Upgrades to entry level MTBs and Comfort Bikes



can you help please i have a giant boulder with 23in frame i am 6ft 5in and turned the seat pole top around to get extra legnth put 26x1.15 tyres blackburn rack rear cluster 11-28 front 48/38/28 any ideas that i can do to the bike for touring i have done 4000 km on my old bike in 2 years only 500km on this one so far .any ideas thanks



gclark8 said:
From time to time I am asked to do minor component/performance upgrades on entry level bikes. I will add the details of each project here as they happen.

Today's example:
Giant Upland Ladies XS 14" http://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/03...007&model=10105
Fit Conti City Contact 26x1.5 Tyres and Presta Valve Tubes.
Swap Cassette to Sunrace 11-24 7 Speed.
Swap Crankset to 28/38/48 with 152mm Cranks.
Swap Pedals to alloy MTB and fit Strapless Toe Clips.
Swap Seatpost to Suspension Post with a reversable head.
Swap Stem to 90mm adjustable.
Cut bars to 540mm, fit Foam Grips and adjust lever reach.

The bike ends up lower, lighter and fitting a sub 5' lady rider very well and is considerably faster than the original at a fraction of the cost of a road bike. ;)
 
Kev,

From the look of things there you are just about there:
The gearing is high 48:11 top,
Tyres seem to be narrow slicks,
(Conti Sport Contact @ 26x1.3 would be optimum :) ),
a Good rack,
maybe some pedals with toe clips.

Lets see what Little Jackie thinks. ;)
 
i do have a pair of shamanio mtb shoes and pedals clip one side and normal other same brand i was thinking of putting differant cranks 53/38/28 175mm long i have to find a set to fit though thanksopen to other mods i want to go on the big ride next march taree.



gclark8 said:
Kev,

From the look of things there you are just about there:
The gearing is high 48:11 top,
Tyres seem to be narrow slicks,
(Conti Sport Contact @ 26x1.3 would be optimum :) ),
a Good rack,
maybe some pedals with toe clips.

Lets see what Little Jackie thinks. ;)
 
bigkev said:
can you help please i have a giant boulder with 23in frame i am 6ft 5in and turned the seat pole top around to get extra legnth put 26x1.15 tyres blackburn rack rear cluster 11-28 front 48/38/28 any ideas that i can do to the bike for touring i have done 4000 km on my old bike in 2 years only 500km on this one so far .any ideas thanks
Is the frame long enough now? - if not, you might be able to lengthen your stem. Going to drop bars also lengthens the bike considerably, although it would be expensive to do it properly.

28/28*26"=26inches is definitely not a low enough gear for loaded touring, but would do for supported touring. If you intend to do loaded camping touring, then I would put a 22/32/44 chainset on the front. Contrary to what you might hear, you would not need to change your FD/front shifter (you would need to drop the FD down the seat tube a bit), although the shifting would not be as crisp as with a matched FD.

ebay has lots of cheap bits if you need them, although you need to be careful that you're buying the right bit.
 
bigkev said:
i do have a pair of shamanio mtb shoes and pedals clip one side and normal other same brand i was thinking of putting differant cranks 53/38/28 175mm long i have to find a set to fit though thanksopen to other mods i want to go on the big ride next march taree.
Many rear derailleurs would not offer this much capacity (42T would be needed). If yours does, you could simply replace the largest chainring rather than the whole chainset.
 
It is amazing what you can do!

Now to improve your performance, try building up to a cadence of 90 - 95 per minute!
 
bigkev said:
can you help please i have a giant boulder with 23in frame i am 6ft 5in and turned the seat pole top around to get extra legnth put 26x1.15 tyres blackburn rack rear cluster 11-28 front 48/38/28 any ideas that i can do to the bike for touring i have done 4000 km on my old bike in 2 years only 500km on this one so far .any ideas thanks

It is amazing what you can do!

Now to improve your performance, try building up to a cadence of 90 - 95 per minute!
 
eldavo said:
I specifically was looking for non-suspension mountain/comfort bikes. To get one with suspension lockout forks now means $6-700+, added cost I don't need and usually others like disc brakes which I also don't want.

I find it odd that they market non adjustable entry level forks as "taking the sting out of the pavement" while giving solid seat posts and small hard saddles. I think they're a cheap gimmick/fad.

My Giant Iguana SE 10 years ago had Rox Shocks with pre-load adjustment, but with no lockout and on the firmest selection, I would still lose power up hills pumping through the suspension forks instead of through the pedals.

Bits on the Iguana which the Upland could do with are grippy steel pedals with regular shoe toe cage/strap, and maybe bull horn bars which I think open the upper body up more for pumping up those steep ******* hills.


It's good to see someone else finding out that it is not necessary to spend big bucks!
 
artemidorus said:
Is28/28*26"=26inches is definitely not a low enough gear for loaded touring, but would do for supported touring. If you intend to do loaded camping touring, then I would put a 22/32/44 chainset on the front. Contrary to what you might hear, you would not need to change your FD/front shifter (you would need to drop the FD down the seat tube a bit), although the shifting would not be as crisp as with a matched FD.

ebay has lots of cheap bits if you need them, although you need to be careful that you're buying the right bit.
The crankset on the Boulder does not have replaceable chainrings. A Shimano FC-TX70 crankset is 24/34/42 teeth and can be bought with 175mm arms, it will work OK with the existing Front Derailleur (CO51) and Bottom Bracket. I think they retail around $50.

