Originally Posted by
Axiom
Are you on a budget?
If so, what's a rough estimate of what you have to spend?
I can go up to around $200-300 in parts, but I would rather go lower.
Is a new bike out of the picture?
Quite. I very much like this bike, and there is nothing wrong with it. I just want to tweak it a bit with some nice new parts.
• If you're on a budget, your best bet would be to replace the suspension fork with a rigid fork. It will probably be steel. Used or on sale off of the larger online retailed like Performance, Nashbar, PBK, Chainreaction etc.
I have a rigid fork already. Think the bike was originally built like that. The entire frame is solid steel.
And swap out the tires with slick, narrower tires for reduced rolling resistance.
Any psi recommendation? I currently have 26" x 1.75" tires. Can I change that?
You won't find much benefit in buying new wheels unless the ones now are trash (but you describe it rides beautifully, so probably aren't).
The main issue here is that the plastic piece next to my rear gears has chunks missing. Not sure if that is a problem or not. If it's not, then the wheels are fine.
You might want to check your chain and cassette because they are probably worn. And if you replace the tires you ought to replace the tubes as well. And Ergo grips & bar ends are really useful if your budget allows them.
Thanks.