k_randomfactor

I'm getting a build list together for my recent Trek 830 purchase. Decided to bite the bullet and and just build the darn thing, so I'll have options. End goal is a loaded tourer and budget expedition bike. I'm not super happy with the groupset that's on it (Acera/Alivio), and will be replacing it with Deore/LX components, so it's not a high budget build. Money is, as always, an issue, but I'm willing to pay a little more for quality, even if it takes a little longer to get it right.

Asking for suggestions regarding rims, shifters, and brakes/levers. I'll be putting on a Nashbar trekking bar, and ditching the flat bar that's on it.

-Looking for black 36h rims to replace the (slightly) worn Alessa rims that are on it. Definitely looking for black, but that and 36h are about as far as my knowledge goes. The bike came with Schwalbe Marathons 1.5", and I'd like to use those, as well as having the capability to run wider tires with more tread and knobbies for dirt/trail.

-Shifters... the bike currently has Grip Shifts, and I'm not convinced. I'd like to upgrade to friction shift, and would prefer thumb shifting. I guess I could do barcons, but not sure how well they would work on the ends of a trekking bar? I've used Shimano trigger? shifters, so that's what I'm used to and am comfortable with. Planning on a 9spd cassette, prolly 11-34.

-Considering going with V-brakes vice the Shimano cantis that are on it, so I'll need (I think) V-brake compatible brake levers. Brakes, and compatibility, still seem like voodoo to me. I've read the Sheldon Brown articles, but am still not 100% on the pros and cons.

Also, does anyone make a threaded stem adapter that allows one to use modern, threadless, stems? Seems like that would make it easier to dial in the fit, reach, height, etc. I think I remember seeing one in my hours of searching, but I didn't bookmark the page and can't find it again.

I searched for all these questions, but my weaksauce search-fu either found too much info, none of which was exactly what I was looking for, or not much at all.

As always, thanks for any and all assistance folks.

bwgride

Sun Rhyno lite and CR-18 rims would work. Strong, reliable, and inexpensive.

https://www.treefortbikes.com/product...hyno-Lite.html

You can combine bar-end shifters with Paul thumbies (with hinges) to have thumb shifters that can be placed most anywhere on the bar.

https://www.paulcomp.com/thumbies.html

If you have v-brakes then you need compatible brake levers. They can be had for very little. I currently use budget levers made by Alhonga that I bought off ebay for less than $10 and they work very well. Deore v-brake levers can be bought for less than $30.

Yes, there are many makes of these adapters. I've tried a number of these and I think one of the least expensive is also one of the best: Dimension threadless adapter. It's solid, well built, and a bit longer than most for more adjustment range. Velo-orange sells the silver version, and you can find the black version at many locations

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...m-adaptor.html
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA1G80F08544

If you need one much longer, Soma has this

https://store.somafab.com/sohiristad.html

k_randomfactor

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks friend!

Holler if you ever come up to East TN.

MassiveD

Cheap Alex DH22, or other downhill MTB rims, they work out to similar specs to what we want for touring. Of course you can go to Peter White and find what the pros are using to build wheels that are guaranteed. Velocity and Mavic are the higher end choice, with good deals on velocity being fairly common. Normally you can run any fat tire in the narrow touring specific rims. The narrowest rims I have are a set of the sainted MA2s. These were sold by Bontrager for fat MTB use at a time when all the MTB rims were super wide. They are like 18mm, the DH22s are 22 across, which is more typical. Most of the touring rims these days are about 5mm wider than the MA2. So the problem you have is trying to run race tires on them, not fatties, check first though. For several years now, it has been really hard to find DH22 on Alexrims.com. Now I can't find them at all. But I had no problem finding listin online for them, at around 30 bucks.

I would look at paul thumbies, And look at rivrendale they have a cheaper version I thing. But if you can grab some newer shifters MTB style I would prefer those. Never had a problem with mine on the MTB. I run Barends on drops, not flats.

