Future upgrades advice...

[Loggahead]

So, I recently just bought my first new bike after 12 years of riding an old GT I got back in '96. I was still riding that bike with its original components aside from replacing its rigid fork with a Manitou cheapy. That said, you will see why the GF Cobia (29er) I just bought was a MAJOR upgrade to me compared to what I was used to.

I am wondering however what I should keep an eye on as far as upgrades go in the future to the bike. Im running stock components aside from a stem and handlebar upgrade. I've also put on some crank bros Mallets which I like a lot other than their weight.

So here are some main questions:

1. What should I look to upgrade to reduce weight (best bang for my buck within reason). I already did the math and found that replacing the Mallets with some Eggbeaters will drop .5 lb off my weight.

2. What will the benefits be in upgrading my derailleurs and shifters? I noticed that I can upgrade my stock SRAM x5 and shimano Deore (front) with an x9 set up for around $150. The weight was only around 20grams lighter per piece, so is there a performance benefit?

3. If it was your bike, what would you look to do to it in the future as money permits?

-logga

[Pilotman28]

The rear derailleur is what will allow you to shift while putting a load on the chain. You don't pay for weight so much as you pay for dependability.

Biggest investment I can tell you about reducing weight is WHEELSET. Your wheelset is spinning weight which is inertia. The lighter your wheelset the faster you'll accelerate, brake, and the lighter your bike will feel when you put power to it. Rotating weight is, in my book, the best to reduce if you want to enhance how your bike feels. Problem is it's usually the most expensive too.

I'd upgrade my drivetrain and wheelset if I were you. Get a good rear derailleur and as nice of a wheelset as you can stomach. That's what I'd do. Front derailleur isn't as important but when you're crankin down on those pedals and you want to shift into a lower gear that $80-120 derailleur is the one that'll do it for you cleanly without breaking.

[superdave]

Biggest investment I can tell you about reducing weight is WHEELSET. Your wheelset is spinning weight which is inertia. The lighter your wheelset the faster you'll accelerate, brake, and the lighter your bike will feel when you put power to it. Rotating weight is, in my book, the best to reduce if you want to enhance how your bike feels. Problem is it's usually the most expensive too.


I agree. Wheelset is by far the most bang for your buck when it comes to weight savings. I've heard that 1 lb in the wheel would be equal 3 lbs anywhere else on the bike because of the rotational mass. The problem is, you ride a 29er. Therefore, a lightweight wheelset is still going to be heavier than a 26" wheelset, and since supply will probably be more scarce, it will probably be more expensive than 26". Just keep you eye on ebay for a set. Every once in a while a set will show up on there for cheap. I bought a brand new set of American Classics on there for about $350 shipped. They are normally $600+ wheels and weigh just over 1400 grams for the set.

[Idoeyes]

AM Classic makes a 29er set that comes in at 1500 grams!! You can pick them up for 450-600 depending on where you get them. May not be suitable if you are 200+, but they say there is no weight restriction.

[Loggahead]

Great, I will keep my eyes open for wheelsets just in case I see a great deal on the Ebays. After Nate and I were talking last night I will likely ride it as is for a while. After all, its a hell of a lot more bike than what I was riding previously! I was running with cantilever brakes until 2 weeks ago!? hah!

Since dependability would be the main benefit in me upgrading my derailleurs, Im thinking I will stick with the x5 stuff until it breaks or starts acting up on me before upgrading them.

Billy down at Bike Plus suggested I could replace the spoke nipples with aluminum hardware to drop some weight off the tires. Do you feel this would be a worthwhile change. I know it would be time consuming.

[natepac]

Billy down at Bike Plus suggested I could replace the spoke nipples with aluminum hardware to drop some weight off the tires. Do you feel this would be a worthwhile change. I know it would be time consuming.

No. For the rims/hub/spokes that you have, replacing the nipples would be like polishing a turd.

[scratchndent]

I am riding a old bianchi ss with a great set of tubless rims and tires. love the change from tubes like the lower air pressure and feel of control over the bike, but 6 mos maint is sucky as you have to scrub the wheels and tires and refill the sealant. I am partial to stans but others on the forum prefer slime.

[natepac]

Billy down at Bike Plus suggested I could replace the spoke nipples with aluminum hardware to drop some weight off the tires. Do you feel this would be a worthwhile change. I know it would be time consuming.

i think he was trying to sell you some nipples so he can charge you a labor fee to install them. but thats just my take on it.

[Loggahead]

i think he was trying to sell you some nipples so he can charge you a labor fee to install them. but thats just my take on it.

He was going to hook me up for the labor side. But, I know what you mean about polishing a turd! HAHA! I wasn't really thinking about doing it, just wanted some other opinions on it. I figured my money can be best spent right now at least upgrading to some eggbeaters off of my mallets (my mallets of which I can throw over onto my GT and use my same shoe/cleat for both bikes). Though that weight wouldn't be in my tires, it would be .5lb difference.

Im not prepared to crazy on weight at the moment anyhow as I just spent $1k on on this bike. If I had the money to start I would have started higher up to begin with. This is all some good advice though as I was wondering what I should be looking for in the future if I happen across a good deal, extra money, etc.

[superdave]

Billy down at Bike Plus suggested I could replace the spoke nipples with aluminum hardware to drop some weight off the tires. Do you feel this would be a worthwhile change. I know it would be time consuming.

Yeah, I would definitely not do that. You're talking about saving just a few grams and he probably wants to charge you for tearing down and rebuilding two wheels. Also, if he's not an experienced wheel builder, the chances of him returning the wheel to its original strength are slim. Try not to get too caught up in the whole weight thing (other than wheels). Unless you are racing or doing really long rides (30+ miles), it probably won't make a huge difference. You would certainly be hard pressed to feel a 100 or 200 gram difference on a few laps at the U. You'll hear it more than once, "it's more about the engine than it is the car."

[Loggahead]

Right on, good advice Dave. And I guess on my drivetrain, I don't really need to drop cash on my new bike until the stock stuff becomes undependable or worn out. At least, Im not planning on ripping off the x.5 stuff since its working great right now.

Talking drivetrain stuff, I take it, the rer derailleur is the most important aspect? How neccessary will it be to upgrade my shifters when I upgrade my rear and front derails?

[superdave]

Right on, good advice Dave. And I guess on my drivetrain, I don't really need to drop cash on my new bike until the stock stuff becomes undependable or worn out. At least, Im not planning on ripping off the x.5 stuff since its working great right now.

Talking drivetrain stuff, I take it, the rer derailleur is the most important aspect? How neccessary will it be to upgrade my shifters when I upgrade my rear and front derails?

Not at all necessary as long as you are staying with SRAM stuff. If you converted your rear deraileur to shimano, you would need to change your shifters to shimano. SRAM and shimano shifters/derailuers are compatable on the front, but not on the back. The two brands have different actuation ratios on the rear. And yeah, you're right, don't upgrade anything until your current setup wears out. There are a few things that determine how well/poorly your ride shifts on the rear cogset: rear deraileur quality, chain wear, sprocket wear. You'll find differing options on whether you need to change out chain/rear cogset/front chainrings at once or independantly as they wear out. You'll find that if one component here wears out, it will wear the other more quickly too. Therefore, if you change out your chain but not any of your rings/cogs, then that new chain will wear quicker. However, it's expensive to change all of these components at once. I just change out the chain more often than I probably should and that limits the wear on everything else. I think the recommendation is to replace a chain that is worn (stretched) .75 - 1% beyond it's original length. On your bike though, depending on how much you ride, you shouldn't have to worry about any of this stuff for 6 -12 months. A great website to refer to on gauging chain wear as well as making other adjustments and maintenance on your bike is www.parktool.com.

[natepac]

a couple of cheap things you could change would be to go tubeless (ghetto vs stans) and get a more aggressive front tire for better grip in the sand. Im enjoying my pararacer rampage, it helps make up for my lack of skill when cornering.
you could do both for $40.

[Pilotman28]

To go or not to go tubeless (http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/goodies/go-tubeless.htm) This link will help you decide if going tubeless is worth the money for you. I decided not to do the no tubes thing after reading that article. There are pros and cons for each way but for my type of riding and the terrain around here tubeless just wasn't that big of a deal. I've never had a pinch-flat either so riding with lower than 40s pressure is no big deal to me either.

Just save your money and get yourself a wheelset you'd be real proud of. I know you won't really notice a difference on your bike just yet thinking "I could be riding with 1000gm less!" so just let the money accumulate and buy when you're ready.