hardtail mtb conversion
June 29, 2018 10:58 AM   Subscribe

I have a hybrid I've been using as a commuter, and am looking to turn in to more of an offroad machine. It's a Diamondback Edgewood - shocks on the front fork and under the seat. Wheels are 700C x 28/38. What can I do to make this a better bike for the sand, gravel road, dirt road and rolling hills?

Not a lot of "true" downhill or singletrack here, more like cross-country. Linear pull brakes. 3 in the front, 8 in the back.
posted by the man of twists and turns to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (2 answers total)
 
You'll want a beefy, knobby, as-wide-as-you-can-fit set of tires in there. It looks like you have room for something like these.

You might want a different stem, depending on how it's set up right now. Google is showing me a bike that is more upright, while for offroading you'd want to be more balanced between the saddle and bars.
posted by Dashy at 12:12 PM on June 29, 2018


Yes to grippy tires! It looks like the current ones are already 40c on the 2017 Edgewood. See what you can clear. If you can run it with a lower pressure, that's great.

The stem on the picture I saw was a quill stem, so you should be able to just adjust it lower. You also might want your seat a smidge lower too. When you descend on a mountain bike, you often want to be able to scoot your butt right off the back of the seat and get your weight back and a too high seat can hinder that.

If the trails aren't too technical, just bring it out and try it.
posted by advicepig at 12:17 PM on June 29, 2018


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