Most of the heavy breathing concers what to use with drops where there are real issues since nobody makes something specific for drops touring. On MTBS it is all good. I would not change out the cantis, but I can certainly understand why you would. The advantage to cantis is that you have them; they work better when a wheel runs out of true; and braking force is similar. Adjust them so that the straddle wire is at 90 degrees to the ends of the arms at the point that the pads contact the rim. You could just run those for your first test tour, and see how it goes. Cantis have more mechanical advantage in the levers, but less in the arms. Vs have more mechanical advantage in the brake arms, but less in the levers, it is pretty much a wash, though Vs are dominant for some reason. If the cantis you have are badly made (I don't mean crappy looking, solid good geometry brakes will work well even if not all that nice), then you may as well change them now.

I'm not retro on stems, I find the threadless work better, and are easier to manage on the road and in the airport. But threaded are more easily adjusted vertically, and unless your reach dimension is a mystery, I would not be changing the stem out. Threadless is better, but not by much. One could say run it to see how it goes, but the only thing is that you may have to strip your bars to make a change. I would not personally run one of those kludgey adapted kits. Not clean. Though I guess that is what a Bike Friday boom is, and I would like to try one of those some day...

MassiveD

I was looking at the Alex site, and the DH19 looked like a good bet. Yikes! A lot of posts out there about breakages. The DH22 was a really good rim which stood up to heavy use, and accidental abuse by me. And the local shop has built tons of courier rigs with it. So too bad.

k_randomfactor

MassiveD, the biggest reason I'm really wanting to do a threaded-to-threadless conversion, is that I've read that stem length plays a major role in dialling in the trekking bars. Having a threadless stem will make it a lot easier to swap and fit. Probably not as big a deal as I'm thinking it is, but there ya go. I don't mind if it looks kludged together, as long as it works. Actually, for the build I'm planning, uglier is betterer. Durability and usefulness are my main goals, aesthetics come in a distant last.

That, and I may be interested in going to dirt drops, and moving the trekking bar over to my hard-tail. Having the removable face plate just makes sense to me. May be thinking at it sideways, but thats my thoughts.

As for the shifters, I tend to shift pretty hard, and the Deore indexed shifters I'm using tend to go out fairly quickly. I think that friction shifting using those Paul Thumbies, will help alleviate that problem somewhat, as well as me paying atttention to my shifting more.

Re: brakes... good point. They work fine, so I'll run them for now. One less thing to spend money on. Hopefully someday, I'll actually figure out the whole brake thing. Right now, it just makes my poor little hillbilly brain spin.

Thanks again for the advice!

ksisler

Given the long list of things you feel you must change for some reason (most of which I find as mostly nonsense) or the other to make the bike right for you to tour with... I have to ask you why did you buy it to start with?

k_randomfactor

Uh... I wanted to?

To break it down further...
1- I wanted a 'new' bike. Which is plenty of justification for most folks to buy something.
2- I wanted a project bike I could wrench on to start learning bike mechanics. Turns out I'm gonna have two old bike projects.
3- Guns, computers, cars, etc., I don't have much that is stock. I like fiddling with stuff.
4- I've liked the old steel frame mountain bikes since I was growing up in the late 80's and early 90's. We couldn't afford one then, so I found one at a reasonable price, had the money, my rent was paid, my non-existant kids didn't go hungry, so I bought one for nostalgia reasons among other things.
5- The bike is more-or-less ridable as it sits, but I want to build it up how I want it. Are the changes absolutely needed? Most of them aren't, but they are changes I want to make, to turn this into 'my' tourer as budget allows.
6- I like my current bike, but wanted something to ride on the road so I can leave my hard-tail set up for offroad/trail riding.

Are those reasons acceptable? Do they meet with your approval? Thanks.

hybridbkrdr

Some of the components I've already seen mentioned before (Sun Rhynolite, CR-18, Velocity Dyad, Ultegra bar-end shifters on Paul Thumbies, Deore V-brakes...). Just to add a couple of notes from my own point of view. You can always go with an 8 speed cassette and get Falcon friction shifters. They're inexpensive and there are a lot of positive comments on them. I bought a pair and haven't tried them yet but look solid enough (what preoccupied me). And I bought Jagwire brake pads for my Deore V-brakes (because of various comments on the brake pads that come with them). Again, I haven't even tried the Jagwire yet (my touring bike is in boxes but may oddly be sold once I complete it only to complete another one lol) but some people recommend the Kool Stop dual compound black/salmon brake pads.