In a months time I turn 35, so it has got to the where SWMBO has asked for ideas for presents.
After a ride of a mates different bike the other day, I'd really like to upgrade to some wide bars (and therefore the stem, cos most new bars seem to be oversize)Apart from that I'm not really sure.....
So I'm after ideas, anything that I should think about, obviously there are loads of bits, but the real question is what is worth it for my specific bike, ie 8 years old and not worth loads.
The best money is punted at either wheels or forks - as this will improve the handling/weight and is the most noticable of upgrades.
Depends on budget and what YOU want....
For the price of a decent fork or wheelset - you "could" delve in the SH Frame market and get a bargain!
1. I like my wheels, may be over weight but do get people talking
2. My frame is about the least knackered part of my bike, plus cos of my "funky" idrive, new frame would mean new BB and bits around that.
I have seen forks for sensible prices for me, not you all with decent bikes. Just can't decided (to myself) if they are worth an upgrade, say to a £150-200 price range pair. Out of interest do all forks have the same size stems, width wise, I know length varies, so do I have to look for anything inparticular when trying to buy them?
Do you have a Sodium deficiency problem? Then join the Sweat Lickers Anonymous Group (SLAG).
I have seen forks for sensible prices for me, not you all with decent bikes. Just can't decided (to myself) if they are worth an upgrade, say to a £150-200 price range pair. Out of interest do all forks have the same size stems, width wise, I know length varies, so do I have to look for anything inparticular when trying to buy them?
You mean Steerer?
Im sure entirely sure myself if all the same, but any for sale, should say the steerer length - you'd need to measure you current steerer and aim for something similar.
My Rad is Sick, which is a bad thing.... which is good.
Probabl 1 1/8th inch as thats been the common size for the last 10+ years, only in the last couple of years have some bikes come with tapered ones so the bottom is 1.5" but these are typically more DH orientated bikes until 2010 when now its coming on some trail ones
No, really. As Ben has quite rightly pointed out it really depends on what you want to improve & budget. The bars & stem will give you more control, which should make you more confident & faster, but will your wheels & forks let that happen safely?
A sturdy, light wheel set is the best way to spend money on a bike as it can improve handling & acceleration, but you need to drop a fair amount of weight to notice it & the wheels you have must be quite light! Better forks will change the bike completely as dependant on which ones you buy they could change the whole feel of the bike, but that might not suit you or your frame. To improve performance can be really tricky, you need to work out what you want to acheive, then you can work out what to change to acheive it.
If you wanted to try different forks I have a pair of Toras you could try for a while. Still not top end forks, but they'd provide more travel for a comparision.
to make an immediate change without breaking the birthday fund wide open, wide bars and new stem with sexy new grips, changes the look and ride characteristics immediately.
Plenty of widish bars (680mm) at about £20 on Chainreactioncycles same goes for stems at around the same price Lock on Grips are about £10
Wahey! New cockpit for £50!
Or go on an Ebay rampage, I got Backspire 500 bars and stem for £25 all in, and they have a Beaver on them!
That would be very helpful thanks Tinc. I guess if I am looking at possible fork replacements, I should do that before chossing a stem, because it will affect the angle slightly.
As above, if most forks have same steerer size, I therefore deduce that all stems same size? true or false.
Do you have a Sodium deficiency problem? Then join the Sweat Lickers Anonymous Group (SLAG).
I would definitely say new forks, preferably with means of adjusting the travel either on the fly or via packers so that you can still use them if you change your frame in the future. Forks have always made the biggest difference to the bike for me far More so than bars and stem (although that should he your next upgrade). You should be able to run a bit more travel too (Que lots of witty comments about me always wanting more travel) which will slackened the head angle and make it better on the downhills.
Steerers come in 1", 1 1/8", 1.5" and tapered. Yours is most likely 1 1/8". Do you have a headless headset, I.e. is the forks held in by the stem, or is there a big nut between stem and frame?
1999 Carrera Kraken - Now a hybrid/leisure tool. 2009 Boardman MTB FS Pro - For the bumps and mud. 2009 Boardman Team Carbon road bike - For the smooth(er) stuff.
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) but think I'd better holding off. Just thinkiing aloud really so as usual a bit of sketchy imput never goes amiss.
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