Can a Bianchi Grizzly take road bike caliper brakes? + More

[rakkun]

Hello everyone,

I've been riding my a 2001ish Bianchi Grizzly (steel MTB hybridish frame) for awhile, and I've been thinking of making a jump to a more road-suitable configuration since I never go off-road.

I'm currently riding on 26" wheels, and the big step that I'm considering is getting a pair of road wheels (?Shimano R550s).

However, I'm wondering if my frame would be compatible with road brake calipers, which I inevitably will have to get if I change my wheelset. Can anyone help me out here?

Any other suggestions are welcome. Attached is a picture illustrating my frame.

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/348/img98156dd.th.jpg

Cheers, and thanks in advance!

 

[boudreaux]

Not compatible. Don't count on the wheels either. Why don't you just buy a road bike and quit wasting your time, and money?

 

[gclark8]

The easiest and best way to make into a road bike is to fit slicks and a close ratio rear cassette.

Conti Grand Prix 26x1 or Conti Sport Contact 26x1.3, and a 12-23 cassette with a 28/38/48 crankset will make a big difference.

 

[rakkun]

Thanks boudreaux and george for your opinions.

boudreaux : I'm trying my best to work with what I have I like this frame a lot, and I really don't mind spending the time to work on it, if it's possible. I note that there's a hole up at the bridge between the seatstays, would that work in attaching caliper brakes? The main reason why I'm not getting a road bike is the price. I can see how I can make a full conversion to a road bike within 250USD with brand-new parts. I suppose that would save me some money as well as let me continue riding with the Grizzly

george : thanks for your suggestions, I've actually already adopted them, somewhat. I'm now riding on Panaracer T-Serv 26x1.25" tires and I'm turning a 48/38/28 with a 14-26 7-speed cassette. I have acquired a 11-25 7-speed cassette and I'm going to make the switch soon, so I'll be running a 29" - 113" range.

The main reason why I want to go more "road" is because I'm trying to keep up with the riders in my club who're on full-fledged road bikes. Right now, in my best aero position, I'm hitting 40km/h (25mph) on the flats (for short periods), which is just enough to have me hanging on their tail ends and I'm suffering like a dog. Of course, I'm not thinking of competing anytime soon, just trying to have some fun on rides, with a bit of cash to spare to be able to think of upgrading.

 

[gclark8]

11 rear, 48 front with Conti GP 26x1 will give you as good as some tri bikes have, regardless of frame. You might like to try a 30/42/52 road crankset, Sugino (8 speed) is a good aftermarket one. Leave the wheels and brakes as is.

 

[rakkun]

Thanks again george,

You really don't think I should be fiddling around with the wheels and the brakes? Admittedly, there's no real need to, but I suppose it might be a lot easier to keep with my mates on rides with the much much lower rotating weight (my wheels now weigh around 3 kilograms or slightly less), and more aerodynamic construct.

Essentially, other than making a switch to 1" tires, is that just about all that I can do for my bike? I was also considering making a change to drop bars (my best aero positions for now are all extremely un-ergonomic) for the price of ~12USD, but I can't see how my current grip shifters and MTB levers can port over to drop bars.

The conundrum for me is that 8 speeds would definitely be more luxurious for me. However, it would mean I would have to change both my rear derailleur and my rear shifter (and thus my rear brake lever too), incurring a lot more cost. The other suggestion of yours to change to a road crankset does sound nice, but once again it's additional cost for a 8% difference in road speed. Besides, with a 48/11 ratio, a cadence of 90-100 gets me up to the mid-40kmhs already, so I guess i'm rather content with that for now -grin-.

Any other suggestions that would make my riding easier so that I can join my club riders would be nice! Of course, there's the inevitable "train more", which I'm already doing.

cheerios again.

 

[gclark8]

Yes, there is a topic on using MTB shifters/levers on drops, or use Road Ends: http://www.endless-innovations.com/mall/dynamic.asp?Category=BarEnds
http://www.cyclingforums.com/showthread.php?p=2143626&posted=1

Also, you will find it harder to spin up a 700c wheel than a 650 (26").

My next project is to build a training bike.

Base bike: Apollo Marathon 18", ladies MTB, it has a shorter top tube than the men's.
http://www.apollobikes.com/range_cross_ladies.html
Most of the features are ok, however over time I will replace:

Tyres: Conti GP 26x1 & 650c race tubes.
Forks: After market CrMo Rigid, 380mm axle-crown, this will give a 3degree drop in the front of the bike, steerer then 73 degrees, and a 25mm drop in the BB, and stiffer handling.
Crankset: Shimano TX71 28/38/48.
Front Derailleur: Shimano FD-C051
Cassette: Shimano HG-50 12-25 or 12-23
Bars: Flat, Bull Horn, Aero, a base to experiment from.