CountryCyclist

Man I *love* the look of the bike handle!

CountryCyclist

Loving all these makeovers!
Can't wait to get started on mine. Going to order some straight handlebars with some handlebar ends to make it look like a bullhorn handlebar. (Might order it right now off ebay, or wait until tomorrow morning so i can deposit my pay first lol)

forresterace

The only handling issues that I had was on the first CC tour I did with the rack and rear panniers but with the handlebar bag up high on the bars. It made the front steering "twitchy". After that tour , I added the small front rack (Nashbar) to lower the bar bag. It made a great deal of difference. The chainstay lengths have never been an issue. My rear panniers are not too wide but higher. I have never had any heel interference at all. I do mount the bags as far back as I can get them on the rack.
If you are able to mount a rear rack on your Diverge, especially with discs, then give it a try. As long as you don't get carried away with the weight in the panniers, you should be fine. In my fully loaded form, my equipment weight (incl. bags) is about 30 lbs.

Doug

Doctor Morbius

I have some plans for a 2010/11 Giant Roam 2 overhaul in the spring. A few months back I completely stripped my Raleigh M60 Mountain Sport down to the frame (posts 342, 343 and 347 https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...l#post18257774 ) and overhauled it which left me some extra parts. I intend to use these on the Roam 2 when I give it a complete overhaul.

It will be getting the following used parts from the M60:
UN-73 Sq Taper BB (replaced the M60's stock BB shortly after purchase)
Deore Triple Crankset/Chainrings (replaced the M60's stock crankset shortly after purchase)
Deore M510 Shifter Pods (stock from M60)
Deore M510 Rear Derailleur (stock from M60)
Swap seats with a different bike

New parts will be:
Ergon grips
HG50 14-25t 9 speed rear cassette
All new cables & fresh housings
New brake pads
Fresh grease/lube/yadda yadda


I've been toying with the idea of painting it, but I doubt I'll do it. There's just too much other stuff to do IRT the house, yard, other hobbies, actually riding a bike, etc. Besides, this was supposed to be a beater bike. If I were to paint it, it would be a darker color, which will show dirt and grime more easily too.

Dsprok

Looks Great. Don't paint it.

Doctor Morbius

Thanks. I most likely will leave it as is.

yetirider

Just changed my SRAM Via crankset out for an SRAM XO, just waiting for these guys to confirm they can produce the carbon chainrings so I can return the gearing to the original spec. https://www.fibre-lyte.co.uk/fl/bicyc...intropage.html

Also just added Conti GT4000 four season tyres.

CountryCyclist

New Handlebars! Not sure if I should buy a new stem or just paint it black? hmm

Doctor Morbius

OK, I think a couple of people are confused as to what is meant by makeover plans. Makeover plans involves things that have not yet occurred. It's a course of action that will take place in the future, not the past. If you've already done something to makeover/modify/upgrade your hybrid, there is a sticky for that at the top of the page. Can't miss it.

https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...rid-today.html

sail

The stock saddle on my FX 7.4 is decent but I've always had leather. Just tried a Brooks C17 but it bugged me that I couldn't slide around. Rats, it goes to eBay and a standard black leather B17 is next.

corwin1968

I see that I posted in this thread three years ago. I upgraded pretty much everything except the headset and the seatpost clamp on my Trek 730 and I was still thrilled with the ride but I was unhappy with the amount of toe overlap I had and the inability to go with even wider tires. I discovered that a Surly Karate Monkey has the same geometry as my 730 but it has 3cm more effective top-tube length (no more toe overlap) and clearance for huge tires! The problem is that modern KM's only accept disk brakes and my good wheels require rim brakes. The solution was to watch for an old frameset from the days when KM's accepted both rim and disk brakes and my patience was rewarded when I find a 2008 Husker Blue frameset. I moved all of my upgraded 730 components over to the KM and that's where I am now. My next step is a set of 50mm Schwalbe Marathon Supremes and some new thin pedals that will allow me to lower the saddle a bit.

There are a couple of things I dislike about the KM, mainly the suspension corrected fork and the huge amount of seatpost showing. I designed a custom frameset by starting with the KM geometry, eliminating the suspension corrected fork, modifying the fork rake and bottom bracket drop to give it the same ride with 50mm tires that it has with 40mm tires and adjusted the seat-tube length and top-tube angle to the most aesthetically pleasing proportions. I hope to have this built someday and I might also upgrade to a Rohloff rear hub someday.

Here is my current bike (upgraded to a 1x9 drivetrain):




Here is my custom idea that is based on the KM:

Paradaz

Sorry, no photo from me but I'm in the UK and have front brake on the right-hand side (which is pretty much the standard over here). You'll probably get different preferences from different people however I think this goes back to riding on the left-hand side of the road, in which case if you're signalling right you want your spare hand ready to pull the rear brake. Many people also say that you get a slightly better cable run having the front brake on the left as the cable bend isn't quite as tight. It's 6 and 2 three's to be honest, you've got to go what you're most comfortable with.......I know that a front brake on the left for me is just comedy gold as I've demonstrated many times by attempting to pull a skid and flying over the bars on a bike with a different setup to what I'm used to!

Clyde1820

Trek DS 8.5 -- with Shimano Deore/SLX components.

Changes so far:

• Stem -- Ritchey adjustable, 80mm.
• Bars -- FSA Metropolis handlebars. Likely to change to one with a greater rise, somewhat greater sweep.
• Wheelset -- Velocity Dyad (700c), Shimano Deore XT hubs, DT Swiss spokes, Continental Tour Ride 47-622 tires. Excellent, so far.
• Cassette -- changed to 12-36. Likely will alter the chainrings (down) a bit to allow for lower gearing.
• Rear rack -- Topeak Super Tourist DX (for disc).
• Rear rack bags -- Topeak MTX DX trunk bag.
• Pedals -- no changes, yet, but likely will change to something a bit wider/longer to accommodate my larger feet.
• Rain fenders -- still hunting for ones that'll fit with the 47-622 tires; might need to switch to 42-622 in order to allow my existing SKS Longboard fenders to work.
• Lighting -- contemplating a front dynamo hub swap, with appropriate headlight and taillight; currently using a variety of smaller, battery-driven lights (front and rear). Hope to finish this by start of winter this year.
• Future -- suspension fork -- depending on how this factory one lasts, I might well change to a somewhat smoother and more-capable fork.

Fits better, works better, and love the much improved after-market wheelset that I had built. Am fiddling with overall position and fit, via minor stem, bar and saddle changes. Is nobody's lightweight, but it's sure-footed and reliable, fairly comfortable.