Need_help

Hey new to the forum but I was wondering if it's possible to change my 2015 nakamura monster 6.5 dual suspension bike into a hybrid bike since I don't use it for trails or terrain realy just to get to places and I don't really wanna buy a whole new bike

jase33

You could do that but what you should ask yourself is what you are going to spend in doing it. At the least I would think you need to replace the tires to have decent pavement riding. And you may also find that the suspension eats your power especially when doing even sight inclines. You might want to look into buying a used bike for a couple hundred dollars. Check craigslist or even local bike shops that may give you a few dollars credit toward buying a bike from them. Your bike brand new today can be bought for just over $100 so keep that in mind.

hokiefyd 

Welcome!

A full suspension mountain bike will likely be heavy. The main thing you can do for a bike like this is to change the tires for ones with street tread. This will help some, but it's still going to be a heavy full suspension bike.

MRT2

Not really. IMO, just buy yourself a used hybrid. Probably cheaper in the long run to do that.

rumrunn6

sometimes it's fun to slowly modify a bike by changing saddle, tires & bars. sometimes it's just good money after bad. personally, my evolution turned out OK but I could have saved a huge amount of time, money & hassle if I just skipped everything in between & went directly to the bike(s) I ride now. plus it's fun to have more than 1 bike. 1 of the 2 might sit unridden a lot but then comes a time when you say oh snap I've got that other bike I can use on that new trail I just heard about ...

coominya

No. Not worth it. An older MTB from the 90's with a hard fork, easily done, just change the tires

canklecat

Look for a decent 1980s-'90s rigid frame/fork mountain bike. Those are often incredible bargains (other than the custom made jobs).

Right now, checking craigslist in Texas, I see several Univega, Trek, Specialized and similar vintage mountain bikes for under $100. I'd be very tempted by a $75 Univega Alpina Uno LX, but the frame looks a bit small for me and I really don't have room for another bike. But it'd be a sweet fixer upper. Looks intact with some custom components by a previous owner who was serious, and just needs cleaning up, maybe a new chain and tires.

There are also a ton of good used cookie cutter rigid frame/fork hybrids from the late 1990s-mid-2000s that are basically updates on the 1980s mountain bike design. Most of those cost under $200. Brand doesn't really matter. By the 2000s there were several Chinese frame manufacturers selling to every name brand, and the brand names would just slap on the same basic components. At that price they're usually good, functional Shimano Altus derailers, Shimano RevoShift grip shifters or thumb shifters, Shimano MegaRange freewheels, etc. Perfectly good bikes, should last for years, easy to maintain or upgrade if desired.

coominya

I wish I hadn't read this... I have a few spare hundred laying around and the thought of buyin another (No 7) feels like a good idea

The last one I bought I didn't inspect very well and it turns out to have a rooted crank and a few other issues. I'll keep it for its aluminium frame, even though it has a small dent in the top of the down tube 4 inches up from the bottom bracket. How the hell that was accomplished is anyones guess...

canklecat

Yeah, every time I see those inexpensive 1980s-'90s mountain bikes I try to justify getting one so I can finish the full-on hybridizing of my '92 Univega Via Carisma.

My Via Carisma really wants to be an upright comfortable cruiser, but I keep holding back on replacing the fenders and other stuff because it's also great for gravel grinding. But it really wants to be a casual group ride bike that doesn't mind getting wet and dirty occasionally.

I should just break down and snag the next $50-$75 Rover, Activa, Stumpjumper or Rockhopper I see for a gravel bike and finish that Via Carisma project.

rumrunn6

yup, buyers market

Cgswss

Another thing you might want to consider is the gear set. In the past, I have put slicks on mountain bikes and found they are geared way too low to ride with road bikes. Of course, I coming from the road bike world, and if you can't keep up around 20-21mph pace, you will be left behind. I actually had a triple chain ring on my road bike, but then again my big ring was a 56! I'm not going to try to tell you I road a 56/12 on the flats, but those roads I needed the third ring to climb, also were a ball with a huge gear on the descents!

I "solved" my problem with a 24 speed hybrid as I'm now old and unfit

hokiefyd 

I bought a '95 Motiv Stonegrinder mountain bike a month or so ago for 20 bucks. 100% complete with its Alivio drivetrain. Chromoloy frame and hi-ten steel fork. Super bomb proof (this is my second Motiv Stonegrinder). I've done a lot of measuring on the frame and I've mapped it up in BikeCAD and the geometry is basically the same as any dedicated "touring" frame.

Mountain bikes like these are usually the best foundations for making a touring or hybrid bike.

Or, just buy a '90s hybrid. I bought my '97 Trek 750 for 65 bucks. 100% double-butted chomoloy frame and fork, made in the USA.

The main difference in these two besides the frame material (and weight!) is the Motiv uses 26" tires and the Trek uses 700c/29" tires.