mtb to road bike project idea, any point?

[mrfacetious]

ok here's the deal
My old bike (a cheap old front suspension mountain bike) is sitting out in the bike shed and doesn't get any use at all. As far as I can remember it was an awful bike anyway. I fancy converting it to a road bike as I've never really owned one before (I just use my mountain bike for general riding and off roading), just to get the feel of the differences (drop bars, lower weight etc)
is there any point or chance in doing this? And what kind of wallet-stinging am i asking for? I noticed wheels were ridiculously expensive
thanks in advance

 

[Twenty Inch]

Not worth it. You say it's "cheap" and "rubbish". You'll end up with a load of nice bits on a rubbish frame, hundreds of quid lighter. Quite apart from all the frustration of putting drops etc onto an MTB frame.

Dump the bike, save up for a nice road bike.

 

[wyno70]

As above!

If you old MTB was 'useless' it probably has a very cheap and heavy frame. As such, there is little point in putting decent kit on it.

Pointless exercise, you'd be better of buying a new bike as you'll get a decent package for the amount that you will spend on all the 'bits and pieces'.

 

[RedBike]

It is probably worth while fitting slick tyres; and perhaps if you can find a cheap one seond-hand a rigid fork.
But it's wont be worth while going the full hog and converting the bike to drops.

Although you might have to search around for a bit you should be able to find a QUALITY old road bike for under £100.

 

[palinurus]

It'll cost more than you expect and your bike will still be awful. Find out a bit about road bikes and try and work out what size road bike you will need and start looking around for a bargain.

 

[HLaB]

I converted my Sirrus (flat bar road bike) to dropped and it seems like a really good move but it had a great frame to start with I don't think it be worth it with a heavy mtb frame.
I think it cost me £99 for the sti's
£20 for bars,
£15 for stem,
£25 for a couple of Problem Solvers (sti - v'brake translators)

Cosmetically and to reduce weight, over time I've also added new wheels (askiums circa £130), tyres (conti 4 seasons circa £60), carbon seat post (spesh Pave circa £45) and a new saddle (spesh bg Avatar circa £25) and when the chain/ cassete wears out I've replaced them with lighter components.

When you add its not exactly cheap. £160 (edit: £175 ish +) for the basic conversion and £260 + for the other stuff.

Oh I forgot the bar tape, that's another (£15)

This is my post on the subject.

 

[Steve Austin]

It can be done, buts its like trying to make a parsnip into a potato

 

[mrfacetious]

thanks for all your replies! i'll chuck the bike asap! haha
just a quick question then, is it worth having drops anyway? for my other bike i mean. I know it's a mountain bike but all the time i'm on the road i lock the suspension out anyway, and it's quite lightweight for a mtb. Idk how weird that would be though, especially when i do go off road (it's not serious mountain biking just bridleways and forest paths etc.)
I haven't got a huge amount of cash right now to buy another bike and I don't think the parentals would be too happy as I've only just gotten this one!

 

[yello]

It is probably worth while fitting slick tyres; and perhaps if you can find a cheap one seond-hand a rigid fork. But it's wont be worth while going the full hog and converting the bike to drops.

If the frame and gears are okay then this is worth considering. There's some Kona Project forks on Ebay at the moment that'd probably do the job for you. Might be worth keeping an eye on. With those, and a set of slicks, you could have a decent enough winter hack and give an old bike a lease of life!

 

[Twenty Inch]

thanks for all your replies! i'll chuck the bike asap! haha
just a quick question then, is it worth having drops anyway? for my other bike i mean. I know it's a mountain bike but all the time i'm on the road i lock the suspension out anyway, and it's quite lightweight for a mtb. Idk how weird that would be though, especially when i do go off road (it's not serious mountain biking just bridleways and forest paths etc.)
I haven't got a huge amount of cash right now to buy another bike and I don't think the parentals would be too happy as I've only just gotten this one!

Good man - right decision.

Road bikes and mtbs are different beasts. Try to mate them and you'll have something very odd. I have seen drops on an mtb frame with rigid forks, but that was done by a very experienced long-distance tourer who knew exactly what he wanted and had the know-how to make it work.

Enjoy what you've got, and save up for a decent road bike. It'll be worth it.

 

[RedBike]

just a quick question then, is it worth having drops anyway? for my other bike i mean

Probably not.
On the road bike I only use the drop part of the bar when I feel the need to get as areodynamic as possible to increase my speed. It's not actually very comfortable to remain in that position for a long period of time.

I only tend to use the drops when the pace is high and i'm at the front of a group, there's a gale force head wind or i'm racing. The vast majority of my riding is done 'on the tops' ie just like a flat bar bike.

The problem with the MTB is the geometry is just all wrong. You're sat upright, the bottom brackets higher screwing up cornering / making you even less areodynamic and the chainstays are longer making the frame less efficient. Even the best MTBs wont convert into good road bikes.

You will get far more bang for your buck by fitting high quality slick tyres and a lightweight rigid fork. After this any changes you make are going to very expensive for little improvement.

If you're running disc brakes then it might be worth while having a good quality set of disc brake 700c wheels made up. These will be expensive but they will dramatically speed the bike up

The drop bars are relatively inexpensive but you will need STI shifters which are very expensive and all the other bits and bobs will soon add up as well. You're talking £150ish to convert your bike. You could buy a good secondhand bike for less.

 

[mrfacetious]

thanks a lot RedBike! I didn't realise drops made such a small difference to general riding. Good to have help from people with some experience. I made a sort of impulse decision to flog the bike and put the cash towards some decent camping gear today anyway (as it's tending to be pretty cheap this time of the year). I'm happy to stick on my other bike with the suspension lockout for now, as like i said it's pretty light for a fully kitted mountain bike anyway at 30lbs, and I'm not bothered about covering any huge milage with any huge pace (50 odd miles in a day does me fine!)
Thanks a lot to all!

 

[RedBike]

it's pretty light for a fully kitted mountain bike anyway at 30lbs, and I'm not bothered about covering any huge milage with any huge pace (50 odd miles in a day does me fine!)

50 miles?
I think that is a huge mileage for a heavy MTB presumably still with off-road tyres !!

 

[mrfacetious]

50 miles?
I think that is a huge mileage for a heavy MTB presumably still with off-road tyres !!

yeah it's still got the originals on it
i have been thinking about buying slicks just so I have the option.
Does it make a huge difference on road?
Also seeing as my current size is 26x1.95 can i go for 26x1.3s or something similar and still fit them alright?
Thanks again for your help with this!
EDIT: I've just realised I'd still have to fit 'em on the same wheels, so no they probably wouldn't fit lol..
my bad

 

[Steve Austin]

yes you can fit any 26" tyre. Be aware that thinner tyres need thinner inner tubes!

Dotbike have got the best price one schwalbe marathons in 1.3 if thats your thing