jobondur

I'm a newbie to this forum and have a question that I will probably be ridiculed heavily about but so be it.

I currently have a 1996 Gary Fisher Wahoo that I bought when I started college and hardly rode. Its been sitting mainly unused for quite a few years and is still completely stock with the exception of some Gary Fisher bar ends that were installed when I bought it and a more comfortable saddle (beach cruiser style). Here is a link to the specs for the bike 1996 Gary Fisher Wahoo - BikePedia. The bike needs new tubes, brake pads, and maybe a tune up but other than that everything is in great shape and I mostly like the bike.

Now I live in Virginia Beach where it's super flat and have no need for a trail bike. Almost all my riding is done with a rear child carrier on the back (with my son in it) and with my wife on her beach cruiser with a front child seat (with my daughter in it). When I go out riding, we're just cruising through the neighborhood on roads or sidewalks and the agressive stance of the MTB is no longer comfortable to me (I'm 6'4" so I'm quite bent over and it sucks on my back). Over half the bikes you'll see out here are beach cruisers and I love the comfort and laid back riding style they provide. But I want to keep the perks my mountain bike provides (gears, hand brakes, sturdy frame, etc.).

So my question is this. What would be the best way to convert my MTB over to a beach-cruiser inspired bike. I know it won't be as laid back due to the frame style but what types of components could I swap out to get to a more comfortable ride? I really dig the beach cruiser style handlebars like this Amazon.com : Torker Hi-Rise Cruiser Handlebar 4.75" 25" 7/8" Black : Bike Handlebars : Sports & Outdoors but will that be too ridiculous of a transformation?

Just thinking on my own I'm thinking of the following items that may be swapped out:

1. Handlebars
2. Stem (possibly)
3. Tires (maybe) and tubes
4. New brake and shifter cables (if needed for handlebar swap out)
5. New brake pads (cantilever brakes)

I'm very much a novice at bike modifications but I am an engineer so I'm sure I can figure it out as I move forward. I'm really not looking to spend more than $100 so don't go crazy with mods, mainly looking to just do the obvious stuff. Any recommendations? Anybody seen anybody else do this?

AnkleWork

Seems your biggest issue is that the bike is too small for you. Also, you might re-examine the idea that shifting more weight to a big saddle will give more comfort. Probably, no bike saddle is truly comfortable.

Raising the handlebars and saddle can help shift weight from your hands to your feet and straighten your back -- both good things. But the bars you linked may keep you rearward and thus your weight on the saddle. I can recommend you try a BMX or mountain "riser" style bar.

I'd focus on getting a better fit overall.

jobondur

I'm a little confused. My bike frame is a large and I think it fits me fine. My objective with moving to more of a beach cruiser style was to get into a much more upright riding position instead of a leaning over position so that my cruises around the block are more comfortable. Wouldn't simply raising the handlebars and moving to something like I linked to do that? Like I said, I'm new to bike mods so if I'm way off base just tell me so...

fietsbob

One thing the cruiser seat tube angles tend to be lower than sport-mountain bikes ala 68~71 vs 73 degree ..

that will help the sit upright positons .. more seat setback, then a wider saddle ..


The Older MTB frames, we are talking very early, Took their designs from Cruiser bikes used for down hills on mountain fire roads ..

Repack (named for needing to repack burned grease in coaster brakes) geometry was replaced by NORBA geometry,
as they wanted to race cross country up and down hills.. so rear wheel on shorter seat stays (more under your butt)..






....

jobondur

Yeah I knew the MTB tube angles were more upright but didn't know the exact angles.

What do you mean by more seat setback? You saying to offset the seat to the back of the bike a couple of inches? Is that typically a seat adjustment or do I need a different seat tube?

fietsbob

One kludge I found was Brompton part . The saddle adapter pin .. on top of a basic seat post , they have made a steel piece

that uses the same 7/8" tube as the top of the seat post , but its horizontal ..then the saddle clip goes on it's rearward location..

rotated so as to be directly beneath the saddle on top of the SAP.. then the saddle rails can be pushed back as well .


Saddle Adaptor Pin

since discontinued






....

jobondur

That does look promising. Only problem would be that would push me back into my son's bike seat. It's mounted as far back as it can be and he's already pretty close to me. It would definitely be a good option once he's out of that seat though.

I was really interested in converting over to the cruiser style handlebars because I think they're way more comfortable than the flat bar I have now. Is there a reason I shouldn't do this? I'm really looking at transforming my bike more than tweaking it.

JBC353

A couple years ago I tried to make a similar conversion on a KHS hybrid with a shape similar to your Wahoo. My problem was getting a stem raiser tall enough to get the bars up to a comfortable position. Given the very short steering tube even a 6" stem raiser did not get me where I wanted to be. Seat position was not a problem

I would approach this like fitting motorcycle handlebars. Get your seat height adjusted like you want it. Prop the bike up and sit on the seat, feet on the pedals, at whatever upright posture you want. Close your eyes and put your hands out in front of you where and in the position you want the grips to be. Get someone to take a picture for reference. By combining the right stem, stem raiser and bars you may be able to achieve it. Given your height it may take some doing. Almost certainly you will need to recable but that's easy and cheap.

I gave up on that bike but successfully converted a couple big frame road bikes. Yes, it does look a bit odd but I don't care because it works well for me and now I ride in comfort.

