Newbie thinking of upgrades...

PaulSanderson

Hi everybody,

Been around here a while now just lurking as I have recently got into mtb'ing (well, cross country'ing).

I got myself a Trek 4500 Disc hardtail as it was going to be my first "decent" mtb and being a hartail it suited my needs. I have been riding it for about a 10 months now and love the thing...but now im thinking of upgrading some components.

The stock Bontrgarer wheels/tyres seem to do the job for me at the likes of Thetford and around rural Norfolk wher I live, but what other combos could i consider?

What else should i consider upgrading?

Any info would be great!

cheers in advance,
Paul.

Chunkers1980

Nothing until it breaks.

PaulSanderson

cheers chunker1980...the thing seems fairly robust so im not sure how long i could be waiting for something to break...although somebody else could come along soon enough and tell me treks are cr*p! :shock:

lostboysaint

Regardless of what you think of the stock wheels, that's the point to start. For a couple of hundred quick you'll get some that are lighter, stiffer and more responsive and you really will feel that.

Then wait for the rest of the stuff to break........

PaulSanderson

thanks lostboysaint...could you recommend some good wheels to try out? i googled a few but got totally confused as to which were good or otherwise.Ta!

Chunkers1980

Lot of good ones, we need to know budget first.

PaulSanderson

what would you recommend for between £200-300? ta!

Chunkers1980

What is the full spec of your bike, if you have that much dosh might be better spent else where.

PaulSanderson

chunkers1980...here is the spec lifted from Treks website. the bike is still totally standard right now...

Front suspension - SR Suntour XCM w/30mm stanchions, coil spring & preload, hydraulic lockout, 100mm travel
.Wheels - Formula DC20 alloy front hub, Shimano M475 alloy rear hub; Bontrager AT-850 disc 32-hole rims
.Tires - Bontrager XR2, wire bead, 26x2.1"
.Shifters - Shimano Acera M390, 9 speed
.Front derailleur - Shimano Acera
.Rear derailleur - Shimano Acera M390
.Crank - Shimano Acera M391, 44/32/22
.Cassette - Shimano HG20-9 11-34, 9 speed
.Pedals - Wellgo alloy platform
.Saddle - Bontrager Evoke 1
.Seatpost - Bontrager SSR, 31.6mm, 20mm offset
.Handlebar - Bontrager Low Riser OS, 31.8mm, 15mm rise, 9 degree sweep
.Stem - Bontrager Race Lite, 31.8mm
.Headset - 1-1/8" threadless, semi-integrated, semi-cartridge bearings
.Brakeset - Hayes Dyno Sport hydraulic disc brakes
.Grips - Bontrager SSR

any advice would be great...

Chunkers1980

There you go. Some 60 quid wheels would be better. Spend it on a fork if you've got a burning feeling. Tyres too.

PaulSanderson

Ha didn't know I could even get wheels for £60!! I'm a total beginner to all this...

...any recommendations? Cheers.

The Northern Monkey

Personally, I'd look into getting some lighter, folding tyres 1st...

bungalballs

Better tyres - I find Bonty's and Specialized are good value and are easily good enough for my abilities. You can get tubeless ready ones for £20 an end. If you are hell bent on upgrades;

You'll feel a big difference with these...
http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/FORSRETK/ro ... th_lockout

And you could buy a set of these with the change from your £300...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=81359

Alternatively, you could keep your bike as it is. Once you start upgrading, you won't stop! What I found with my first 'proper' bike was that as soon as I upgraded one thing, everything else felt under spec'd. Bike manufacturers are very good at 'balancing' specs; you have already said you love it as it is, so leave it alone (maybe apart from the tyres).

Save your £300 and keep saving, until you have enough for your next steed (n+1)!

PaulSanderson

Cheers for the heads up guys...I'm a bit of an upgrade freak. I've done it with almost everything I own (car, surfboards, DSLR camera, rifle etc) so I'm keen on fettling with this.

I'll look into the tyres and fork options and see what I can achieve. Cheers fellas!

cooldad

Spend money where the bike falls short, but 'upgrading' with no reason is pointless. Might as well spend it on blow and hookers.

YeehaaMcgee

cooldad wrote:

Spend money where the bike falls short, but 'upgrading' with no reason is pointless. Might as well spend it on blow and hookers.

THIS
It's frankly just moronic to upgrade something if you yourself don't know what areas of the bike needs improving.

PaulSanderson

Cool dad > the idea was to get ideas from more experienced people who know more about this bike or mtb'ing in general as I'm a complete novice.

YeehaaMcgee

PaulSanderson wrote:

Cool dad > the idea was to get ideas from more experienced people who know more about this bike or mtb'ing in general as I'm a complete novice.

If you aren't up to a standard where you can think "hmm, (insert bike bit here) is letting me down a bit", then you're not really in a position to benefit in any meaningful way from that upgrade.

It's like someone who just ambles about in a family hatch all day that if they had their car's cylinder head gasflowed, because if they WERE to race round a track, they could get a minor improvement.

Or, put it this way, it's like handing a Leica camera to someone who doesn't yet know how to compose a shot. They'll have a better tool, but no understanding of how to extract the "betterness" from it.

cooldad

And you're not a complete novice. You've been riding it for 10 months, you must have an idea what could be better, and if not maybe it's ok.
My bike is better than me, so I buy stuff when I show my true talent for falling off and break something. Or stuff wears out.
The only thing I change on any bike regardless is a comfy saddle for my delicate butt.

paul.skibum

CD and Yeehaa are being a little unfair I think.

Assuming you are riding regularly and seeking to improve, you will probably benefit from a new set of lighter wheels with a new set of lighter tyres - if you reduce the rotational mass of the wheels you will find the bike more responsive, better tracking over rough ground and probably more fun to ride.

A different fork might well improve the bike but the terrain you are riding is unlikely to need anything too impressive.

The wheels would be my first port of call - I am no expert on the rims and hubs you might want to go for but I understand Superstar wheels are pretty decent using something xc oriented (http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=496 maybe) and a set of noby nics or racing ralphs in folding bead format will get you going.

Perhaps a nice set of annodized colour co-ordinated jockey wheels too.

PaulSanderson

Paul > Cheers for the info. I see a few people have recommended wheels and tyres as a good start to upgrading so i'll check them out. Thanks for the heads up!

Greer_

paul.skibum wrote:

Assuming you are riding regularly and seeking to improve, you will probably benefit from a new set of lighter wheels with a new set of lighter tyres - if you reduce the rotational mass of the wheels you will find the bike more responsive, better tracking over rough ground and probably more fun to ride.

A different fork might well improve the bike but the terrain you are riding is unlikely to need anything too impressive.

The wheels would be my first port of call - I am no expert on the rims and hubs you might want to go for but I understand Superstar wheels are pretty decent using something xc oriented (http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=496 maybe) and a set of noby nics or racing ralphs in folding bead format will get you going.

You had my vote, until you went and said this:

paul.skibum wrote:

Perhaps a nice set of annodized colour co-ordinated jockey wheels too.

:evil: I don't care if it was a joke!!

YeehaaMcgee

PaulSanderson wrote:

Paul > Cheers for the info. I see a few people have recommended wheels and tyres as a good start to upgrading so i'll check them out. Thanks for the heads up!

You may not actually end up with "better" wheels. Some OEM wheels can be surprisingly light.

lesz42

tyres can make a big difference, pedals (with the right shoes) too

rest just change when it wears/breaks, which it will do!