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Turning and old Trek 830 into a SS 'cross/commuter?

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Turning and old Trek 830 into a SS 'cross/commuter?

Old 12-19-06, 05:54 PM
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G5Ti
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Turning and old Trek 830 into a SS 'cross/commuter?

I keep looking for ways to inspire myself to ride my old '96 Trek Mt. Track 830. I tried outfitting it as a rainy weather commuter, but I still ride my road bike anyway. The Trek just ain't cutting it for inspiration.

So I thought of turning it into a SS MTB. And then I realized that would be silly, because I pretty much run my Stumpjumper in one gear anyway. So... why not a cross-style bike? Something that could be ridden on the road, on the trail or where ever I may end up.

I'm still hooked on the SS option, but to be truthful, I'm not sure exactly what can be done on a frame that old; I'm not certain (or technical enough to know) what modern components will work/fit.

It seems the ride is a good prospect, as it as a MTB frame and has plenty of clearance for tires. Brakes are cantilever. I mentioned it in passing today when I was at the LBS getting new brakes for my road bike (Ultegra, yay!), and they're keen on helping me out. The bike has a flat bar now; after a fork swap, I should be able to install a proper road-style bar.

So before I have the shop help deck out my bike, are there specific things to watch out for? Components you guys like better than others? Is a SS-cross bike a stupid idea? I seriously doubt I'll actually race the bike, but it is an option if the idea strikes my fancy in the future.

Any thoughts you all have are most appreciated.
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Old 12-19-06, 06:30 PM
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With most old mt frames you can run 700 wheels if you can find an old set of Onza brakes. They do show up on ebay quite often. If you run road bars you will most likely have to use a short stem.
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Old 12-19-06, 06:36 PM
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Or you could use your current bar brake combination with the Mavic Caliper Adjusters. "Caliper adjusters to enable Speedcity (700C) wheels to be fitted to a MTB." Check out the mavic page below for part number and pictures.

https://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/p/pro...lte&annee=2007
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Old 12-19-06, 06:51 PM
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Yeah, I like a pretty agressive position when on the road bike, so a short stem will be a must.

Thanks for the ling to Mavic - that may be the winning ticket to making this a reality (a reality that costs less than a new bike )
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Old 12-20-06, 12:40 AM
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I've also heard that older Tektro RBP cantis (there's a thread on here somewhere with a pic) would work like the onza's, if you want 700c wheels. Lots of adjustability in the pad position. I just bought a pair on E-bay to try what you're thinking of with my older (98ish) Trek 930. They arrived today, and I'll slap them on soon.

About the singlespeed... how do you intend to keep the chain tensioned? Horizontal dropouts? Eccentric hub? Tensioner?

There are good threads on MTBR.com singlespeed forum that may help you too. Search for the term "Monster Cross". There was a frankenbike thread here last week in the Bike Mechanics forum.

Good luck. Sounds like a fun project!
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Old 12-21-06, 07:59 AM
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Hey, this thread is perfect, because I am looking to do
something very similar to the exact same bike! I have
a very obvious question that I cannot figure out - how
the hell do you get the brake levers off of the bars? I
can see absolutely no screw or connection of any kind
that would allow me to remove the levers, and replace
them onto the standard flatbar I was planning on using.

Maybe it's because I'm new to mountain bikes after
years of BMX and road riding, but I sat and stared at
my Trek 830 for a half an hour last night and I could
not find anything. Sorry for the embarrassingly stupid
question!

Last edited by bonechilling; 12-22-06 at 05:45 AM.
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Old 12-21-06, 07:22 PM
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Originally Posted by bonechilling
Hey, this thread is perfect, because I am looking to do
something very similar to the exact same bike! I have
a very obvious question that I cannot figure out - how
the hell do you get the brake levers off of the bars? I
can see absolutely no screw or connection of any kind
that would allow me to remove the levers, and replace
them onto the standard flatbar I was planning on using.

Maybe it's because I'm new to mountain bikes after
years or BMX and road riding, but I sat and started at
my Trek 830 for a half an hour last night and I could
not find anything. Sorry for the embarrassingly stupid
question!
I'll have take a look at my bike tonight or tomorrow... off hand, I can't remember.
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Old 12-26-06, 03:37 AM
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Why go to all the trouble of using 700C wheels? You need new wheels, tires, tubes and possibly brakes. You could just sell the bike on ebay and use the proceeds toward a new bike.

IMO, just put some slicks or street type 26" tires on it. If you really want a cross type bike on the cheap get some Sora brifters in 7 or 8 speed. and a drop bar. The Sora brifters will work with cantis. Voila, a drop bar MTB. Might even want to try a Nitto Dirt Drop stem. It could be fun.


Good luck

Tim
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Old 12-27-06, 12:36 PM
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cs1 makes a good point. A pair of these is much less expensive than new wheels. I have a pair, and they are very fast, and do hook up well in the corners. This would get you some CX speed and the joy of skinnier tires on dirt, as well as reasonable road riding without the extra expense of 700c wheels. That said, if you've already got some 700c wheels w appropriate hub spacing you dramatically improve your tire choices for the type of riding you describe, and are only out the Onza or Tektro brakes, and the tires (which you might be getting for your 26" wheels anyway).

Also, it was the forum's idea that the OP should go to 700c, the OP never mentioned that.
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Old 12-28-06, 07:46 AM
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I can only speak for myself, but I was definitely not planning
on upgrading to 700c wheels. In fact, I have no interest in
this as a Cyclocross bike, I was just looking to make my old
bike into a single speed "beater" for playing around in the dirt
with, and this thread is the most recent that comes up on a
search for "Trek 830"
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Old 12-28-06, 09:54 AM
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Originally Posted by justinb
cs1 makes a good point. A pair of these is much less expensive than new wheels. I have a pair, and they are very fast, and do hook up well in the corners. This would get you some CX speed and the joy of skinnier tires on dirt, as well as reasonable road riding without the extra expense of 700c wheels. That said, if you've already got some 700c wheels w appropriate hub spacing you dramatically improve your tire choices for the type of riding you describe, and are only out the Onza or Tektro brakes, and the tires (which you might be getting for your 26" wheels anyway).

Also, it was the forum's idea that the OP should go to 700c, the OP never mentioned that.
Yeah, I'm not bent on 700c wheels. I have a decent parts arsenal, but most of it relates to more "modern" bike components, and the spacing on the Trek becomes the problem. I think picking a tire like the one you proposed may be a far more sensible short-term solution. Or, I could go back to my original idea (posed in the road-riding forum a while ago, of all places) to do a SS/rigid Chromoly XC bike and just purchase a cyclocross bike for the sheer fun of it.

I suppose another option would be to start with a reasonable SS road bike (San Jose, Langster, something from Redline or KHS) and put a set of decent wheels/tires on it. No matter what I end up doing, I'd like to keep total cost near the $500 mark, but $1k is probably the theoretical budget.

And yes, I realize I could just go buy a new bike with that budget, but that's no fun.
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