[CallmeAL offline]

Hey fellow dirtwheelers...

I have a '95 Trek 8700 (Part carbon, part aluminum) and after a several years hiatus from the dirt, I'm re-purposing this thing for what i love most: the trails.

I'm not racer hard-core type ... just getting back to recreational dirt riding. But the bike needs some up-dating and I need some advice.

Rear Derailer. The originally spec'd Shimano XT still works OK, but is pretty well worn and has seen better days. It never seemed to really work perfectly with the GripShift (SRT 800?) shifters I installed back in the day. What is a good derailer (at a decent price) for my GripShifts (SRAM predecessor?) and 8-speed cassette??

Tires (for 26") Back in the day most of the folks I cycled with loved a certain Specialized directional tire set for the dirt. What's working well these days?

Wheels. I'm not sure if I'm ready to drop the $$$ for a new wheelset yet, but I might eventually. Rockin' (not so much) some Weinman's right now that went on after the Mavics were toast and I went cheap. Recommendations??

Thanks!!

[maddslacker offline]

If the wheels are working, I'd stick with them.

For the derailleur, I'd use the opportunity to upgrade to a 9-spd. I'm not a gripshift fan, but you should be able to pick up a set of shifters and an x7 or x9 rear derailleur for a reasonable price. You'll likely need a new chain and cassette anyway, so you're nearly there already.

[CallmeAL offline]

Thanks 'Slacker, I appreciate it!

Yeah... you're probably right about the wheels. They're (mostly) true and serving their purpose, so I s'pose I'll stick with 'em for now. They're just not light by any stretch... but I'm not racing so I don't need to be overly concerned about that.

I like the advice about the shifter/RD/cassette, too. Probably time to go to 9-speed and get a new chain. Nothing like a slick-shifting drivetrain... and nothing as annoying as one that isn't.

Any word on tires? I can do a little research on my own but was wondering if any folks on here are particulary happy with anything in particular. Right now I've got Conti TravelContacts and I like 'em well enough for most of what I'm riding. Despite a smooth center, they do OK for most of the trail use I do. But they're dry rotting on the sides and I'm pretty sure that they won't do very well on steeper climbs because they don't have an aggressive tread...

[maddslacker offline]

Since you haven't mentioned where you ride, or what kind of terrain you have, then my advice is yes, you should use tires.

[CallmeAL offline]

Since you haven't mentioned where you ride, or what kind of terrain you have, then my advice is yes, you should use tires.

OK. I will use tires. I might even put some air in 'em ta boot!

Ummmm, I'm riding plenty of miles on the pavement to get to the trails and I'll continue to do that except for on the rarer occassions when we tote 'em to trails that are further away. Living and riding in MN, most of what I see around here is river valley trails along the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. Not all that technical, mostly gravelly with some stretches of loose sand.

But I PLAN to start riding the more serious stuff. A trail (not that you've likely heard of it)--Lebanon Hills-- is a 20 min drive from my home in Minneapolis. From what I gather it's gonna be rooty, rocky and technical with some decent climbs. But I don't know yet exactly since I haven't hit it yet.

And then 2.5 hrs further down the ol' Miss, I'm gonna hit the Winona trails again, where I got my first taste of off-roading. Nice and smooth singletrack for the most-part. Hard-pack with some steep climbs. Lots of clay in those trails IIRC. Some rocky stuff, some loose sand too.

Dig it??

[maddslacker offline]

I just asked a friend who lives there and he said Kenda Karma or Conti Race King.

[CallmeAL offline]

I just asked a friend who lives there and he said Kenda Karma or Conti Race King.

Bueno. Thanx for that. Have a good one!

[PanzerTrekk offline]

Ditto on the Race Kings

[stumpyfsr offline]

Lebanon is my home trail and there is no any steep climbs. Hillside Park, for example, has a lot more climbing. There're roots and rocks in Lebanon, but all rock gardens have bypass. You won't go wrong with any AM/XC tire. Just try to get a light one since your wheels are heavy. And large volume, wide tires with round profile works better during winter rides or in sand.
With that being said wish you fun on the trails

[CallmeAL offline]

Lebanon is my home trail and there is no any steep climbs. Hillside Park, for example, has a lot more climbing. There're roots and rocks in Lebanon, but all rock gardens have bypass. You won't go wrong with any AM/XC tire. Just try to get a light one since your wheels are heavy. And large volume, wide tires with round profile works better during winter rides or in sand.
With that being said wish you fun on the trails

Right on stumpy, thanks for the info about LH. I'm going over there with a buddy this Fri am. If there are no real climbs there, then I won't worry about swapping out tires before then. But before the next trip down to the Holzinger Trail in Winona, I'd be smart to ditch the current tires...

Winter riding? Are you nuts?? Just kidding! I'll have to try it sometime.

[stumpyfsr offline]

Winter riding? Are you nuts?? Just kidding! I'll have to try it sometime.

you'll be surprised how much traction you get on fresh snow compared to bone dry Leb. If its icy just use common sense. Great opportunity to work on balance. I use Specialized Purgarory uP front and Maxxis Ardent on rear - works great in ANY weather on ANY trail. But that's personal preference - there're many other good tires

[jeremiahbwhite offline]

Shimano Alivio thumb shifters will fix those issues you're having shifting. I second Race Kings.