Well, ol' can't-make-up-his-mind is at it again!
After considering good advice offered me here & looking anew at all the hills near home, I've decided that while a cheap beater 3-sp will be fun(& I picked one up for $20, an old Wards Hawthorne), it'd be awful nice to have something with real gearing. So, today searching Cragslist I found & called about an unusually nice condition Trek SU200 "urban-commuter" bike(intro'd 2005?), I believe this has now morphed into the SU 2.0. It seems to me pretty much a mountain bike, but with solid front fork, slightly higher gearing(48-38-28t front, 11-30t rear), disk brakes(!), and 26x1.5" street tires. The rims are spec'd as Bontrager Rangers, no width given. Owner says bike has spent its life being ridden only a little, rest of time stored inside apartment or office after those rare commutes- to a downtown big city! These were priced ~$500 or more new, this one's in near-new condition with extras(headlight, taillight, rear rack with removable slide-off basket) for ~$150. I checked the specs, its 18" frame should be right for me. Seems a good deal for me to begin riding a bike again after 40 years, especially since at first I'll stick to the streets & side roads. But sometime later on I'd like to try a local network of old dirt roads. I know the solid front fork will be kinda rough off-road, but at least it won't stop working like some cheap front suspensions & if I really get into it could always replace the fork, or get another bike later.
Is there any reason why the 1.5" wide factory tires can't be replaced in the future with something wider & more appropriate for riding old dirt roads nearby? Assuming the rims, front fork & rear frame are wide enough wouldn't tires up to 2" or 2.125" mount & work OK? I could find nothing on the Trek site about this. Any & all help appreciated.
After considering good advice offered me here & looking anew at all the hills near home, I've decided that while a cheap beater 3-sp will be fun(& I picked one up for $20, an old Wards Hawthorne), it'd be awful nice to have something with real gearing. So, today searching Cragslist I found & called about an unusually nice condition Trek SU200 "urban-commuter" bike(intro'd 2005?), I believe this has now morphed into the SU 2.0. It seems to me pretty much a mountain bike, but with solid front fork, slightly higher gearing(48-38-28t front, 11-30t rear), disk brakes(!), and 26x1.5" street tires. The rims are spec'd as Bontrager Rangers, no width given. Owner says bike has spent its life being ridden only a little, rest of time stored inside apartment or office after those rare commutes- to a downtown big city! These were priced ~$500 or more new, this one's in near-new condition with extras(headlight, taillight, rear rack with removable slide-off basket) for ~$150. I checked the specs, its 18" frame should be right for me. Seems a good deal for me to begin riding a bike again after 40 years, especially since at first I'll stick to the streets & side roads. But sometime later on I'd like to try a local network of old dirt roads. I know the solid front fork will be kinda rough off-road, but at least it won't stop working like some cheap front suspensions & if I really get into it could always replace the fork, or get another bike later.
Is there any reason why the 1.5" wide factory tires can't be replaced in the future with something wider & more appropriate for riding old dirt roads nearby? Assuming the rims, front fork & rear frame are wide enough wouldn't tires up to 2" or 2.125" mount & work OK? I could find nothing on the Trek site about this. Any & all help appreciated.