wphamilton

I don't think that's going to work JZ. There's really not much clearance. 700x32 just fit.

monsterpile

It you want tires that big you need to get a frame that you know will handle it like a 29er or some other frames that have that as part or their features. 29x1.75 is about as big as you can go (in my experience on a few bikes) even on a hybrid.

TexasPedaler

By any chance, can the Denali which currently uses 700x32c tires go to a thinner tire size like 700x28c or 700x24c without having to switch rims? I haven't had a problem with my Denali and have put over 300 miles on it, but was just wondering. Thanks for any advice.

TexasPedaler

OK, I just read back over the earlier posts and it looks like WPHamilton changed worn out tires to 28c and it is just rough on dirt and gravel. So if I am not mistaken, this can be done as there was no mention of changing rims to fit tires. Still if this is a path to take to gain speed with the thinner tires for Denali, I would still appreciate any suggestions. Thanks.

nfmisso

it will not go any faster with 28mm tires than 32mm tires.......

AlphaDogg

^ Sure it will. Lower rolling resistance.

JusticeZero

Trivial difference between those, and if the pavement is rough it'll increase resistance. I'm honestly impressed by how little rolling resistance I get out of my 26x2.125's after I air them up to the top end pressure.

borobike

I haven't forgotten about this thread, it's just been that this bike has been so boringly reliable (a good thing, I'm not complaining) that there just isn't anything to say other than the same old stuff. And to that end, there's nothing much else to report except this:

I'm now officially a commuter!

I finally landed a part time temporary job while I'm taking classes. It's located about two miles from where I live, and it would take less time to ride there than it would to walk from the parking lot if I drove my car so it's a no brainer.



So that's nice.

Otherwise, 964 miles and still no problems. I haven't even touched the bike really in forever, except last week when I hosed the chain down with brake parts cleaner (works great) and re oiled it. Only other thing of note is that the seat or seatpost has developed a small creak when I sit on it or move around, but it's really nothing that bothers me.
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monsterpile

Great report I am glad you keep checking in. You are racking up the miles. You probably put more miles on your bike the last couple months than my Hyundai Elantra. Grease will take care of the creaks.

AlphaDogg

Story of my (bike's) life.

AlphaDogg

I hope to see your face in the commuting forum, now that you said that! C'mon, post your 200th post! You're at 199!

Edit: Just realized this is the commuting forum :facepalm:.

sathor

i was behind a denali on a 30 mile ride today for a while, guy was wearing cheap pants or shorts, wobbled a bit, and damn if it didn't take me 10 minutes to get ahead of him. I swear I saw another denali, but it looked like some kind of carbon bike, and I couldn't see GMC on it. It might have been a Bianchi though, saw a LOT of bikes today.

Cyclomania

Glad you are still keeping up with this thread! 7 more pounds to lose! Incredible, bravo. Have you conquered many steep hills with your Denali? Does the bike handle hills without the gears slipping?

TexasPedaler

Just out of curiosity, I was wondering if anyone knew the neck stem measurements for the Denali to see if is was possible to change to carbon fiber one and if you someone knew if it was remotely even possible to change out the steel fork for a carbon fiber fork? Other then that since my first post here months ago, the only problem (not really a true problem) is I had to replace the handlebar wrap. Replaced with a Cinelli Gel yellow cork, added black toe straps, ordered a new saddle, bought Serfas 700 x 23c gray band tires from lBS, but have not replaced current tires as they are still new and logged over 400 miles. Clean and lube the chain every 50 miles and have no problem with chain slipping on hills. All and all I love the bike, just looking to MOD it a tad. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. BoroBike thanks for still posting from time to time, best wishes to your studies!

Cyclomania

Thanks for answering my question TexasPedaler.

Cyclomania

Bikeman4u 3/4's in on this video goes into detail regarding tire size and rim!
#!
Another vid with a chart this time! Looks like 28c would be your ideal width!

TexasPedaler

Thanks Cyclomania for the response. Appreciate it! I also heard you could go as low as 700 x 25c tire on a 700 x 32c rim.

nfmisso

You should measure the rim to make sure. Scroll down the table near the bottom of this: https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width

It is conservative, you can stretch it a bit safely.

borobike

Back again!

Thanks! I've been up and down a lot of hills that I would consider steep. The bike handles them really well, no slipping at all. I'm definitely the weak link in the steep hill situation.

Well, let's see. I've got 1047 miles on the bike now. After checking my logged miles on the 16th, I see I've only gone a little over 80 miles since then, ouch! Unfortunately life, cold weather, and not really wanting to get up at 7 in the morning on Saturday is interfering. I may try to squeeze in a ride this afternoon. I've got the headlights all charged up in case I do.

Speaking of which, check out my free home made custom flashlight mount:



I was having trouble getting my Ultrafire to work for months, but thought I'd take a stab at fixing it. I didn't want to buy anything for a light I wasn't sure would work, so I made a mount out of a hose clamp and an old rifle scope mount. It's actually quite solid, and the flashlight can be removed without removing the whole mount.

