but rather slick for the best performance and feel on pavement.

Harris Cyclery has Schwalbe 26 x 2.0 slicks for $30. I trust their selection of inventory, but if you shop around you can probably get the same tires for less.

Best of luck.

Bottomfeeder

I read the spec's. It sounds like a pretty good frame and decent, mid-level components. Here's what I'd consider to lighten the load and make it run better on the street... better than some road bikes, depending on how rough the roads you'll be riding on are.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...%20ATB%20Forks

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...to%2026x1%2E75

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...pless%20Pedals

OK. I'm spending a bunch of your money on pedals. But that's what you get by asking us to live vicariously on your dime. I myself, true to my screen name, make due with $20 nashbar MTB clippless pedals on my cyclocross commuter bike. Any clippless pedal, even inexpensive ones will help you down the road and up the hills.

Now if I had a MTB I wanted to ride on the road I'd seriously consider the carbon fork. It will fit your 1 1/8" headset. I've been riding a 700 sized Winwood carbon cyclocross version on my steel framed road bike (sure looks like the same maker to me) for about 4 years now and I'm happy with it. It's held up fine and believe me when I say, I don't baby it.

They make 1" slicks in 26", but I think they're too harsh. Stick with 1.25"-1.5" and get a light tread pattern. But do pay attention to the weight of the tire. Depending on your rim width, your choices might be more limited for wide rimes.

You should strip the tires off your wheels and weigh them in order to be able to tell if you could save enough weight in order to justify investing in new hoops. That will take a little research on your part. Having a shop build wheels is expensive. You can save some money mail-ordering wheels, but you'll need to do your homework and know exactly what your ordering. And still, you might need a shop, or a home mechanic, who can check the tension and true for you.

Hope this helps. Good luck. DanO

PS: Do a little soul searhing now. If you think for a minute you want drop handlebars, stop the madness and buy a proper road bike.

knucklesandwich

I saw an Escalade one time. It was a really crowded barbecue, and after the driveway filled up, a few ppl had to park on the lawn.

pikers

I appreciate all of the info...keep it coming!

FLYcrash
Thanks for the advice on the fork and tires. I'll probly go with 26x2.0 with a light pattern/tread since I really don't want to buy new rims if I don't NEED to.

Bottomfeeder
I'm sorry to ruin your fun, but I don't want to spend a great deal of $ on parts for this bike because I really like the bike the way it is, it's just not ideal for the road. I'm pretty comfortable on it right now (i.e. frame size, handle bars, and pedals are good), so I shouldn't need all that much to get on the road. I was actually checking out that fork on nashbar.com today...I guess I have good taste.

I'm going to check out some of the local shops this weekend to get some input from "the pros". If they don't have anything I want or are too $, I'll probly go with some combination of the following from nashbar.com

Forks: Option #1 or the cheaper option #2


Tires: Who knows...I'm not too worried about it :-)

BCRider

The 930 was more of a racing bike than a smash and bash so it should likely have fairly narrow rims already. At least the old 970 that I had did.

Tires in the 1.5 inch range will speed you up and still let you jump curbs with at least a little bit of care. But for a truly road bike fast ride you can go thinner. There's a few companies that make 26 x 1 and 26 x 1.25. My personal favourite on my old 970 was the Panaracer Pasela TG 26 x 1.25. The kevlar belt really did help reduce the number of flats to about 1/4 of what I got with my regular tires on the other bikes. And although it's rated at 1.25 it actually formed itself into more of an egg shape about 1.125 wide and with a little top crown of tread that had a curve more like a 1 inch tire. As a result at about 90 to 100 psi the bike flew like barn swift and would coast for what seemed like forever. If you can get a set you won't be dissapointed.

On another bike I'm running Ritchey Tom Slicks in 1.5 width. They roll nice and hold up well for a little bit of fun curb jumping but they don't roll as well as those old Paselas did.

For the fork I've got an even cheaper option for you....

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=010

Whatever fork you get try to find one that has an axle to crown (the top of the crown where the headset race fits) that is somewhere close to your present fork.

pikers

Any idea what the thinnest tire is that will SAFELY fit on my rim (I currently have 26x2.10)? Is there a formula or general rule I should follow?

pikers

Also, regarding the fork...

I know that I need to look for the following:
-1 1/8" threadless
-it needs to clear a 26" tire
-it needs to have the mounts for my breaks

Is there anything else I should look out for? Does it have to be a straight fork (I noticed that some of the road bikes have a curve to them)? Do forks have different widths?

I TOLD you I was a noob.

Oh and thanks to BCrider, I also need to make sure it has a similar height from axle to crown.

pikers

I moved this post to: https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/404339-noob-some-questions.html