# Just got a Trek 1400 14sp road bike; how can I make it a better city bike?



## ElliottAugust (Apr 17, 2020)

Following is my list of components from the seller's awesome Craigslist ad. What are the simplest changes I can make to make the bike more suitable for city use? I don't race and I'm not a speed demon, so I assume changing the tires to something with more tread (they're really slick) would give me more traction, and I don't mind added weight, within reason:
Components


Component Group - Shimano RSX
Pedals - System 2 w/clips & straps
Bottom Bracket - Shimano BB-LP26, 110 mm spindle
BB Shell Width - 68mm English
Chain - Shimano CN-HG50, 1/2 x 3/32inch
Rims - Matrix Aurora, 32-hole
Tires - 700 x 23c Continental Super Sport Ultra
Spoke Brand - Union stainless steel, 2.0mm straight gauge
Spoke Nipples - Brass nipplesusps tracking showbox speed test


Frame Construction - Bonded aluminum
Fork Brand & Model - System 2
Cassette - 7-speed, 11 - 24 teeth
Crankset - Shimano RSX, 36/46 teeth Handlebar - System 2
Handlebar Stem - System 2
Headset – 1 inch Tange-Seiki Passage
Seatpost - System 1, 27.2 mm diameter
Brakeset - Shimano RSX Dual Pivot brakes, Shimano RSX levers
Fork Material - Aluminum, bonded, unicrown crown
Frame Tubing Material - Easton ProGram


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## DinoMoss (Mar 17, 2019)

So Elliot, you bought a bike based on an awesome Craiglist ad, and upon purchase want to re-purpose it into something more suitable for the city. Would it not make more sense to purchase a bike that was more suitable for the city from the beginning? I somewhat smell a troll, but in the case you are not, ditch the the 23C tires and go with tires that are 25C at least. slick tread has nothing do with it, your riding on concrete roads right? Your cassette could probably be swapped out for something that allows easier pedaling. Maybe it would be more helpful if you defined more suitable for the city means, since it may or may not be possible.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

ElliottAugust said:


> What are the simplest changes I can make to make the bike more suitable for city use? I don't race and I'm not a speed demon, so I assume changing the tires to something with more tread (they're really slick) would give me more traction, and I don't mind added weight, within reason:
> Components


Get the widest tires you can fit. Period. Slick tires give you the most traction. Tire tread on road bikes is *all *marketing. They are meaningless.
There was an article a while ago (I can't find it now) where Schwalbe did much research on this, made a tire with no tread which performed better.... and no one would buy it. So they had to put on a small tread pattern to appease people. (marketing)

https://www.schwalbe.com/en/profil
What does the tire tread do?
On a normal, smooth road, the tread has only limited influence on the riding properties. The grip generated by the tire on the road is almost exclusively the result of the rubber compound.

Unlike a car, a bicycle will not aquaplane. The contact area is much smaller and the contact pressure is much higher. The floating effect of aquaplaning could only theoretically be achieved on a bicycle ridden at speeds over 200 km/h.

Off road though, the tread is very important. In this situation the tread establishes an interlocking cog-like connection with the ground and enables the transmission of all driving, braking and steering forces. On rough or dirty roads, the tread can also contribute to better control.

Why ride a slick tire?
On a normal, smooth road, even in wet conditions, a slick tire actually provides better grip than a tire with a tread, because the contact area is larger.

The situation is much different on a rough road and even worse on a dirt trail. In these cases the degree of control provided by a slick tire is extremely limited.

Why are so many treads direction dependant?
In the case of a road tire the rolling direction is mainly important for aesthetic considerations. Tires marked with arrows simply look more dynamic..

https://www.bretonbikes.com/homepag...he-importance-of-tread-pattern-on-cycle-tyres
Lets consider this problem. As with a car in the dry we'd be better off ALWAYS riding an absolutely slick tyre. More grip, lower rolling resistance (very important on a bike), quieter and lower wear – it's obvious.

