PTW

I'm stripping my Kona fire mountain bike has the frame needs spraying. The guy I bought it off had rubbed it back to bare metal but then only relaquered it. Problem is where the frame had rubbed against walls etc the lacquer has come away in places and some surface rust is coming through. Its too good a frame to to leave has it is, which makes me wonder if I should convert it to a winter road bike. I bought it has a single speed but it has all the lugs to put a derailler on. I'm thinkiong of getting the frame sprayed by Bob Jackson. Its worth spraying has these frames fetch a lot of money. Bob has told me he can put it back to original spec.
Has anyone done a conversion like this? Also has anyone a pair of wheels and a set of brakes. I would need to know wether the frame will take a 700c wheel set and also what brakes might fit. Any help greatly appreciated.

Firstly, well done on trying to get back on your bike.

I can see heartache with a conversion like this as slotting 700c wheels into an MTB frame will almost certainly mean that your canti's or V's won't work as the bosses are set for 26" wheels. If the frame and fork have a central brake drilling (i.e. like a road bike) then you may be able to get deep drop brakes to fit. I've got some Shimano 57mm's for you to try but you might even need brakes with a bigger drop like the 73mm 'Big Dog' brakes which are from the BMX world.

If that's not enough to put you off then also think about frame angles. MTB's can be quite slack on both seat and head tube angles and I think that the handling with 700c wheels would be poor.

Thanks Alf. I note your comments of poor handling etc. Very good points. I could of course get the frame sprayed and put all the old fixinmgs back on and keep as a fun bike. Total cost for a respray including posting, spraying etc comes to a cool 140 quid. It is an excellent frame. But I ask myself is it worth spending that.

I don't think so mate. Buy a rattle can of undercoat and the colour of your choice from Wilkies and DIY it

Is Brucie still spraying frames?

Jack Bobson wrote

I don't think so mate. Buy a rattle can of undercoat and the colour of your choice from Wilkies and DIY it

I'll get my next door neighbour to spray it for me

Paul,why not stick with the mountain bike wheels,theres more than enough choice of road tyres for 26" wheels and if you need to raise the front end I've got a pair of project 2 forks you can have.The comic converted a mountain bike into a winter trainer very successfully last winter for less than

[quote=Emma Royds]
Paul,why not stick with the mountain bike wheels,theres more than enough choice of road tyres for 26" wheels and if you need to raise the front end I've got a pair of project 2 forks you can have.The comic converted a mountain bike into a winter trainer very successfully last winter for less than

well the kona is off to Bob Jackson. Having seen skippy's frames I have to say Bob is the man when it comes to spraying.

If you're doing a conversion to get a road bike why not just buy a road bike. There's an entry level Giant in todays Comic for just

I'm looking out on Ebay for a road bike Jack I'm getting the kona frame sprayed anyway. I'll just shove everything back on that I took off it the other week. My lad is having a mountain bike so I will use mine to get him out. Hes still too young for the road yet, although I'll probarly be looking for his first road bike in a couple of years