Modify my bike! +New guy :)

Mr Messy

Hey chaps!

New guy here, been riding on and off a few years, had a job where i'd commute daily using a bike, no long, maybe 6 miles each way. Time went by, times changed and i no longer used a bike.

Some time passed, and now im in a job thats going to mean i need to commute again. Probably about 8-10 miles a day, and im planning on throwing in some nice long rides on the weekends.

The bike i own is a GT Nomad, pretty much stock. Below is the standard spec.

Frame 7000 series aluminum with GT fitness geometry, with removable derailluer hanger
Fork SR NEX -4000, one piece alum. lowers, disc mount with pre-load adjust
Crankset Suntour XCC, 48, 38, 28
Bottom Bracket Semi-Cartridge
Pedals Metal cage
Front Derailleur Shimano C-050
Rear Derailleur Shimano C-050
Shifters Shimano Revo SL-41 twist shifters
Freewheel Shimano Hyperglide 7-speed freewheel, 14-28
Chain Shimano HG
Rims Double wall Alloy Trekking
Tires 700 x 42C GT Guardian with Kevlar flat protection, reflective sidewalls and aquatrac low rolling resistance tread
Front Hub Alloy QR
Rear Hub Alloy QR, freewheel
Spokes Stainless steel, 14 gauge
Nipples Brass CP
Front Brake Direct pull
Rear Brake Direct pull
Brake Levers Alloy, for direct pull
Handlebar Aluminum 30mm Riser 6-degree bend, anatomically sized
Stem Adjustable, 55-degree range of movement with 2-bolt face plate
Grips GT Comfort
Headset 1 1/8" sealed mech
Seat Post Aluminum Suspension
Seat Clamp GT Cold Forged clamp and QR

Here is a photo:




My question is, how can i turn this into a bit more of an urban assault bike.

I want the flexibility of being able to traverse a wider range of surface, it'll be mostly just tarmac, but there will be some gravel, some pavements etc.

Starting with the tyres, and my current setup including wheels, what could i go for? Would Hookworms fit... if so which size?

Again excuse me being naive, i really don't know much about this, although im learning.

What components could i switch out to save some weight?

If you had a budget of £100, to switch out components to help with speed, and weight, which would you choose?

You guys are the commuting experts so i do hope you can help!

Looking forward to your replys and getting to know the community better

willy_1977

I recall reading that the single biggest thing to look at when considering weight reduction would be your wheels... your current spec suggests that 700c wheels would fit - you obviously need to pay attention on whether the brakes will reach the rim

Can't really suggest a specific set as I'm pretty new to the commuting larkey how about checking fleabay for a nice light wheelset?

notsoblue

A pair of 700x28c tyres (slicks) would probably give you the most noticeable improvement. I wouldn't bother with anything knobbly. I have some slick armadillo nimbus tyres and had no problem riding the canal path between Bath and Devizes last month.

The Rookie

Go to a single speed front chainwheel, bin the left hand shifter, you may need a chain guide (less likely on a 7 speed), but can use the front mech until something better comes along, decent RH shifter ILO grip shift (unless you like them, I hate them!) and a decent rear mech, narrower lighter tyres if they suite your usage.
Fixed stem ILO the heavier adjustable maybe?

Simon

Underscore

Mr Messy wrote:

My question is, how can i turn this into a bit more of an urban assault bike.

[...]

What components could i switch out to save some weight?

From your post, I'm assuming that you're looking for an on-road bike - in which case, I would ditch those forks. From what I can see, they don't have a lock out so they will be sapping your power and they probably weigh a ton. Replace it with a cyclo-cross fork and you'll probably save a kilo and you'll go faster thanks to being rigid.

_

Edit: Something like this would fit the bill - yours for £63.

Another edit: Only thing to be careful of is the crown height so that the geometry and handling are unaffected...

rbleightonbuzzard

You could remove the wheel reflectors. Then put the £100 on Cadel Evans to win the TdF. Collect £1100 and buy a new road bike.

paulbox

Swapping out your stem, seat post & saddle would save you some weight, but remember everything you do will be a compromise. Comfort v weight in this case.

Depending on how rough the surfaces you fancy taking on are will depend on how nobbly your tyres need to be, but again, this would be at the expense of tarmac speed.

I have a similar dilemna, I could do a chunk of my commute on a canal towpath but this would mean having slower tyres for the road part...

Greg T

Balaclava - no-one will recognise you riding it until you buy a road bike....

Honestly - you can spend a lot of dough and it will always be at heart - a bit of a dog....

