Mtb to Road Friendly Advise needed
TrekMan2014
Posts: 14
Hi All
As I posted in the other thread Im doing a 45 mile charity bike ride later in the year and need to convert one of my bikes to be more friendly I have rediscovered biking after being away I used to build and ride my bikes about 10 years ago. The bike in its current state is as follows any advice especially to how many miles i should do for practise/training and easier to use on the road is appreciated.
Trek 4300 2005 I think frame XT hubs on mavic ceramic v rims (cant remember number )with red nipples either 1.5 slick tyres XTR f & r v brakes XTR STIs with shimanoe flight deck built in. XTR front and rear mechs XTR rear cassette xtr cables xlite fly 2 stem rockshox Judy Xc forks xlite v bolt,locking seat clamp Alien seat post V8 Pedals xlite red xc riser bars blue grips I think thats it.On the chainset I have a old square taper LX chainset with 22,32,42 which i easily spin out as where i live is hills everywhere So i decided to get a new outer ring but the chainset I have is outer ring not changeable other 2 are .so I just bought a XT octalink chainset from the bay
waiting for it to turn up plus measure my bb.Was last item that wasnt Xt or XTR :roll:
Will the 44 t from 42 be ok to be able to help me keep up with my friends they are both either using hybrids or 1 hybrid 1 racer.Where i live roads are terrible and do use it for fields and woods so need to keep suspension forks not change for rigid ones but will upgrade to a newer version at some point just looking for cheap upgrades at mo.The bike is 24 speed .Im thinking of spd s any good?
Any advice appreciated.
As I posted in the other thread Im doing a 45 mile charity bike ride later in the year and need to convert one of my bikes to be more friendly I have rediscovered biking after being away I used to build and ride my bikes about 10 years ago. The bike in its current state is as follows any advice especially to how many miles i should do for practise/training and easier to use on the road is appreciated.
Trek 4300 2005 I think frame XT hubs on mavic ceramic v rims (cant remember number )with red nipples either 1.5 slick tyres XTR f & r v brakes XTR STIs with shimanoe flight deck built in. XTR front and rear mechs XTR rear cassette xtr cables xlite fly 2 stem rockshox Judy Xc forks xlite v bolt,locking seat clamp Alien seat post V8 Pedals xlite red xc riser bars blue grips I think thats it.On the chainset I have a old square taper LX chainset with 22,32,42 which i easily spin out as where i live is hills everywhere So i decided to get a new outer ring but the chainset I have is outer ring not changeable other 2 are .so I just bought a XT octalink chainset from the bay
waiting for it to turn up plus measure my bb.Was last item that wasnt Xt or XTR :roll: Will the 44 t from 42 be ok to be able to help me keep up with my friends they are both either using hybrids or 1 hybrid 1 racer.Where i live roads are terrible and do use it for fields and woods so need to keep suspension forks not change for rigid ones but will upgrade to a newer version at some point just looking for cheap upgrades at mo.The bike is 24 speed .Im thinking of spd s any good?
Any advice appreciated.
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Comments
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On 1.5" slicks on my commuter I just about spin out a 46T on downhills (that I can climb on a 46:28 - my lowest gear - ratio or higher, so not that steep), I'd suggest some trecking ratios (28,38,48) as being more suitable for what you want a 44 instead of a 42t is barely worth the change as that amounts to about 1/2 a gear on the normal gear spacing. I thought all LX had changeable outer ring, mine certainly did (circa 2000 vintage).
I would be using SPD's for that ride, yes.
I'd also look at getting some rigid forks to swap on the ride, that 3/4 kg weight saving will be well worth having, not to mention more stable pedaling from getting rid of god aweful Judy's, that or get some decent forks with a pedal platform or lockout!
I'd also be looking at dropping the bars at the grips, so no spacers below stem, flipped stem, flat bars (mix and match to get the height you want), also make sure you can grip the bars inboard of the controls for a better aero position/slightly different riding position, if you want you can add some bar tape to improve the grip, you'll find you can easily run a gear higher on the flat using that hand position.
I do regular rides of 50miles+ on an MTB when I'm overseas with work, should be dispatched in 3-4 hours tops and should be easy enough.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
Yep a 44t is going to make very little difference over a 42t, definitely agree with the bigger rings if you're wanting to pedal down the hills. All The Rookie's other advice is sound too.0
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The reason I went 44t is I have a xt 44t on my other bike and it's much better on the flats and down hill.
Rookie do you have any pictures of the bar and stem position you mentioned?
The reason I didn't want rigid forks It goes off road sometimes also are Judys that bad? :-(0 -
Yes but your other bike probably has 2" plus tyres so the rolling radius is going to be a lot larger than on 1.5", also they are presumably draggy off road tyres? On 1.5" slicks I can average over just 20mph on a flattish (not flat) run, on the gradient I can climb on my 46:24 3rd gear I can hit about 35mph coming down at a sensible cadence in top gear, I have logged a maximum speed of 46mph downhill (and I wondered why no cars were passing me in a 50 limit!) although my cadence was on the high side, and I'm a only moderately fit and slightly overweight 45+ y.o.
On my commuter all my spacers are above the stem, so the stem is sitting right on top of the headset, the stem is flipped so angles down not up, and the bars are flat, this puts the bars about 4-5" below saddle height, I have some pics but can't get to them through the company firewall.
The Judy's are very poor, rigid forks would probably be better offroad than Judy's which I don't think ever had a damper.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0
