GT Avalanche 1.0 disc 2008 - Upgrade or new bike?

j4mesj4mes

Hello,

I have owned a GT Avalanche 1.0 disc 2008 bike since 08 and I have had no problems to date. I mainly do the red and black route at Dalby forest, which I believe is XC?

Spec:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/ ... e-ec000669

My question is, at what point would I benefit from upgraded components or a new better bike?

And if upgraded components would be a benefit, which?

Thank you

cooldad

When you start having problems.

CraigXXL

If you sill have the original forks on then upgrade them. The Suntours are horrible and when I changed mine to Reba's I couldn't believe how good they were or transformation to the bike handling not to mention the weight that it saved.
Most upgrades you make can be transferred to a new frame should you wish to later.

supersonic

I agree with both the above lol. New forks will make a difference, but when parts start to die is the best time to upgrade.

j4mesj4mes

I guess inproved handling is one of things you need to have tried to realise the difference? Any thoughts on an good upgrade for forks?

Would the current brakes be fine for now or would better ones have much impact?

Thank you

supersonic

To be honest it is a really well balanced bike, the Suntour fork there is one of the best they did at that time. That said, a Recon Gold or Reba would improve things. Brakes are fine.

doodoo_voodoo

I have the same bike and I'm in the process of upgrading. I've put on Rockshox Reba RLT forks with 100mm travel and have noticed a big improvement in terms of soaking up the bumps. Next, I will get some new wheels (probably Stans Crests on Hope Pro Evo 2 hubs) and will go tubeless. After that, some new brakes (either Formula K24s or Avid Elixir Rs) with a 180mm rotor up front to replace the 160mm one.

Other than that, I'll probably wait until things need replaced, and/or grab the odd bargain when it comes along.

HTH

Mojo_666

I have the GT Avlanche expert which is the 2007 model (They started calling it 1.0 in 2008 iirc) I have not upgraded or replaced a single part, I ride red trails at cwmcarn, afan no problem on this bike and do not plan to upgrade it at all, I might buy a FS one day but as it stands this bike is fine....if I were you I would consider buying a new bike and keeping your avalanche as is, then you will end up with 2 nice bikes than you can use as and when..that's what i plan to do....if I ever feel the need to go back to having an FS.

Just my 2 cents.

slimboyjim

Why not test ride a better bike - that way you'll know what better quality suspension feels like and make an educated decision. You may find you like a specific aspect of the test bike or that you prefer yours, whether that be weight/geometry/other components, and you can make an educated decision as to whether an upgrade or a better bike is what you need. Will cost you £30 at a trail centre, but why not take a mate who hasn't tried biking before, split the cost and get him/her into it?

I would also have a think about whether, once you have a better fork (if that's the way you go), are you the sort of person who will look to upgrade something else? To individually upgrade many components costs a lot, and you may just be better to live with what you have a bit longer and later replace the whole bike...