2nd hand road bikes.....

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12711207

Voila....

Mr Messy

Hi Greg, i think the point is however that this isn't exclusively a 'road', so nice tarmac road bike. There is gravel, crappy roads and stuff too.

I could have got a pure road bike, however im thinking (hoping?) this will give me a bit more flexibility with regards to changing components to get a nice all rounder.

rjsterry

Although blunt, he speaks the truth. A sturdy road bike is more than capable of handling rough roads and the odd tow path (although loose gravel can be a bit hairy on skinny slicks). The heaviest bit is the frame, and you can't really change that without changing the bike.

A couple of other points - it's a lot easier and cheaper to lose weight off the rider than the bike - don't carry stuff you don't need. You'll probably find that you drop a bit of weight once you start riding regularly.

Little things like having your tyres pumped up properly will make life a lot easier as well.

Changing the wheels will cost you about £60 + new tyres and tubes would use up your whole £100 and might not make that much difference to the weight. The fork might be more worthwhile as I doubt you really need the cushioning on top of the suspension seat post, and a rigid fork will be much lighter (no moving parts).

lost_in_thought

rjsterry wrote:

Although blunt, he speaks the truth. A sturdy road bike is more than capable of handling rough roads and the odd tow path (although loose gravel can be a bit hairy on skinny slicks). The heaviest bit is the frame, and you can't really change that without changing the bike.

A couple of other points - it's a lot easier and cheaper to lose weight off the rider than the bike - don't carry stuff you don't need. You'll probably find that you drop a bit of weight once you start riding regularly.

Little things like having your tyres pumped up properly will make life a lot easier as well.

Changing the wheels will cost you about £60 + new tyres and tubes would use up your whole £100 and might not make that much difference to the weight. The fork might be more worthwhile as I doubt you really need the cushioning on top of the suspension seat post, and a rigid fork will be much lighter (no moving parts).

Wot he said.

Only to add, gravel that's both loose and deep is the only really hairy surface on skinny tyres. Scattered loose gravel is very do-able.

I'd put the £100 towards a roadie/CX.

Failing that, I'd do the forks.

Mr Messy

Hi chaps, yea no sign of changing the bike any time soon i suspect, so i'll look into the forks suggestion.

I hadn't realised that the skinnys were robust enough, from what you're all saying that apart from silly gravel and off road stuff, they're perfectly capable of dealing with most road types..?

rjsterry

Mr Messy wrote:

Hi chaps, yea no sign of changing the bike any time soon i suspect, so i'll look into the forks suggestion.

I hadn't realised that the skinnys were robust enough, from what you're all saying that apart from silly gravel and off road stuff, they're perfectly capable of dealing with most road types..?

You don't need to leap for the 23Cs, 28C or 32C are still pretty quick on road, but a bit more forgiving of rough stuff. One last suggestion - if you don't already have some, spend some of the £100 on some proper cycling shorts - you'll go a lot faster if you are comfortable.

EDIT: Oh and one more for luck: some toe clips.

asprilla

Mr Messy wrote:

Hi chaps, yea no sign of changing the bike any time soon i suspect, so i'll look into the forks suggestion.

I hadn't realised that the skinnys were robust enough, from what you're all saying that apart from silly gravel and off road stuff, they're perfectly capable of dealing with most road types..?

Have a look at the 'Spring Classic' races at the beginning of the road season (and Tuesday's stage of the TdF) where road bikes are regularly ridden at high speed across gravel, pavement, tarmac, dirt roads and great big sodding cobbles.

There is well over 100 years of development and technology behind the road bike and they can take quite a bit of punishment.

Norky

Mr Messy wrote:

Modify my bike!

= Pimp my ride?

Mr Messy wrote:

Tires 700 x 42C GT Guardian with Kevlar flat protection, reflective sidewalls and aquatrac low rolling resistance tread

700 refers to the diameter of the wheel (in fact 622mm) while the 42 is the tire width at its widest point. The wider the more balloon-like, and the lower the pressure it's intended to run at.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_wh ... 2F_ISO_622
You'll go faster with narrower tires (pure 'road' bikes often run with 23mm or 25mm (lower for racing)), though wider tires give you a bit more cushioning. Skinny tires don't utterly prevent crossing rough ground - I rode my stiff, fairly race-oriented road bike over a couple of miles of very stony, chalky bridleway (the 'ideal' bike would probably have been a hardtail or full-sus MTB) last weekend so it's perfectly possible. - I'm not offering a particular suggestion one way or the other, simply explaining the possible tire options and why you might want to change, or not. The puncture resistance will slow a tire down a bit too, but IMO it's worth the penalty for a commuting bike.

