hbob

I have finished my first round of improvements to my DT-FS.
In order of payoff:
1. New Ritchie Pro Ahead stem. I went with a 100mm adjustable and removed the
stock tube and replaced with alloy tube. No need for an adjustable if you know what
size you need. Bike fits great. I am 5'11" and 180 and falling.
2. (tie) Kickstand added via adapter by fellow forum member Ken. I had to do some mods
to it as it did not fit my frame. It was machined to fit his FS and they must vary frame to frame.
I used his adapter minus the extension block and a Greenfield 305mm stand.
2.(tie) Powergrips for pedals. Required some drilling and griding on stock pedals.
2. (tie) SRAM MRX Gripshift. This made my shifting work perfect and saved me switching
to an internal geared hub for now. Very precise shifts. They are available for $10 as NOS
by one eBay seller. This shifter makes a hell of a difference.
3.(tie) I installed new Jagwire SS cables and lined housings for brakes and shifter.
3.(tie) Kools Stop Salmon MTB brake pads.
4. I installed new Shimano BB. The one I took out looked pretty crude and under lubed.
5. Pulled headset and lubed with white lithium grease.
6. Added Topeak beam rack and bag to seatpost.
7. Zefal mirror.\
8. Water bottle

I have decided to stick with the stock derailleur and tires until something breaks

Kenal0

Looks very cool. Sounds like you did some worthwhile upgrades that were reasonably priced. I think that for the money, these bikes are hard to beat. Let us know if you do any other mods. I will be curious how it holds up to the saltwater.
Kenal0

hbob

I have under $100 in upgrades (not counting new tools for another $35.00) to
get the bike to a point where it will last in marine environment and it is a very nice ride.
The bike was well under $200 new on eBay although now they are selling for
more. It would be my recommendation to buy the 2006 model from the company website
as some of the things I added to my 2005 are included to some degree on the 2006 including
an adjustable stem, better cables and housing plus stainless spokes. The shocks may have
been upgraded as well. I would still add some grease to the headset and BB no matter which year model you get. (Downtube only sells the 2005 on eBay and both the 2005 and 2006 on their own website)

Trocadile

Nice work, hbob, and thanks again for helping me find the aluminum tube.

I'm following a similar course with my 2005 FS. My list of changes so far:

1) Saddle - my 25 year old leather Ideale
2) Tires - Kevlar Primo Comets 1.50
3) Stem - Kalloy 90mm (and aforementioned tube)
4) BB - Shimano UN53 cartridge

also overhauled the headset (boy, did it need it) and added mini toe clips (strapless) along with the usual accessories (computer, lights, bottle, etc.).

I'm debating about the drivetrain and still fiddling with the derailleur and cables to see if I can get it a little smoother. Might try a new shifter since you and others seemed to feel that was a weak spot. Keep up the reports.

hbob

The SRAM gripshift plus new housing and cable adjusted properly has me very happy with the stock
derailleur. It shifts precise and I never jump gears or hear any noise. Probably the most important
thing is a good cable and proper adjustments. The difference in the SRAM and the Sunrace is that the SRAM
click stops are more defininte but I bet most of the improvement just came from my adjustments.
Indexed shifting demands good cable housing and properly adjusted cable.

The eBay seller I bought my shifter from still has some. I made a "best offer" of $10 and he took it. Here is link..
https://cgi.ebay.com/SRAM-MRX-shifter...QQcmdZViewItem
You will need to buy a tandem length or recumnet length cable from Harris Cyclery or other as the stock cable that comes with the shifter is too short for a folder. Cost of good housing and cable is about $10.

Hbob