Until it rains;-) Remember, the only thing we need to worry about is aquaplaning. So do bike tyres aquaplane? Well the simple answer is NO! There are three reasons – the first is that like aircraft tyres, they have a round rather than flat profile and that profile clears water away very easily. Second is speed – we don't really go very fast so water has time to get-out-of-the-way. Thirdly is that ground pressure thing. A typical touring bike tyre has a contact area of about 4 cm3. Let's say that the tyre is supporting a mass of 40 kg (count the weight of yourself, your bike+luggage). So we have a pressure of 10 kg/cm2. Now look at a typical car – each tyre is supporting say 400 kg and the contact area is 240 cm2***– that gives a typical pressure of around 1.7 kg/cm2! So no amount of grooves are going to get the contact pressure of the road tyre up to that of the bike! That bike tyre is ALWAYS going to be more resistant to aquaplaning than any car tyre, and given the much lower speeds involved and that the long, oval shape of the contact patch it clears water perfectly. The existence of groove patterns on a cycle tyre will have no advantage whatsoever on wet-weather grip – in fact quite the opposite as you will have less rubber trying to 'cog' into the road surface.

Yes you read that correctly. 90%+ of the tyres sold to us cycle tourists have utterly useless and counterproductive tread moulded into them.

So why do 90% of bike tyres still have tread?
Marketing... It's a simple answer and the only explanation. 100 years ago bike tyres were slick, but to distinguish between makes manufacturers began adding light tread as their 'signature'. By manipulating the ignorance of the public they could make the buyer thing – 'wow! Look at the tread on that tyre – must be really grippy!' That this madness extends to even the thinnest of race tyres says a lot...


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

You want to make a city bike out of a race bike? As Dino said, get rid of the 23mm race tires and get the widest tire that will fit in your frame - depending on clearance, that may be 25mm, 28mm or wider. You need at least 3mm on each side to prevent rub when the frame/wheels flex during hard pedaling. Forget about tread. Tread only helps you off-road in dirt/mud.

Are there hills in your area? If so, that gearing may be rough and you may want to try and find a cassette with lower low gears, although on a 7-speed, that might be like finding a needle in a haystack. Check eBay. If your terrain is mostly flat, I would leave that gearing alone and just ride it.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Lombard said:


> Are there hills in your area? If so, that gearing may be rough and you may want to try and find a cassette with lower low gears, although on a 7-speed, that might be like finding a needle in a haystack. Check eBay. If your terrain is mostly flat, I would leave that gearing alone and just ride it.


7 Speed is easy to find. Loads of them on Amazon. Jensonusa has 4 different ones listed.
Lots of Walmart bikes still use 7 speed. Even modern Downhill MTB's use 7 speed. 
https://www.jensonusa.com/Kona-Operator-CR-Bike-2019

Shimano still makes a 7 speed group
https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/product/component/tourney-a070.html


Bigger question for ElliottAugust is does he have a cassette or freewheel. Based on his specs, his bike is 1996 Trek 1400. Which is right around when cassettes started becoming the norm. I can't tell which his bike has.
But 7sp freewheels are still easy to find too.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

tlg said:


> 7 Speed is easy to find. Loads of them on Amazon. Jensonusa has 4 different ones listed.
> Lots of Walmart bikes still use 7 speed. Even modern Downhill MTB's use 7 speed.
> https://www.jensonusa.com/Kona-Operator-CR-Bike-2019
> 
> ...


Well then I stand corrected. But is the gearing any wider?


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Lombard said:


> Well then I stand corrected. But is the gearing any wider?


34T *M-e-g-a-r-a-n-g-e*










I doubt a 1996 RD would handle that though.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

tlg said:


> 34T *M-e-g-a-r-a-n-g-e*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, I've seen this cassette on some hybrids. I wonder who thought it would be a good idea to space cogs 2-7 close together like road gearing and have cog 1 a big jump like that.


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