Hey everyone,
I live in Fort Lauderdale and started commuting to work on Monday. I just picked up a used Scott SUB 45 bike. If you dont know it is a 700c commuter with disk brakes and low end 24 speed MTB components on it. So far it is a blast. I do have a few questions about upgrading the bike. I have a problem, and can never leave good enough alone.

I only have to ride about 2 miles to the train station. Then a 10 minute 7-8 mile train ride, and finally a short 1 1/2 mile ride to work. For the last 1 /2 I can also put my bike on a bus with a bike rack and get dropped off at the front door to my work. The bus is part of the train system and does not cost any extra money. This may help when the weather turns on me. I also own a car so really bad days I can skip the bike. All of this is flat ground with one bridge I have to cross, which is not that large.

The first thing I am going to do is some carbon bars, stem and seat post. These are simple and no too expensive. The real questions I have is about the components. It has a cheap triple crankset up front. I want to go to a single chain ring crank with possibly an external bottom bracket. I love the looks of the alfine or similar 105/dura ace stuff. The shimano alfine crank looks nice, but only comes in 45T and I think I need at least a 48T since that is what the bike has now and always stay on the large ring. I am assuming I can change the ring out to one I want. Can I find a chainring that will fit the alfine stuff and be compatable with the chain I am running. It seems the chain I have is MTB style and wider then say a road bike chain. I am not sure what size chain the alfine one takes, but I am assuming it may be the thinner type. I know I dont need to change this but it seems like a bunch of stuff on the bike for only staying in the 48T chain ring.


Thanks

The Alfine is made to pair with the Alfine internal gear hub, which would be something to consider adding while yer at it. They come in 8 and 11sp.

The chain size is dependant on the cassette cluster in the rear. If you have a 9spd cassette then you need a 9spd chain etc. The more cogs you have on the cassette the narrower the chain. It doesn't really matter if its a road or mtn bike. I use a similar bike for commuting with a road crank 39/53 and I only use the 39. I don't even have a front derailer. Never use the 53, way too tall of a gear for me. Very hilly terrain though. I spin out at about 24mph and thats fast enough.

So the alfine being essentially a single speed what size chain would it use? I am looking it up now also. So a 9 speed say shimano Deore would be the same chain width as a Shimano Ultegra 9 speed road set up.

So if I went with a road bike crank set I would need to change the rear cassette to match the crank.

If that's true they aren't the right carbon components and in any case it sounds like you should have added up all the money you are going to spend upgrading this bike, added it to what you paid for your bike and shopped at a higher price point than you did. There are some nice out of the box single chainring road bikes from a number of different sources. They are very good value for someone who can use that kind of bike. You don't have to change your cassette to match your crank. You do have to select a crank/chainring unit that matches your cassette. What the other poster was telling you is that the Alfine crankset assumes a single speed rear cog which is 1/8" wide. That wont work with a mult-cog rear cassette. So the Alfine is out. But there will likely be a crankset that matches what kind of rear cluster you already have be it 7, 8 or 9 speeds. Honestly though, if it were me I'd simply remove the FD and the two inside chainrings and call it good. No... I lied.. if it were me I'd use every single one of the gears on that bike. I ride like a semi-tractor truck... even on level ground... I work up through the gears like a Peterbilt pulling pig iron...

H

I am looking at used Ritchey, FSA, and similar carbon stuff. I am not looking to save much weight, more for a little ride comfort and I do like carbon fiber. I paid 300 for the bike so I dont think I could have got anything better for what I wanted. I have a problem saving money, and this bike money could have been spent on something else if it sat around any longer. The crankset is all pressed together with rivets and what not. I would have to drill the crap out of it to get it down to a single chainring.

My recommendations are to skip the train and ride your bike the whole way to work and don't bother changing anything on your bike.

"Pressed together with rivets and what not" is department store bike level componentry. $300?? You were seen coming from a long way off. I agree with the last poster. Stop. Do not pass go. Do not throw any more money at this bike. Ride the bike to work and back. You will save money every day you do this. Where I live you would save $5.00 every day. YMMV. When you have saved the cost of the bike in train fare buy a Incredibell or something to mark the occasion and keep on saving till you can buy a better bike. If you have a problem saving money, and most guys do, get help with that.

H

The crank is a Shimano FC-171. I agree it is junk. The bike new was not 300, that is what I paid for it used. Not sure if I understand the seen coming from a long way off part.

Full Specs
https://www.rei.com/product/809930/sc...b-45-bike-2011

this is the kind of commute a folding bike is made for. get one.


NB there is a whole section where folding bikes are discussed .
https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...-Folding-Bikes

I like my Brompton, so do a lot of other people, they sell well around the world.

Thanks, but this will also be used on the weekends, and not a big fan of the folding bike.

Then I go with the HTFU assessment , just ride the whole way it's just 12 miles , only take an hour.

ride what you want to ride on the weekend,

or N+1 get a separate bike for each purpose..

