Mountain Biking - Upgrades

I've been trying to do some XC with my stock $200 dollar Krave Banned bike. GOing up a mountain always drains the juice out of me, is it like that with all people? My fork has around 40mm travel and is super heavy, running on mechanical disc breaks, altus shimano rear gear changer, shimano SIS front deraileur and as far as I can see, the hubs have no name on them. What is the first priority I should upgrade? And what does it mean when someone has "broke" their rebound on their forks? Should I buy 2nd hand upgrades or should I save up for 1st hand gear? And if I were to buy 2nd hand gear, how do I test if the stuff works or not?

i would just save up for a better bike with good components instead of upgrading this and that, which can really add up to something

I agree with Jiiiim - There's no point in putting a $300 shock, brakes, or drive train on your bike. Save up & go shopping at the LBS for a $400-$600 hardtail. Or, start shopping the LBS now, test different bikes, and then start looking for used bikes that have what you want - you really do get more for your money if you can find a good used bike.

Broken rebound of the shock means that when the shock is compressed, it does not decompress anymore, rendering it useless.

I agree with the above posters. You can get some really good deals on year end closeouts or something, and get a lot more bike for the money than you could upgrading.

The other thing I would point out is that the motor is 90% of the issue. If you want to buy stuff, fine. But just be aware that even the best bike isn't going to make those hills that much easier to climb.

Az

hill climbing just takes practice & conditioning. you ARE the motor. (zoom zoom?)

If you are upgrading the place to put your $$ is the wheels/tires. You can always transfer them to your "new better" bike when you get it.
Light weight is a pretty good indicator of quality when it comes to bike parts.BUY USED PARTS-
Too bad you use disc brakes; there are lots of very good V-Brake wheelsets selling cheaply because folks are switching to disc. Still, there are plenty of good used disc brake wheels on ebay. Folks will buy a quality new bike, and then immediately upgrade to pricier wheels.
Wheels are always transferable(as long as disc-disc V-V brake same). Other components aren't always transferable(rear derailleurs are)- a front derail can be wrong pull, wrong swing, wrong diameter clamp. A fork can have too short a steerer, a seatpost can be wrong diameter etc.

Keep in mind that wheels are not always transferable. If his current bike is 7 speed he probably won't be able to use his upgraded wheels on his next bike.

Keep in mind that wheels are not always transferable. If his current bike is 7 speed he probably won't be able to use his upgraded wheels on his next bike.


Very true

+1 i'd just upgrade it with some wd40 and some good scrubbin, then some bike lube. that'd be about it. that "draining" feeling you're getting is what I call the built-in reward system. you work hard to get up the hill, trying your body and mind, sometimes it seems to suck the life right out of you. but then its all worth it when you go wheeeee! down the other side. an upgraded bike will go up the hill easier and down the hill smoother and more controllable, but uphill is still draining and the downhill is still wheeee! on any functioning bike.

if you lived in a country where new bikes weren't easy to get and were somehow forced to only upgrade. I'd upgrade pretty much everything, which would cost more than a new bike and not perform as well as a new bike.

to ride XC is to love pain

Thanks everyone, my dad just said that he'll actually buy me a new bike if I break the one I have now. (Cause I showed him a pic of someone else breaking theirs). Is the Giant Nrs any good? Cause I see them being sold for less than $300US here. I think my dad will buy me a bike worth around 600-700USD dolla frame. Should I stick with a hardtail?

Where would I apply the WD40? And I jsut spotted that the pedals are like the crappiest ones you could find, are pedals much of a concern? Or do my plastic built in reflector pedals are all right? When I try to spin the pedals, they dont seem very smooth either. If I were to get new pedals, what brand and model should I get? I've also seen people with pedals which look like egg beaters, they do look expensive, are they?

Thanks everyone, my dad just said that he'll actually buy me a new bike if I break the one I have now. (Cause I showed him a pic of someone else breaking theirs). Is the Giant Nrs any good? Cause I see them being sold for less than $300US here. I think my dad will buy me a bike worth around 600-700USD dolla frame. Should I stick with a hardtail?

Where would I apply the WD40? And I jsut spotted that the pedals are like the crappiest ones you could find, are pedals much of a concern? Or do my plastic built in reflector pedals are all right? When I try to spin the pedals, they dont seem very smooth either. If I were to get new pedals, what brand and model should I get? I've also seen people with pedals which look like egg beaters, they do look expensive, are they?
I couldn't find anything on Giant NRS on Giant's website. is that bike new? all the stuff i've found is older info on NRSs and they appear to be very nice bikes. for $600 - $700 dollars I'd stick with a hardtail. I think you could find a full suspension for that $$ but it wouldn't be very good, while a hardtail would be pretty solid in that range.

