can i fit a close ratio road cassette to my Shimano LX MTB hub?..if so, what do you recommend..

i have MTB V-Brake cantis on my frame....is there a road type brake that will fit on standard MTB bosses?

why are 700C wheels called 700C? what does that mean....will they fit directly onto a MTB frame and rigid forks if i decide to but a set..

cheers guys,

i am cycling on a real budget and would appreciate the advice..

can i fit a close ratio road cassette to my Shimano LX MTB hub?..if so, what do you recommend..

i have MTB V-Brake cantis on my frame....is there a road type brake that will fit on standard MTB bosses?

why are 700C wheels called 700C? what does that mean....will they fit directly onto a MTB frame and rigid forks if i decide to but a set..

cheers guys,

i am cycling on a real budget and would appreciate the advice..


You can put a close ratio 11-21 or 11-19 cassette on your shimano hub.

Road brakes won't mount to your frame and neither will road wheels, since they are much larger in diameter. The only way to make an mtb more road friendly is to use street tires which are usually 1.25 to 1.5 inches wide with a relatively smooth tread.

road bikes use 700c (centimeter) wheels, almost the same as 27". Mountain bikes take
26" wheels. The larger wheels won't fit on the back, and you can't put a road fork on a mountain bike. Better off to just get a road bike.

road bikes use 700c (centimeter) wheels, almost the same as 27". Mountain bikes take
26" wheels. The larger wheels won't fit on the back, and you can't put a road fork on a mountain bike. Better off to just get a road bike.


I believe that a 700c wheel and tire will fit on a mountain bike. In fact mavic makes a wheel, the speedcity, that is meant to convert disc brake equipped mtb's for road use, it has a 700c rim and is intended for use with any road clincher tire. Remember, the tires on a mtb are much taller than road tires, so it sort of equals out.

can i fit a close ratio road cassette to my Shimano LX MTB hub?..if so, what do you recommend..

i have MTB V-Brake cantis on my frame....is there a road type brake that will fit on standard MTB bosses?

why are 700C wheels called 700C? what does that mean....will they fit directly onto a MTB frame and rigid forks if i decide to but a set..

cheers guys,

i am cycling on a real budget and would appreciate the advice..

What's your budget? THAT is the most important factor.

If you were thinking about converting to road brakes (forget whether it's possible) -- a 105 set will run $60 or so. Wheels would go for at least $500 for a pair (for something worth buying) not counting tires (add $50 - $100). A new rear cassette will go for $40 or so. Want drop bars? No problem, add $150 for a set of 105 STI shifters on top of what the drop bars cost. Your upgrade budget then should be about $850 give or take a little.

This is what it would take to 'convert' your MTB as you put forth. Regardless of what can and can't be done, you'd still be dealing with a heavy frame and fork. IMO, this would be a waste of time. For that kind of $$$, buy used or visit supergo.com and pickup one of their house bikes -- a REAL road bike -- for less than what it would take to convert your MTB and it'll have a decent road component set. You'll be MUCH happier AND (this is the important part) you'll still have your MTB!!!

If this makes you rethink your plans a bit, I've seen 26X1 slicks out there for less than $40 each. Try them on for size -- you'll see a big improvement right there. The road cassette is also an option but that won't be a performance booster per se. Anything more than those two and I think you'd be better served going with a real road bike. IMO.

You could convert your mountain bike into a nice cyclocross/road bike, but it would be very expensive. You'd need road wheels, road tires, road tubes, road brakes and brackets for them welded onto your mountain bike frame. A new stem and handle bar, new shifters new cassette, etc.

I'd just put on some of the 1.5 inch tires that are smooth and will take 90 psi. That solves the rolling resitance problem. The 1.25 inch tires don't roll much faster, but I understand that they do flat much easier.

Then if you really want to ride faster change your bars shifters and brake levers to a mountain bike drop bar set up.

And finally if you are really spinning out going down hills I'd condider changing the
rear cassette to give you higher gears.

Personally I'd just change the tires and start riding. After you ride a couple centuries on your mountain bike you'll be able to find a really nice used road bike if you want one.

I believe that a 700c wheel and tire will fit on a mountain bike. In fact mavic makes a wheel, the speedcity, that is meant to convert disc brake equipped mtb's for road use, it has a 700c rim and is intended for use with any road clincher tire. Remember, the tires on a mtb are much taller than road tires, so it sort of equals out.

There's a huge difference in the rim diameter of mtb and road wheels. The difference in the distance from the axle to the edge of the rim is about 3cm.

You can fit 700C wheels and tires to most handtail frames. Unfortunately the problem is the brakes. Most likely you will not be able to fit cantilever brakes on. Some people have had success with disc brakes with 700C tires.

Not sure what 700C meant, although it is definitely not centimeters. Your best bet like people have said is to swap your tires for slicks, change your cassette for a road cassette and possibly change your cranks to a road crank. Alot of people have done this, but I would second the recommendation of getting a used road bike instead. Cheaper and less hassle.

Thanks guys,

i have already been running 1,95" slicks for over a year now an its better than stardard mtb tyres...

is there no way a 700C wheel wil fit a standard mtb frame (ie, one that take 26" wheels)

with 26" wheels on my bike there is still about 3/4" space between the tyers and the frame at the top, surely with road tyles being much lower profile than dirt tyres the road and mtb wheels will work out the same diameter? - ishh

ahh, what do i know?..cheers for the advice

my budget is about £300 all in...perhaps i will get an entry level road bike and keep my mtb as you suggested..