I suspect you have not ridden a really good folding bike.



but you may have peer pressure to cope with and so have to ride what your club likes

I like my folders as well and I agree, the o.p.'s commute as described is ideal for one. However, in this case, I agree with the poster who thinks the o.p. should just bypass mass transit altogether. He is young (if he doesn't know what "they saw you coming" means) and in any case, folders do not represent the best value... what do Bromptons cost, new or used? My better folder costs half what a Brompton does, and it is the most expensive bike I own (the tandems excepted) and it does not outperform a "proper" bicycle selling for half its price.

H

fun is my performance criteria ..

As of right now I do not want to add at least an additional hour to my commute. What advantage would a folding bike give me! I don't understand. As far as peer pressure or what my club likes has noting to do with it. One I am in no bike club and there is no real bike community in south florida. Another thing is we have no bike lanes so commuting is rather dangerous around here, so I would rather not be on main roads which is the only way to get to work for me.

You did not mention this in your OP, and even still that statement leaves it ambiguous as to how much riding that you intend to do outside of your commute.

I don't think that most people on the BF will recommend investing a lot of expensive componentry into a low end bike. As mentioned above, you should have raised the top end on what you were willing to spend in the first place, maybe look into getting the bike that was attached to the alfine & dura ace componentry that you like the look of so much.

If this is a 'champagne taste on a beer budget' type situation, at this point I would recommend enjoying the beer that you have, and saving up for a nice bottle of champagne instead of trying to make your beer taste like something that it just plain isn't.

Looking at the specs, the chainset appears to be on par with Shimano's "Tourney" level components. Your shifters & rear derailleur are from the "A" group (Altus, Acera, Alivio).

I have a similar GT hybrid (and paid a similar price)- "A" group with a Suntour 48/38/28 chainset and no problems - just keep it maintained. In just over a year I've put about 3000 km on it.

Ride your bike and enjoy it for what it is.
As fietsbob posted - a folding bike might be ideal for your commuting situation and maybe something to think about for the future.

Beat me to it.

11-12 miles is a doable commute, especially if it is flat, as I believe most of Florida is. The bike you describe is a pretty decent setup to begin with. Sweatiness can be a problem, especially in Florida (Been there), but ride easy on the way in, if it is early AM the temps shouldn't be too bad.

I commute by train. 7 miles to the station in the AM (usually drive with bike in car to save time), 50 miles by train then 4.5 miles to work, or 1.5 if I take the free connecting bus (rarely do). I did this for years on a Trek 7.2 FX before getting an aluminum road bike two years ago. Now I'm looking for a carbon road bike in a couple of months.

I think I understand what they saw you coming means, but don't really get why you would say that. I bought a used bike for 300 dollars. It is a Scott sub 45. I don't think I really got ripped off so this is why I don't understand the comment. And I don't think age has anything to do with you guys using a phrase that does not really fit the situation. I could see if I over paid for Walmart bike, but that does not seem to be the case to me. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Just noticed a used Scott Sub 45 sold for $350.00 on eBay in Florida. Can't find a new price on the web, but general rule of thumb is half price for used - but that can vary depending on condition.

When I was shopping for a rigid Hybrid, 2 LBS had nothing to offer in stock (Trek dealer didn't stock FX," because everyone wants dual sport with front suspension"). In June 2012, I bought at Sport Chek (Canadian - similar to REI), 2011 model reduced to $339.00 with a bonus $50.00 gift card = $289.00. At the time I too thought I would need to upgrade drivetrain by the end of summer, but realized that on a whole the bike was well suited and performed fine for my commuting needs - I do keep it well maintained and am reasonably careful where I ride, 700 x 35's can take some gravel.

Out of all my bikes, more than half my riding is done on this one.

I've looked and I cannot find an original retail or even an MSRP for that bike. That's very strange. That said, if we use the GROT suggested by GTryder and extrapolate that the Scott retailed for ~$600 new... ... do we need to go further down this road? The disc brakes are a nice touch but overall I don't think that bike could have been worth much more than $350 new. I'm not saying that that's what it cost, I'm saying that's what it was worth. That's why it was discontinued and all traces of it are being erased. I have a French horn that I just had to have. I paid $600 for it. Other horns of its type sell for $300. It's a great horn and in great condition so... what can I do. Its been years now since I bought it. I'm seeing the price of the other horns creep up into the $450 range. By admiting this I am not only saying that I am not above being lured into overpaying for something I want, I am also saying that life goes on. Luckily, horns are not easy to bling out on. You want more horn, you buy a better one. Bikes are a different story. A guy could lose his home upgrading a prize n+1 find. All we are saying is this isn't the particular n+1 to go nuts on.

H

Listed online (close out?) price of $599 found with a bit more searching, so I guess we can stop beating the dead horse price wise.:
https://www.bikesale.com/scott-sub-45...bike-2011.aspx

So no need for the OP to feel bad about what he paid (especially if the bike is in good shape). Agree with liesesturm that the disc brakes are a nice touch, albeit in lieu of a possibly higher grade drive train. As to why it was discontinued - anybody's guess - mine is in favour of "Dual Sport" models, with front suspension - seems to be the "in thing" around here.

Wow, you are so helpful. Can you show me a new bike of this style with these components for 350 or 300?