Mountain Biking - I know it's junk,please help me make it better

I have a Mongoose XR 200...sorry!

What components can I upgrade to make it a better piece of junk.

Should I change the crank first?

I appreciate your advice!

If I were you I wouldn't upgrade the bike at all. Just save up for a newer/nicer bike.

BTW don't be sorry, atleast your riding!

If I were you I wouldn't upgrade the bike at all. Just save up for a newer/nicer bike.

BTW don't be sorry, atleast your riding!

I second that but if you really wanna upgrade, I would buy stuff that you can transfer on to a better bike when and if you get one.

I would buy a new fork, stem and handlebar if I was gonna upgrade.

I would buy a new fork, stem and handlebar if I was gonna upgrade.

Problem with that is you will need to size the steerer properly for the Mongoose which could limit the portability of the for later re-application.

Problem with that is you will need to size the steerer properly for the Mongoose which could limit the portability of the for later re-application.

Not sure if your talking about length of width but I am sure that they are 1 1/8 steeertubes an length wise...what i did was I left a lot of steerer when I was upgrading my bike and put in 5 spacers for the time being. When i got my new frame, turns out i needed a lot less so it worked out fine.

Not sure if your talking about length of width but I am sure that they are 1 1/8 steeertubes an length wise...what i did was I left a lot of steerer when I was upgrading my bike and put in 5 spacers for the time being. When i got my new frame, turns out i needed a lot less so it worked out fine.

Yeah... I suppose you could stack reserve spacers on the top just to hedge bets.

Someone said the crank is suspect what brands do you recommend,also which stem and bars?

Someone said the crank is suspect what brands do you recommend,also which stem and bars?

Check out JensenUSA (http://www.jensenusa.com). They've got a Shimano FC-M440 for $39 and the TruVative 5D for $59. Both are square-taper cranks so you can probably use your existing BB since I suspect that's what the Mongoose probably has. If you need to replace the BB then you can pick up a cheapie Chinhaur one for $2, a VP one for $5 or a TruVative one for $14.

For bars and stems, it depends... do you want a riser or flat bar? You can pick up a cheap 1"-riser from Jamis for $10 or a Kallor one for $13. If you want a bit higher quality then I'd suggest a RaceFace or Easton bar. They run from $38 for a RaceFace flatbar to $45 for risers. An Easton EA-70 flatbar is $40. For stems, you need to determine what rise and length you want. Does your current stem feel too low? Too short? You may want to visit a bikeshop for this item. What kind of riding do you want to do. I personally would NOT recommend you take that bike offroad as it's really NOT designed for it. From your list of components you want to upgrade, the stem will most likely be one of the least transferable ones to a new bike since it becomes fairly geometry-specific so I would just get the cheapest one that fits. Were I in your shoes, I wouldn't spend more than $15 on a new stem... maybe $20 at max. If you want to do your own home-estimate on sizing, check out this stem fitting chart (http://www.habcycles.com/fitting.html).

I just ride trails at local parks.I'm 48 and past gettin air!
The frame is that weak?
I only weigh 150 soakin wet!
Everyone makes it sound like it is made of balsa wood.

Thank you for the info!

I just ride trails at local parks.I'm 48 and past gettin air!
The frame is that weak?
I only weigh 150 soakin wet!
Everyone makes it sound like it is made of balsa wood.

Thank you for the info!

I've looked at quite a few of those dept. store bikes up close... the XR200 included and I would question frame quality, build quality (weld quality, alignment, etc). Some of the components are also suspect as you have already discovered. They are probably fine for riding around the block and cruising through town but I wouldn't trust my life on the trails with them. Of all the components you mentioned, I'm suprised to see you haven't given much thought to replacing the wheels and brakes. Aside from the frame, those are two of the items that most concern me about cheap dept. store bikes. I find that they generally have poor rims with poor braking surfaces and underpowered brake arms. I know that replacing wheels gets to be very expensive... and then there's a wheel rebuild labour involved but at the very least, you'll want to get them inspected at a bike shop and have them properly tension and adjust out any wobbleness. You can find some cheap Tektro V-brakes for around $5 each. Shimano Deore level brakes run around $15 and DeoreLX for around $20. Avid SD5 brakes are very nice and will run around $30. You'll need one for the front and another for the rear. Good luck.

Khuon beat me to it.

I'd replace the wheels and brakes first.

Anything more than that and you're much better off replacing the bike. A new fork will cost as much as what you paid for the bike. Ditto on the cranks, cassette, chain, derailleurs and shifter upgrade option.

If you don't want to spend a whole lot, and make the most of what you have, buy a new seat, new grips and some padded shorts. Then ride it till it dies and replace parts only when they break!

BTW, what did you pay for the complete bike? How much do you plan to spend on upgrades? Add the two together, and I'm sure you'll see you could've purchased a new bike complete, or a nice used bike!

Until you save some money, just go ride what you brung, and have fun. It's more important to have a good time, then to worry about what you're riding.

L8R

sounds good