kennj123

I have a mountain bike that apparently needs to be replaced. The chain is jumping and LBS said the chain is stretched and crank and rear cassette needs to be replaced. I use the bike really hard in a urban environment. At intersections I get to the front and wait in the crosswalk, I put it in gear 3-2 and stand on the pedal, pull down on the handle bar and accelerate really fast. It has sram mrx plus shifters that i can shift while I'm standing. I don't really care about how heavy the bike is and I'd like a paint job - design that doesn't attract attention because I go in some pretty sketchy neighborhoods. The LBS said i should get a crank that has gears that can be individually changed. I would like to find an older bike that i can get reasonably cheap and replace parts cheaply. any ideas? I do like a triple front crank.

As an alternative, is there a heavy duty crank-chain-cassette combo that i should look at upgrading my old bike to? I really like the old bike, there is something about the way be pedals, seat and handle bar allign that make it easy to stand and pedal while pulling down on the handle bars.