First thing to upgrade?

Oxygen Thief
Oxygen Thief Posts: 649
edited August 2012 in MTB buying advice
What should I first upgrade on a Vulcan '09 jsut to get it a bit better from the off? The tyres don't look very chunky to me for example.

Comments

  • Pudseyp
    Pudseyp Posts: 3,514
    Depends on your budget...you can get some nice Kenda Nevegals from On One for £30 the pair posted...which is near half price..as for upgrades you can trawl ebay..but I wouldn't go to mad..would rather save pennies for a better bike.
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  • Oxygen Thief
    Oxygen Thief Posts: 649
    Aye def be saving for better bike, already am. Was just after any kinda cheapies taht will give it a little boost, aint expecting miracels. Won't be buying new forks etc for it!
  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    Its an old topic but in general, I would say the pedals, saddle, rear mech, tyres and stem are all the things I seem to want to upgrade even on a new bike - either to get the perfect fit (stem), or because I am used to that item (pedals), or the item on the bike is a bottom of the barrel component (rear mech, tyres).

    As for the single most important upgrade on a brand new bike - I say the rear mech. I have seen £1500+ bikes that still only have Shimano SLX rear mechs on them, not XT or XTR. Shocking. :roll: Its the one component that gets really hammered and you always need a good one!
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Pudseyp wrote:
    Depends on your budget...you can get some nice Kenda Nevegals from On One for £30 the pair posted...which is near half price..as for upgrades you can trawl ebay..but I wouldn't go to mad..would rather save pennies for a better bike.

    Don't do it. Nevagals are aweful. I had the Stick-E compound Nevagals on my Reign, they lasted two weeks before they went on Ebay. Schwalbe Nbby Nics are far better and cheaper.
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  • angry_bird
    angry_bird Posts: 3,787
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Pudseyp wrote:
    Depends on your budget...you can get some nice Kenda Nevegals from On One for £30 the pair posted...which is near half price..as for upgrades you can trawl ebay..but I wouldn't go to mad..would rather save pennies for a better bike.

    Don't do it. Nevagals are aweful. I had the Stick-E compound Nevagals on my Reign, they lasted two weeks before they went on Ebay. Schwalbe Nbby Nics are far better and cheaper.

    It's a 2 year old topic and the OP got banned a while back IIRC :roll: This calls for one thing












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  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Manc33 wrote:
    Its an old topic but in general, I would say the pedals, saddle, rear mech, tyres and stem are all the things I seem to want to upgrade even on a new bike - either to get the perfect fit (stem), or because I am used to that item (pedals), or the item on the bike is a bottom of the barrel component (rear mech, tyres).

    As for the single most important upgrade on a brand new bike - I say the rear mech. I have seen £1500+ bikes that still only have Shimano SLX rear mechs on them, not XT or XTR. Shocking. :roll: Its the one component that gets really hammered and you always need a good one!
    Not to mention speaking absolute bollocks.
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  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    You missed bolding most of the top paragraph too.
  • felix.london
    felix.london Posts: 4,067
    Manc33 wrote:
    Its an old topic but in general, I would say the pedals, saddle, rear mech, tyres and stem are all the things I seem to want to upgrade even on a new bike - either to get the perfect fit (stem), or because I am used to that item (pedals), or the item on the bike is a bottom of the barrel component (rear mech, tyres).

    As for the single most important upgrade on a brand new bike - I say the rear mech. I have seen £1500+ bikes that still only have Shimano SLX rear mechs on them, not XT or XTR. Shocking. :roll: Its the one component that gets really hammered and you always need a good one!

    What a complete load of crap you're talking.
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  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I have to say the rear mech is the last thing I upgrade - apart from XTR with Shimano, they are indistinguishable in function, and even then, is close. You get slightly lighter weight and longer lasting, but for the money, is not worth changing.
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  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    I think the marketing has confused this guy.

