lowlux

i have the schwinn s40 dsx......... k mart.

what are some upgrades i can do to this bike? thinking about find a better shock... but i dunno where to look. i dunno crap about building bikes or fixing them. what are some sites i can look at and what are some add ons? like lights, cup holders and so on......

Dannihilator

Step one, pour gasoline on it.

Step two, light a match.

Step three, drop said lighted match onto depot store bike.

Step 4 go out to lbs and buy an entry level hardtail.

gwhunt23

The forks on x-mart bikes are usually threaded. You cannot upgrade these forks to a better, threadless fork.

If you are looking to upgrade a bike, you'll need an upgradable bike first. Head out to your local bike shop and get a decent bike. You'll enjoy this one much better the first time you get on it- the frame will actually be sized correctly for your body. You can even test ride a few different bikes to find out which geometry you like best.

PeterG1185

i agree. your k-mart probably cost 100 tops, an entry level fork costs around the same. Theres no point in spending more upgrading a bike when a single component is worth more than the whole bike. I work in a LBS and trust me, those things are not worth upgrading. The head mech wont even work on them because they cant be set up properly since nothing is well made and to spec

lowlux

230$

im not going out to buy a freaking 1000$ bike. i could buy a motorcycle for 1000$ or 2000$...... heck i could get a motorcycle for 230$......


The head mech wont even work??? what is that?

Dannihilator

You can buy the base specialized hardrock for like $300

bruiser2

Is your bike new enough that you could return it to the store? If you can only get store credit, sell it to your mom, im sure she could use it. If not ride it (carefully) until you get enough to buy a better bike. It's not worth upgrading this bike. Also before you burn it/trash it take the tubes out, im sure they're crappy but they make good spares.

lowlux

why is it junk??

chis51hd

It's crap because department/depot stores use the cheapest and most unreliable parts to build a bike, so they can still make money out of it, even at a "low" price. They could use a good-looking frame, but all other components would be shabby. This would make the bike very unreliable, won't last long, and even be dangerous to ride. I know, 'coz I bought one once, when I didn't know better; but getting ideas and opinions from these guys here really helped me a lot. Like they said, support your LBS; they'll help you find a bike that's comfortable for YOU to ride, and even on whatever budget you may have--as long as you remember that there are some things you shouldn't ever sacrifice on quality. They'll also help you maintain your bike so it'll last longer, and be a joy to ride (riding should be fun).

lowlux

what are the forks?

what is cheap on this bike?


what is the fream made out of?

phantomcow2

It's spelled frame.
Everything is cheap:
if the fork is a suspension fork, it probably has no dampening system, it is likely just a spring with 2" of travel. The lowest grade bearings are used. There are probably no seals of any type so dirt has probably worn them anyways after 100 miles. The frame is made from the lowest grade carbon steel available. It may even have a sticker saying "NOT INTENDED FOR OFFROAD USE". The spokes are likely those zinc coated craps that will break after a few hundred miles, the rims are probably single wall which is unsuitable for MTB use. They are probably out of true, degrading any performance of braking that may exist.
The bike likely cannot be serviced for the most part. I can go on if you want

THe fork is the thing with 2 "arms" that the front wheel attaches to.

chis51hd

1. see picture.
2. everything.
3. i don't know, i haven't seen it. (i'm guessing low-quality, heavy steel)

phantomcow2

Oh and the strength to weight ratio is horribly low. That thing probably weighs close to 40 pounds and is not intended for offroad use, downhill bikes tend to weigh 40-50 pounds and are intended for purely downhill go fast hit air offroad.

lowlux

looks like i can upgrade the shocks on the forks but they seem all right to me.....

Dannihilator

It's not worth upgrading that hunk of crappy metal.

chis51hd

Second that.

Hopper

Boxxer teams (all be it an older model) come stock on K-mart bikes!

supcom

I suggest you not waste you time putting lipstick on that pig you call a bike, save your money, and buy a $230 'motorcycle'.

phantomcow2

have you ridden a fork from ROckshox, Fox, manitou or some other reputable brand?
The shocks on that thing are just springs, i have taken them apart, its just 2 springs. They bounce and bounce. Go to your local bike shop and try out one of their entry level bikes with an open mind, you will understand shortly. Or better yet so you can actually trail ride, see if you can rent a bike for a day.

