Northern Upgrade Challenge
defeyter
Posts: 3
Hi Guys,
I am new to this forum, great to see such a dedicated bunch of people talking about everything biking.
I am in Northern Canada, 700km away from the nearest bike store lol. In my small community, I picked up a MTB, Raleigh, with an El Cheapo Tourney drive train, 7 speed. Nevertheless, it was the best bike in town, as there is nothing else (see picture attached), 29" rims.
I have bike-drivable conditions for about 4 months max a year (which includes a bit of snow already), and I want to make those 4 months as enjoyable as possible. Getting a decent frame through the mail would just be too expensive, and would also take at least 7 weeks to arrive (and $400 shipping cost lighter). Getting upgrades for the drive-train would be a lot easier, as we get regular mail once every two weeks. I had a Shimano deore v brake lying around, so I replaced the back one with that. Front is a disc brake.
I want to upgrade my drive train to something more decent, I am pretty good with tools so can all the work myself. I have a crank tool coming in next week, and all the other tools I have. I looked at various Shimano groups, but it just boggles my mind to just go and order online without really knowing what is good. My aim is to do regular road riding on gravel and dirt roads as there is no pavement here.
The question:
- What should I get for upgrade and where should I start?
I do not have a set budget as I do not want a budget be the limit to enjoying riding when I can. Shimano Ultegra is out of the question lol as I cannot justify that. But something in the middle end of quality would be great, taking into consideration maybe getting a better frame whenever I am in a city and have enough cash to pay for cargo shipping. I see lots of stuff on Ebay, and (fake?) stuff on aliexpress, but there might be better resources out there, right? I would not even mind getting used products in good conditions either (although I would prefer new).
I would appreciate your help though, I have about 8 weeks left to enjoy the ride!
Chris
I am new to this forum, great to see such a dedicated bunch of people talking about everything biking.
I am in Northern Canada, 700km away from the nearest bike store lol. In my small community, I picked up a MTB, Raleigh, with an El Cheapo Tourney drive train, 7 speed. Nevertheless, it was the best bike in town, as there is nothing else (see picture attached), 29" rims.
I have bike-drivable conditions for about 4 months max a year (which includes a bit of snow already), and I want to make those 4 months as enjoyable as possible. Getting a decent frame through the mail would just be too expensive, and would also take at least 7 weeks to arrive (and $400 shipping cost lighter). Getting upgrades for the drive-train would be a lot easier, as we get regular mail once every two weeks. I had a Shimano deore v brake lying around, so I replaced the back one with that. Front is a disc brake.
I want to upgrade my drive train to something more decent, I am pretty good with tools so can all the work myself. I have a crank tool coming in next week, and all the other tools I have. I looked at various Shimano groups, but it just boggles my mind to just go and order online without really knowing what is good. My aim is to do regular road riding on gravel and dirt roads as there is no pavement here.
The question:
- What should I get for upgrade and where should I start?
I do not have a set budget as I do not want a budget be the limit to enjoying riding when I can. Shimano Ultegra is out of the question lol as I cannot justify that. But something in the middle end of quality would be great, taking into consideration maybe getting a better frame whenever I am in a city and have enough cash to pay for cargo shipping. I see lots of stuff on Ebay, and (fake?) stuff on aliexpress, but there might be better resources out there, right? I would not even mind getting used products in good conditions either (although I would prefer new).
I would appreciate your help though, I have about 8 weeks left to enjoy the ride!
Chris
0
Comments
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Just ride until it wears out.0
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Chunkers1980 wrote:Just ride until it wears out.
Yes, but in the meantime, I would not mind doing a bit of upgrading so that I can enjoy the ride a bit better.. that is what this post was all about.0 -
Not much you can do without replacing the entire bike.I don't do smileys.
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