Upgrading a Giant Cypress
 

I was going to get another bicycle, but instead I've decided to invest in my Giant Cypress Hybrid, Ladies Frame, 2006 (I think).

Not knowing much about bike mechanics, however, I was hoping to get some advice. Aesthetically, I'd like to change the handlebars to something a bit more "townie", like Soma Sparrows but wide enough to accommodate side by side gears and break levers. Any ideas there? I also want to replace the rubber grips with leather grips (the cheapie 20$ amazon kind). Might also get a different saddle and upholster it to match the grips.

The frame is pretty scratched and I was never a fan of the dark blue / light blue two tone, so I plan on having it powder coated either powder blue or fire engine red. I can't decide :twitchy:

For functionality, though, I'd like to replace the crankset. According to the internets, the Giant Cypress comes with Shimano cassette rear bub & crankset. it's got that awful plastic disk. What can I replace it with? I'm not looking for a $1000 upgrade, but something a bit better and nicer - all metal. I'd like to change the derailleur, too, since mine is awfully clunky when I change gears.

I currently have plastic fenders but I'd like metal ones, and I'd like a new rack. My current one is flimsy (it's that light, barely metal stuff) and doesn't allow enough clearance for fenders. I am hoping to find a vendor that can supply most of what I need - reasonable price, and ships to Canada.

Anyway, any help would be much appreciated!

Zoe

I put Freddy Fenders on mine, they are plastic and I can't imagine why I would want to change to metal. Plastic bends and then springs back if it gets whacked. Also not nearly as noisy and heavy as metal. I used a seat post mounted rack that worked well, no interference with the fenders at all.
The "awful plastic disk" is worth its weight in gold if you ever have a derailler get out of adjustment; like after a crash. If the chain ever jumps off the granny gear toward the wheel it will wipe out the rear derailler, probably rip out about a half dozen spokes, probably ruin a chain, and could cause bodily harm if you can't get the bike stopped safely with the rear wheel locked up. I love my dork disk. Somebody else thinks it looks stupid, that's their problem.

As for the replacement derailler, go to Giant's website, look at their archives for the 2006 or 2007 Cypress models and review the components on their high end models, like the Cypress SX. That's a good indication of an easy upgrade that you know will work. In 2006 that model had a Shimano 105 RD.

Link to Giant's archive.
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...llections_id=1

All it takes is money.

The good news is you can do most of the work piecemeal. Start with the handlebars, for example. Install your new shifters and brake levers. Get that part of your bike looking the way you like.

Get your new rack before you try to install the fenders. If you think that you might want your fenders to match or blend with your frame color, be sure to buy them and fit them onto your bike first because you might need to make some modifications to get them to fit.

Then, after you have everything fitting the way that you want and are sure that everything works, take the whole bike apart and send the frame, fork etc. to the powder coater or painter. You can have the powder coater mask off the bottom bracket and headset areas, but you'll need to get the appropriate taps to clean out the threaded fittings for your rack, fenders and water bottle cages.

What are "Freddy Fenders"? I'm considering to add fenders to my Cypress 2009 (700x38c tires) ...

Is mechanically anything wrong with installing the fenders before the rack??? Or it's just matter of esthetics.

Yeah.

You'll find it much tougher to install the fenders after the rack because it goes over the fenders. Install the fenders first. Use stainless m5 bolts with a lock washer + regular washer and the hardware will never fall off the bike. Most of the included hardware with stock fender sets are shyte.

i put these on my giant cypress commuter, will post pics of bike when i get home.
http://ecom1.planetbike.com/7027_5.html

The fit and design of the rack may affect the fit of the fenders. Actually, fitting aftermarket fenders can be a bit of a crap shoot. They might just bolt up the way everybody expects them to. On the other hand, sometimes they don't. You don't want to have to do a lot of cutting and notching on your fenders only to find that you're going to have to do some additional notching when it comes time to install your rack.

The Freddy Fenders I referred to are made by Planet Bike; sold at Nashbar and many others. I got the 45mm wide size to fit the 700 x 38 tires on my bike. Here's a link:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product..._200277_200436