dbrown417

Anyone have experience with the late 90's Diamondback Sorrento? I found one for a reasonable deal on Craigslist and might buy it for a commuter conversion. Rigid frame MTB with twist-grip Shimano group (AceraX I think?), has rear rack mount tabs, and looks to be in pretty good shape (no visible damage or rust). It has the relaxed geometry I'm looking for and will definitely accept a fatter tire than my World Sport I've been commuting on. I found some stats at BikePedia.

Here's what I'm thinking: swap the knobbies out for some fat road-friendly tires, get a rear rack and some lights, and I would like to swap out the bars (drops) with some other shifter option (brifters? bar ends?). Will the derailleurs work with different types of shifters other than the twist-grip? I'm betting the straight bar with grip shift isn't going to be the most comfortable for hand positioning, and I'd like to set the bike up to handle some longer distance riding.

My commute isn't that long, ~12mi round trip, so my main concern is comfort on that short (but rough) trip. Secondly I would like to set the bike up for longer touring-type rides, carrying camping gear, etc. My ideal bike would be a Surly Crosscheck or LHT- the budget unfortunately won't allow that, so I'm forced to go with a conversion.

Any input you guys have on converting a MTB to a commuter, and specific experience with this bike, would be greatly appreciated.

exile

Wait to get the bike before deciding if switching to drops would be the way to go. I believe Sixty Fiver and Monsterpile have both switched their MTB's over to drops so you might want to message them.

From my understanding if you want to switch over to drops it may get expensive unless you have parts lying around. Otherwise, it might work best on a frame that is a bit smaller than you would normally like because the change would affect reach. Trekking bars are another option and might not affect reach as much.

Other than that put some some slicks, some bar ends (for now), and a rack and you should be good to go. On my MTB from that era I actually found a frame that most would consider to big more comfortable than the ones most sizing websites recommend.

monsterpile

This type of conversion you are talking about has been done many times and it can be done fairly cheaply depending on what you have lying around. The cost can add up though so what is you budget and how much are you planning to spend to get the bike in the first place?

cyclocello

I have a '96 Mongoose Hilltopper. My upgrades so far have been: 1.5" slicks, two position bar-ends, computer, plastic fenders, and lighting. I commute 10-12 mi one way, and I find I don't need gloves as long as I keep the tire pressure less than 60 PSI. It works for me well, but the upgright position and its weight (low end components) make it difficult to average past 17mph. I am thinking of converting the bar to drops (I already have the bars and aero brake levers), but buying the shifters would be expensive. I'd also replace the cassette to get higher gear inches if I could find a cheap one.

With the grip shifts, that probably is STI shifting, so you can use the shimano trigger shifters as a substitute. I use grip shifts too, and like I said I really don't have problems from them in particular, it's the available hand positions that's more of a concern. YMMV

dbrown417

I'm looking to spend between $50-100 for a used MTB, and put about the same into it, budgeting around $200 total. Honestly I'm wondering if I should just hold off for now, save up and look for a new commuter oriented bike in the $250-300 range. I want the fit of an older rigid MTB frame with a horizontal top tube, and the versatility of a touring bike. I'm long torsoed, and while my 54cm roadie fits me fine, I'm a little cramped in the drops so I think the extra TT length would help. I like the extra hand positioning that drops allow, so ultimately I would like to make that switch. I guess the biggest issue is the shifters, would bar end shifters be an easier swap?

sonatageek

My mountain bike conversion is set up with Nashbar Trekking bars. They are nice, give many hand position options and the existing controls will just swap over from the flat bar. The bike is comfortable enough that I rode my first century on it this past weekend. Do a search on the forum and you will see pictures of a number of member's bikes that use them.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...1_10000_202446

Ira B

I also have an old Diamondback Sorrento. It is pretty rough but looks like a good solid CroMo frame.
A friend wants me to build him up a bullet proof, short haul commuter/grocery getter and this looks like just the ticket for his needs.
The bike came with a funky shock absorber seat post that is proving a PITA to remove but the frame looks decent enough. Nothing fancy but quite serviceable.

jr59

It will work as a commuter just fine!

Unless you have a stem, drop bars, cables, and barcon shifters laying around your house.
You are going to have to ride the shifters on it. I would start with making sure that the bike was in tip top shape first.
Hubs, brakes, BB, chain, The full deal. Then I would add a rack, and then road type tires. Then some type of bar ends for different hand placement.

I don't know your buget, but CC are fairly reasonable used these days. Also I think, and it's a little bit of a guess that Surly will be changing their CC for next year.
That should drive down the price of the older ones. Again I am just guessing here, but I would bet Surly will make the CC with disc brakes next year.

Good luck