Mountain Biking - What to upgrade on my bike?

My new rockhopper comp is a very nice bike but theres a few things I think could make it nicer. There are two things right now im thinking of upgrading, the tires and the stem. Im here to ask you guys if its even worth it to upgrade these and if so what models are good.

On my bike now I have a fairly long ritchey stem. And my tires are specialized rockster pro 2.1's.

For the tires I was thinking about the panaracer fire xc's. Would those be a worthwhile upgrade to my rocksters? As for the stem I have no idea what ones are good and hopefully you can help me with that.

Keep in mind that I am a new rider, I live in Seattle (chance of mud) and that I want an all around off road bike. So pretty much, as skills progress single track and technical terrain will be my home.

I'll leave the question of tyres for someone who doesn't largely ride on roads, but regarding stems; length and rise are very much a matter of personal choice. It took me a couple of stems to find one that suited my style of riding (and of course they're not cheap). If you're not uncomfortable with your current riding position I wouldn't bother swapping, if you are it might be worth trying a cheap adjustable stem to find the position you like before buying a good quality one. Unless you do jumps or downhill riding, strength is probably not an issue.

Richard

Panaracaer Fire XC Pros are grrrreat, get them you wont be disappointed

Tires are a toss up and hard to recommend. What works for me down here in FL, might not work for you. With that, I've always like the tires by WTB, specifically the Velociraptors.

Regarding stems, there are so many to choose from. I like two specifically. The RaceFace SyStem and the Thomson Stem. Both are quality made, don't really offer any significant advantage over the Ritchey except for appearance!

L8R

As far as tires I have to agree on the WTB Velociraptors, here in Cincinnati they work great as we vary from dry to mud often. I and many of my friends have run velociraptors for about 5 years now.

I've been using Velociraptors on my Schwinn mountain bike for a couple of years and have no serious complaints, although they can be a little slippery on wet pavement. I used Specialized Ground Controls in the past and blew through the sidewalls rapidly, even though I carried 65 PSI.

When we ride in the Seattle area we like Michelin Wildgrippers with low pressure ... great for slimy roots ( a bigger problem than the muck). However, they can be death turning on web pavement.

thanks for the help. I agree that as for now, getting a new stem would probably be just for looks, however a shorter stem would probably help me in jumping and technical.

But you see, what going through my mind is looks. MY red rockhopper would look *****in with a metalic red stem, and some panaracers with red side walls.

I live in Pittsburgh and around here Fire XC Pros are popular for the terrain, you could also look into Maxxis tires. I use a Thomson stem on my bike, lightweight and strong, not to mention simply beautiful (I have a Thomson seat post to match). You could also look into a sealed bottom bracket, Race Face is highly recommended or if you are on a budget, a sealed Shimano BB is good.

But you see, what going through my mind is looks. MY red rockhopper would look *****in with a metalic red stem, and some panaracers with red side walls.

some red metalic streamers for the handlebars would be b1tchin as well.

my blue rockhopper looks like crap with the red mxc's on the front, but who cares? Probably the people I'm passing.

Buy one of those Air Zound horns.