As it turns out, all the light needed was a little solder. It's quite reliable now, which is good because I'll need it as it's getting darker sooner. To the right of it is my Cateye HL-500 II, which is halogen. It works very well for what it is, but the Ultrafire even on it's lowest setting is brighter and more noticeable to oncoming traffic than the Cateye. So I guess now I have a main headlight (Ultrafire) and a fog/bad weather light (Cateye).

Other than that, I fixed my seat creak simply by tightening a bolt, so my only problem thus far is fixed. The original front wheel and the replaced rear are still true. Tires are in good shape and have only been punctured once in 1000 miles (by barbed wire). Front hub is still good, headset still moves freely. Brake levers are fine, as is the frame and handlebars, and the original pedals.

Everytime I encounter someone new in our bike group (all experienced riders) more often than not, they ask me about my bike and compliment me on how nice it looks. I freely admit that I paid $150 for it at Wal-Mart, although I replaced most of the original components and it's now more or less a $300 bike. Never had a negative comment, most are shocked that it was a Wal-Mart bike. If I told them how many trouble free miles I had on it, they'd probably be even more shocked. But they do see me out there every week, more often than not out at the front of the pack, sometimes even leading it.

I still say the stock shifters absolutely suck, and take up valuable real estate on the bars, so TexasPedaler, if you are looking to mod your bike that's where I would start. My friction stem shifters work great and are a drop in mod. Bar-end shifters would work great too and be drop in as well. I'd recommend friction in either case, as the indexing may be slightly off from the stock freewheel.

Everything else has been well worth it in one way or another as well. I greatly enjoy the top speed gained from my Dura-Ace crankset, the extremely tight braking performance from my Tektro dual pivot calipers and Kool-Stop pads, the quick, smooth, and reliable shifting from the Sora front derailleur, the more predictable and smoother shifting from the Shimano hyperglide cassette, and the smooth, quick, reliable and tight shifting offered from the Sora rear derailleur. It's a varied mess of parts, but they all work very well together and I couldn't ask for a much better bike.

Next up, just planning on riding it and maintaining it. Haven't touched it in probably over 100 miles since I cleaned and relubed the chain, well except to tighten the seat and install my flashlight of course. Might try brifters someday, but for now I really enjoy the simplicity and reliability of friction shifting. Especially on the front derailleur.
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wphamilton

It's good to have an update - I'd thought you had finished with this thread.

Your headlight mount looks good! I've ordered an ultrafire for my Denali also, how's that for a coincidence? I'll probably strap it on with tube rubber though.

For what it's worth, I replaced the stock freewheel with a freehub and shimano cassette, and the stock shifter & DR works fine with it. The front shifter does suck though, you're right about that.

MyBikeGotStolen

Boro, would it be possible for you to upload a picture of your stem shifters with the shifters all the was in the up position? I am about to install a threaded to threadless adapter and am thinking on going the stem shifter route to keep cost low. However, it looks like the threaded stem will not have enough spacing for the stem shifters to go all the way up

Its not a Denali (although I almost picked one up for $50 on CL the other day!), its actually going on a 20 year old mountain bike that I am trying to put a set of drop bars on.

Sorry, I am not at home, to get a picture of my adapter with stem on it!

TexasPedaler

"I still say the stock shifters absolutely suck, and take up valuable real estate on the bars, so TexasPedaler, if you are looking to mod your bike that's where I would start." -Borobike

Thanks Borobike. I have been thinking and researching on the best way to replace the stock Revo Shifters lately even though from my riding habits I have no problem with them other then the fact they take up valued space. I was thinking of going with brifters, but haven't found the right match other then using a Shimano 3 x 8 set. Then again if I am going to go that route, I would most likely upgrade bike all together due to price. So the mod you did is what I would mostly likely do and if you could give a more up close and walk through of parts and how to, that would be great. I know you are busy studying, but if you could that would be great. Here is a pick of my Denali so far which I have put over 500 miles. I replaced the stock drop bar tape, it ripped after 300 miles, pulled of my stock Kenda 700 x 32c tires-replaced with Serfas SECA 700 x 23c Gray band, changed out the Vitesse saddle for a Vader sleek saddle. New tires have just 30 miles on them as I just put them on the other day and my ride is much faster and my average speed has gone from 12 mph to 16mph for an average. Oh, how did you mount your second bottle cage flush to frame? Did you use a drill of some sort? Thanks for the posts again and good luck with your studies. Keep posting when you can.

nfmisso

Hi TexasPedaler;

eBay item 400211159422 (multiple, still current) is the lowest price way I found to get Shimano brifters; but are 2x8. On Amazon, similar ones are $120-, and about $150 for 3x8.

You may also want to swap you mountain triple for a double:
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Cranks...8169713&sr=1-3
or
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Cranks...8169713&sr=1-8

mgw189

A few of these for sale locally on craigslist.org. One needs a new crank arm and tire I am gonna throw an offer of $60 out there and see if he bites. If for no other reason than to have a project to work on over the winter and gain some knowledge on working on bicycle mechanics.

Texas looks sharp with the yellow tape

himespau 

Not him, but https://www.amazon.com/Sunrace-Stem-D...8209454&sr=8-1 or https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-SY20--...8209454&sr=8-5
would probably give you the stem shifting you want for $20-30. Not brifters, but stem shifting isn't so bad once you get used to it.