Originally Posted by
mattm0805
Hey Rob,
I think I lean towards your thinking as well, higher priority on good components than on a nice frame. Everything is working fairly well. My braking is fine, unless the trails are wet/muddy, I think would like disc brakes. As for the shock its not a very nice one, occasionally it will bottom out and I can adjust the preload on it. Also, there are times that my chain will jump off the center sprocket on my crank to the smaller sprocket....which that might be fixed with some simple adjustment (which I intend on doing this week).
So, I think I just might upgrade the brakes and shocks.... I might be happy with my rig after that.
Again, i'm in the minority, but i don't much like disc brakes. Yes, the performance is improved in mud/muck. But, i'm of the belief that responsible trailriders don't ride in the wet, as this tears up the trails we love so dearly. Now, whenever i cross the occasional perpetually muddy spot, i have to live with squishiness/squeakiness/poor performance, but i just kinda take it easy and squeeze my brakes a lot til it clears up. either way, everyone else in the free world is running discs these days? My advice? Hydros are very nice, but maintenance requires patience. Also, some (shimano, magura) run mineral oil; the rest use various number designations of DOT brake fluid. The DOT stuff is not environmentally friendly, and potentially dangerous. Mineral oil is better for the earth/you, but can be less stable in extreme temperatures. Mechanical discs are cheapest, easiest to deal with longterm (but, often more finicky short-term), and pretty much safe/clean/stable. if you get them, i endorse avid bb7s, as does most everyone else willing to discuss mech discs. Also, spend the extra couple bucks on the bb7s over the bb5s; the added adjustability is worth it.
As for the fork, well, i can imagine the fork your bike came from is a total turd, as is almost universally the case with entry-level hardtails. As a butt-scratchin' luddite, i run a rigid fork. I can't imagine a modern person such as yourself would consider going rigid, so i won't try to convert you. All i'll say is, research your suspensions fork purchase VERY carefully. Gotta get the right travel, of course, but you'll want to know what you're getting into in terms of maintenance and reliability.
Someone recommended that you spend whatever it takes to get the hottest bike. On the one hand, I can get behind that; i'm currently shopping/researching custom frames when i should be typing a research paper for grad school. But, while i thoroughly enjoy spending as much as i can on cycling, i'd argue that one ought not do that when he's brand new to trail-ridin'. Better, imho, to get your bearings in terms of your preferences and requirements, before you blow your hard-earned cash on a hott bike that doesn't suit your needs.
-rob