I have a 29er single speed with a great frame and mediocre parts. I'm planning on going through the bike and upgrading components one by one but I'm not sure where to start since I can't fund a whole makeover at once.

One thing at a time, where will I get the most bang for my buck for performance? Wheels, BB, crank, brakes (currently disk but low end with poor stopping power) headset, stem, handlebars, seat post? Saddle is already done.

List of things to upgrade, suitably prioritized:

(1) things which are broken or unsafe
(2) things which are uncomfortable (grips, saddle)
(3) things which make your ride more enjoyable (this could be anything from lighter wheels to a rack to carry stuff to frame protectors which stop dinging)
(4) things to satisfy your vanity

Unless we know why, where, and when you ride, it's hard to recommend upgrades for 'performance' since performance is relative to what you want to do. Most people suggest wheels as a way to shed weight and be more efficient as good bang for your buck, but depending on your circumstances, it could be a poor use of money. Tires suited to the conditions you ride in can make a noticeable difference.

If your stem, seat post, bottom bracket and headset work and fit properly they won't need to be changed for a long time and you won't notice much if you change them.

Since you actually notice your brakes' performance maybe that is where you should spend your money? Or, if it's burning a hole in your pocket, you might get more enjoyment from a nice helmet, shorts, jersey, sunnies, gloves, shoes+pedals etc.

excellently-said, scruggle

Scruggle's got it.

Safety is of course the responsible priority. You never regret spending money on something that makes you more comfortable on the bike or that makes your rides more enjoyable, whatever it is.

+ 100.

Maybe this should be "stickyed" as a "Read this first before asking upgrade recommendations." posting. Particularly the questions about how the poster rides and what they want to achieve.

Thanks for the input....make sense. For more info: I ride mostly xc on moderate to easy dirt trails and fire roads 10+ miles each time 2x per week and a handfull of longer 30-50 mile treks through the season. I'm a bigger rider at 6'4" 250lbs, if that matters. Wheels and brakes have been a priority focus at this point and that seems to go along with the message I'm reading.

Quality wheels are the best upgrade you can do. Do not, I repeat, do not upgrade wheels without going to cartridge bearings. No cups, no cones. bk

So with that logic I should be tossing out my old school Suntour and Campy hubs now.

My friend is your size and had to upgrade his front brake with a bigger rotor to get enough stopping power... and he was running some nice equipment before the upgrade.

I also built his wheels for him (cause he was trashing other wheels) and they have seen thousands of hard miles without needing to see a spoke wrench.

No, you don't have to throw away your older hubs. But why upgrade at all if you're not going to go for a better bearing setup too? bk

Why go half way?

I'll admit that I wanted to use Chris King hubs on my latest personal set of wheels, but my budget led me down a different path. I honestly haven't had problems with any of the XT, Ultegra or Dura-ace hubs that I own. All Shimano are cup/cone.

I don't think anyone could give any better advice than scruggle did. New wheels and tires appropriate for your riding circumstances are great early upgrades. At the shop, I steer people towards improving the contact points, grips, saddle, although both are highly subjective. Durability, being comfortable and enjoying the ride makes more sense to me than shaving 20 grams here and there, unless you've been losing Cat 1/pro races by fractions of seconds.

At your size strong double wall rims on a good hub make a lot of sense if you don't already have them. Are you happy with your pedals and shoes? There's another contact point to think about.

I agree with scruggle too.

As a general rule I would put brakes toward the end of my list. In your case, however, I'd put them first. Why? Because you complained about their stopping power.

Replace parts in the order that you become dissatisfied with them.

Good tires that are suited for your use have to be the biggest bang for the buck.

Then wheels if the current ones are not so great.

I suppose the saddle if your but does not like what is on there now.

Pedals, if it has nylon ones on there now. Or if you want to add or change clips or cages.

Brake pads, if your current ones are not great.

Beyond that, the returns diminish pretty quickly. By and large, other changes for the recreational rider will just be shaving grams. Not that this may not matter to some, but the difference will not be dramatic. To put it in perspective, I think that no changes beyond the list above will counterbalance a frame that does not fit you well or a frame that is not that light or responsive to begin with.

I am a total gear head, and fully appreciate someone upgrading for the sake of upgrading. But in terms of raw pragmatics, there is probably little to be done to any given decent bike for recreational riders.

jim

jim