+1 on the forks and/or wheels suggestions that others have given. Have a quick browse at http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php and compare suspension forks (1.5 to 3KG) to rigid forks (300g to 1KG max). Suspension forks, particularly the cheaper ones, will also absorb some of your pedalling force, especially when accelerating. But don't get too obsessed with saving weight - it's stupid expensive to shave those last few hundred grams off a bicycle's weight...

Also, welcome.

Mr Messy

Hi Norky & Others. Thanks for the advice, i think im building a better picture of what these bikes can do. I was always a novie, under the illusion that road bikes/racing bikes were for pro's, and the rest of us just use MTB's.

I will look into the wheels when i get back from work, any suggests for my current setup?

Also.. weird one... but i do it with cars -is there anything i *dont* need on the bike? Ie, on the weight thing, little plastic bits etc etc, what can be taken off?

All advice appreciated

Seems like a good place these forums, friendly and informative, and good to see its got its fair share of elitist grumps as well

davis

Mr Messy wrote:

Also.. weird one... but i do it with cars -is there anything i *dont* need on the bike? Ie, on the weight thing, little plastic bits etc etc, what can be taken off?

I generally take all reflectors apart from the rear off, ditch the bell, and mostly call it "done". If you're really into saving weight, then it's better to lose it from bits that spin (lighter wheels and especially tyres). You can go nuts weighing pedals, saddles, etc, right down to the bolts that hold things together.... But I'd say you're better off avoiding pies for a bit than taking bits off your bike. Most parts are there for a reason.

Seems like a good place these forums, friendly and informative, and good to see its got its fair share of elitist grumps as well

We're not elitist. We're just better than everyone else.

m00nd0g

Spending a hundred pound on this bike aint worth it.
Sell it.
Cut your losses and buy a crosser

Norky

m00nd0g wrote:

Spending a hundred pound on this bike aint worth it.
Sell it.
Cut your losses and buy a crosser

So harsh! That's what you would do and what I would do - much preferring faster, lighter bikes - but we are not the OP, and the OP knows himself better than we do. I hope

supersonic

The bike sounds perfect for what you need it for, I'd just ride it. Keep the forks and suspension seatpost if you want the comfort [only you can decide that, if you are riding ruts and cobbles it may be handy] - if not then I would swap them both out for lighter, rigid units.

Tyres are always good to upgrade though, as original ones can be surprisingly heavy.

m00nd0g

Sorry I did not mean to offend anyone.
I bought a bike a while ago.
tried to do the same it aint worth it.
Find an old racing bike and buy some nice tyres

FixedGear11

Why not buy a track bike... perfect for commuting as long as the road you take isn't too jacked up

Mr Messy

For the same reason i don't buy a Ferrari, a Porsche, a Aston Martin or a Gold plated iPhone. Money.

rolf_f

supersonic wrote:

The bike sounds perfect for what you need it for, I'd just ride it. Keep the forks and suspension seatpost if you want the comfort [only you can decide that, if you are riding ruts and cobbles it may be handy] - if not then I would swap them both out for lighter, rigid units.

Tyres are always good to upgrade though, as original ones can be surprisingly heavy.

+1.

Re what Underscore said - even if the forks don't have a lockout, they won't really be a bother unless you are standing on the pedals. And even that isn't worth losing sleep over. I have a bike that weighs 16 lbs and one that weighs 32 lbs. I prefer the former but I still enjoy riding the latter.

jonny_trousers

Seriously, sell it then buy something better on Ebay. It's that simple.

Underscore

Rolf F wrote:

Re what Underscore said - even if the forks don't have a lockout, they won't really be a bother unless you are standing on the pedals. And even that isn't worth losing sleep over. I have a bike that weighs 16 lbs and one that weighs 32 lbs. I prefer the former but I still enjoy riding the latter.

So you admit to enjoying riding your lighter bike more than your heavier bike but you don't think that the OP should make his bike lighter, hmm...

Look, does the OP need to upgrade their bike? No. However, for many of us, cycling is a hobby as much as a utilitarian means of transport so let's cut the guy some slack, OK?

Yes, selling the bike and buying a replacement would make sense but can he (I'm assuming that the OP is male, apologies if not) do that within his £100 budget? If not, that answer is a bit like being asked directions and saying "well, if I were you, I wouldn't start from here..."

Anyway, it's Monday morning so I think I'll go and be grumpy somewhere else!

_