Can i/is it worth upgrading this bike?

MuddyV1

Hi everyone,

I'm new to mountain biking and originally got into it for fitness but iv fallen in love with trail videos and have been on a couple of blue and red trails and loved it!

Anyway, the bike I have is pretty... Rubbish! And unfortunately I'm not going to be in a position to buy a new bike for at LEAST 6 months!

I'm wondering if in the mean time I'm able to change some things on my bike so that it's at least a tad better.

The issues I have with this bike is that the forks have about 30mm of travel and don't really spring back too easy, the brakes are old school V brakes and the gears are a bit chompy.

For the sake of money I can live with the gears the way they are if it's going to be expensive, it's mainly the forks and brakes I want t to get sorted.

https://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/images/raleigh_trail_xc24_mountain_bike.jpg

Its a Raleigh Trail XC 24

So, is it worth trying to modify this at all or just wait it out until I can buy a new bike?

Is it even possible to change things out on this bike? How do I know what sizes would fit it if I can?

Thanks for any help and advice

Thanks
James

cooldad

Don't waste your time or money, just start saving.

jsisidore

It's worth upgrading only because it will motivate you to learn more about how bikes are built and how to maintain them. In the end it became my hobby and I still got tonnes to learn. If you just want to ride then yes it will be a waste of time and money.

rockmonkeysc

cooldad wrote:

Don't waste your time or money, just start saving.

Yep, good advice.
Save your cash and watch videos to keep motivated. Upgrading this bike will be throwing money away.

cooldad

jsisidore wrote:

It's worth upgrading only because it will motivate you to learn more about how bikes are built and how to maintain them. In the end it became my hobby and I still got tonnes to learn. If you just want to ride then yes it will be a waste of time and money.

It's pointless chucking money at a BSO. It will always be a POS. New forks will cost more than the bike is worth. A lot more. And that's just a start. The only decent part is the air in the tyres. Seriously.

Judging from the pic (my eyes are old) it's got 24" wheels as well.

Save and get something rideable.

The Rookie

I'm with CD, anything spent is throwing good money after bad, possible exceptions being grips, saddle and pedals which you could swap onto a newer bike if you got good quality ones. The same applies to tyres if it's a 26".

MuddyV1

Thanks everyone for the advice!

I won't bother upgrading it.

The suspension sometimes sticks a bit, has anyone got any advice as to what I can do to reduce this?

cooldad

Take the forks to bits and have a look/clean them up. But I suspect they'll be rusty and corroded inside.