First upgrade

forgotrafe

A bit of an open-ended question, but there's lots of people on this forum with an opinion and I'm interested in hearing them

I have a Trek 6500 Disc 2007. I've changed the pedals, saddle and tyres thus far. Now just supposing I had some more significant cash burning a hole in my pocket, what should I consider upgrading, to what and why?

Spec is on-line here, except the UK model has Shimano discs brakes. Obvious contenders to me are; Forks - Manitou Slate Comp w/preload, lockout, 100mm and Wheels - Shimano M525 disc hubs; Bontrager Ranger rims.

I do XC riding and overall the bike's good, if a little weighty.

I've already decided that when it needs doing I'm going to change crankset to HollowTech II, same as my road hybrid. That way I can buy myself the tools and look after both myself.

Rafe

nicklouse

forks to a Reba SL and brakes to some formula Oros.

The Spiderman

Upgraded everything on my XTC now.Biggest improvement I made was fitting Reba SLs which replaced,the previous Manitou Splices (similar to your Slates).
With them at little over £200 at Merlin,there`s no reason not too.
Hugely better,much improved steering and control.

forgotrafe

nicklouse wrote:

brakes to some formula Oros.

Hadn't even considered the brakes! Why? And what to 160mm, 180mm or bigger?

nicklouse

the soles are poor.

with the oros i would just go 160 160. its all i have on the XC bike.

Chaka Ping

Change those bits and you've got a very nice bike.

Only thing left after that is wheels - you can get a handbuilt pair of XT/Mavic 717s for £150 - but I'd do those after the fork and brakes.

Just replace other stuff as it wears out/breaks, as you suggested yourself.

forgotrafe

nicklouse wrote:

the soles are poor

Sorry, the link I gave was (I think) for the US spec bike. My bike came with Shimano brakes. Not sure which, but they take a Shimano XTR / XT / LX pad if that helps. Still change them?

As for the other advice - excellent & thanks! I don't actually have any spare cash at this precise moment because I just bought a second bike (the hybrid) & the wife just spent £a-good-full-susser on bedroom curtains. But knowing there are some good upgrades to make, I'll start saving!

nicklouse

brakes could be any shimano ones, if you are happy with then stick with them,

But look to the wheels and the tyres and tubes....

forgotrafe

Tyres are currently 2.1" Conti Vapours which are okay when it's not too muddy. One LBS recommends them all year round. Another recommends them for here in the summer, but 1.9" Conti Edges in the winter.

Tubes are currently slime tubes which out of four known punctures they have saved the day just twice. So I'm going to probably replace them with normal tubes. My LBS sells Kenda tubes cheap enough.

I'm enjoying all this advice, so any further advice given the above?

mcbazza

Change something that you will instantly reap the benefits of.

So, I make that:-

1. Wheels/tyres - go lighter, and gain that instant acceleration you get from less rotating weight. I run Slime-filled tubes in my 'town' MTB, but, not in my Stumpy. Wouldn't want them slowing the Stumpy down, plus, the trails I do on the Stumpy rarely have anything that could cause a puncture.

2. Part/all of your chainset+shifters. You use them a lot, so you will reap the rewards a lot.
eg. I upgraded mine to v.high end Sram kit. I swear the gear changes are complete before I even touch the levers.

3. Bars + stem + grips. Again, you use them a lot! So, will reap the reward instantly. Perhaps shorten the stem for a more instant 'feel' on the steering. Maybe a carbon steerer - they have the additional benefit of absorbing frequencies from the steering. If you lighten any part of the steering, it will improve response and 'feel'. I can personally recommend ODI lock-ons. Easy to get on/off, and more importantly, give amazing levels of grip.

4. Brakes. I'd need to know more about you + your riding to tell if going up a disc size would be worthwhile. But, it's a relatively cheap upgrade. All it takes (at least for my Avids) is a new mounting bracket + new disc.

5. Clothing. Treat yourself to something new. Gloves/shorts/jackets/shoes. If it makes you more comfortable, you will be happier and your riding will improve.

6. MTB holiday. This is possibly the best 'upgrade' I ever bought. Went to Morzine last year for my first ever MTB-specific holiday. Had a day with a guide on how to go from XC to DH. The holiday was amazing. Really honed my riding. But, the lesson was amazing. All of my riding instantly went up a notch. Couldn't wait to get back to Cwmcarn and give it some.

supersonic

Forks should be high on the list - big weight savings to be had with a reba, plus performance benfits. And tyres if not kevlar beaded.

forgotrafe

Thanks mcbazza for all the suggestions.

Item 1: Wheels seem to be a popular suggestion!

Item 2: They're consumables so as they break...

Item 3: Just bought a carbon-wrapped stem for the hybrid. Could try the now spare one on the MTB. At 90mm it's only 10mm shorter though.

Item 4: I find the Shimano ones stop my not insignificant weight timely and with sintered pads behave fine in the conditions round here, so that might be low priority.

Item 5: Already covered. Used to do a lot of mountaineering and totally appreciate how important the right gear is.

Item 6: For my birthday I got some one-to-one MTB training which as you say was amazing.

Wheels/forks certainly seem to be getting the votes... so I'll look at those. Thanks to everyone for the advice. Seeing as how you've all gone to so much trouble, perhaps it'd be rude not to do some upgrades sooner rather than later

strodey

hello mate,
Personally my first upgrade were the wheels this made a massive difference to weight and a noticeable difference when pedalling, (mavic 717's and pro 2 hubs) forks made a huge differend to weight and cranks also, i'm actually leaving brakes till last as the weight saving will not be huge and performance while noticeable won't improve my riding (probably slow me down) just squeeze harder! All depends on budget and what your trying to acheive!
In my opinion to get most noticable difference in performance from your bike for the money start with the wheels!

forgotrafe

Strodey - I blame you for making me think like this in the first place

forgotrafe

Last night I remembered that I've just been reimbursed my entire expenses (from work) for the last year. So I decided to look upon that as a type of savings scheme, and have just been on a shopping spree...

