New Bike-what should i upgrade?

TheotherGuypc

I recently got a Carrera Hellcat 2016, and i got it with the intent of upgrading it, this is my first bike in about 4 years so im pretty rusty on what i should do. I have already upgraded some parts, like changing the brakes to hydraulic ones, changing the stem, changing the chainring and soon i shall be changing the derailleur to one of higher quality (because the original one is actually damaged from a drop i did). Would there be any other upgrades that are necessary? im thinking like larger brake rotors or a new fork, because i know the fork on the hellcat is pretty awful, but im unsure of what to upgrade to or what i should look at. Are there any other things you people would recommend i upgrade or add?

tom_howard

My priority order is...

Tyres
Suspension
Wheels
Brakes
Components
Gears
Frame (as you should get that right first...)

Unless there is something specific you are unhappy with/is broken.

TheotherGuypc

Tom Howard wrote:

My priority order is...

Tyres
Suspension
Wheels
Brakes
Components
Gears
Frame (as you should get that right first...)

Unless there is something specific you are unhappy with/is broken.

Well i know for a fact i need to change the derailleur, because i broke that. my new one should be arriving tomorrow, but nothing else on the bike is broken, its in really good condition, do you have any recommendations for cheap but decent forks? i dont have a massive amount of money to spend, but i would like something better than i have.

tom_howard

How much are we talking?

TheotherGuypc

Tom Howard wrote:

How much are we talking?

Not much, probably around £140 max. Would second hand be the best option for that price range?

tom_howard

Yeah, I would normally say budget for a fork service too (£70-£100) but obviously that’s going to eat into your budget, so try to find something that looks like it hasn’t had a lot of abuse (scratches to the stanchions, wear of any coatings, make sure all the features work etc) and look at YouTube for how to service them if needs be.

What fork is on there now?

TheotherGuypc

Tom Howard wrote:

Yeah, I would normally say budget for a fork service too (£70-£100) but obviously that’s going to eat into your budget, so try to find something that looks like it hasn’t had a lot of abuse (scratches to the stanchions, wear of any coatings, make sure all the features work etc) and look at YouTube for how to service them if needs be.

What fork is on there now?

The current fork on it is an SR Suntour XCM

mattyfez

I used to have an Xcm, not a great fork but you may as well run it until it enevitably seizes. It's not worth servicing.

I upgraded to a suntour epixon which made a huge difference. That might be a bit over your budget so look at the newer model suntour XCR air fork, or the suntour Raidon.

TheotherGuypc

mattyfez wrote:

I used to have an Xcm, not a great fork but you may as well run it until it enevitably seizes. It's not worth servicing.

I upgraded to a suntour epixon which made a huge difference. That might be a bit over your budget so look at the newer model suntour XCR air fork, or the suntour Raidon.

Okay thanks, ill have a look at them

TheotherGuypc

mattyfez wrote:

I used to have an Xcm, not a great fork but you may as well run it until it enevitably seizes. It's not worth servicing.

I upgraded to a suntour epixon which made a huge difference. That might be a bit over your budget so look at the newer model suntour XCR air fork, or the suntour Raidon.

Okay thanks, ill have a look at them

The Rookie

This is a decent upgrade and new.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/29ER-SUNTOUR ... ctupt=true

How brave do you feel, I put together some Rockshox revelation 29er using an older 26" and a new lower that cost me about £120.

That said I'd still say tyres first.