Converting an Old MTB into a tourer.

Indigo Gorilla

I have an old Saracen Forcetrax which I'm looking to convert into a tourer. Will be used in June to cycle from London to Paris and again in August to cycle from Manchester to Edinburgh and back again.

At the moment it has flat bars those little exention things on the end for extra hand position. It has a 21 speed gearing setup and I have some continental travel contacts for the tyres.

Just wondering the best way to make it more comfortable and ideal for touring.

Currently on my list of things to change is...

27 Speed Gearing (unsure of chain-ring and cassette sizes though)
Saddle and Saddle Bag.
Handlebars possibly, what would people recommend here?
Will be getting a rack as well for the back and possibly the front if needed.

Only looking into parts for the bike at the moment. I have a general idea and some lists to work through for actual touring gear.

andymiller

You won't necessarily get much benefit from changing the gears to 9-speed - or at least not much benefit compared with the additional cost. If budget is an issue then I'd weigh the pros and cons before junking the existing setup. (Also you need to consider teh compatibility of a 9-speed cassette with your existing hub).

Personally I would put a new pair of wheels higher on the list of priorities than swapping out the shifters etc - but it depends on what wheels you have a t the moment.

You don't mention what sort of fork you have - I'm assuming it's already a rigid fork.

Most people (my impression) tour with MTB-gearing - although plenty do with roadbike gearing in some flavour or other. You can combine MTB gearing with dropbars/controls but things do get a bit more complicated (although bar end shifters make things simpler). The flat bars with the 'little extension things' (barends) could be a perfectly viable option - although again it's a matter of personal preference.

Indigo Gorilla

Ah, I forgot about that, that said though I do have a spare 9-speed back wheel from a newer back I converted to single-speed.

The wheels on the bike at the moment are Altus Hubs, not sure on the rims or spokes to be fair but the bike is from the early 90's so I'm guessing they could do with replacing.

Oh and it is a rigid fork yes. Don't need a suspension fork so it won't be changed.

I currently cycle to work on the bike at the moment and I would say that I'm happy with the flat bars and bar ends. Just not sure if drops would be better though simply for the extra position. I don't really want to be changing the way the brakes are at the moment though. Happy enough with them being in the traditional place they are on an MTB.

I don't really have a budget as such for the upgrades, I'm happy to spend £30-50 a month on parts and just upgrade what will be most beneficial.

andymiller

Indigo Gorilla wrote:

I currently cycle to work on the bike at the moment and I would say that I'm happy with the flat bars and bar ends. Just not sure if drops would be better though simply for the extra position. I don't really want to be changing the way the brakes are at the moment though. Happy enough with them being in the traditional place they are on an MTB.

Changing from flat bars to drops is do-able (although more expensive - and some frames are more suitable than others) but there are issues about compatibility between shifters and mechs and between brake levers and brakes. all prefectly do-able but there are some gotchas on the way. You might want to consider longer barends if you don't get on with the current ones. alternatively butterfly bars might be cost effective.

If money is limited my order of priorities would be:

- replace chainrings, chain and cassette (assuming they are worn and need replacing);
- decent quality rack;
- replace the saddle;
- replace the wheels if they need replacing (and tyres if they are worn);
- bar ends or butterfly bars.

What I'm not sure about is whether you could put a 7-speed cassette on a standard shimano rear hub and have the option of putting a 9-speed cassette on later or whether buying new wheels is going to then commit you to changing to 9-speed. Possibly someone else can advise.