New wheels: XT/Mavic 717s with XT rotors (ebay, bargain if Chaka Pings pricing is accurate)

New forks: Reba SL (from Merlin)



Thanks for all the advice.

mcbazza

Remember to go for a quick spin on the bike before fitting the kit.
Then swap it out.
Jump back on.
Marvel at how much more responsive it is!

Chaka Ping

mcbazza wrote:

6. MTB holiday. This is possibly the best 'upgrade' I ever bought. Went to Morzine last year for my first ever MTB-specific holiday. Had a day with a guide on how to go from XC to DH. The holiday was amazing. Really honed my riding. But, the lesson was amazing. All of my riding instantly went up a notch. Couldn't wait to get back to Cwmcarn and give it some.

Sounds good. Did you get a package deal?

How did you find the riding there, coming from a more XC background?

I've had an MTB holiday in Spain and loved it, but I'm not sure whether the Alps would be for me.

mcbazza

Chaka Ping wrote:

Sounds good. Did you get a package deal?

How did you find the riding there, coming from a more XC background?

I've had an MTB holiday in Spain and loved it, but I'm not sure whether the Alps would be for me.

We just rented an apartment (I forget who with) and then drove over.
This year we're renting again fro the same people, but flying to Geneva. I believe our appt can sleep 12 in 6 rooms. But, we'll only be 6 this year. I forget whether it was 240 or 270/pp (flight+appt), that's for 10 days.

Riding was amazing! I'd already got myself up to level, had all the kit (pads/lid/etc), and had been practising down Afan way with uplift day at Cwmcarn. Whilst that set me up nicely, it doesn't really compare.

I still love my XC, and had always been of the opinion that "you have to ride up, to earn your ride down". But, that holiday turned me around. Started to want a 40lb pure DH beast. But, I've nowhere to store it, and nowhere locally to ride it. So, that passed.

Plus, ruptured my achilles at rugby training last Oct (and then again in Jan). So, haven't ridden trails in some time. That will change soon.

strodey

Excellent choices my friend! look forward to seeing! Just remeber the more you upgrade the easier and faster white horse hill gets! At leats that how i justify it!

forgotrafe

Well, new wheels (XT hubs, DT spokes, Mavic 717 rims, XT skewers, XT rotors), new XT cassette and new RockShox Reba SL fork now on bike and I've been out for my first ride.

Very happy boy. Especially as everything was obtained at much cheapness.

Thanks for the advice!

Liam-rooney

Hi, you sound like you have got it all sorted now, is there any chance you could upload a photo?

thank

forgotrafe

@Liam-rooney... Not the best picture, but here you go:

Liam-rooney

cool,
it looks great, where did you get the forks?

thanks

forgotrafe

Forks were from Merlin. XT cassette was WoolyHatShop on ebay. Wheels, rotors and skewers were second-hand off ebay.

rowlers

soory to hijack but,
I have a similar bike, Trek 6000. Would the upgrade routes suggested above also apply to my bike? i.e. Fork upgrade to Reba SL (currently Dart 2). Already put better peddles on, a cheap wellgo alloy platform. Also change the tyres to Spesh hemispheres. Riding is mainly dirt tracks country lanes/lonnings etc..., with the occasional trip to whinlatter.#
Is there much difference between the dart/tora/reba?

Also what else would be high on the upgrade list? (brakes are Juicy3 and deore font and back)

cheers and sorry for hijack, just didn't want to create an new thread for a similar topic

forgotrafe

@rowlers - no problem with hijack, as you say it's a relevant digression

What model year is your 6000? and UK spec I presume?

When I bought mine (2007 model year) the main difference between the 6000/6500/6700 was the forks and a bit more XT stuff over Deore. Don't know what the Darts are like but logically they aren't as good as my old Manitou Slate and I can tell you that the Reba SL is soooo much better than those.

As for the lighter wheels... my bike now weighs 26.5lbs without saddle bag or me on it I used to think that weight wasn't important especially as I'm pretty hefty. However, the way my bike handles now is so very much better than before. That doesn't mean I'm now a weight weenie and going to go after every gramme, but shedding several pounds off the bike has made a big difference and I'm extremely pleased with it.

Only other mod I'd like to do, mainly to facilitate easier DIY servicing, is a Hollowtech II crankset.

Hope that helps.

ride_whenever

Rebas will transform a bike, as will light wheels, generally, you go after what is limiting your speed the most. So tyres/forks then brakes/wheels, then finishing kit/drivetrain.

rowlers

old(ish) thread resurection!

Been thinking about the suggested upgrade to reba sl's. But also been looking at the tora 318 solo air, as I don't think I really need the extra +/- air etc.. and expense of the rebas! Are the Toras still a worthwhile upgrade over the darts, or should I really wait and save up the pennies for the Rebas? I don't want to get "bitten" then have to upgrade again a later though, what to do!?!?! :?

cheers

supersonic

Yes, much better than a dart. But still 0.9lbs heavier than a Reba. So swings and roundabouts. The Tora is stiffer and stronger though.

ride_whenever

I used to run the 318 solo air forks, they were very niceand i wholeheartedly recommend them. As super says, not as light as the rebas as they are made of steel (which is real) but they are also stiffer.

rowlers

thanks fellas, it keeps my options open a bit! Assume the same applies for the Recon, although the price is near enough the same as the Reba!