Advice on MTB change or upgrade

MrBigglesworth

Hi all (and Happy New Year),

So my sproglet is now wizzing around on his new 20inch bike and I need to keep up. Plus I want to do a bit more riding with him, maybe some trails etc.

I have a Carerra Vulcan 2009 or 10 disc spec. Purchased it when it was on offer so it wasn't too costly and reviews at the time seems to say it was a decent enough frame even if some of the parts were at the cheaper end. It has been very lightly used so it is in good condition. And I'm not ever going to be racing etc on it so it just needs to be a "decent enough bike" for now, but better than it currently is as the issues are :

(i) I'm not too sure if its a bit big for me - I'm 5 foot 9 (seem to have shrunk a few cm since my twenties) and its a 20 inch frame. When riding it gives me a bit of wrist ache and lower back ache. Leg wise I get fairly full leg extension when cycling and can just touch the floor. My wife's 18 inch frame - Vulcan disk spec womans version is much more comfortable!

(ii) Its a bit of a heavy bertha to stick on the roof of the car so I don't know if there are easy ways to shed a few pounds from the bike.

So the question I've got is do I spend a bit of money making the existing bike more comfortable or get a new better sized frame. Would appreciate thoughts and suggestions.

I've been doing a bit of reading on this and the reach is definitely too much for me - and I can but a short 35mm or 40mm stem (cost around £26 for a RSP 35mm stem or £15 for Brand x enduro stem). I need to find a more comfortable saddle. I think the best ways to then save some weight is wheels (mavics seem popular) and forks (maybe even rigid) - at that point it looks like I'm into a few hundred quid more territory.

Or would people recommend that I start again as imagine bike have improved a fair bit - either with a new cheaper end bike or get an ok second hand frame from ebay and start switching parts over?

Thanks for any advice.

The Rookie

1/ Yes that's to big for you, either an 18" or a 16" would have been better.
2/ The frame is pretty light at circa 1750g, its the rest that weighs it down, forks, wheels, tyres, saddle, seatpost, stem, bars and drivetrain and brakes. I had a 2006 frame (same as yours bar the colour scheme) and got that down to sub 10kg (link in sig although the photo's no longer work due to those A-holes at photobucket).

I'd personally sell the bike, get one the right size (and learn how to adjust your saddle height which your description says you haven't done properly) and make some basic upgrades to the 'new' bike. Get a decent used bike and it will be lighter than anything you can buy new for a similar price, something like a Carrera Fury for example.

You'll never get that bike to fit you properly in every respect, its just too big, you can swap the stem for shorter but that will make the steering nervous unless you fit wider bars, but they need an even shorter stem! You could fit an inline seatpost but but will move your weight forward on descents, and the high top tube will inhibit you moving around on the bike off road.

MrBigglesworth

The Rookie wrote:

1/ Yes that's to big for you, either an 18" or a 16" would have been better.
2/ The frame is pretty light at circa 1750g, its the rest that weighs it down, forks, wheels, tyres, saddle, seatpost, stem, bars and drivetrain and brakes. I had a 2006 frame (same as yours bar the colour scheme) and got that down to sub 10kg (link in sig although the photo's no longer work due to those A-holes at photobucket).

I'd personally sell the bike, get one the right size (and learn how to adjust your saddle height which your description says you haven't done properly) and make some basic upgrades to the 'new' bike. Get a decent used bike and it will be lighter than anything you can buy new for a similar price, something like a Carrera Fury for example.

You'll never get that bike to fit you properly in every respect, its just too big, you can swap the stem for shorter but that will make the steering nervous unless you fit wider bars, but they need an even shorter stem! You could fit an inline seatpost but but will move your weight forward on descents, and the high top tube will inhibit you moving around on the bike off road.

That's really helpful - and to be honest is the feeling I had in that I should get a smaller bike. I remember the chat in the halfords with the 'assistant' who said that both sizes look fine on me, just it was a more sport riding position I would be adopting in the 20 inch bike. Little did I know that meant uncomfortable because I would be overreaching!

I have seen your thread before, it's a great thread - and the hardtail thread too, and that's actually what made me think about keeping and upgrading the carrera - but I guess if the base isn't good enough...

I would have thought that a 16 inch frame would have been a bit small or are there reasons to pick it over a 18 inch frame?

The Rookie

A smaller frame is more nimble, it depends on your own preferences, mine was a 16” and I’m just over 5’9”.

cooldad

I'm 5'9" and a bit, and normally fit 18" or mediumish. 20" would be crazy.

MrBigglesworth

Thanks for the replies

cooldad wrote:

I'm 5'9" and a bit, and normally fit 18" or mediumish. 20" would be crazy.

If only that was the advice I received when in shop. Still, live and learn!

The Rookie wrote:

A smaller frame is more nimble, it depends on your own preferences, mine was a 16” and I’m just over 5’9”.

Ahh, I see.

