What upgrades should i do?

mk1rob

Hi,

I've owned my 2016 giant trance 2 for about 3 months now and loving it! Only recently got back into mountain biking after about 10 years off. Oh how things have changed!

I'm just wondering what upgrades to the bike I can do which i'll see the biggest improvement from? The guy in the shop said first thing ill want to do is get some wider bars. What is the benefit of this as I've done some technical bits through trees which make me glad I don't have wider bars. Also if I were to get wider bars will it need a shorter stem aswell? How will this affect climbing?

Any other mods I should be considering that you can recommend?

cooldad

If it all works for you do nothing.

Wider bars are only good if you need wider bars.

What does it not do that you want it to do?

JGTR

I fitted wider bars and shorter stem to my 2013 29er but only because the steering was a bit cumbersome. It livened up the steering but at the expense of climbing, now I have to concentrate a bit more in keeping more weight over the front of the bike and shifting my weight as far forward in the saddle as possible. I did try a stupidly short stem but it felt awful. I went from 720 to 750 bars and 90 to 60 stem. If you feel you need more steering control them maybe look at bar/stem combo but if not then don't bother - mine was an older bike with older geometry so made a significant improvement on mine.

You can buy wide bars from CRC for £20, if your careful you might even be able to try them then send them back if you don't like them.

swod1

Just change or alter things you don't like on the bike grips, seat etc.

As it's only a few month old just upgrade when parts wear out, then change to something better.

JBA

I have the same bike and changed the bars to 760mm.
This was only because I was used to wider bars on my last bike and the stock 690mm bars on the Trance felt too narrow. Stem length is fine as it is.

I have also changed the tyres for a 2.35 Trailstar on the front and 2.25 Pacestar on the back and gone tubeless.

larkim

Don't just spend money because you feel you ought to! (You can tell I'm not a LBS owner...)

Having said that, if you've got the funds to experiment, then I suppose changes (which you might feel to be up- or down-grades to your personal taste) to the various contact points would be worth considering - bars, stem, saddle, pedals.

Tyres so that you've got an options for different ground conditions?

Tubeless if its not tubeless already is relatively low cost functional improvement.

Experiment with fork and shock pressures - you might find this is a "free" upgrade for you if you hit a sweet spot that you didn't realise was just around the corner in terms of pressures.

Think about putting money aside for a fork or shock service in 12 months time (you could DIY, or you could use a service like TFTuned).

Interested in night riding? Lights can set you back as much or as little as you want.

BigAl

I've seen posts like this before and I'm always left a bit, well, confused.

Poster buys a new bike, absolutely loves it, then asks what he should change. WTF? Doesn't make sense to me.

Why do you want wider bars? You even said you're glad you don't. Don't be swayed by the mags telling you 'wider, shorter' is better.

If you must change something I'd look at tyres as those fitted can often be 'improved' - by which I mean something more suitable to your riding and local terrain.

Also hone your suspension set-up and tyre pressures

Or spend your money on a skills course. Bikes are so good nowadays that the rider is usually the weakest link (i certainly am!). Aaron Gwin would beat me downhill if I rode his bike and he rode a Chopper!

Angus Young

Don't listen to this bunch of grumps. Buy stuff, it's good fun!

buddy_club

If youre running the pedals that came with the bike still, you'll find some nicer flats such as these ones from superstar: http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/nano-x-pedals.htm
Will make a big difference. Grips as well can be very cheaply improved upon but other than that theres nothing that needs doing, its a very well rounded bike.

cooldad

^^^^^^^^ More random stuff - it already appears to have flats in the picture. Why assume SS pedals are nicer, or more usefully, better, without knowing what's already on there?

Danieljephcott

You need to let us know what you don't like or get on with the bike.

If the bike is good then my only suggestions are dropper seat - which I think you have - tubeless as you will get less flats and can run lower pressures and maybe tyre change depending on what you have on the bike and where you ride. These are the changes I made to my bike which made a reasonable difference.

BigAl

cooldad wrote:

^^^^^^^^ More random stuff - it already appears to have flats in the picture. Why assume SS pedals are nicer, or more usefully, better, without knowing what's already on there?

Difficult to be sure, but they look like DMR V8s or something very similar. Look like perfectly decent pedals. In fact the whole bike looks nicely spec'd and ready to just ride

dirkpitt74

Depends on the riding you do and what you want out of your bike.
As said tyres - if stock - are generally worth replacing.
Skills course is also a good idea - best upgrade is improve the rider.

The Rookie

As above, look at any weaknesses and address those.

Tyres look like they have the EVO logo on so are pretty capable tyres, though better may be available for your specific usage.

Are the pedals grippy and good bearings, grips comfy and, erm, grippy?

Do the bars feel narrow, have you tried riding with your hands as far outboard as you can?

sandy771

I'd say if you are not sure have a play.

Try your mates bike - has he got wider bars - how do they feel?

same with a shorter stem - borrow one and try it on your bike, swap back how does the old one feel?

But the sam egoes with your current set up - vary the tire pressures, play with your suspension etc.

Change one thing at a time and have a play. You might be very happy with what you have - but if you don't know what you are missing...

sam-323

If your happy with the bike as a whole, but feel the need to send some money. What about stuff for you like helmet, gloves, shorts, bag, tools, lubes and fluids to keep it looking good and riding well.

Nice bike by the way I've just got one as well. The only addition I have made is some mudguards.