Poofa Cyclists: Need Help Building a Commuter Bike

[Paradigm]

I have a 1995 Trek 8700 carbon fiber rigid mountain bike. I spent the summer/fall riding it on the road (almost 850 miles). I've been eyeing up a Trek Valencia commuter bike - until I saw the price. I figure that for a considerably less, I could make mine into a commuter. Then when I'm ready for some serious MTB riding, I could finally buy a boinger bike.

Mine looks a little like this:

Matrix VooDoo, 32-hole wheels; 26 x 1.95" Tioga Psycho kevlar tires

The Valencia looks like this:

Shimano RM65 Disc hubs; Bontrager Satellite Nebula rims; Bontrager Race Lite puncture resistant tires (700x32c)

So, what do I need? It looks like the big differences are the wheels, tires, and brakes. My bike has no provisions for disc brakes, which is fine - I don't need them. Would it be best to buy new commuter/road wheels, tires, tubes, and gearset? Or do commuter/road wheels not just "bolt on" an MTB frame? Will I have any brake alignment issues?

I was thinking of something like this Forte Titan wheel:



http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...01_70500_71005

Or should I just get the narrowest tires I can get on my current MTB wheels?

Or............

Feel free to ask any questions or offer any advice. I'm sure I'm missing something. Otherwise, I wouldn't be asking for help!

Thanks!

[4XLT]

man i havent been on a bike since i got my license to drive lol they both look like nice bikes though !

[Wiley-X]

I don't cycle anymore but I used to ride a fair bit. I wasn't one of the spandex pants crowd but I did have a really cool Giro helmet

The first investment that I'd make would be the gearing. Go to a good bike shop and talk to the guys there and find out what they recommend.

Tires would be second or even lower on my list. I went from the skinny road tire to a fatter hybrid type tire and even though there was more drag, I didn't mind because the bike didn't get goofy if I had to move onto the shoulder.

A different seat might make life a bit more comfortable.

Headlight and all sorts of flashing lights on the back so the wackos in the cars might notice you.

Oh, one last thing. A holster to hang on the top tube.

[ehidle]

You can't put a 700c road wheel on a 650c mountain bike frame.

You also probably don't want to commute on a single speed. That Trek looks like it's geared pretty low, so it's going to take forever to get anywhere on it.

What is that anyway, about a 30x16? That's great for a singletrack offroad, but gearing like that would really try my patience on the road.

The least cost route is going to be to simply put slicks on the mountain bike. You still have the gearing issue, but if you're not going that far, it's not so important.

That MTB frame you have also has the lugs for a rear rack, which would be good to have if you need to transport clothing, laptop, or whatever. A good rack and panniers will run $100 or so.

If you're going to commute between sunset and sunrise, there are also lighting requirements.

There have been numerous threads here discussing bicycle carry as well.

[Paradigm]

Thanks for the info so far. Just to be clear: my Trek is similar to the one I posted. That is NOT a picture of it. I have a 3x8 gearset.

[ehidle]

Thanks for the info so far. Just to be clear: my Trek is similar to the one I posted. That is NOT a picture of it. I have a 3x8 gearset.

Ahh ok.. I must have missed that part

Rock on, then. Just make sure you can carry your stuff, get some slicks to reduce drag (michelin City tires are great), and for the love of God, wear a helmet.

Does your employer offer showers and/or lockers?

[dieselkarl]

As mentioned earlier in the thread, lower resistance slicks or semi slicks, narrower than what you currently roll but not narrower than 1.5" width is the cheapest improvement. Gotta keep the 26" wheels though.
You can change the gear ratio. You probably have a 22/32/44 or maybe a 42 tooth count for your cranks. You can up that to a 28/38/48 crankset (maybe just the rings but not likely) and a fresh bottom bracket to accomodate the different offset of the crankarms. You will probably need to change out the front derailleur as most mountain ft. derailleurs work best with a 42/44 large ring but sometimes you get lucky and yours is 48t. compatible. Don't forget to buy a new chain as the old one won't fit with larger rings, and if you're doing that you ought to put a fresh cassette on at that time so everything wears evenly.
Fenders - dorktastic but effective.
Mid 90's mtb's have a lower, longer stem than today's commuters. A more upright stem will raise your field of vision and ease strain on your arms, back and neck. Salsa makes some nice, inexpensive riser stems. You may need to re-cable if you mess with the stem length too much though.

Good luck. It's great to see old bikes given new life.

[ehidle]

Standard Trek 8700 gearing for that era was a 22/32/42 with an 11/28 cassette.