# Converting my MTB to a Commuter...



## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

Hi guys,
1st official thread. I'm planning on converting my 2004 Trek 4900 to my commuter. I have ridden a few times to work. 14 miles round trip. A few good up hills. It doesn't have disc brakes and I'm planning on swapping out my shocks to rigid forks. I have slicks on the bike already. I use a backpack for extra stuff.

Any suggestion on what forks I should go with? What material?

I'm also thinking about raising the stem up a little to get away from the aggressive stance. Wondering if that is a good idea or if someone has tried it and let me know how it went.

That's about it. Thanks for reading. Peace.


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## bedwards1000 (May 31, 2011)

I converted my full ridged Bridgestone and it works great. I totally love the bike but wanted a FS mountain bike so it got a second lease on life. The conversion was mostly adding fenders and changing the tires. It already had a rigid fork so I can't help you there. If you are use to the aggressive stance why not keep it? I was use to the ride on mine so I kept it as-is.


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## chantheman84 (Sep 20, 2011)

I ride my Specialized Fsr XC Full sus race bike 26 miles from my commute without changing anything


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

I'm gonna try the stem first and see if I like the feel...


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

Surly 1x1 fork!

can you put a rear rack on the bike? there are tons of threads about backpack vs. messenger bag vs. panniers. my experience is that backpacks are always HOT and hurt my shoulders. I recently got a rack/pannier setup and it's MUCH more comfortable to ride like that.


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

Which Surly do I need? What size should I look for with rim brakes?


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## martinsillo (Jul 31, 2009)

I did that to my 2009 4500... go and check the travel your current fork has....I'll assume it would be 80 or 100mm

I ended up with a shorter fork on my bike due to lack of knowledge of the guy at the lbs and me being in a hurry to do the swap and not doing my web work...so don't do that!...I still sometime hit the street with my pedals.

probably Surly's 1x1 or Troll forks will do the job once you know the specs of your fork. I would go Troll due to the braze ons.


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks for the heads up...


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

apparently the 4900 came with a 80mm suspension fork, so look for a 80mm "suspension corrected" rigid fork. I think you could use a 100mm fork too, it would just raise the front end of bike bike a bit, which might be what you're looking for to bring the handlebar a little higher.

the surly 1x1 comes in 80mm and 100mm. the Troll fork is a 100mm fork that gives you the option of putting a front rack on your bike too.


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks


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## skankingbiker (Jan 15, 2010)

Here is what I did to my old mountain bike....used a surly 1x1 fork 80mm I think.


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## Ranger Radon (Aug 15, 2011)

I did somewhat the same...

added a Kona P2 Fork 80mm, the frame is fine with either 80 or 100, for city riding i prefer the lower, for a long commute the latter, but I won´t put any money on me being able to tell the difference what so ever. :gogo:


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

skankingbiker said:


> Here is what I did to my old mountain bike....used a surly 1x1 fork 80mm I think.


what handlebar is that?


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

ChetPunisher said:


> Hi guys,
> 1st official thread. I'm planning on converting my 2004 Trek 4900 to my commuter. I have ridden a few times to work. 14 miles round trip. A few good up hills. It doesn't have disc brakes and I'm planning on swapping out my shocks to rigid forks. I have slicks on the bike already. I use a backpack for extra stuff.
> 
> Any suggestion on what forks I should go with? What material?
> ...


Should be able to just up the air pressure or crank down on the spring to just about lock out the fork....

I would leave the aggressive stance if your body can deal with it....wind happens when you commute alot.


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

The suspension is going to go. I have no need for the extra lbs. of coils...


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

yes, some cheap suspension forks can weigh over 5 pounds. if you can help it, get rid of that thing if it's not going to be used on dirt.


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## ConfederateLawyer (Jun 3, 2011)

If you are replacing the fork, I wouldn't simultaneously change the stem. Just add some spacers and leave the fork long. Then you can fiddle around with positioning by moving the spacers above and below the stem until you figure out where you want it. _Then_, if you want to move the bars forward or back, you can fiddle around with the stem. Once you've got it all figured out, then cut the fork. But it is a rule with any experiment that you only change one variable at a time.


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## muayteg (Apr 3, 2011)

Wait till you change that fork, its like night and day. I picked up alot of speed once I did it. I even had a lockout on my old dart 2 fork; still, it made a difference.


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## martinsillo (Jul 31, 2009)

yep, the ConfederateLawyer is right...

according to bikepedia (I can't access trek archives from my computer) your 4900 came with a 80mm pilot fork.


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## ranier (Sep 9, 2003)

Surly 1x1 is the business for commuter conversions.


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## medi.hash (Jul 4, 2008)

the Surly 1x1 is a 26er. I recommend a 29er for the ability to use road tires. I went with the Niner SIR 9. You can see my build here: Niner SIR 9


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

I ordered the Surly 1x1. 55 at my lbs. Thanks for the advice. I'll post pics when I get it.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

medi.hash said:


> the Surly 1x1 is a 26er. I recommend a 29er for the ability to use road tires. I went with the Niner SIR 9. You can see my build here: Niner SIR 9


he is replacing the fork on a 26" bike, so if he puts a 29er fork on the bike, it will mess up the handling. most 29" forks do not have rim brake mounts, and if they do, they are set up for a 700c wheel. so the brakes won't work with a 26" wheel.

if you want to get really crazy with that bike, get some 29"/700c wheels with disc tabs, some road/hybrid tires, and some disc brakes. you can get a disc brake adapter for that frame and the fork _probably_ has disc brake mounts. (does it?) the narrow 700c tires will fit in the frame (i have seen this done many times) so you will have a larger tire and disc brakes for all-weather riding.


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

OR I could just buy a new bike... I'm just doing small things here to make it a better commuter. I would love to have a 29, but that will have to wait...


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## xpatenaude (Apr 19, 2009)

I just finished (is it ever finished) my mountain bike to commuter conversion. It is a rather aggressive off road mountain bike that I modified to commute on. Fenders, lights, rack, slick tires, etc. I like the upright riding position and the front suspension is as close to locked out as possible. It's even got a permanent video camera mount for recording my commutes. If you've never done this, I highly recommend. It certainly makes for entertaining video clips. Especially in the dark with the lights on. 

Peace!


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## ChetPunisher (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks. Looks great. That seat looks hard... LOL


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## xpatenaude (Apr 19, 2009)

Yeah, but it does not bother me....yet. I have a 15 mile round trip on all pavement and it's fine. Any seat hurts my a$$ if I haven't ridden for a week or so, and any seat does not bother me after riding for a day or two consecutively.


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