urban setup

dfish said:

okay need some advice setting up my SS. I have an late 90's mongose mtb bike i want to turn into a fun city/urban bike. Just to get from point A to B and mess around on. the city would be pasadena btw...i'm moving there soon don't really know what the terrain is like.

My brother went to school in Pasadena ... Pasadena is in the foothills to the East of LA ...

So, while I recall that the the campus was on "flat" ground, figure the rest of the city isn't.

Your gearing will depend on your fitness level ...

Personally, I'd opt for the conversion kit with the larger set of cogs since it is easier to buy individual chainrings than individual cogs (you could always-or-eventually buy an LX/105 8-or-9-speed cassette & can cannibalize it for individual cogs) ...

You can us ANY crank (i.e., any BCD) ... for the time being, you could simply move the large ring to the middle position (or, since you are using a conversion "kit" you could leave it in place) ... the incline of the streets will suggest what gearing you will eventually want. You may indeed decide that a "road" crank is what you'll want to use, or not.

For the time being, use the tires that are on the bike ... let the roadway conditions you encounter dictate the replacements.

Handlebars are definitely a matter of personal preference.

alfeng said:

My brother went to school in Pasadena ... Pasadena is in the foothills to the East of LA ...

So, while I recall that the the campus was on "flat" ground, figure the rest of the city isn't.

Your gearing will depend on your fitness level ...

Personally, I'd opt for the conversion kit with the larger set of cogs since it is easier to buy individual chainrings than individual cogs (you could always-or-eventually buy an LX/105 8-or-9-speed cassette & can cannibalize it for individual cogs) ...

You can us ANY crank (i.e., any BCD) ... for the time being, you could simply move the large ring to the middle position (or, since you are using a conversion "kit" you could leave it in place) ... the incline of the streets will suggest what gearing you will eventually want. You may indeed decide that a "road" crank is what you'll want to use, or not.

For the time being, use the tires that are on the bike ... let the roadway conditions you encounter dictate the replacements.

Handlebars are definitely a matter of personal preference.

I'd just lose all but the middle ring on the front, both deraillers, shifters and some of the chain and try it on different cogs on the back until you're close to what you liked, then you can go for perfection. I did that on an old Ross and rode it many years until it broke. Miss that bike.