Upgradeitis - is it worth it?

andymc06

I currently ride a custom Trance X3 2011. It has an M552 crankset on it. CRC have the 2012 SLX triple for £87 and I have about £35 in vouchers burning a hole!

The SLX has slightly more varied ratios to give more versatility.(and it looks smart!)

Is it worth spending the money to upgrade or should I sit on my hands.

(The current crankset works fine btw)

Cheers

Andy

Chunkers1980

No.

allthegearnoidea

it is an upgrade, the current cranks are deore spec so you'd be giong up a level to slx, but if its just for the different rings then replace the ones you have instead??
upgrades are great though!! make yu feel faster!! 8)

oodboo

If the SLX is anywhere near as stiff as the XT then yes. I went from a Shimano M542 to XT and the difference in stiffness was really noticable.

mrmonkfinger

not even slightly worth it.

when something breaks / wears out... then upgrade

oodboo

And how often to cranks break for normal people? Better is better unless you have something better to spend your money, in which case that would be better. Better.

Roostoids

Thanks for the heads up. just ordered mine! 8)

andymc06

Mr Monkfinger

That is pretty much what I had decided last night with my sensible head on. Thought I would see if there were any persuasive arguments to do otherwise!

No probs on the heads up. Cheapest they have been for a while. Seems CRC are slipping more products into the sale as it goes along. Worth re-checking every now and then.

Cheers for the input guys.

Briggo

mrmonkfinger wrote:

not even slightly worth it.

when something breaks / wears out... then upgrade

*Yawn*

supersonic

The 552 is 95g lighter than the SLX, and has longer lasting rings compared to the SLX. So not worth it.

andymc06

Cheers SS

supersonic

Sorry, I meant 95g heavier, but still not worth it for the saving!

cat_with_no_tail

oodboo wrote:

And how often to cranks break for normal people?

I've just broke a set of cranks actually. SRAM X9, replaced with shimano XT.

andymc06

95g heavier! That changes everything. Now I'll have to upgrade!

I'm now eyeing up the double and bash option at the same price but I will resist!

mikeysickalrigh

The crankset is surely the most non noticeable upgrade there is unless you're going from Alivio to XT... (or from triple to single etc.)

supersonic

Even Alivio is a good chainset, some of the non hollow cranks are actually stiffer.

If the £35 must be spent, how about some foam grips like the Bontrager ones? Will save 100g over a standard lock on type. But depends what the actual spec of the bike is.

andymc06

I have upgraded and am happy with

Stem - RaceFace Atlas 70mm
Bars - RaceFace Atlas AM 725mm
Grips - Odi Rogue (Blue lock rings )
Brakes - M785 XT with Ice tech rotors
Seatpost - RS Reverb
Tyres - HR 2.35 up front Nevegal 2.1 rear (could be lighter but I like the grip combo and rolling resistance).

Pedals are DMR Vaults that came with it. (White with Blue pins)

Edit - Fork and shock are standard and work well for me. Fizik Gobi seat as standard and SLX shifters and cassette.

I have tried to set it up more AM and not worry too much about weight.

Just leaves wheels and crankset I reckon, but again I don't really want to spend £230 on SS Hubs and Stans while mine are running true and ding free. Unless the performance gains are phenomenal of course.

Sit on my hands and see the silver lining when something breaks or wears out I think.

oodboo

Cat With No Tail wrote:

oodboo wrote:

And how often to cranks break for normal people?

I've just broke a set of cranks actually. SRAM X9, replaced with shimano XT.

1) You're not normal.
2) SRAM

At least you're doing the right thing and replacing with shimano