    He would probably choose an Inferior bike because it has a better mech.
  • RevellRider
    RevellRider Posts: 1,794
    And he's forgetting that SLX is a perfectly capable rear mech. I have SLX as the bulk of components on my bike and it works flawlessly. The only reason I would consider changing it for, is that if it gets damaged, then I'd only go XT if I was feeling flush
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  • EH_Rob
    EH_Rob Posts: 1,134
    So is Deore for that matter, absolutely nothing wrong with that stuff at all.
  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    edited August 2012
    How am I talking crap if I personally found that I wanted to swap all these components for one reason or another as soon as I got a new road bike?

    Sounds like you somehow know me better than I know myself. :?

    So what are you saying then, the pedals were suitable for me, even though they aren't and never could be, the stem was suitable for me, even though it wasn't and never would be, the tyres are just awesome and the crappy 2300 rear mech changes better than the Alivio?

    What, of all that, isn't true?

    Erm maybe I just notice that things could do with an upgrade and you don't give a f**k, or notice?

    Having a go at me just because I want my bike to fit perfectly.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Please point me in the direction where you're not talking bollocks.
  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    How am I talking crap if I personally found that I wanted to swap all these components for one reason or another as soon as I got a new road bike?
  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    edited August 2012
    supersonic wrote:
    I have to say the rear mech is the last thing I upgrade

    When its shifting like a bag of sh*t? Which some do when brand new.

    Thats funny because a frame lasts decades, so do wheels and bars and most of it... a rear mech (that is on a cheap bike) lasts about one year. My last chain even outlasted my crappy Altus rear mech.

    If you have a £7.99 rear mech then I doubt it will be the last thing you upgrade, thats just absurd. They knacker in about 1000 miles. Or just don't believe me I mean I have only experienced this myself therefore must be making it up, talking bollocks, lying or whatever you seem to have ended up concluding.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    They don't though - unless are faulty, I have tested enough mechs to realise this. Anything Alivio upwards is very good, infact Alivio nowadays is better than XT from just a decade ago.

    Can I ask all parties here to not flame each other, swear, and to post constructively.
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  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    supersonic wrote:
    They don't though - unless are faulty, I have tested enough mechs to realise this. Anything Alivio upwards is very good, infact Alivio nowadays is better than XT from just a decade ago.

    Can I ask all parties here to not flame each other, swear, and to post constructively.

    I agree about Alivio.

    That Alivio (long cage) has done 1000+ miles and shifts better than my brand new (short cage) 2300.

    This means although the 2300 "does shift", its rubbish from the very beginning, I noticed that the very first time I used the (brand new) bike. The 2300 feels less solid etc.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    What's a 2300?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I find the shifters make a lot of difference to feel, there is a noticable change in say Deore to XT, where the latter has a lighter action with less throw. It annoys me when manufacturers fit Deore shifters and an XT rear mech, when XT shifters and Deore rear mech actually feels better.
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  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    If it is below a Alivio, then it is most prob a bso, so will fall apart. Yes the frame could last ages as it'll be made from a solid lump of steel .
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Chunkers1980 wrote:
    What's a 2300?
    Road stuff.
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  • Twelly
    Twelly Posts: 1,437
    Manc33 wrote:
    How am I talking crap if I personally found that I wanted to swap all these components for one reason or another as soon as I got a new road bike?

    Sounds like you somehow know me better than I know myself. :?

    So what are you saying then, the pedals were suitable for me, even though they aren't and never could be, the stem was suitable for me, even though it wasn't and never would be, the tyres are just awesome and the crappy 2300 rear mech changes better than the Alivio?

    Sounds like you bought the wrong bike.

    PS. 2300 mech on my road bike works perfectly. Mechs don't work when they are broken or not set up properly.
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  • Manc33
    Manc33 Posts: 2,157
    No other bikes for the price I paid have the the spec of the bike I got.

    Maybe its my body thats an odd size, or lets say, wrong. :lol:

    I didn't want to buy a used one.

    Bikes £50 more had worse groupsets, all are heavier, etc.

    I am just getting upgrading mixed up with "improving" I guess.

    A saddle that might cost a fortune could be really uncomfortable, but if you bought a saddle a tenth of the price that was comfortable, you would be doing a serious downgrade to the bike, even though it is an improvement! You can try arguing with that, but I won't reply. :P

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