Can I make my Trek 850 XC more 'roadie'?

[Chris-R]

I've got a 10 yr old (approx) Trek 850 XC on Specialized Nimbus road tyres.

It was great for knocking around London back then, but I've dug it out of the garage and I'm wondering if I can make it go faster. (Without performance enhancing drugs...)

It's got 26ins wheels already, but can I put a set of road racing gears and/or wheels on it? I rarely get out of top gear with the MTB ratios and need 'overdrive'. So are axle/frame widths different for MTBs and are gear sets interchangeable, etc?

I wouldn't mind spending a bit on it, because otherwise I'll have to buy an old racer on ebay - and that would mean riding somebody else's bike!

[Jimbo.]

Nothing much you can do, no. Gears etc. maybe, but it'll cost a bit and it won't make much of a difference.
Road bike!

[john_p]

What gearing is on the cassette? You should be able to get a 11-26 or similar from most places and it won't cost the earth

That and slick tyres at 90psi.

[Jimbo.]

Even with an 11-26 and slicks, you'll still spin out fairly quickly, what with the small front chainrings and small wheels.

[Jameshs]

Ideally you need to ditch that front chainset for a more road oriented one. Get looking on eBay for an old 105 that's square taper. Then I would change the rear cassette as mentioned.

With the above you should still be able to hit averages of 17-20 mph which is plenty

[john_p]

What is the front chainset ? 42, 44 etc? Mines 44 and with a 11 rear it's pretty usable, although you do spend most time up the top end.

If you change the front chainset you may need to change the derallieur too. I wouldn't try and "roadify" it too much, keep it as a road-oriented bike that you can also dive down bridlepaths, towpaths etc without fear of it falling to bits. Then, later on, buy a road bike

[Chris-R]

john_p said:

What is the front chainset ? 42, 44 etc? Mines 44 and with a 11 rear it's pretty usable, although you do spend most time up the top end.

If you change the front chainset you may need to change the derallieur too. I wouldn't try and "roadify" it too much, keep it as a road-oriented bike that you can also dive down bridlepaths, towpaths etc without fear of it falling to bits. Then, later on, buy a road bike

I'll have to count the teeth - can't find any specs online. But as a general principle, can you simply swap wheels and cogs around between road bikes and mtbs?

[a11y_m]

Chris-R said:

john_p said:

What is the front chainset ? 42, 44 etc? Mines 44 and with a 11 rear it's pretty usable, although you do spend most time up the top end.

If you change the front chainset you may need to change the derallieur too. I wouldn't try and "roadify" it too much, keep it as a road-oriented bike that you can also dive down bridlepaths, towpaths etc without fear of it falling to bits. Then, later on, buy a road bike

I'll have to count the teeth - can't find any specs online. But as a general principle, can you simply swap wheels and cogs around between road bikes and mtbs?

Yes, although there are some compatibility issues, e.g. a road rear mech with a short cage won't work well with a MTB cassette with bigger cogs (it can't cope with the range). As long as you stick with all 8-speed or all 9-speed you should be OK.

My last bike was a mix of road and MTB stuff: a CX bike with drop bars and Tiagra STIs, Tiagra chainset, Tiagra front mech, XT rear mech, MTB 32-11 cassette. Worked very well.

But the biggest difference I find is that 700c wheels roll much better on tarmac than 26" wheels regardless of tyres, so my thoughts are to buy another bike lol.

[john_p]

So, get road wheels built with MTB hubs and put discs on and .. hope it clears the frame/fork

[Chris-R]

john_p said:

So, get road wheels built with MTB hubs and put discs on and .. hope it clears the frame/fork

I'm starting to think it's not the easier option. But then again it never is...

[itsnotarace]

Fitting road wheels to a mountain bike is not going to work. Try some skinny slick tyres 26x 1"

http://www.mailordercycles.com/products.php?plid=m...

Otherwise buy a road bike.

[darkyoung1000]

You can still get new Shimano 8 speed front rings with 52 teeth on which will give you a boost to top end, which /might/ fit your existing arrangement depending on clearances etc.
If you have a local bike salvage place or friendly local bike shop that understands the desire to put to gether slightly eccentric projects, they can be very helpful with such matters!


Good luck,

Tom

[Junior Bianno]

Not sure if it makes it faster per se, but I converted my Specialized Rockhopper into a city road bike and I think it's great. 1.5" Continental road tyres, rigid chromo forks, single speed, SPDs, cut-down bars with bar ends.

Loses a lot of weight with the forks and the gears gone, which combined with the road tyres and the SPDs makes it as fast as I need it in the city!

[Loppin McPhee]

Careful if you want to spec a roadie chainset. Your chainstays may "flare" too much and the big chainwheel may rub against the drive-side.
I was going to put a spare triple Ultegra on my new Stumpy HT "Roadie" build, but no, had to buy a SLX triple instead.
I only spin out going downhills - otherwise generally not an issue for me (have a 11-21 block on it).

[Chris-R]

darkyoung1000 said:

You can still get new Shimano 8 speed front rings with 52 teeth on which will give you a boost to top end, which /might/ fit your existing arrangement depending on clearances etc.
If you have a local bike salvage place or friendly local bike shop that understands the desire to put to gether slightly eccentric projects, they can be very helpful with such matters!


Good luck,

Tom

That sounds just the job - will ask around, cheers!

But will probably now have to wait until I've fiddled about with the old Dawes Impulse I've just bought...