need advice on new parts...handle bars,seat post and forks..

accrington guy

I am looking to replace the afore mentioned on my giant xtc 4.5 but I have no idea on where to start..
in regards to the forks, I cycle16 miles a day , some/alot of which is off road and some not depending on my mood so I am not sure if that narrows it down a bit..I am open to try different makes of forks and not just rockshox..?
and in regards to the seat post and bars??..well where does one start ?
I dont mind spending a bit of cash but not into the trillions of pounds bracket with chrimbo on its way !

thanks in advance guys..

xtreem

You said you want to try different makes of forks, then I would say try the:
Magura Odur
Marzocchi 44 TST2
Others are too expensive above 300 or the 33 or 22 are like the Darts.

But there is not much to try for a XC fork, for example the 44 TST2 costs as much as Reba SL and I bet that the Reba preforms better.

supersonic

I can see why a new fork would make a difference, but what is actually wrong with the bars and seatpost?

accrington guy

supersonic wrote:

I can see why a new fork would make a difference, but what is actually wrong with the bars and seatpost?

why not ?,,,,just fancy something different and I figured whilst I want to get new forks why not bars and seatpost..

so..

supersonic

I'd put the money into new wheels or better forks, but that is me ;-)

How about SMICA? Cheap, light and strong.

accrington guy

supersonic wrote:

I'd put the money into new wheels or better forks, but that is me ;-)

How about SMICA? Cheap, light and strong.

now thats interesting you should say that as I dont know if the wheels I have are good.bad or indifferent..I have the alex rims that came with the bike...if I was to change them what would be good?

thanks for this...it is appreciated - honest !

supersonic

Are they on Deore hubs? Could be quite a heavy set!

New wheels and tyres might drop another 2 lbs in weight!

streako

You fancy a change of parts, but cant really give a good reason for doing so......?

It is pretty hard to give advice then.....

Do you have any objectives, eg, to lose weight, provide more comfort, better reliability, nice colour?

accrington guy

streako wrote:

You fancy a change of parts, but cant really give a good reason for doing so......?

It is pretty hard to give advice then.....

Do you have any objectives, eg, to lose weight, provide more comfort, better reliability, nice colour?

dont wanna lose weight as I have lost enough...that another question!
I dare say more comfort and reliability...

ride_whenever

Forks: Reba SL, or the new SID, of if you want to splurge some more then White Bros or DT, or the marzocchi R7, the sids and r7 are leightweight XC forks so not really suited to regular airbourne antics.

Wheels, 719 on xt hubs from merlins

bars: EA70 or the easton carbon jobbies
stem: thomson (high end) SMICA (cheap but v. good)
post: as above.

ST Colin

I have an Easton EA30 seatpost and bar (685mm low-riser) and a RaceFace Evolve XC stem. Very happy with them. Good value for money too.

I picked up RS Recon Race Air Solo 100mm forks for £210 from CRC. They are an excellent fork, superior in every way by a country mile to my old Dart2 fork.

The Spiderman

My XTC has Reba SLs.Great forks.The Giant ,post bars and stem are very heavy,I swapped mine for Raceface Deus bars and stem,and now have a Thomson post.
Got the bars and stem as a deal for £50 from CRC,together.Bars and stem saved about 160g in weight alone.

accrington guy

thanks for the replys folks its quite a minefield out there when looking..its always the same...when you havent got the cash you want this and that but when you;ve got it - you cant make your mind up !!

one thing that is worrying me/confusing me is the measurements for some things for instance...bars - 25.4mm and seatpost - 27.2mm and stem - whatever that may be and low riser bars or high riser or flat..where does one start there ?
as you may have gathered I am newby at this but one thats keen to learn at that..so forgive what may be silly questions to you..

thanks in advance..

supersonic

Bars come in two diameters - 31.8 and 25.4mm. So it depends on the stem you have, should be written on it, or the bars. If you replace both, make sure are the same! The wider ones are theoreically stiffer.

The rise and width is pure preference. If you want a higher position, go for a higher rise! Wider bars can add fine control. lower bars make for a more efficient position, but tips your weight a little forward and will not have the sme control as a more upright stance, especially on the downs.

Seatposts come in many sizes, depending on the frame. So see what is written on the old one.

One of the best posts on the market is the SMICA pro, at any price:

http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... ts_id=6515

Is as light and strong as a Thomson.

Same with SMICA stems, or KOOKA stems:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... e7ff9973c8

I use the 100mm Kooka, is 125g. Great price, well made, light and stiff.

Northwind

I just look for something pretty, light and cheap Best combination of the 3 wins. Trouble is this is all really subjective, there's no one right bar height or stem length etc. I like the Truvativ Team stems, they're cheap from CRC and ebay just now, light and quality. Not massively strong though. And everyone likes Easton bars, it's the law.