Can i convert my mountain bike (trek 4300) into a road bike? How?

Question

I was just thinking.. I have a trek 4300 i'm trying to sell but what if I just modified it for racing? How would I do that? Is it possible?

Answer 1

You say racing... if you're talking about road racing, then you should invest in a road bike, a converted mountain bike isn't going to cut it.

If you're considering competing in triathlons (or other similar races where you are competing individually), then you can certainly start out without investing too much on your mountain bike.

First, get slick 26 inch tires.  Next would be to replace the suspension fork with a rigid fork... you have 100mm of suspension right now, so you want a fork that is designed for that... here's one:

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/F...

You'll need to get it installed at you local bike shop, and you might consider ordering via them as well.

Answer 2

While it won't be as fast as a road bike, a mountain bike can be tweaked a bit by adding:

Slick/thinner tyres

Bar-ends/treking bars

Pedal toe-clips or cleats

Lowering the handlebars, to a bit lower than the seat height , to make it more aerodynamic

Or by spending some money, and changing the cassette to provide a higher gear range.

Answer 3

It depends on how far you want to go. What type of racing?

If you're speaking of road riding you could fit road type tires for little money. That would get you the single greatest increase in speed. A smaller rear cassette would give you a better range for road speeds. The next step would be drop bars and road shifters but you're getting into some real money there and you'll still be stuck with a heavy frame and fork with cantilever brakes, heavy wheels and MTB geometry. It could make a good commuter bike but unless you're really talented I can't see it ever being a competitive road race bike.

Answer 4

The most important thing to change is the tires. Grab some slick MTB tires and you'll get real extra speed!