I have a 1995 Trek 7100 which came stock with Bontrager Matrix 550 wheels and Bontrager Invert 700x35 tires. I would love to get a road bike but can't really justify it right now. I was thinking I might put a set of narrower tires on it and possibly a straight bar...a little extra speed would be great motivation.

Would this make sense? Short of taking the tires off and measuring, I'm having trouble figuring out the width of the rims. (I'd rather have a better sense of what I can accomplish before I start taking things apart.) How narrow could I go with the tires on these rims? Would replacing the rims make any sense?

Lastly, I haven't changed a tire since I used to ride around with my little Schwinn Stingray...would I be out of line trying to do it myself? Are there any common stumbling blocks involve with getting the wheel back on and in line?

Thanks,

Sharon