Stem Replacement

[davepen]

Hi everyone,
i am starting a project within the next few weeks to convert an old mountain bike into a road bike. Unfortunately at the minute the bike is at my dads and i have no way of getting there to take measurements so i can buy new parts. Its a DiamondBack Topanga (approximately 1992/93 model). I want to purchase a new stem but cant get to it, to see whether it takes a 1 inch or a 1 1/8 inch stem. As you can probably tell, im a novice, so any help would be much appreciated!
I am also wanting to spray this bike so any help with that would also help, Thanks again.
Cheers guys. Davepen

 

[Froze]

Hi everyone,
i am starting a project within the next few weeks to convert an old mountain bike into a road bike. Unfortunately at the minute the bike is at my dads and i have no way of getting there to take measurements so i can buy new parts. Its a DiamondBack Topanga (approximately 1992/93 model). I want to purchase a new stem but cant get to it, to see whether it takes a 1 inch or a 1 1/8 inch stem. As you can probably tell, im a novice, so any help would be much appreciated!
I am also wanting to spray this bike so any help with that would also help, Thanks again.
Cheers guys. Davepen

It's probably a 1 1/8" since I think it's OX tubing; but can your dad take it to a bike shop to make sure, or can you buy one then if it's not the correct size return it for the other if it doesn't fit?

 

[davepen]

Yea i could, i got my dad to measure it once i could get hold of him out of word and he seems to think its a 1inch.
I was going to buy a stem from ebay you see, found one that was good for the price.
Cheers

 

[tafi]

i am starting a project within the next few weeks to convert an old mountain bike into a road bike

Sounds interesting as an exercise but there are some serious differences beween the design of MTB and roadies which will lead to big compromises in how it rides. They include (but may not be limited to):
- the wheel size (which has implications for tyres, hubs, and brakes)
- the width of BB (has implications for cranks and hence also for front shifting)
- the bars (implications for shifters, brake levers, possibly the derilleurs and the brakes)

My Brother once built such a frankenstein bike by retaining the MTB wheels and V-brakes, converting to a single chainring and running a nine speed cassette with road shiftes on drop bars. "Travel agents" were needed to adapt the cable pull of the road levers to the MTB brakes.

It was twice the weight of a cheap road bike, took a lot of time and effort to put together, had a poor selection of gear ratios (either too high or too low) and was now not only rubbish on-road but rubbish off-road as well. It was ridden maybe a handfull of times for a laugh (the joke wore thin very quickly once hills became involved) before being retired to a life of use by mum on the trainer before it was stolen (to my great relief).

I'm not saying don't do it, but be aware that what you will have will not be as good as even a cheap road bike and may cost you more in modifications in the long run.