nathant53

Hey all, I'm new to this forum that was recommended by a friend, so I decided to give it a try.

I have a question to ask you guys.

I have a "ebay" Chromoly frame, seat post, stem, and fork. Are they any good or should I go for a change?

I mostly use my bike for riding with my friends and to school.

Also, Do you have any other suggestions of how to improve my bikes performance?

Here are some parts/specs.

Blk leader risers w/ specialized grips + tektro front brake
Blk chrom "ebay" frame 54Cm
Blk chrom "ebay"stem
Blk chrom "ebay"fork
Blk chrom "ebay"seatpost
Sliver 32 hole front alex rim ( w/ braking surface) CST comp tires w/ tube
Blk 32 hole rear alex rim w/16T cog and lockring ( w braking surface) Kenda tires w/ tube
Blk Pake 46T, 165mm crank set
Blk MKS pedals/cage w/ Green pake straps
Blk velo saddle

Im thinking of trying to trick with this bike, but I think its too heavy. Or am I just not poping up right.

If you want pictures of this bike, let me know and I'll try to post it up.



Thank you!

das_pyrate

read the "Start here!" sticky. search the forums and find decent parts to replace every part that says "ebay" on that list.

Leukybear 

When did Ebay become a brand?

Nathan you should've linked those parts from ebay.....

nathant53

Yeah sorry, Im completely new to this. I ment parts FROM ebay.

I found some threads and got some answers after spending 10 mins finding to search button.. >_>

Scrodzilla

eBay should become a brand.

rogwilco

I'll give a serious answer (and you won't get a lot of them): Probably not, but it's impossible to tell from the information you've given us here.

"Chromoly" means practically nothing in terms of quality of the bike frame. Or actually it means absolutely nothing.

Good for you.

No. What you've posted doesn't mean much. In fact all that it probably means that every single part on your bike is some no-name brand, which isn't necessarily terrible, but it's also not good, and tells us nothing.

Yeah, post some pictures.

And go ahead "trying to trick" if you have fun doing that. Although the bike in all likelyhood is crap (no offense), the reason for not being able to "trick" without a doubt is you, not the weight of the bike. And the only way change that is to keep trying.

filtersweep

What kind of performance are you looking to improve?

Brian

Then it would be avoided. Or a suitable upgrade on Republic bikes...

LupinIII

as far as tricking quality wouldn't prevent you from doing the tricks, it's just more likely to break probably (though if you try to trick on a high quality bike meant for racing, you're probably more likely to **** **** up).

honestly your bike is fine. I generally think that one should drop coin on the contact points first. so saddle, grips/tape (and right size handlebars, doesn't matter if they're heavy if money is tight), and pedal set up (including straps, clips aren't terribly important as long as they're sized right). your mks pedals are good (if they're comfortable to you. bearing quality is fine), people seem satisfied with pake straps (i've never used them). I'd upgrade the saddle, but if you're not feeling numb or sore it's probably not important. risers are risers and grips are cheap.

next i'd do tires. I ride randos now for puncture resistance and they work well in the wet (oh and skidz), they're also reasonably priced. if your'e gonna be tricking then you'll want to fit at least 28s like the randos, bigger being better. a bigger tire will be able to absorb the shock of landing and reduce fatigue on your wheels and frame. the higher rolling resistance and low tpi will also generally make then not as fast as a skinny tire. for a fast tire i liked my zaffiro pro.

that should get you riding fine. after that i'd upgrade as things break. that will likely be your bearing items (which upgraded components will lend to a smoother feeling ride, or something to that effect). hubs (so wheelset), bb, headset. seatpost, cranks, and stem, if currently sized right, are really not necessary to upgrade. any extra money spent would just be for shaving weight or aesthetics. if you're just going for shaving weight, the best place is your wheels. change frames if you want different geometry, if this one doesn't fit, or if you want something lighter.

lverhagen

I think I may have just witnessed the least likely thread response ever to come up on this forum - It was actually helpful!
My faith in the human race is finally restored!