Help! How 2 Upgrade Bike?

04moto said:

I have an older (maybe 96/97) cheapy Specialized MTB. Its nothing special. Its got some damage on the front gears and some mileage. I would like to upgrade and replace most moving parts. I want to turn the bike into strictly a road bike. I do not race, nor plan to. I just want something that rides SMOOTH, EASY, and is lite-wieght.

I was thinking I need to upgrade the entire gearing, wheels, rims, crank, etc... How do I know what I can replace it with and where do I buy the stuff?

Will all crank sets fit on this bike or are there several different sizes?

Will road rims and wheels fit on my front fork?

I have NO IDEA how to approach this other than taking it to a shop. But I feel I am ignorant enough to be told anything at any price. And buy it!

I will follow up with more specifics and maybe a pic or two of the bike.

BTW: I do not need top of the line components, just decent stuff.

Any help is greatly appreaciated.

You'd probably end up cheaper just scrapping it and buying a road bike. You can get an entry level road bike for $500 or $600.

04moto said:

I have an older (maybe 96/97) cheapy Specialized MTB. Its nothing special. Its got some damage on the front gears and some mileage. I would like to upgrade and replace most moving parts. I want to turn the bike into strictly a road bike. I do not race, nor plan to. I just want something that rides SMOOTH, EASY, and is lite-wieght.

I was thinking I need to upgrade the entire gearing, wheels, rims, crank, etc... How do I know what I can replace it with and where do I buy the stuff?

Will all crank sets fit on this bike or are there several different sizes?

Will road rims and wheels fit on my front fork?

I have NO IDEA how to approach this other than taking it to a shop. But I feel I am ignorant enough to be told anything at any price. And buy it!

I will follow up with more specifics and maybe a pic or two of the bike.

BTW: I do not need top of the line components, just decent stuff.

Any help is greatly appreaciated.

Best idea is probably to buy a basic flat h-bar road bike as mentioned above.

In the mean time, what I did was just buy a pair of slicks, and a 52 tooth chain ring. You'll also need a new chain to accomodate the extra teeth, but it'll work till you can save your pennies for something better. Bar ends are nice too so you can change your hand position a little.

Money is not the issue. I've got pleanty. The reason i have plenty is becuase its hard for me to convince myself to spend it. Hence, attempting to make a cheap road bike.