Originally Posted by
StorkDM
Hi all,
I currently commute to school on an older (around 2001?) Gary Fisher Tassajara with disc brakes. It's been a great hardtail mtb to play on trails and get into mountain biking. Due to transferring schools, I now commute on it. There is no way I can justify riding my $1000 ish road bike to class so my mtb makes the most sense. I also do not have room to store another bike, so owning 3 bikes is out of the question for now.
Anyway, I am thinking of spending up to $500 on my mtb to make it a faster commuter to classes, grocery store, college parties, the bars, walmart, or wherever. I won't be taking it on any trails or anything as Madison, WI is extremely bike friendly and has paths everywhere. Plus, any upgrades i make for commuting may translate to a faster bike offroad if/when I convert it back to a dedicated mtb. My idea is to convert to a rigid fork, single chainring up front and remove front derailer, lightweight wheelset/tires, and upgrade rear derailer/shifter (currently a Shimano Deore). I plan on riding this bike the next couple yrs so I'd like to make it a bit nicer, but not so nice as it becomes a thief magnet.
My issue is I'm not sure what my money is best spent on. I am assuming a lighter set of wheels and road tires first, rear derailer/shifter next, then a rigid fork, and lastly converting to a single chainring up front.
I'd also really like some suggestions on spec'ing out some components if possible.
Thanks
I'm going to take a very different track from everyone else who has commented. First look at the locations of everyone who has commented so far. They don't live in snowy Madison, WI so they have little experience dealing with snow. Slick tires are great for moderate climates...even here in Colorado I can ride a lot in the winter on slicks...but for Madison they make about as much sense as wearing a bikini. If anything, you should buy a set of studded tires and, perhaps, a set of wheels to mount them. That
will make the bike a bit harder to ride but more on that a little later.
Yes, you could change over to a rigid fork but be careful what you wish for. Rigid forks are nice and light but they aren't the best choice for roads and paths that can have ruts. I spent many years riding rigid bikes off-road (had to since suspension forks hadn't been invented) and the biggest advantage that suspension forks offered wasn't comfort but control. A rigid fork tends to get trapped in ruts and dig into soft spots. A suspension fork will climb out of ruts and float on soft spots. The wheel isn't knocked off its line as easily and you are less likely to crash. Leave the fork and unlock it when the snow and ice get bad. That, as well as the studs, will make you almost invincible on ice and packed snow.
As for the tires making the ride harder and/or slower, so? If you are riding in snow and cold, you probably aren't going to be all that fast to begin with. Crashing because you have inadequate tires for handling snow and ice really puts a dent in your overall time, not to mention the bits of you that hit the ground. Another way to look at it is that riding mountain bike tires with their higher rolling resistance is strength training. Once you get back on the road bike, you'll be faster.
Additionally, look for places to
use the knobbies. Diving off-road on some social trail can put a bit of fun back into an activity that can become boring.
My suggestions, if you really feel the need to spend money, is to purchase lights. You don't need to spend a ton of money, however.
This headlight from Amazon is $20. Buy at least 2, one for your bike and one for your head. If you are feeling extravagant, buy 3 (one for your head and two for the bike). Get a couple of Planet Bike Super Flashes for the rear.
For the front fender, ditch the conventional fender. For snow it's not that good anyway because the snow packs into it. Instead get a
SKS Shockblade. The coverage may not be as good as a conventional fender but it won't clog with snow. It mounts under the fork. It'll look like this