I put wd40 on mostly the chain, chainrings, cassette, deraillers, brake hinges, sometimes the cables. on the chain, chainrings, and cassette i usually dry them with a towel or let them air dry, then lightly lube them.

pedals if you weigh less than 180lbs pedals aren't as big of a deal. the plastic ones should be ok for now, but if you hit them hard enough on something they'll break, and if you ride in rain they can get very slippery. weighing 210lbs i've broken cheap plastic pedals when pedaling hard. i've ridden them exclusively except on my most recent bike and they have been fine my whole life. the pedals i have now are Wellgos brand (don't remember the model) but they are basic metal pedals with a slightly wider platform and little metal pegs. they don't get slippery when wet and they don't break when hit on a rock or curb. and they won't break under my weight. the only drawback so far is if you do happen to slip off (which is very rare) they can do a number on your shins :eek:
the ones that look like eggbeaters are in fact called eggbeaters, i think they run about $80. they are used by special shoes that clip into them so you can pedal while pulling up on the pedal rather than just pushing down. i've not used those before, im still not good enough to not fall over hehe

They quit making the NRS about two years ago. In my opinion (and many other people's) the NRS was one of the best cross country full suspension frames made.

That giant fork only had 40mm of travel :eek:.

Buying upgrades for that bike would be like putting a dress on a pig. The problem is that you have heavy everything on that bike. Frame, forks, wheels, everything is heavy. I'd recommend looking for a good used bike. Even a used low-end bike from a "real" brand will be a dramatic improvement of your current rig.

There are some great places where you can find quality used bikes:

MTBR.com classifieds - Bought my wife's FSR there for a song.
Craigslist.org - Another quality site. I've sold several bikes on that site.

You can use ebay, but I've found that you can overpay there. The two sites above are private sales involving person to person interaction where you can barter on price and get a better idea of what you are looking at.

MTBR.com classifieds - Bought my wife's FSR there for a song.
<snip>
You can use ebay, but I've found that you can overpay there. The two sites above are private sales involving person to person interaction where you can barter on price and get a better idea of what you are looking at.

I've bought a frame from there and sold a few odds and ends. I've had great luck with their classifieds.

I have an NRS and I LOVE it. It is the best bike I have ever owned. What made it even better is that Giant phased them out and the price on them went through the floor.

Even a low end NRS will be a fantastic upgrade. The frame is solid and the suspension is excellent. You will not regret it.

but its frame is heavy isnt it??

Isn't this your bike? Doesn't really sound like your description of it. I don't think that fork has 40mm travel.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/mcoine/DSC01185.jpg

Well, mine isn't. I have the NRS C1. The whole front end is carbon fiber. It's a 22.5" frame and it weighs in around 25 pounds with the tubeless (heavy) tires on.

The weight difference will be a couple of pounds from a ht to an aluminum NRS frame, but that weight is negated by the fantastic suspension design.

When properly set up, the rear end stays rigid when climbing or pounding on flat trail. Hit a bump and suspension goes active, saving your butt and back. You may climb a little slower, but you will have greater control over roots/rocks and you will fly down hills with a greater degree of confidence.

It all comes down to personal preference, but I no longer ache after a long day's ride.

Isn't this your bike? Doesn't really sound like your description of it. I don't think that fork has 40mm travel.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/mcoine/DSC01185.jpg

What do you mean my decriptions dont fit in? And yeah, those forks only has about 40mm travel. And what about the pedals bit? Should I change them, because the ones I have now dont seem to go around in circles very smoothly.

but its frame is heavy isnt it??

The NRS frame weighs pretty close to the same as the Truth. So no, I wouldn't consider it heavy.

thats odd, then why is erm...the normal stock NRS aluminium specced is heavy?? Anyway some riders told me that when they rode my Anthem, it feels more stable because of the low centre of gravity :D .But I guess the NRS is a very good bike also

What do you mean my decriptions dont fit in? And yeah, those forks only has about 40mm travel. And what about the pedals bit? Should I change them, because the ones I have now dont seem to go around in circles very smoothly.

How do you know it has about 40mm travel? From looking at the pic, I would guess quite a bit more than that. Plus that bike appears to have relatively slack geometry with a short stem so it will never excel at XC riding, especially climbing.

thats odd, then why is erm...the normal stock NRS aluminium specced is heavy?? Anyway some riders told me that when they rode my Anthem, it feels more stable because of the low centre of gravity :D .But I guess the NRS is a very good bike also

In my opinion the NRS is every bit as good if not superior to the Anthem in many ways. I believe it is even lighter than the Anthem. The Anthem is definitely a great bike, however it is known to be heavy as well. The primary reason the NRS died is because they no longer wanted to pay money to Specialized every time they sold a bike.

I've been trying to do some XC with my stock $200 dollar Krave Banned bike. GOing up a mountain always drains the juice out of me, is it like that with all people? ?

I agree with the previous posts on getting better bike. Shock travel is irrelevant to your problems Your first problem is condition. It takes some time to build endurance to climb. You get it with a good fitness program which includes lots of climbing. Also, cheap bikes often do not have the lower gearing found on better bikes.

Then there's technique issues. You might consider getting a book or two. Ned Overend's Bike Like a Champion is cheap ($6.00?) used from Amazon. Then there's Brian Lopes Book which is better illustrated but more $'s.

I've biked with guys on Wal-Mart bikes. They climb, but they are slow. However, they are out there. With cheap bikes, one is better off without any suspension. Cheap forks/shocks don't really work that well and weigh a ton.



Al

How do you know it has about 40mm travel? From looking at the pic, I would guess quite a bit more than that. Plus that bike appears to have relatively slack geometry with a short stem so it will never excel at XC riding, especially climbing.

I press the brakes and use all of my pwoer to force the forks down,lol. Is that how it's done?

I press the brakes and use all of my pwoer to force the forks down,lol. Is that how it's done?
if you read the directions it will show the amount of travel your fork has or mabey the amount of travel is on the fork.

if you read the directions it will show the amount of travel your fork has or mabey the amount of travel is on the fork.
maybe. you really need to retake 6th grade english class man.

both of you.

My bike didnt come with a instruction manual and as far as i can see, the only mentioning of travel is only "Mega Travel" on one of the stickers on the fork,lol.

My bike didnt come with a instruction manual and as far as i can see, the only mentioning of travel is only "Mega Travel" on one of the stickers on the fork,lol.
:roflmao: is that a "real bike"???? it looks like it but i never heard the brand before

:roflmao: is that a "real bike"???? it looks like it but i never heard the brand before

Wellllllll, You've been in the bike game for a long time. I guess If you've never heard of it, it must be CRAP!

real bikes suck

If you want to get up the mountain or hill you are going to need strong legs and lungs.

It doesn't matter what crappy bike you have.

Wellllllll, You've been in the bike game for a long time. I guess If you've never heard of it, it must be CRAP!

Easy there noob, if you pay attention you can probably learn something from veterans such as alex. :p

Easy there noob, if you pay attention you can probably learn something from veterans such as alex. :p

Sorry, I just kinda lost my mind for a while.......

In my opinion the NRS is every bit as good if not superior to the Anthem in many ways. I believe it is even lighter than the Anthem. The Anthem is definitely a great bike, however it is known to be heavy as well. The primary reason the NRS died is because they no longer wanted to pay money to Specialized every time they sold a bike.

I though they need to pay Renault? hmm, Im pretty sure the Alu Anthem is lighter then Alu NRS, about the weight, I think the place where made the bike heavy is at the pivots at the BB, it looks like a lot of metal work there.

MegaTravel is a technology designed by Shimano for their 7 - 8 speed, the biggest size sprocket is much bigger then normal 7 -8 speed sprocket. Reason for this is to make pedalling uphill easier.

And I agree with everyone that you get a real Mountain bike if you are seriously planning to get into this sport.

I press the brakes and use all of my pwoer to force the forks down,lol. Is that how it's done?

Ahhh, no...and how could you measure 40mm while you're doing that?

You have an inverted fork so you need to measure the distance from the top of your dropout up to the seal. That will give you the total available travel. Just guessing from the pic based on your rotor size, the fork probably has 120-150mm of travel.

I got my sister to watch where the fork landed when I pressed really hard. When flying downhill, it clearly does not have 120-140mm of travel. Or is there something I need to do to use all of my fork travel? Should I take it apart and take pics and upload them on the forums?