Little jackie's suggestion of increasing your cadence, over time, is good advice. It will give you greater endurance.
 
gclark8 said:
The crankset on the Boulder does not have replaceable chainrings. A Shimano FC-TX70 crankset is 24/34/42 teeth and can be bought with 175mm arms, it will work OK with the existing Front Derailleur (CO51) and Bottom Bracket. I think they retail around $50.

Little jackie's suggestion of increasing your cadence, over time, is good advice. It will give you greater endurance.
A crankset without replaceable chainrings!!!???!!! My God!
Now that's an incentive to look after your chain!
 
Hi George & Jackie,

Thanks for the info - what sort of cost for both parts and labour is involved in your project?

cheers
paul
 
calvus said:
Hi George & Jackie,

Thanks for the info - what sort of cost for both parts and labour is involved in your project?

cheers
paul
I have replied to Paul by PM as pricing varies from market to market and I do not want the topic to become commercial.

Essentially, Paul has a Giant Rincon and is looking to upgrade the drivetrain and tyres.

My reply suggested:
Shimano TX71 Crankset, 28/38/48
Shimano UN26 Bottom Bracket 122mm
Shimano FD-CO51 Front Derailleur
Shimano MF-HG50-7 11-28 Spin-on Freewheel
Conti 26x1.3 Sport Contact Tyres
Conti Tour 26 Tubes (Presta)

And a link for further inspiration: http://www.scottusa.com/category.php?UID=273
 
Thanks for the great advice George,

You'd better be careful, some unscrupulous global manufacturers may track you down and hold you accountable for the sudden downturn in global new bicycle sales :D

Thanks again and cheers
paul




:D
gclark8 said:
I have replied to Paul by PM as pricing varies from market to market and I do not want the topic to become commercial.

Essentially, Paul has a Giant Rincon and is looking to upgrade the drivetrain and tyres.

My reply suggested:
Shimano TX71 Crankset, 28/38/48
Shimano UN26 Bottom Bracket 122mm
Shimano FD-CO51 Front Derailleur
Shimano MF-HG50-7 11-28 Spin-on Freewheel
Conti 26x1.3 Sport Contact Tyres
Conti Tour 26 Tubes (Presta)

And a link for further inspiration: http://www.scottusa.com/category.php?UID=273
 
I was asked on another forum about improving a Giant Alias for road use.
http://www.giantbicycles.net/au/030.000.000/030.010.000.asp?year=2007&model=10066
This is an expensive purpose built mountain bike and normally I would not recommend modifying a bike of this standard due to its high cost of components, weight and geometry.

My suggestions:
Conti Sport Contact Tyres, 26x1.3
Conti Tour 26 (Slim) Tubes, 36mm Presta Valves
SRAM PG950 11-23 Cassette, 9 speed
Shimano FC-M531 Deore Crankset, 26/36/48 teeth, 170 or 175mm.
Shimano BB-ES51-AK Bottom Bracket

Riding position will need to be modified to spread the rider's weight more evenly over both wheels.
A zero (or forward) offset seat post, an adjustable stem, narrow flat bars will all need to be considered.
The Lockout on the front forks will help reduce wasted pedalling energy.
Pedals, the use of cleats or toe clips will help to maintain a consistent foot position on the pedals.
 
gclark8 said:
I was asked on another forum about improving a Giant Alias for road use.
http://www.giantbicycles.net/au/030.000.000/030.010.000.asp?year=2007&model=10066
This is an expensive purpose built mountain bike and normally I would not recommend modifying a bike of this standard due to its high cost of components, weight and geometry.

My suggestions:
Conti Sport Contact Tyres, 26x1.3
Conti Tour 26 (Slim) Tubes, 36mm Presta Valves
SRAM PG950 11-23 Cassette, 9 speed
Shimano FC-M531 Deore Crankset, 26/36/48 teeth, 170 or 175mm.
Shimano BB-ES51-AK Bottom Bracket

Riding position will need to be modified to spread the rider's weight more evenly over both wheels.
A zero (or forward) offset seat post, an adjustable stem, narrow flat bars will all need to be considered.
The Lockout on the front forks will help reduce wasted pedalling energy.
Pedals, the use of cleats or toe clips will help to maintain a consistent foot position on the pedals.
22/10 Edit: Mavic now have wheels with MTB Disc Brake Hubs and 700c rims, these would be useful for your Alias, see: http://www.mavic.com/ewb_pages/p/produit_roue_speedcity.php?onglet=2&gamme=asphalte

Local supplier: http://www.velo.net.au/content/specials.html#wheels
 
A few upgrades to my old Peugeot Gabrielle.

Swapped the original stem for something much higher.
Replaced 52/42 crank with 48/38/28 crankset
Replaced Shimano 600 RD short cage with Shimano Altus RD long cage
Replaced the original no-name seat with a nice plushy gel saddle

The resulting riding position is much higher and because Shimano 600 brake levers aren't good at the hoods, the new position is more upright than a road bike but less upright than a hybrid and still quite aerodynamic and significantly more comfortable.
 
Today's project:

New Giant CRX4, large, supplied by LBS to a neighbour, got him a good price. ;)

However he is 6' tall and just had both knees replaced and does not have full range of movement. I set him up on my tri bike on the weekend and tried several cranksets. He settled on a Sugino XD600 crankset with 160mm cranks and 30/38/48 gearing. A 113mm Shimano UN26 Bottom Bracket was used.