Trackbikes

Hi,

I have a mtb , 26 inch wheels 22,32,42 chain rings 12 16 17 21 24 28 rear cassette. . Recently i've started riding it on the roads more so rather than buy a new hybrid I'd like to convert it.

Is this a viable option??

what gearing should I go for?

apart from gearing I will change the tyres ...what else would i need to change?
I'm pretty new at all this and live in a mountainous area of southern spain. At the moment I avoid any thing steep!!

Bikewer

Well, you can't really "convert" your MTB into a hybrid, they typically use 700c wheels and road-geometry frames. However, you can make your MTB much better to ride on the street.

First up would be a set of road tires. There are plenty, Continental makes nice ones. Look for tires that take higher pressures.

Before contemplating gearing changes, take it out and ride it a bit. Can you "spin out" the highest gear on a level road? If not, you may be good to go.

derath

I put slicks on my mtn bike and rode to metric centuries with it last year.

Of course I caught the bug and now have a pretty carbon roadie hanging next to my mtn bike now :-D

here and there

If it has a suspension fork swap it for a rigid one. Nashbar sells one that is suspension corrected for 80 mm forks and the Surly Instigator is suspension corrected for 100 mm forks. Those are just a few, but there are others out there.

Put some bar ends on (if you don't already have them) or something like the trekking bars from nashbar for more hand positions. I would highly recommend the trekking bars. They're often on sale for $10 so you don't have much to lose by trying them.

For tires I wouldn't recommend going with anything narrower than 1.5". I currently have Specialized Hemisphere 1.95" semi-slicks on my mtb and I am really happy with them. I've used the Specialized nimbus 1.5" tires and highly recommend those as well.

As Bikewer mentioned if you aren't spinning out on your highest gears I'd leave the gearing alone. I have the standard gearing that came on my road loving mtb and I'm happy with it. Then again I have a lot of hills around here so I find the gearing to adequate for my needs.

Grand Bois

Here's the mountain bike that I converted for street use:

https://community.webshots.com/photo/...8014369opcapm#

The cassette is an 11X28 seven speed. The tires are 26X1.3 Continental Sport Contacts. I managed to get the weight down below 26 pounds by using all titanium bolts, carbon fiber bars and lightweight wheels. The front hub and rear derailer are Ultegra.

Trackbikes

Thanks for all the info...off to find some new tyres and do some testing...

KrisPistofferson

This is a good post, although I prefer 100 psi 26x1.25 tires for less rolling resistance.

BluesDawg

Just be careful. Once you start making modifications, it can be hard to stop.

jimples

+1 on the tires. I put Bontrager Road Warrior 26x1.5 slicks on mine and I've never had happier pedaling.

Trackbikes

Well after looking at all the options I've decided to get myself a new hybrid and keep the MTB.. thanks guys your input was much appreciated.

well biked

Hey BluesDawg, that's nice. One of my current projects is something similar, I'm morphing the remains of an old Shogun mtb with an old Schwinn High Sierra, with the theme being sort of a backroads tourer. I like what you've done with that one-

Trackbikes

UPDATE.. well that was the plan..went to a local bike store and had a look at some hybrids none of which really appealed, but there was a few really nice road bikes that were a bit more expensive so I decided that if I was still riding everyday after a month then i would treat myself to a road bike.

I Left the shop with some clipless pedals , shoes and a set of 26 X 1.4 slick tyres..

wow what a difference , after a week the the 10km circuit I use which took about 42 minutes on the mtb is down to 27minutes. The hills that defeated me a week ago are no longer a problem and i deliberatly went out of my way today just so I could try to ride up another hill that looked a challenge..

I Now need to get a rigid front suspension and some new bars..

stapfam

Good idea to get a Road bike. Hybrids are a compromise to me and don't really do the road biking justice. Good for a purpose but ---- Thats my opinion.

Now if you are getting a road bike, and keeping the mountain bike- then don't bother about the rigid forks, or the bars. Keep it as a trail bike (As opposed to Full offroad) Will be ideal for the trails, if you ever ride them, and you will have the road bike for the tarmac.