what upgrade next?

radiojaja

ive got a Giant terrano and i'm having a whale of a time!

largely due to great advice i've had either directly or just by reading the forums on here i've spent a bit of hard earned upgrading

so far i've put specialised captains and purgatory (front) tires on, new cranks (shimano deore) and the latest addition is a lovely set of tora 302 u turns

eah addition has made enormous difference to the bike, the biggest being the forks! its like a new bike!

this weekend in the mud on my local trails i noticed i lost loads of traction. am guessing thats just what to expect in mud! but any tips? i have 2 on the back and 2.2 on the front, with the front 50 psi and the back 40...

other than the mud, traction is great and especially with the new forks the bike is lively but always in control

so the main question (finally!) is what should i look to upgrade next?

the bike is getting faster (as am i!) and lighter with each upgrade, and thats the way i want to keep going

bars? brakes? seat post?

is there anything else i could change that would have as much impact as the cranks and forks?

jay12

is anything not working propely?

radiojaja

everything is working fine, the gears stick a bit, but a bit of TLC usually sorts that out

i know i'm lucky to be able to do it, but its just about improving the bike bit by bit rather than going the whole hog and buying a new one

eventually, when i am good enough to justify it i may do that, but that will be a while a ways yet

nicklouse

wait till you have to replace something.

radiojaja

ha! good advice, no doubt...

but what would everyone advise would be a logical next step?

i like to have a target purchase to save up for!

plus each one so far really has added lots to the enjoyment

supersonic

A new frame or wheels.

Think carefully about your plans, your money and what you want to achieve.

nicklouse

supersonic wrote:

A new frame or wheels.

Think carefully about your plans, your money and what you want to achieve.

Nah just replace it all.

radiojaja

possibly stopping short of just replacing it all..! :shock:

frame would be a lot of cash? just as well get new bike?

wheels seems sensible. what that constitute a major weight saving?

are we talking £100, £200 or more?

what make / spec wheel?

you wouldnt bother will some of other components? brakes, seatpost etc?

from the achievement perspective i guess i want to slowly build it up so i get more and more from it

its a mid lfe crisis thing for me and i cant believe i havent got into it before

ive lost three stone in weight, have loads more confidence, and as my job its pretty stressful am finding at all a bit zen frankly!

ive read that back, and i hope i dont sound as 'up myself' as that might!

just loving it, and want to continue to grow with it all really

:roll: :roll:

supersonic

Yep, the new bike option is usually cheaper and better in the long run I am afraid!

To be frank, there isn't really anything else I would upgrade as you have a balanced package. Or else you will just start upgrading what you have already upgraded ie a lighter fork, a lighter crank, better gearset and so on!

radiojaja

thanks for that, worth knowing anyway

appreciate the comments

save the pennies and when i get enough cash start a hard tail v. FS thread off!

i'll keep reading and try to keep enjoying all the same

next objective is to get out on a proper trail centre...

off for some more research!

nicklouse

enjoy.

Johnny Chimpo

What everyone else is saying is good advice.... but..... I was in the same position as yourself, with the same bike. I really wanted a better bike to start with, but the terrago was all I could afford at the time.

Since getting it a year ago I have upgraded the forks, brakes, pedals, seat, grips, tyres and my newest upgrade last week was my new mavic rims with hope hubs including a new cassette and chain.

I know that I have spent way more than the bike is worth on upgrades, however my plan is upgrade it all and then my final upgrade will be the frame. Yes its an expensive way to do it, but I don't have the cash to spend all in one go, and i'm terrible at saving money so this way suits me best.

Also means I will have picked every component on the bike and will be totally happy with it. Well thats the plan anyway, altho i'm sure I will still find things to change

Next up for me is some sram x0 shifters plus front and rear mech's altho I think they will be a wee while away.

radiojaja

[quoteWhat everyone else is saying is good advice.... but..... I was in the same position as yourself, with the same bike. I really wanted a better bike to start with, but the terrago was all I could afford at the time. [/quote]

thats put it much better than i was doing it!

ive done forks tyres cranks and pedals, and as i said, i really feel its made a big difference, and more importantly kept pace with my own improvements as a rider (esp forks and cranks)

am seriously thinking about the weight savings from a new bar and seatpost..

and i have thought that the brakes could be a bit more powerful, did you notice big differences?

did you go up on rotor size too?

love the idea of new wheel set, but that might be a bit too much both in one go, one at a time a bad idea?! :?

reckon that would save lots of weight, and help with lung busting climbs to get to my local trails! (plus it would be just cool!)

and one of the boys in the LBS told me if i keep going i'll end up with a new frame and have a totally new bike!

its a bit like buying it on cedit

radiojaja

btw... thanks johnny chimpo, it was mostly your advice that prompted the toras upgrade last time - well worth the money!