PeterG1185

See i dont think you're understanding the situation very well, and from your statements seem very immature and unable to understand view points other than your own. The reason the master mechanic who has been wrenching for 20+ years and has 2 degrees from Barnetts(ill let you look that one up) wont work on these cheap ass bikes is because they cant be tuned. You could waste hours trying to get the chain to not rub or the brakes to hit at the same time, but those parts arent made to be tuned or work well for that matter. They're made to be thrown on and thats about it. If you actually went to a LBS, which would require understanding which you have very little of, you'd see that the bike world is a whole lot bigger than your whopping $230 schwinn. Now im not making fun of the money spent either, im making a statement about you and your unwillingness to grasp what this whole forum has been trying to tell you.

Gorsar

Hey LowLux, while these guys may seem like a##holes they're trying to be helpful in their own way.

The bike you have looks like it does have a 1 1/8" steerer so you theoretically could upgrade the fork. The driveline appears to be all entry level Shimano gear but to upgrade it to a decernable difference would cost more than you spent on the bike.

The overall point being made here is that to upgrade anything on your bike with a product that is of true quality you're talking about spending close to what you paid. It is MUCH cheaper to buy an entire bike than the parts seperately. A $300 entry level bike would have superior parts in every aspect over every single component that came installed on your bike. This is the reason they're all telling you to head to the LBS. For not much more (everything's relative I realize) than you spent on that bike you could walk out of the LBS with a decent entry level bike that actually WAS designed to be taken offroad for XC riding and it will come with likely free tuneups and a sales staff that can help you in ways that you don't even know you need helped.

My advice (for what it's worth) is to ride your current bike as is and enjoy it. Don't get crazy on it and use it for what it was designed for. Have fun and enjoy cycling. I'm not saying it's junk, just that to upgrade it would not be cost effective. Take the money you were going to use to upgrade it and set it aside. Add to it here and there when you can. If after you've saved a bit of money if you feel that biking is something you really enjoy and want to do as a serious hobby then take a trip to your LBS and see what they've got. They won't laugh at you or dog you for what you have as people like you (and me when I first walked into MY LBS) everyday and are there to help.

At xmart their goal is to get you out the door with your bike and forget you along with whatever problems that bike may bring you. A LBS' goal is to make you enjoy riding and to enjoy the product you bought from them. Angry customers don't talk nicely about them to their friends and they certainly don't go back and spend more money.

Don't take the above posts about your bike personal as it's not. This crowd is very helpful and a pretty decent group once you get used to the environment. Everyone here (except maybe a few die hard "better than thou'ers") have the same goal, to have a good time riding.

Gorsar

This kid comes in here and asks a question that to him is perfectly logical because his knowledge about the sport is limited and the VERY first response is Kona telling him to light his bike on fire. I think if he acts a bit defensive or maybe even "immature" it's understandable, if not warranted. If someone won't listen to calm reason that's one thing, but to fault this person for acting that way when he perceives himself being attacked is another.

I agree with everything people here have posted but we have to realize that people asking these questions truly have no idea about these things and when they walked out of K-mart it was only after being told by the knowledgeless sales rep that they were buying a great bike. We've all been there at one point, let's not lose sight of that...

lowlux

how long do you think this bike will last? form work and back? 20 miles a day? and i don't go off road.

i used to have a 1999 mongoose GT for off road.... but someone walked in and took it. i brought this bike to ride faster with the gears or whatever and to chase the ******* that took my mongoose. that is why i wanna know if i can upgrade.... to ride faster on road and maybe off but i needed a bike to get around too.

i was going to ask how to fix the brakes on my mongoose a few weeks ago ..... but someone had to take it and run... left hes crap for a bike. :/

Gorsar

A new shock will not make you faster on the road. If all you want is some more road speed then I'd recommend getting a set of slick tires. You can buy new tires for probably less than $40 total. That will increase your speed significantly on the road vs the knobby tires that are likely on your bike.

As far as how long will it last? It's tough to tell. You really need to quite frequently check for loose bolts, noisy berrings, broken cables, and any odd noises you may hear while riding. Make sure that you are checking your headset for play pretty often as well. Doing these things will not only help you make the bike last longer, but will help to insure that it's safe. That bike is not intended for 20mi/day riding so you'll have to be careful to keep it in as good of servicable condition as you can. I'd recommend checking out a quality site with repair instructions and spend some time learning about how everything works.

Here is a great site

Bikes are not as simple as people think and in order for them to work properly a lot of different parts need to interact correctly.

CranxOC

Then stick with your crap bike and leave those of us who actually want to invest some of our time and money into our bikes alone.

BTW, motorcycles are for wusses who can't pedal and who have a death wish.