Bike Diet

Disco_Dave88

Okat just looking for some help, im looking to upgrade my bike with lighter parts ( Carrera Vulcan Disk Speck ) Standard at the moment. The first thing i think i want are new wheels as ill be buying tyres soon aswell.

Just looking for a list of things to work towards when i get the cash then replace it all in one shot but im not to sure on what to go for exactly except the seat/post handle bars wheels maybe pedals ?

I also want to upgrade the forks, had a look at rockshox tora & recon as im not familiar with any other brands so if some1 could recomend a new set that would be appreciated.

Theres probably even more stuff i may benefit from but ill leave that to anyone who knows more than me lol

I was thinking on a new bike but to get what i want in talking eatleast £800 probably more and i havnt got that kinda cash at the moment with car insurance & all the other bills n stuff so itl b easier to buy parts maybe one or 2 a week and just make the bike as good if not better than a more expensive one.

Thanks in advance for any help

Dave

Disco_Dave88

Just thought to add some more info that mite help.

I do a mixture of onroad ofroad riding so when buying new forks the lockout would b handy i think although im not fussed if its on the forks or on the bar to be honest. I do thrash the bike a bit and hit some hard terrain when i get the chance so forks that can withstand 14.2 stone lol ive seen a few folks on here talking about the rockshox recon and tora are these any good for what id be using them on.

radiojaja

i've got the tora 302's with the poploc on the bars - been brilliant as far as i am concerned

especially for the money 8)

Da Mighty Chicken

For forks, I can whole heartedly recommend the Rock Shox Tora 318s Coil, my wife has them on the Carrera Fury, which I have used from time to time and they are very plush, and look like they will last. A little heavier than air forks but thats the trade off, plush vs lighter?

HTHs

butcher of bakersfield

I'm not sure what size forks the Vulcan is good for, so I'd check before buying. A mate of mine had one with 100mm Marzzochi Bombers, and it was pretty impressive for what it was. And the bombers are going for around £50 on Chain Reaction or Wiggle at the moment, can't remember which but it's a steal.

silveringsurfer

Ok - order for the diet

1/ Wheels and tyres - you'll notice every ounce here.
2/ Forks - lighter and better. I've got Recons and love em. Bombers are cheap but heavy.
3/ The heaviest bits of your contact points! Sounds daft but take off the saddle, handlebars, stem and seatpost and get them on the kitchen scales. Trawl through the mags and look for stuff that gets value awards and is lighter than what you have. Work out the value by dividing the weight loss by the price to get a £g value. The higher the value the higher the priority. The saddle is often a good start as some of the bog standard ones are colossal weight. I've just but a Gusset R saddle for £20 which is all day comfy and only 220gms (on my scales!) This saved 80 grammes from my old saddle at a cost of 4g per £1. Compare this to a carbon handlebar and you are likely to be closer to 1g per £!
4/ Drivetrain - when it wears out get at least the next range up from what you have now - ie Deore to Slx to Xt to Xtr. That way your bike continues to improve in quality by smaller increments each time without the wince making leap to a high end groupset.

Disco_Dave88

Excellent information, well the main thing at the moment will b wheels then, what wheels would anyone recommend ? Iv'e read some info on hope pro 2 wheelset and was looking at purchasing continental mountain king tyres.

I was also looking at these forks as i seen them earlier today on this site RockShox Revelation 426 Air U-Turn not sure on the weight as i don't know what my forks weigh at the moment, Suntour xcm's i think it is they seem not to bad but i know these are a cheaper set of forks and guessing i could do with better ones.

I have an sdg bel air rl cromo black/red kevlar saddle on the way aswell hopefully here in the next few days so if someone could recommend a good quality light seat post to order then id probably order than now, As for the carbon bars ive had these on mind for a while just not sure about the strenght of them as ive not read any reviews so ill get to that now, has anyone has issues with them cracking splitting or snapping in the past ?

