Upgrade or Sell?

benatbedgebury

Hi, just after opinions of forum folk. I have a budget vitus and enjoy getting airbourne. However since the switch from my old school freeride norco (atomic) I find the ride not very confidence-inspiring. I realise that the ride will feel lighter after owning the bike equivalent of a tank, but am finding the front end feels quite tempromental and likely to wash out, and feel I am being held back by it.

Do you think better forks with a more progressive feel, new tyres and better brakes would make a big difference to these handling tendencies, or am I better to sell the bike a look for something else? Am just reluctant to do so as know the history of the bike (and selling is a fair amount of hastle).

Thoughts appreciated!

steve_sordy

My approach to my bike is to first of all get the best out of what you have without spending stupid amounts on "upgrades". (We've all done it! Well, I used to).

In the order of priority (lowest cost first), I would look at tuning the suspension, then brakes then tyres.
Suspension: You say it's a budget Vitus, so it probably has a budget fork (probably a coil). In which case tuning options may be limited. Nevertheless, there may be simple things you can do that will make a difference. Ask on here or other websites. Provide the exact spec of the fork if you have it.
Brakes: Budget bike probably has budget brakes, ie cable. As above give the spec and ask for specific advice from those who have experience. If the brakes are hydraulic, have the brakes ever been bled? In either case, do the brakes work well, ie do you risk being thrown over the bars (good), or do they just slow you down eventually (bad)? Are the pads glazed or contaminated? If contaminated get some new ones. If glazed lay some sandpaper on a flat surface and rub the pads over it in a circular fashion. New or sanded, you need to bed them in properly use Google/YouTube to see how to do it. If they are still not as good as you would like, then start looking at a bigger disc on the front. As before the internet will guide you on what to buy and how to do it.
Tyres: Tyres are your only contact with the ground and they control steering, braking, acceleration and some suspension, so they need to deliver a lot. Try experimenting with tyre pressures. High pressure is good for reduced rolling resistance on smooth surfaces, but it doesn't work like that on rough surfaces, it also gives a rough ride. Ask for advice on this Forum. It costs zero!
If your front tyre is a hard compound (great for life and low rolling resistance, but not good on grip), then consider spending some upgrade money there. The safest option is to stick with the same width, but the front fork gives more latitude to increase width (and hence grip and comfort) without fouling the forks. Also consider a better tyre pattern and a softer compound. Take advice from this Forum on tyres specifically. Sort the front out first, that may be all you need.

Once you have tried that lot, if you are still unhappy, then you could go to the expense and trouble of a better fork, but I would consider upgrading the whole bike by trading up.

benatbedgebury

Thanks for the advice steve_sordy and tips on improving the brakes. Going to give new pads/bleeding a go. The forks are Manitou Minute Comps, and may have some scope for improving, will have to look into that too. thanks!

steve_sordy

The Manitou Minute Comp has rebound and compression adjustment plus some other automatic adjustments designed in to the fork. All of this, along with your %sag adjustment from the air pressure valve gives you a lot you can do to make the fork work for you. It is a lot better fork than the one I started with!

Here is a fork set up guide from GMBN, covering %sag, fork rebound and compression damping set up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izkmAq6kX6A