Upgrading a 1985 Diamondback Apex
 

Noob here with a load of questions about an older bike.

Ive been riding a short commute to work that is mostly flat so I haven't done much in the way of upgrades. But now my commute is going to triple and include a massive couple of hill climbs. I'm looking to drop weight if possible. Other than the wheels anyone know if its possible to replace the front fork and handle bars on this beast? Ive had trouble finding tech specs on this model. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

I'd determine if it's even worthwhile before I determined whether or not it's feasible. It's going to be some flavor of 1" threaded headset, I'd think, with 26" wheels and cantilever brake bosses. So you'd need a headset that fits into the headtube, and has the same fork crown race diameter as the new fork, with the right steerer length, along with whatever other stuff you'd like to change.

Pull everything off and weigh it to figure out how much weight you can save. I remember being surprised that the steel bullmoose handlebars on my early Ross weren't really all that heavy, worked fine and looked really good. Maybe a new stem and handlebars would work out okay for you, or a stem adapter, stem and handlebars.

I have a Diamond BAck Fleetstreak from that era ---- its a fun bike

I don't think its financially prudent to try to sink a lot of money into the beast --- It already has a triple chainring drivetrain , which is a huge help on the hills ---- for making it more commuter friendly , I would install some semi-slick tires to minimize rolling resistance , then call it a day

Spending too much money trying to make it lighter or faster is a bit like installing hot rod parts in a Bronco or a Jeep --- at the end of the day, its still a Bronco, know what I mean?

The best upgrade for a commiter would be to keep your eye out for a secondhand touring bike, or a road bike with some tire clearance for racks, fenders and the like -- maybe an old Cannondale or Trek touring machine, Specialized Sequoia , there are a bunch of Miyata touring models - etc.

I pretty much agree.

Some non-knobby tires like some Panaracer Pasela 26 x 1.75 would be excellent on that bike and make a huge difference riding distance.

For whatever money you're going to throw at relieving the weight off a bike that has a 30# fighting weight- it's just better served getting a bike that's meant to be a little lighter.

That's not to say you can't swap out parts and play with components, if just for the fun of it. The Apex was pretty much top of the line, right? Not a lot of room to "upgrade."

I had an '86 apex. The bars were aluminum. Assuming yours are too, you wont get weight savings from changing those.
Wheelset, as mentioned, will give you a ton of weight savings as that weight is rotational and therefore amplified.

The fork is beefy for sure. Most replacemebt forks for 26" canti bikes are going to be similar. By most, i kean all that i am aware of.

If it's like this one the advice you've received already is pretty good. Slick or street-friendly tires would be a big improvement. If you like the riding position that's positive but you could add bar ends to vary the riding position and get you leaning a little farther forward. You might even want to consider a drop bar conversion but unless you already have the parts and the knowledge that will run into some bucks. If you're serious about commuting you'll probably want fenders and a rear rack.
http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/s...pscil9h01a.jpg

For longer commutes with an MTB I like to either change to dropbars, add an aerobar to the straight MTB bar or add bar-ends inboard of the shifter barke levers. Also change the tires and tubes to 1.25" or 1.5" slicks or semi-slicks. No need to change the fork.

Here's one of my MTBs with the bar-ends inboard of the shifter bark lever.

https://c7.staticflickr.com/6/5622/2...a42fd614_o.jpgMTB On The Trail 01b by Miele Man, on Flickr

https://c4.staticflickr.com/1/692/23...bde22c8e_o.jpgMTB On The Trail 01a by Miele Man, on Flickr

Btw, the move from 2"+ tires and tubes to 1.5" or 1.25" slick or semi-slick makes a huge difference itself.

Cheers

Good call- when I was commuting on my 26" wheeled bikes- I preferred the 26 x 1.25 tires. Now I prefer the 1.75" tires.

+1 on slick street tires.
Drop bars will put you in a much more efficient riding position for longer distances.
Don't spend any more money than that on that bike. It's a nice bike but you'll never turn it into a lightweight road bike. If your street surfaces are good enough to use narrower tires you could get some type of road bike, which will have a lighter and faster frame.

It's been a while, but as I recall that was a high end model with all Tange frame. It is worth fixing up IMO, should you choose to.

First thing would be new light street tires. Something ~1.5" and no knobs. Tires are way better now than 1985, and if it has knobbies on it now, half the battle is already won. The lower rolling resistance will in practice make much more difference than a couple pounds here and there.

If you want to spend more, new lighter wheels wouldn't be a horrible idea.

Absolutely forget swapping the fork. Bad idea. You might save a few ounces at a large cost. You will have a ton of headaches.

You could swap the stem and bars. A standard quill road type stem will fit. You may want to check out some of the 3 speed type bars in aluminum from SOMA, Velo Orange, and others. It's non moving weight and bars aren't that heavy, but I guess it would save a bit.

Oh, and by the way, congrats on your cool bike. I spent months looking for a silly long wheelbase 80s MTB in my size (big) before finally giving up. There's a bit of a cult around them, believe it or not.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. Looks like ill be on the hunt for some new wheels and tires and call it a day. It has a rear rack already but it will need a new bag, head and rear lamp. I was planning on pulling apart the lower bracket and giving it some fresh grease. https://flic.kr/p/NUVhpJ

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...hmentid=408360

is that it? nice bike.

get some 1.5in forte tires from performance. these Forté Metro ST Tire
then see if you want new wheels. I suspect new wheels wont make near the difference as new tires will

Try some Schwalbe Roadcruisers, they are a good all rounder and cheap.

If the existing wheels are straight and round, it might be considered a foolish expenditure (maybe even wasteful?) to replace them. You can buy a lot of nice gear for what new wheels will cost. Just sayin' that unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket...