New Bike Purchased

MarkDon

Hi all, just a quicky to say hello!

I'm a 28 year old from Newcastle Upon Tyne, who is looking to get fitter & get out & about more. At the minute i do a bit of hiking and photography, but feel like i want to get places quicker.

Love walking around Thrunton Woods & Kielder Forrest, so riding them should be even better!

So, as a christmas present to myself, i bought a 2009 Kona Blast Deluxe, i've already ordered a set of DMR V8 pedals, stuck some crud catchers on & now i'm looking for other bits to buy?

I've got my toolkit sorted, some patches, spare tubes, multi tool, tyre levers, first aid kit, mini pump.

I've also ordered a pair of Endura Zyme shorts & have a pair of Karrimor hiking shoes which should be up to the job.

The spec of the bike as standard is...

• Frame tubing: Kona All-Mountain Aluminum Butted
• Fork: RockShox Dart 2 w/Turnkey 100mm
• Headset: TH
• Crankarms: FSA Alpha Drive
• Chainrings44/32/22
• B/B: FSA Powerdrive
• Pedals: Wellgo LU-A9
• Chain: Shimano Deore
• Freewheel: Shimano Deore (11-32, 9spd)
• Front Derailleur :)Shimano Deore
• Rear Deraillieur : Shimano Deore
• Shifters: Shimano Deore
• Handlebar: Kona XC/BC Riser
• Stem: Kona XC/BC
• Grips: Kona Race Light
• Brakes: Shimano 486 Hydraulic Disc
• Brake Levers: Shimano 486 Hydraulic
• Front Hub : Formula Disc
• Rear Hub : Shimano M475 Disc
• Spokes : Stainless 14g
• Tires: Maxxis Ignitor 26x2.1
• Rims: Alex Ace-18
• Saddle: WTB Speed V Sport SE
• Seatpost: Kona XC/BC
• Seat clamp: Kona QR

What would you change, and why?

Thanks.

Mark.

ads4

Does anything really need changing?? If you want to mod the bike then most people do bars, stem, seat post for lighter ones or more colour coordination

All depends on budget really......

weeksy59

At the start i'd change nothing at all.

For the first 6 months you'll be doing canal paths, bridleways etc. Bike is fine for that.

Once you starting doing a bit more extreme stuff then worry about upgrades

P-Jay

Helmet.

As for the bike, eventually I'd change the forks, they'll serve you well whilst you build your skills and pace, but you'll appriceate something tricker in a couple of months.

stomith

round of applause to the eagle-eyed PJ that spotted helmet!

Don't change anything until it annoys you, breaks, wears out or you see a shinier one in a shop window that you feel you MUST HAVE or simply NEED.

Maybe consider some gloves and possibly some eye protection, unless you're used to walking at 10-20 mph.

Oh...watch the daylight....it gets dark at ~4 oclock and you haven't mentioned lights.

MarkDon

Cheers guys, i've got a lid & some gloves, forgot to add those.

I was thinking about things that are tougher, i have very little knowledge about bike components, but i've heard of people upgrading bottom brackets?

Will look into bars & seat post & stem, just to add a bit of colour if nothing else.

Is there a site / thread on here that lists all of the components on a bike, and a bit of a description about the parts? what to look for when upgrading, weak points, that sort of stuff?

Cheers for the help.

Slamdunkin

Have you got a re-hydration back pack?

MarkDon

Yeh, got a camelback from my hiking trips

picked up some lights at gooutdoors the other day too, not amazing, but for the money, they'll do for now, i'm not planning on doing much dark riding if i can help it.

I was just asking about upgrades incase there was anything on the bike that is a major weak point, or just plain crap.

cheers for the info though, its all about learning.

P-Jay

Bottom Brackets, or BB's as they're somtimes reffered to on here are just bearings, use and abuse until they die.

Is yours an ISIS BB? I had an FSA ISIS chainset once, the worse piece of shit ever created. Iit didn't matter how much I spent getting the toughest BB's I'd kill it in 3 weeks tops.

If your's is ISIS, I'd recommend changing the whole chainset for an Shimano one - but only when it dies.

MarkDon

If you tell me what ISIS is, i will let you know

supersonic

Upgrade when parts wear out, if they wear out! If you starting changing everything, then you bought the wrong bike.


Nothing wrong at all with that bike.

MarkDon

Cool, cheers, like i say, just looking for weak points etc.

ravey1981

Sounds like a good first bike to me, plenty capable and no real "weak points" to speak of. Ride it, have fun and when bits wear out upgrade them.

As you progress in your riding you will realise if any components are holding you back and you can decide if its worth upgrading as and when

enjoy