Originally Posted by
Ratchet
I started commuting on my old 90's Trek 820... it was perfect. I switched to a Giant 29er which is a heck of a fun ride through town, and am working on building up a Trek 800 from the 80's for a winter commuter. So far it is a frame hanging in the bike shed (aka potting shed
) waiting for the tri-coat auto paint to cure, but it's got studded tires waiting for the IGH wheel to be built at my LBS. I am still thinking about a dynamo hub for the front. If you'd like a steal/steel
, old hardtail Treks are pretty common for the commuters. I got mine for $40...
Definitely the direction I'm thinking of going in for my main utility/commuter/do-all bike. Question though, what should I be looking for when I go to check out these old MTB frames? I know they should be steel framed, chromyl if possible without any cracks. I'm going to be replacing the tires anyways, so probably no problems there. Anything in particular you think I should keep an eye out for? And besides changing out the tires, what else must be done to hardtail MTB to make them suitable for commuting?
Oh, and another newbie question: What sized tires will these older MTB hardtails use? 26 in? And does it make a really big difference if the wheels are 700c or 26 in?