BTW, a wide saddle did not work at all for me. I ended up with the Brooks B67s on both my bikes.

fietsbob

Ape hangers bars Electra Cruiser Ape Hanger Handlebar - americancycleandfitness.com

AnkleWork

Something like:

stanman13

I recently did this with two mountain bikes, an early nineties Giant Iguana and a late eighties Univega Range Rover. On the Giant I used north road bars because neither my son nor I liked the flat bars. I used the original stem and seat. The bars are slightly higher than the seat, which he likes. On the Univega I kept the factory riser bars and they are level with the sport-touring type seat I choose. Both bikes ended up being very comfortable and looking good. I'll put up pics when I get home to my computer. I'm having trouble doing it from my phone.

stanman13

The Univega. I like the bike, but knobby tires are awful on pavement. It got fatter cruiser tires and some excellent fenders from Woody's which were a birthday gift from my wife.



The Giant. I rode this bike for years when I was younger, but lately neither my son nor I liked the flat bars. So it got north roads, and also fatter cruiser tires and fenders (Wald). Both bikes ride nicely.

jobondur

Sorry I didn't reply to any of your input over the weekend. I had to travel out of town and was away from the computer all weekend. I really like the looks of the Giant you modded but I think I want to even get a little more radical with the handlebars. Here is an Amazon wish list with the parts I'm thinking about getting. I know next to nothing about buying bicycle parts so if you see something stupid, please let me know. Also, if you have any recommendations for different parts, please let me know as well. I'm wide open to suggestions at this point.

I do have one specific question though. I have grip shifters and may want to get new grips. What size do I need?

https://amzn.com/w/3TBIP2KPVM0QB

jobondur

That's exactly what I was looking for. Know where I could get the sweet red basket on the back? Maybe I can call Steve up and buy it from him...

fietsbob

Nitto Albatross handlebars PARENT Nitto Albatross Bar 55cm - 25.4, are what I had on my old MTB .. I got the Chromo Steel one.

they use the material strength in the same way as frame builders do , its thinner wall tube , since it's a stronger metal.


Since then I found a more period like Bullmoose bar /stem set ,, and fitted those..






...

Wilfred Laurier

re frame sizing

according to the bikepedia page
the wahoo only came up to a 19 inch frame

now i am about an inch taller then you
but i would find most 19 inch frames completely unacceptable
and i would expect that someone an inch shorter would at best
be barely acceptable

you said you think it is the right size
but also that you are uncomfortably bent over

the basic rule i have always used to determine if a bike fits properly is
is it comfortable?
for you
the answer is no

jobondur

So the difference is I'm guessing you're quite the enthusiast while I'm just screwing around 1-2 times per week for at the absolute maximum 1 hour per trip (more likely around 30 minutes). I'm really not looking to get a new bike because that puts me into a completely different price point (@ $400 vs $100 for what I would want) and I can't justify it to myself. Plus I'm confused as to how a bigger bike frame would help me get to a more upright position. If anything I would think that would stretch me out even more by making me lean further forward to get to the handlebars (all else being equal).

And when I'm saying I want to get more upright, I mean that I want my back angle almost perpindicular to the ground, maybe even leaning back a little (true beach cruiser form). Maybe I'm going about it the wrong way but that's why I'm on here...to see if I should move forward with this or not. Thoughts????

jobondur

Those are neat looking but not the style I'm really going for. Plus I don't think they would give me the laid-back position I'm looking for.

jobondur

I don't know if you were joking with this comment but I was kinda debating with going with some ape hangers. They just don't look that comfortable when I see people riding around with them though...and they would likely look quite strange on a MTB frame.

fietsbob

Maybe you are ready to buy a recumbent.

jobondur

Why stop there? Street luge is the way to go. The only problem is attaching the baby carrier...

But seriously, any issues with the shopping list I posted???

dabac

It's that from where you are to where you want to be, it's a long way to go. And you want to turn a nimble, responsive vehicle into one of the most inefficient riding machines known to man.
I'm guessing the bike has a threaded fork. So you'd need a new, short neck, long quill stem. Then the bars of your choice.
And to me, it'd turn it into a LESS comfortable bike. All weight on your butt, no way to pedal efficiently. If I have to pootle around, I'm much better off doing it on my regularly configured bikes.

Sci-Fi

Your plan should work out. Would suggest putting on a pair of Big Apple tires. Helped a neighbor mod his mtn bike recently. He went with north road handlebars, Fat Franks tires, and a B67 saddle. Worked out for him. Changing cables and cable housings to compensate for the longer length needed wasnt a big deal and needed to be replaced anyways. He hasnt complained about or experienced any knee or back pains and I see him riding around a lot more and farther than he used to.

Kopsis

In my area, Craigslist is practically filled with beach cruisers (many in excellent condition for under $100). Why not just sell what you have and buy what you want? Generally, trying to convert one kind of bike into another results in something that isn't good for much of anything.

Thumpic

I have converted older MTBs into semi-cruisers several times. My daily rider is a mountain cruiser. All I changed was the handlebar, stem, seat and tires. That was enough of a posture shift for me, but a different stem would allow an even more upright position. I got the cheapest cruiser tires I could find on sale. I'm not touring or racing, so Kenda's or Chin Sings are fine.