Thanks for the replys

Dave

The Spiderman

Fo wheels,depends on budget but some suggestions for you:

Up to £150: XT hubs with 717 rims or Mavic Crossrides c1900g
Up to £200:Fulcrum Red Metal 5 £180 from Wiggle c 1800g
Up to £250: Hope Pro 2 with Stans 355 from Lex`s cycles c 1700g

silveringsurfer

Dave,

Forks
Firstly work out what length fork you want or your frame will take. An extra inch of travel will slacken the front end by 1 degree which doesn't sound a lot but if you read any of the reviews where they quibble about 1/2 a degree as feeling right it can be a big deal. If you go for an adjustable fork there are pros and cons.

1/ They are heavier than fixed travel forks
2/ They are versatile but will you really be bothered to stop and change the travel on a ride?

If you go for a adjustable travel fork then I would get one with travel that is both shorter and taller than the fork you have now so that you can tweak your bikes feel without taking it too far away from the designers intention.

Wheels
It really depends on the depth of your pocket. Merlin cycles always have a decent selection of factory and handbuilt wheels and their prices and build quality are first class. As a first step over the factory wheels i would look at XT hubs and mavic rims That should cost around £150. The higher step would be Hope hubs with the a stans 355 or flow rim and will set you back about £250. Tell them what sort of riding you do and I'm sure they will have an option at the money you want to spend. (As a note Merlin often have great offers on brake and wheel sets so if you are going to upgrade your brakes they are well worth considering.)

Tyres
First work out your riding style to help choose width. 2.1 will be fine for most xc use but 2.3 will offer more comfort on the downs but be a little slower on the ups however many prefer them. Then you have to balance weight (toughness) against speed (fragility). Generally something around the 650-750 gms mark will be reasonably light and reasonably tough. I like Kenda Nevegals for all round tyres as they are in this weight band and don't cost the earth (around £20- 25 pound). Then get an extra rear tyre with a smoother tread design for dryer summer trails (Kenda Small Block 8 is my preference) and you are sorted.

Hope this helps.

spidan

When you have saved the cash why not also sell the bike and get a better one. maybe the carrera fury?
your going to be spending alot of money.

Disco_Dave88

Some excellent information there thanks guys, see i have been thinkin on selling for a better bike as i know it would be the better option but if i was goin to buy a better bike i would probably go more expesive as it will get used alot not just the odd run.

Just cant make my mind so i thot i would go for upgrading, how does the finance on bikes work in halfords does anyone know ? do u get the bike when its payed up or does it work like a car u get the bike and pay it up.

Thanks guys all the help is appreciated.

bails87

I don't think Halfords do finance, do they?

If they do it'll be buy now, pay later kind of thing. Where you get the bike and a loan, and you pay off the loan over however many months.

You're better off keeping the current bike 'as is' for a while, and saving up to buy a new one.

Or if you really want to do things bit by bit, then upgrade the current one slowly, and then transfer stuff onto a new frame. but not everything will fit.

ExeterSimon

Unless you're already a racing snake look to see if you can shed a few pounds on yourself.

It's what I did and it has had more effect on my riding that wheels that are 200g lighter or carbon headset spacers/seatpost/cranks/bars.

I've lost count of the times I've seen people who could do with losing a pound or two talking about their latest lightweight upgrades.

Disco_Dave88

Popped into halfords today they useto to finance but have stopped, i think ill maybe save up and lose a few lb's in the process, i just find it hard saving lol

Ill start looking at bikes the now i think ill make my budget £800 although im guessing there may be some good bikes out there for less than that.

The Spiderman

Worth asking if your employer offers a cycle to wrok scheme.You save 40-50% off rrp and taken as a slary sacrifice in monthly instalments over 12 months.

Disco_Dave88

Yeh alredy asked about the cycle to work scheme no chance of that.

Ive been looking through bikes and ive set a budget of £800-£1000 i will probably purchase the bike just before the summer and keep mine the way it is now hopefully i can also sell that on when i purchase a new one.

What are your comments on the

Kona One20 2010 Mountain Bike - £999.99

Or what other full suspension bikes can anyone recommend for that price ? im sure new bikes will come out in th enext 3 or 4 month but i want something to work towards like a reason to save if i have no reason ill end up spending money on stuff i dont need as usual lol.

Thanks