(oh.. and i cant use the 'quote' function :oops: )

Johnny Chimpo

radiojaja wrote:

thats put it much better than i was doing it!

ive done forks tyres cranks and pedals, and as i said, i really feel its made a big difference, and more importantly kept pace with my own improvements as a rider (esp forks and cranks)

am seriously thinking about the weight savings from a new bar and seatpost..

and i have thought that the brakes could be a bit more powerful, did you notice big differences?

did you go up on rotor size too?

love the idea of new wheel set, but that might be a bit too much both in one go, one at a time a bad idea?! :?

reckon that would save lots of weight, and help with lung busting climbs to get to my local trails! (plus it would be just cool!)

and one of the boys in the LBS told me if i keep going i'll end up with a new frame and have a totally new bike!

its a bit like buying it on cedit

Yeah a did notice a big difference with the brakes, for me they were definately worth the money. Initally I was on the same size rotors (160mm) but have recently replaced the front with a 185mm disc, really just because someone on here was selling it cheap

If you are currently quite happy with the frame, I would stick with it and upgrade parts as and when you feel like it, or need to. As soon as I buy something for it, i'm always looking at the next thing, bit of an addiction I suppose

Funny you should mention what the guy in the LBS said, dropped my bike into my LBS today and the guy said the exact same to me haha.

radiojaja

i think you might be right with addiction!

i'll settle on bars, brakes and seat post for the next couple of months!

then think of those wheels..

cheers again

Johnny Chimpo

No probs, make sure you post up some pics so we can see how its looking

Barteos

Carbon sole shoes.

bails87

Barteos wrote:

Carbon sole shoes.

Wrong side of the forum



Well, actually, this is the right side of the forum

mac_man

Instead of the bike... what about buying/upgrading any accessories?

You seem to have a well balanced bike for the budget at the moment. I don't know too much about the Giant frame but it may not be worth spending more to upgrade it... might be better to go new bike.

But your riding experience can be bettered by things like shoes, clothing, body armour/padding, lights etc.

I found a major difference going from walking shoes to a pair of skate shoes, which have masses more grip. A very worthwhile upgrade for only £25.

radiojaja

nice ideas on the accessory side.. hadnt thought of that!

as for pics, as i previously demonstrated, i cant handle quotes :oops: pics is beyond me!

ravey1981

Are you on flat pedals or spds? I wouldnt be without my spds now for general riding, they take a bit of getting used to but in my opinion its worth it...

radiojaja

too scared to try SPDs!

my excuse is that where i ride, i am lucky to have all sorts of terrain right there

theres woodlands, very rocky (by mt standards) descents and most fun of all a disused quarry with massive piles of rocks to hoik up dragging the bike, and roll down!

i am starting to lose the pedals and my shins are paying for it, but i still need to dab down on occasion and so i thought i'd get a bit more practice in before trying them

mac_man

radiojaja wrote:

i am starting to lose the pedals and my shins are paying for it, but i still need to dab down on occasion and so i thought i'd get a bit more practice in before trying them

Shinguards and some sticky soled shoes. Sorted.

Dagowly83

radiojaja wrote:

too scared to try SPDs!

I was the same for a while, but i borrowed a set of shoes and pedals from a mate of mine and put them on my hardtail. I haven't looked back since. You can set the cleats to disengage quite easily. I would advise that for the first few hours of riding until you get used to them. You will no doubt pull up and stop and forget you're clipped in and fall off. Seen it happen loads. But once sorted, it can make biking so much more fun and easier for uphill parts

Upgrading parts that aren't worn out seems to get mixed reactions. I went for the bike i wanted, but being a factory build, it came with some budget parts, nothing in the range had the parts on it i was looking for without spending well into £2000, so just replaced them when i bought the bike new sold the old parts on ebay for a bit and got some dosh back. I'm now over the moon with the bike and its parts.

radiojaja

Shinguards and some sticky soled shoes. Sorted.

genius! prefer that to the SPD idea for a bit

do they really make THAT much difference? i ride a couple of hours at a time, and as i said i seem to have so much variety in terrain that pedals suit?

i do get the point about practicing with them first, just not convinced i guess...

mac_man

radiojaja wrote:

Shinguards and some sticky soled shoes. Sorted.

genius! prefer that to the SPD idea for a bit

do they really make THAT much difference? i ride a couple of hours at a time, and as i said i seem to have so much variety in terrain that pedals suit?

i do get the point about practicing with them first, just not convinced i guess...

I've not tried SPDs yet... like you I'm a bit chicken.

But the £25 skate shoes from TK Max are brilliant compared to my old hillwalking shoes. They would slip and slide like mad when the pedals got wet. If you're pedals have decent pins in them you will notice a big difference, as the flat soled skate shoes can grip so much better on them

radiojaja

thanks, i'll definitely give that a go!