After long break from riding, trying to make cheapo mtb better for city use.

[super_clown]

Hello everybody.

Used to ride a lot when I was young, then stopped for a lot of years. (Too busy drinking, chasing girls, etc)

The last bike I had was a really old but well maintained Raleigh racer. I liked the way it could go fast with relatively little effort, but it always felt very fragile. Now I have a CBR Black Rock, kindly donated by a friend, and it feels very slow. (I admit part of that is my poor fitness, but not all of it!) It is 21 gears, cheapo dual suspension, aluminium (but oddly heavy) frame, cheap disk brakes, you know the type of thing I mean.

I am looking to tune it to be more suitable for the sort of riding I do, without spending much money. I ride mostly on roads, but also light off road stuff while taking the dog for a walk.

Stuff already done:

Tried to fix the brakes. They were not set up properly, so performed poorly and worn the pads unevenly. I have setup calipers according to guides on internet, and filed pads as close to flat as I can get them. Still poor performance. I think they will get better when they bed in.

Set up the gears properly. Nearly anyway. Will try again.

Put maximum preload on the rear shock. It was far too soft and robbing power. If I was buying a bike I would have got a hard tail, but it was free so I have to work with what I have.

Adjusted seat height, oiled the bits that are supposed to move, tightened the bits that are not.

Stuff I want to do:

Make front shock firmer. Any ideas?

Thinner tires. I don't need the grip the current ones give, would like less rolling friction. Can I just put on thinner tires when they need changing, or is it more complicated than that?

Riser bar ends. Not sure if that is the right words, but they were very useful on the bikes I had as a kid. Modern ones don't have them.

Maybe wider seat. I need to do more research, but I believe the seat is supposed to support my arse bones, not try to push them apart.

Ugly paint job. So that the bad guys steal a different bike.

Would like to hear peoples thoughts.

 

[Shortmember]

Don't worry about having your bike nicked.It's more likely that your lock will get nicked and your clunker of a bike will be left untouched.Heavy suspension front and rear has, in my opinion,no place on a bike used mainly on the road and knobbly tractor style tyres are a definite no no on the tarmac.Save your money and buy a decent used hybrid and you'll start to enjoy cycling again.

 

[Mile195]

Definitely truth in the above statement... However, in the meantime you are definitely on the right track.

Changing the tyres for something more suited to the road will make a massive, massive difference, and probably the single biggest improvement you'll be able to make. You can pick up a cheap pair from decathlon for probably little more than £15. Just look for anything that looks to have a smoother surface round the middle. I have some on my "pub" bike that have a smoothish criss-cross tred over the main section of the tyre that makes the most contact with the road, with a line of "knobbly bits" round the very edge, which never see the tarmac. Cost me £8 each I seem to remember.

Rear suspension as you rightly say is a waste of time. You can't get rid of it, but firming up as much as possible like you have done should help a fair bit.

Also, it goes without saying, but make sure it's set up right. The seat shouldn't be too low down. That will not only put strain your knees, but cause you to lose a lot of power as well.

Good luck with it. What you'll probably find is that once you've made your adjustments you'll start hankering after something better anyway as you get more into it. But like I said to a colleague at work recently, there's no point spending more than you have to on a bike, until you've proven to yourself that cycling is definitely for you, and fixing up a rubbish mountain bike at next-to-nothing cost is a good way to do it.

 

[Mile195]

btw, just to elaborate on your tyre point (and probably teaching you to suck eggs), but obviously you can only fit tyres that are the right size for the rims. 26" wheels, means you must fit 26" tyres but as I say, there are a number of options, with many that are road-orientated.

If you were suggesting fitting road tyres (700mm) to mountain bike wheels, they are a completely different diameter and depth and are in no way compatible at all. Nor will you be able to fit 700mm rims to your mountain bike.

 

[paul04]

With my mountian bike, I swapped the the tyres over to road tyres from halfords, it does make the bike roll alot better.

As a bit of help for you, my mountain bike tyres were 1.95x26
I swapped them for 1.50x26 tyres and they fitted fine

 

[Mo1959]

My neighbour has just bought a used mountain bike for road use. He took the nobblies off yesterday and fitted Vittoria Pro slicks which look really nice and fast rolling. Unfortunately, it is chucking it down here this morning so he hasn't been out yet to test them out. Looking forward to hearing what he thinks of them.

 

[Boon 51]

Thats what I started with... a mtb with road tyres in Oct last year.

It didn't last more than a week till the cycling bug bit me and now I have a road bike a mountain bike and hybrid bike.

Good luck with your new adventure

 

[Gravity Aided]

Pretty much how I started out, and I think a lot of people do start just this way. Make the most of what you have. Sounds like you are on the right track. I'm in the States, and here they practically throw vintage hardtails away, as well as early, non compact frame hybrids.

 

[olobabyer]

yeah.i think so,Ugly paint job. So that the bad guys steal a different bike.