Thanks guys,

i have already been running 1,95" slicks for over a year now an its better than stardard mtb tyres...

is there no way a 700C wheel wil fit a standard mtb frame (ie, one that take 26" wheels)

with 26" wheels on my bike there is still about 3/4" space between the tyers and the frame at the top, surely with road tyles being much lower profile than dirt tyres the road and mtb wheels will work out the same diameter? - ishh

ahh, what do i know?..cheers for the advice

my budget is about £300 all in...perhaps i will get an entry level road bike and keep my mtb as you suggested..

Some companies (Rock Lobster, I think) make touring type bikes from MTB's.

-Get road bike stem & bars
-STI for rear derailleur
-Bar-end shifter for front MTB crankset
-11X21 cassette
-26 X "1 slick tires
-I think an XTR front derailleur will work on a non-compact crank so you could get bigger gears up front
Use Avid Shortie brakes

Seems to me you're planning changes that, while they may be possible, are a lot of work and expense for minimal return. You'd be better off making a few modifications to your MB and saving your money for a roadie.
I got back into cycling via mountain bikes after a 20-year layoff--MBs got me riding again, but then I wanted to go farther. I did many fairly long rides, including several metric centuries, on a bone-stock Mongoose (they used to be real bikes) with no changes but road tires. Now I have three road bikes, and they're better, but they're not HUGELY better.
A few suggestions:
There's no big reason to convert to 700c wheels if it causes you problems. There are plenty of good road tires in 26-inch. You'll feel little or no difference.
Don't even think about changing the brakes. You'll spend money and gain nothing. Two of my road bikes have canti brakes now; there's no disadvantage beyond a few grams of weight, and I'm not even sure about that.
Swapping cassettes is easy if you need to do it, but make sure you do. Not very many cyclists really use their top three or four cogs in the big ring. Might as well have more USABLE gears.
Bar ends give you a change of hand positions and let you get semi-aero, so you might not need to change to drop bars.
You don't need different shifters, especially on a budget project like this. Think about what you'll gain vs. what it will cost.
When you're done with this, you won't have an ideal road bike, but you'll have a bike you can use in road events--and a head start of several hundred dollars toward buying what you really need.

Continental makes thier grand prix tires in 26x1 specifically for MTB rims. They are the fastest MTB tire ever made. Make sure you get the MTB specific ones, because they do make a 650c version that will not stay on the rim. The MTB version is called the grand prix MTB and is a 559 circumference tire. The label says 20-559 next to the grand prix. The 650c version says 20-571 next to grand prix, and though it looks like it will fit, it will never stay on the wheel. It will constantly blow the bead off the rim.Here is a link: http://www.conti-online.com/generator/www/de/en/continental/bicycle/themes/tires/mtb/grand_prix_mtb/grand_prix_mtb_en.html

my xtr mtb has an ultegra 28 cassette: works great with slick tires or knobbies

What's your budget? THAT is the most important factor.

If you were thinking about converting to road brakes (forget whether it's possible) -- a 105 set will run $60 or so. Wheels would go for at least $500 for a pair (for something worth buying) not counting tires (add $50 - $100). A new rear cassette will go for $40 or so. Want drop bars? No problem, add $150 for a set of 105 STI shifters on top of what the drop bars cost. Your upgrade budget then should be about $850 give or take a little.

This is what it would take to 'convert' your MTB as you put forth. Regardless of what can and can't be done, you'd still be dealing with a heavy frame and fork. IMO, this would be a waste of time. For that kind of $$$, buy used or visit supergo.com and pickup one of their house bikes -- a REAL road bike -- for less than what it would take to convert your MTB and it'll have a decent road component set. You'll be MUCH happier AND (this is the important part) you'll still have your MTB!!!

If this makes you rethink your plans a bit, I've seen 26X1 slicks out there for less than $40 each. Try them on for size -- you'll see a big improvement right there. The road cassette is also an option but that won't be a performance booster per se. Anything more than those two and I think you'd be better served going with a real road bike. IMO.

new cassette and tires for under 100 bucks there you go that simple

thanks a lot folks, youve all been a great help,

atleast i can now go down to my local bike shop and not look like a complete spaz...

cheers
:)

thanks a lot folks, youve all been a great help,

atleast i can now go down to my local bike shop and not look like a complete spaz...

cheers
:)


First off, road wheels will easily fit almost any MTB frame, a 2.2-3 26" tire is the same height as a road wheel with a 30c cross tire, I know because I have them in front of me right now. And Cannondale sells a MTB with road tires, the Bad Boy. That was my inspiration. Slicks will lower your BB and aren't that much faster. Plus there's the issue of a MTB cassette, not very good for keeping a decent road cadence.

If you have disc brakes its really easy. I was going to go the Speedcity route, but I wanted something a little different. If you have V's, I think Paul makes a brake where you can slide the pads up the arms to line them up with a road rim. Mainly with the gearing, I can spin out a bike with MTB gears. So I started buying some road parts, cranks, cassette and then looking at either getting a set of overpriced Speedcity wheels or building a set of disc road wheels.

Then I came across a good deal on a Kona Jake the Snake cyclocross bike. I sold some of the parts that came on it, sold my HT frame and some other junk I had and now have a fast commuter/trainer that's a lot of fun to ride. Cross tires are fast and not as harsh as road tires, butr still faster than any 26" slick. And having the 48t up front and the road gears out back are nice.

Being a die hard MTB-er, I set my bike up with flat bars and a stem/seat position that almost perfectly duplicates my MTB position. It's very comfortable. It's up to you, you can go as simple as just throwing slicks on your bike, putting something together or something bigger. In the end, the used Jake was so cheap and selling off all the excess parts I had, that now I'm looking at a featherweight set of wheels to speed things up even more.

brilliant, thats just the kinda thing i was thinking of,

i have a '96 Univega 4130 frame and have started building it up, i think i'll keep the 26" wheels and get some 1" slicks and hope my LX front deralleur will shift the chain over a shimano 105 chainset..

thanks again..