Hi!
I have my college MTB, a 2007 Trek WSD 4500 in this perfect mint color, and I want to upgrade some things to make this a really fun and (more) functional ride. (I know, I know. There's a lot of upgraded tech I'm leaving on the table, but bikes are supposed to be FUN and SPECIAL, right?)
Here are my first thoughts. Are these even possible? Stupid? What else would make a fun difference?
- A. New fork B. What's the largest front wheel size that would make sense here? I know it will have to be a mullet.
- Add disc brakes
- New handlebars (I cut mine down when I got it, as was the trend, and they are minuscule)
- Go 1x?
- What else?
Here are the original specs.
Thank you!!
by Accurate-Tomorrow718
9 Comments
If youwant, go nuts. I wouldn’t recommend it. As long as its functional, it’s good. You won’t make it into a proper mountain bike with these upgrades though. I even doubt, it would be more fun to ride. If the frame can take disc brakes, you’d also need new hubs or wheels to use them. A new fork with more travel or a larger wheel in it would throw the geometry off and might make this a pain to steer. Just throwing new things on a bike doesn’t make the bike better necessarily
front fork, Wheelset, dropper post if you’re into enduro or downhill. Handlebars, chain, cables and housings, brake pads, tires. That’s about it. It’ll be a decent cross country bike at least…
1. Possible but will completely change the way the bike rides. Leave it the same, you could upgrade to an air suspension fork, little lighter and more control of your suspension settings.
2. Not possible your frame doesn’t have mounts for disc brakes.
3. Sure, get what you like.
4. The money you spend on a new group can pay for a used bike with a modern group. There are many options with SRAM and Shimano.
5. I would just upgrade the touch points of the bike. Handlebar, saddle and pedals.
Possible…sure.
Practical? Affordable? Better than just buying a modern bike and painting it mint green? Not as much.
As someone who also loves an even more vintage frame whose geometry is oddly comfortable for my oddly shaped extra tall body. I decided to love my bike with its quirks. I use it as my commuter. I have a modern bike for group rides and the weekend.
My $.02 is to stay away from the disc brake conversion. There’s a lot involved, and v-brakes work pretty damn good on alloy rims.
I would convert to a wider range 1x drivetrain, and maybe from there throw a rigid suspension corrected fork on it. I’m also a sucker for fenders, racks, baskets, etc…so that’s where I’d go nuts.
I wouldn’t try to upgrade this bike with the intent of making it a more capable MTB.
The frame won’t handle a longer fork well, and could even fail catastrophically. The frame is aluminum, so if it doesn’t have disc tabs on the back currently, you won’t really be able to get them added (aluminum tubing used in bicycles needs to be head treated after welding, which the average frame builder won’t be able to do for you),
If you are really attached to the bike, and want to do a project with it, I would take a look at r/xbiking for inspiration. Put a rigid fork on it, like: [https://www.stridsland.com/shop/barnacle-fork/](https://www.stridsland.com/shop/barnacle-fork/) and some moto bars. Keep the 26″ wheels and put the biggest slick or semi-slick tires you can for a big-BMX feel.
Make it into a funky commuter / grocery getter / overnight bike packer.
Handlebars are easy, a new fork is a doable, and relatively inexpensive upgrade that would provide real benefits. 1x can be similarly cheap and easy.
Unless your bike already has the mounts for discs, I wouldn’t bother.
What do you plan to use it as ? An everything bike ? Cross country ? Downhill ?
The words of discouragement you got regarding the project are valid if you intend to use it for any intense mtbing, but if you just want a fun and capable commuter, it’s bot the same. Check out /r/xbiking, lots of builds like yours (not as many as full rigid 90s frames but there are some)
As for disc brakes specifically, the frame and fork need to be built for them. You can get a disc brake fork but the rear is not as easy. A steel frame can be converted (but you need to reinforce it around the mounts), aluminum not so much. However since most of the braking power is on the front anyway, it may be worthwhile to convert just the front, and keep the rear rim brake. Since mechanical disc brakes need the same cable pull as v-brakes, you wouldn’t even need mismatched brake levers, one pair would suit both
Great feedback, thanks all! I think I spruce up a few things to make it a fun kick-around town bike and save it for my daughter. Now to shop for a new MTB whip 🙂