Originally Posted by
joonyoung82
Just started cycling and went on my first ride with my 2010 Scott Speedster s30.
It's a 20 lb bike with Shimano 105 components so it's decent bike but I struggled to get up the hills.
It's only valued at $200 so I guess it's not a great bike.
Should I keep my bike and push through to get stronger or get an upgrade for better experience? Or upgrade parts?
If I were to upgrade, my budget is $1000 and I'm open to pre-owned bikes.
All suggestions are welcomed
What about the hills was hard? Was it that you ran out of low gears, or simply that it was slow-going?
If it was the gearing, you could try widening the drivetrain. The rear derailleur on that bike should use the same pull ratios as Shimano's 8/9-speed MTB derailleurs, so you could pop one of those on there* and swap to a wider cassette (like an 11-34) to see if it helps.
*Some current-gen models to look at would be the Acera and Alivio parts. They're available in both "trekking" versions (RD-T3000 and RD-T4000) and "mountain" versions (RD-M3000 and RD-M4000). Both should do the trick, although the "trekking" versions would probably be a better aesthetic fit on your bike.
Lots of previous-gen stuff would work fine as well. Acera RD-M360 and Alivio RD-M410 are excellent, and the Deore RD-M591 can still be found new if you're interested in a higher-tier option.