New Bike. Saracen Mantra. 1

deanvw

Hey all. im new to this forum!
I live in Somerset and I have just purchased a new bike. a Saracen Mantra 1. It cost me 300 pounds in halfords and i personally think its a great bike!.
It has
RST Gilias
Tranz-x Stem
Standard Bars
Kona Jackshit Grips
Standard Shifters/brakes
Dual Mechanical Disks
New squewers(black bikehut)
BBB pedals
Square Taper BB
3 cog front gearing (which suprisingly clears all skatepark ramps)
Shimano Alivio Derailler

I have any made slight modifications which havent cost me much, but i have just aquired a lot of money from work and i am looking to do stuff to my bike. Any ideas???? :?

supersonic

Unless you sell off the old parts straight away, it doesnt usually make too much sense to start upgrading loads of things - you might as well have bought a better bike in the first place! Fork and bottom bracket let it down for the style of riding its intended for - I'd put a RS tora on the front, and a new Shimano Octalink crank and BB.

deanvw

i am going to swap a square taper to a isis truvativ husselfelt and the forks im not sure about tho. any ideas?

Thantos

Am i right in thinking that the Mantra is an XC bike?
If i am, i wouldn't take it near a Skatepark ramp.
Also Toras are very good value.

supersonic

'Extreme XC', or a hardcore hardtail.

dcp1975

erm.....imo you could of bought a better bike with the £300 you spent, (GT Avalanche 3.0 Mongoose Tyax Elite) but happy riding!

deanvw

i only paid 200 tho.

Big n Daft

How much extra money are we talking about?

Helps to have a range to work with.

Even though its your choice and as long as your happy who cares, most people will say that there is better bikes out there for that sort of money....

But hey, its what you got, so you wanna do the best by it. At the moment i'm with SS, forks and crank/bb set will make it more of a safer ride......as in less liable to fall to pieces with you on it.

deanvw

got a pair of Tioga Factory DH 2.30 fitted now.

Big n Daft

Ok,

Have to be honest here....

If you want to upgrade the bike, you aint making the best job of it. Have you heard the expression "Silk purse out of a pigs ear"?

You can bolt all the shiny crap you want on it, but there are four basics for a good bike.

A) Frame.
Forks
C) Drivetrain
D) Wheels.

If anyone of these isnt up to what you want to do with them....it will break, probably taking other parts with it and if your on it when it does, it will hurt as well.

I'll ask again, how much do you have to spend and what sort of riding do you expect to be doing with it?

deanvw

all i done is put on a set of new tyres.... chunky ones cuz the others slipped everywhere.
I dont want to spend hundreds on it but mostly want it 4 xc. maybe 15% downhill 40% singletrack 20%dirt 25% general riding

Frame: strong from the reviews i have read also its made of 7005 aluminium.
Forks: Perfect -what i find perfect RST Gilia +
Drivetrain: Square taper 3 size crank- Rear Freewheel 7 speed(but have got a 7 speed cassette rim in shed) with a alivio derailler (but have got Acera and older Deore in shed)
Wheels: Single wall EX-S alloy and Tioga DH 2.30


I have got spare sets
-Double wall rims with cassette on rear and are both disc (not buckled)
-Acera and Deore Deraillers
-Can probably get hold of ISIS BB and Truvativ Husselfelts

stanny

I've got a few Saracens including a Mantra 1 and I've had great fun on the Mantra without upgrading anything. But if I were you rather than spending money upgrading parts I would put the money aside and save up for a last year's Zen 1 which you can get for £500. Its a really good frame which should last you years and its got a good spec. In the meantime have fun on the Mantra

deanvw

do you reckon i should put on the cassette rim?

4crosser

Dean, listen to the wise Jedi Master Big N Daft, and don't be throwing good many after bad.

Personaly, I'd put on those double-walled rims you've got for what riding you're describing, and a Manitou/Mazzochi fork. I had the Gila + on my GT Chucker, and it clunked every time I hit a lip.

A good bar/stem will make the world of difference to the way it handles too, suggest a DMR Wingbar or Atomlab G.I. You'll get these from www.evanscycles.com

deanvw

ok.
ive got a tranz-x stem and cbr bars which ive fitted

deanvw

right. list:

DMR Wingbars
Blank Stem
Truvativ Howzfella(dunno how its spelt) with 32 tooth cog with bash guard
DMR Single speed kit with 16t gusset cog

Bought over the last few weeks.

4crosser

deanvw wrote:

right. list:

DMR Wingbars
Blank Stem
Truvativ Howzfella(dunno how its spelt) with 32 tooth cog with bash guard
DMR Single speed kit with 16t gusset cog

Bought over the last few weeks.

Good choices

deanvw

change for the truvativ its a sr suntour now. with a single 32 cog and a kona bashguard.