So I'm toying up the following options

1) Shorten the stem/move the seat forward (cost of £30) to at least make it a bit better and get me through 6-12months until I can get do one of the below. But there is no point if this really isn't going to help at all.
2) Try and get a cheap (£50ish) second hand average condition donor carrera frame in 18/16" size and port over all the bits, potentially upgrading a few bits here and there, chance for me to learn but my wife hates this idea as life is generally a bit busy with the little ones at the moment!
3) Buy a used bike and sell the old one. But then the options are do I either try and do it cheap getting another carerra-esque level bike, or try and half decent £300ish second hand bike or see if my wife's cycle2work scheme lets me get something like a Vitus Nucleus which would therefore cost around £340 I think.

Choices, choices...

The Rookie

If it has a setback seatpost then an in-line will move the saddle forward by 20mm.....

MrBigglesworth

Thanks for bearing with me. Having just had the brake light come on the car, my bike money may have evaporated. I think I'm going to go with the 'make do' option for now and look for a top 2nd hand bargain through the year/ something good on a cyclescheme when money permits!

MrBigglesworth

By the way first ride with the make do option wrnt well. I moved the seat forward (took lots of effort as the bolt was uncooperative) and purchased a 60mm stem for £7. No back, wrist or backside pain after around an hour on trails and xc. This process had made me understand bike fit much better including that I should have purchased more wisely in the first place! Tweaked the missus bike too and she's happier. Now too learn about sorting gears.

Good news is that I may be getting a cycle scheme soon too!

MrBigglesworth

Resurrecting this, although my bike is destined for ebay at some point, looking at my wife's Carrera Vulcan it seems that it fits her well enough and maybe it would be better to spend money lightening that bike instead of looking to get her a low price new bike that is still a bit heavy.

Three main things I was thinking of to help shed a bit of weight of 1) wheels/tyres, 2) fork, 3) dropping to 1x10.

Posting on this thread as can see Rookie that you have done all this already and might have some helpful facts to help me direct my efforts better. I'm not going to go all out to get it to a 10kg bike like you have, but maybe targetting a cost-effective 11kg-12 kg range.

Thinking about wheelsets, any idea what the original 26 wheelset weight was on the Vulcan (think its a 2010 model) separately to tyres, etc?

Wondering if its worth changing the wheelset, or just the tyres to something lighter and how much this might save.

The Rookie

The original wheelset on those are about 2.1Kg.

About 1.8Kg can be found cost effectively, after that the price starts going up, that said once they are cleaned up I will have my old set for sale, 26” and about 1435g.

MrBigglesworth

Thanks Rookie for the info. Seems like most non-superlight wheelsets are not really going to be a cost effective way of saving much weight.

That said - do let me know what you are thinking £ wise on your 26's - we might be able to work something out (and I've got them in mind for something else for my son!).

And I have sifted through many threads now (with many useful posts from you). I have come to a conclusion that is consistent with what you have said:

- I should be able to knock just over 1kg off with around £50 on tyres/tubes.
- I thought if I can lose the front derailler, drop the crank and to a single cog, change the cassette at the back then could probably lose another 0.5kg+ - maybe with second hand parts that could be done reasonably cost effectively? Would it be really naff to drop to a 1x8?
- Fork is a bit of wedge of money probably, so even though another 1kg, might not do that one for now - unless she properly starts riding.

The Rookie

Tyres are a very effective weight saving, especially if you combine with lighter weight (not the supe lightweight) tubes as it’s not just weight but rotational inertia, you also get a grippier and more comfortable to ride tyre.

1x will save you 1/3 - 1/2 a kg, but if you need new cranks (because they are riveted on cheaper bikes) it gets pricy unless you find a used bargain. You can get wide range 8 speed cassettes or go 9 speed with a chain and shifter as well.

The fork will make a big difference to the ride and be lighter, but it’s the costliest change.

Will pm you about wheels.

MrBigglesworth

I do realise the fork will make the ride better, but I think until she gets riding on stuff that warrants it, I'll save the cash.

I think I will defo do the tyres and tubes. I think I will go for a wider 8 speed cassette (around £10/15), not change the shifter or chain (if I can avoid it. Seen 11-34 but they seem to have a huge jump 26-34; whereas the 11-32 goes 28-32. Seems strange!

Will investigate if there are cheap appropriate crank options...

Ta for the pm, have responded.

FishFish

If your concern about weight relates to lifting the bike - or bikes on to the car roof then an alternative is to get a towbar mounted bike rack - these are effective - but you need a towbar and number plate board. And tell the insurance.

MrBigglesworth

FishFish wrote:

If your concern about weight relates to lifting the bike - or bikes on to the car roof then an alternative is to get a towbar mounted bike rack - these are effective - but you need a towbar and number plate board. And tell the insurance.

That's a side issue for me - the weight of the wife's bike is a bit much, notice the weight increase on my bike though. Besides already have all the roof rack stuff for the bikes and cost of a towbar and the mount is a fair old whack!

Would more like to improve it as it would make it easier to go uphill etc - she really notices it on hills!

MrBigglesworth

Just looked at the gearing - the chainrings are 22-32-42. (It's like http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/carrera/vu ... adies-2009)

I'm thinking of dropping to 1x. The crank appears to have bolts on it which goes through from the outside and seats into the 22. So I think I could take the 42 off and use shorter bolts, but don't think I could lose the 22? Or is there a way I can do that with the existing set up.