Yeah, I'm kind of a MacGyver personality. I guess my problem is I know what i have and what it weighs but don't seem to be able to find a bike in the local bike shops for less than $800 that suits my "wants". Money is an issue for me and for less than $200 I could convert this. But i've heard that shocks waste a lot of energy on the road and perhaps even the front shocks are not preferable.

Just trying to get educated here before I spend my limited cash.