upgrade advice on Boardman FS Team

doof205

Hello, my first post here I think, though i seem to already have an account for bikeradar. I've long been into biking but it's been ages since I got myself a half decent bike. I ended up going for the Boardman FS Team 2011 after good reviews and I'm amazed with the bike and what it can do. It certainly out performs me!

Sadly I took it to Sherwood Pines the other week and dropped over a rock that I should probably have jumped off. As a result i dropped onto the front chaining (think that's the name) and have chipped a few of the teeth quite badly. Also, after flying down some quite tough terrain in Derbyshire I've ended up with slightly buckled wheels which is disappointing on a new bike. For £1000 it was never going to be bomb proof and is geared towards XC more than downhill I'd imagine.

Anyway. I'm after a bit of advise on upgrading / fixing these two components.

Wheels are currently the standard Mavic XM 317s. I presume it's the wheel rim that causes buckling? Can anyone recommend any better rims that'll take more of a beating?

As for the front chainring. How do i go about finding out what I need to replace this? I know it's an FSA Comet 2x10 42x27T. Can I just upgrade the single outer ring or do I have to replace both rings / more?

Thanks for any help, sorry for all the questions!

Lewis

Raymondavalon

Welcome,

Have you considered a dual front chainring setup? Or does your riding area/s & style really require the big out chainring?
Perhaps a 34/36 outer and 22/24 inner with a bash ring to keep them protected.. just a thought..

As for wheels, stronger wheels carry a weight penalty, but that only really becomes an issue to the "weight weenies"

thel33ter

The rims,spokes and build quality can all cause buckling. Take a.look at something with Stans Crest rims, Merlin cycles normally have some good deals.

For the chainring you just need a 42t chainring for a double crankset, you won't need to replace anything else.

thel33ter

Raymondavalon wrote:

Welcome,

Have you considered a dual front chainring setup? Or does your riding area/s & style really require the big out chainring?
Perhaps a 34/36 outer and 22/24 inner with a bash ring to keep them protected.. just a thought..

As for wheels, stronger wheels carry a weight penalty, but that only really becomes an issue to the "weight weenies"

He's already running 2x10.

But I agree, if you can fit a bashguard, do it.

doof205

Thanks for the replies guys. I think the gearing feels reasonable so If I just replace the 42t front chainring I should be ok there. I've no idea if i can fit a bashring though. Can you guys tell if one would fit - http://www.boardmanbikes.com/images/xl_ ... eam_xl.jpg

So with rims, it's as straightforward as simply going for something tougher that won't buckle. It could be a case of getting them rebuilt by a good wheelbuilder and they'd be stronger?

Thanks again for the replies.

thel33ter

You can either get the original hubs rebuilt onto new rims, or get a whole new wheelset. Depends on your budget. Or you could just get the original wheelset trued and tensioned by a shop which could help.

Not sure about the bash as I have no experiance with 2x10. Plus I've never seen a 3 bolt crankset.

NatoED

fsa would do a bash guard for that . and possibly I phone have an app for it too.