Keep Trek 820 Or Move Up?

[defeattheapexbat]

I am looking forward to riding again; I just love it!

A little background on what have, and how I ride:

A trek 820, with street tires.

I love this bike, because it's strong, and since I put street tires on it in October, it's pretty fast for me.

I ride almost exclusively on paved city streets, and don't ride aggressively.

I read once here, at this forum, that putting street tires on a hard tail mountain bike makes one of the best street/city bikes you could want.

I was thinking of getting a Trek Marlin or a Giant Talon or Revel or a similar Specialized bike, and possibly go to 700c tires.

So, my questions are:

Would trading up to a slightly more expensive bike be worth it?

My Trek has a steel frame, and is on the heavy side, although this really doesn't bother me; would getting an aluminum frame bike be an advantage, a disadvantage or not really matter?

Would the difference in geometry of a hybrid bike be better for street riding?

If you recommend a bike, please keep it under $800.

I'd love to hear some ideas.

 

[shadowsupernature]

only significant difference is the narrower Tires on a larger rim size will have a Higher PSI inflation Pressure .. so may feel easier riding by a small %.

I'd forget about the suspension fork. (You can replace the one on your 820 too, if you want .. rather than a new bike. )

At $800 the brand of the bike will not matter , because they are all made up of components of equal cost to hit that target Price Point.

Pick a shop You Like for its service , and Buy what they have.

Many brands all come from just a few Asian factories , these days

 

[blastguardgear]

I'm in a similar situation, had my 820 a year now and really want to upgrade to a road bike either as a replacement or as an N+1. gonna follow and see what others say. that said, I'm actually really happy with my 820 so far, only complaint is the weak/bouncy fork suspension and sometimes I have gear-changing issues.

did moving to street tires really make that big of a big difference?

 

[tarverten]

It depends a bit on how old your 820 is. Early 1990s 820s had a butted cro-mo main triangle and cro-mo fork. Later versions had hi-ten frames and even later, aluminum with low end front suspension. The early 820s and 830s make great all around bikes that are comfortable and durable. Outfitted with something like a 1.5 inch street or hybrid tire, they are great commuters and all-rounders. Whether or not you will be happy with one depends on the type of riding you plan to do. Weight matters most when accelerating or climbing. Better geometry is subjective and is based on rider preferences and riding style.

As you already "love" this bike I wouldn't rush to trade it off. Take your time, test ride some new bikes at the LBSs, ask if you can borrow different bikes from friends and see if the change would be "worth it" to you.

 

[Totalarmordestine]

Just started tearing down an old trek 800 today probably in the 80's, going to rebuild it because I like doing that ,basicly I just wanted to change the color,, it's going to be flat black with yellow cable casings,and other trim, I'm going to do it slow, I've got other bikes, planning to use the original derauillers but I am changing the chain so maybe not,, change out all bearings and BB, get new saddle?? what ever I see I need, just a hobby

 

[thepieeatingjay]

For the type of riding you're describing, I think your ol' Trek is perfect for the job. If you like it, and it's in good shape, just keep on riding it.

 

[alfeng]

I am looking forward to riding again; I just love it!

A little background on what have, and how I ride:

A trek 820, with street tires.

I love this bike, because it's strong, and since I put street tires on it in October, it's pretty fast for me.

I ride almost exclusively on paved city streets, and don't ride aggressively.

I read once here, at this forum, that putting street tires on a hard tail mountain bike makes one of the best street/city bikes you could want.

I was thinking of getting a Trek Marlin or a Giant Talon or Revel or a similar Specialized bike, and possibly go to 700c tires.

So, my questions are:

Would trading up to a slightly more expensive bike be worth it?

My Trek has a steel frame, and is on the heavy side, although this really doesn't bother me; would getting an aluminum frame bike be an advantage, a disadvantage or not really matter?

Would the difference in geometry of a hybrid bike be better for street riding?

If you recommend a bike, please keep it under $800.

I'd love to hear some ideas.

FWIW. Since you have already put road tires on your Hardtail ...

A change which may be most beneficial is to change the outer chainring to a 46t (104BCD) ring if possible (presuming you don't have a 4-arm crank whose outer ring is a part of the spider which was common on some of Shimano's earlier XT/LX cranks).

If you find you want a larger chainring, you could pony up for either a 48t (104BCD) ring (again, presuming you have a 4-arm crank which has a removable outer chainring) OR change the crankset to a ROAD crankset with either a 130BCD or a 110BCD.

Choose wisely and you will not have to replace the BB ...

OR, if you prefer, you could update both the BB & crankset to one which has external BB cups. You could even change the handlebars & shifters if you felt more ambitious ...

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