Upgrade Advice......

Grisley Paul

Evening each,

Just joined the forum so hello to all.....

I was after a bit of advice about upgrading my pretty ancient but much loved machine.

I have a 16 year old Grisley Mega 10 that I got for my 12th birthday and seemed to cost the earth back then and I've had it ever since, been in and out of riding for years and have just come back into it after many years away....

Basically, I know what I'm like with hobbies and instead of going out and spending lots of cash on a much newer machine I would actually quite like to upgrade the old faithful to start with....

I'm just looking to use it for moderate off road stuff nothing heavy etc, my main area to upgrade is the forks.... I did upgrade the standard rigid items years back for a cheapy set of RST jobs but they are quite frankly rubbish....

Can anyone point me in the right direction of what to look for these days as last time I was reading the bike press the Rock Show Judy XC was the daddy however I suspect my knowledge is WELL outdated now

Also being an old machine we're still talking cantilevers here not even V brakes so can you still get decent forks for cantilevers ? I am prepared to consider a disc upgrade also along with the forks but as long as it's not silly money or else I suspect I am actually better buying a newer machine....

Basically I'm just after a decent set of fork that actually work and can work with cantilevers....

Many thanks for listening

Cheers
Paul

paul.skibum

My gut reaction is dont spend any money upgrading it.

v brake mounts on forks are less and less common I'd imagine to get canti mounts you'd be looking at old forks which wont be worth the retro fee you would probably have to pay. You will struggle to mount discs as your rear isn't fitted with lugs so youd be looking at an after market adapter.

Best changes you could make would probably be to widen the bar a bit and shorten the stem to try and make it a little more trail friendly and just ride it to see if you have fun. buy cheap gear second hand - you could prob go for a 685mm wide bar and perhaps a 80-90mm stem depending on whats already on there.

Look out for demo days or find people willing to let you have a go on their bikes and see what a modern bike will do and see if you think the modern ride would make you more enthusiastic to ride.

Grisley Paul

Hi Paul,

Many thanks for the reply and I do see where you're coming from....

I guess a lot's changed in 16 years and there does come a point where a new purchase as opposed to upgrades comes about but we'll see....

One thing that hasn't changed is that with MTB's you get what you pay for, spend a little get a little and vice versa... unlike designer clothes for example

paul.skibum

500 quid would definitely get you a bike that would be better in most respects than your old hardtail (probably less than 500 to be fair). I rode with a mate of mine in the peaks a few times a couple of years back. He was a racer back in the day and had a very nice (in its day) carbon tubed trek hardtail. but its bars were narrower than his soulders and once you took into account the bar ends his hands were basically balancing his upper body weight almost directly over the wheel, he had no leverage on the bike fromt he bars and in the steeper rocky descents he looked so sketchy I dont know how he got down.

We talked over some bike options and in the end he went out and got a Commencal Super 4 at a really good price - the first day he rode it he sent me a text message saying he had found god the change was that pronounced.

Grisley Paul

Thanks Paul,

I'm searching the classifieds on here and elsewhere as we speak for any bargains......

Cheers
Paul

snotty badger

paul.skibum wrote:

My gut reaction is dont spend any money upgrading it.

v brake mounts on forks are less and less common I'd imagine to get canti mounts you'd be looking at old forks

V brakes and cantilever mounts/bosses are the same thing!

I'd be looking for a second hand bargain to get you hooked again.

paul.skibum

Well there you go - didnt know that - I thought there was more leverage but I guess that comes fromt he longer arms out the top of the brake .

Still finding a short enough (as in travel/axle to crown height to fit on an old rigid), decent fork with v brake mounts that is worth spending the money on would probably be money better spent on a modern bike.

Chunkers1980

paul.skibum wrote:

Well there you go - didnt know that - I thought there was more leverage but I guess that comes fromt he longer arms out the top of the brake .

Yes

Grisley Paul

Thing is from looking around yes there are ''some'' bargains out there and I AM WELL OUT OF DATE WITH SPECS but the quality of components you seem to get on sub £500 machines looks very cheap....

My old faithful has Alivio all round which isn't top of the line now and wasn't back then but it's durable and I'd like to see some of these modern components seeing their 16th birthday

Think I'm just gonna dust her off and ride her for a bit, maybe change the bars and stem as Paul said as I agree that will no doubt make it feel slightly more modern....

Also keep my eye on ebay for a decent set of forks and I reckon for a lot less than I would have to pay even for a second hand entry level machine I could stick on a new set of bars and stem and forks etc....

Plus it's worth more to me in sentimental value than to sell it for peanuts etc.....

cooldad

Have a look at the classifieds on www.retrobike.co.uk
Some nice old stuff on there, and the members tend to be quite civilised and helpful, unlike the rabble on here.

Grisley Paul

cooldad wrote:

Have a look at the classifieds on http://www.retrobike.co.uk
Some nice old stuff on there, and the members tend to be quite civilised and helpful, unlike the rabble on here.

Thanks, much appreciated

sigorman85

cycle to work scheme is ok if ya want a new bike if ya dont upgrade

paul.skibum

Deore kit is solid and reliable. I have it on my hardtail and full susser - both have lasted well, not 16 years maybe but lasting well.

For 500 quid - http://www.decathlon.co.uk/81-2011-id_8168695.html would not be a terrible bike, has decent hydraulic brakes, reliable hardwearing kit and a decent set of forks.

To be honest from 500 up things get better (especially for hardtails) you need to breach a grand for a half decent full susser. Ideally 1500.

Grisley Paul

Just a quick update. found a set of Rockshox Judy XC's on ebay with bosses for £70, they were always a well repected fork back in the day, are they worth a punt at £70 or steer clear ?

supersonic

£70, not worth it. Might be able to pick up a Rockshox Recon with bosses for that, and this fork blows the Judy away.

Grisley Paul

supersonic wrote:

£70, not worth it. Might be able to pick up a Rockshox Recon with bosses for that, and this fork blows the Judy away.

Ok, thanks for the honest advice..... much appreciated...

Grisley Paul

Thanks for all the advice guys, slight change of direction.....

Picked myself up a retro Proflex Beast..... nicely maintained and recently had the frame powdercoated..... a mix of Deore and SLX running gear, Marzoccohi XC forks, Hope nano M4 front brakes etc......

Just need to add pedals, seat pin, saddle and tyres.......

It's an old school setup but I do like the older stuff, it just takes me back

Cheers
Paul

cooldad

Sounds like someone on Retrobike did a deal.

Grisley Paul

cooldad wrote:

Sounds like someone on Retrobike did a deal.

Oh yeah......

I love the modern stuff I really do, but have other hobbies and interests and if I spent out on the best of everything in all of them, I'd need to sell my children to finance them all.....