defcone

I've been trying to do some XC with my stock $200 dollar Krave Banned bike. GOing up a mountain always drains the juice out of me, is it like that with all people? My fork has around 40mm travel and is super heavy, running on mechanical disc breaks, altus shimano rear gear changer, shimano SIS front deraileur and as far as I can see, the hubs have no name on them. What is the first priority I should upgrade? And what does it mean when someone has "broke" their rebound on their forks? Should I buy 2nd hand upgrades or should I save up for 1st hand gear? And if I were to buy 2nd hand gear, how do I test if the stuff works or not?

jiiiim

i would just save up for a better bike with good components instead of upgrading this and that, which can really add up to something

apclassic9

I agree with Jiiiim - There's no point in putting a $300 shock, brakes, or drive train on your bike. Save up & go shopping at the LBS for a $400-$600 hardtail. Or, start shopping the LBS now, test different bikes, and then start looking for used bikes that have what you want - you really do get more for your money if you can find a good used bike.

Broken rebound of the shock means that when the shock is compressed, it does not decompress anymore, rendering it useless.

Az B

I agree with the above posters. You can get some really good deals on year end closeouts or something, and get a lot more bike for the money than you could upgrading.

The other thing I would point out is that the motor is 90% of the issue. If you want to buy stuff, fine. But just be aware that even the best bike isn't going to make those hills that much easier to climb.

Az

apclassic9

hill climbing just takes practice & conditioning. you ARE the motor. (zoom zoom?)

phoebeisis

If you are upgrading the place to put your $$ is the wheels/tires. You can always transfer them to your "new better" bike when you get it.
Light weight is a pretty good indicator of quality when it comes to bike parts.BUY USED PARTS-
Too bad you use disc brakes; there are lots of very good V-Brake wheelsets selling cheaply because folks are switching to disc. Still, there are plenty of good used disc brake wheels on ebay. Folks will buy a quality new bike, and then immediately upgrade to pricier wheels.
Wheels are always transferable(as long as disc-disc V-V brake same). Other components aren't always transferable(rear derailleurs are)- a front derail can be wrong pull, wrong swing, wrong diameter clamp. A fork can have too short a steerer, a seatpost can be wrong diameter etc.

LowCel 

Keep in mind that wheels are not always transferable. If his current bike is 7 speed he probably won't be able to use his upgraded wheels on his next bike.

Hambone40

Very true

mlh122

+1 i'd just upgrade it with some wd40 and some good scrubbin, then some bike lube. that'd be about it. that "draining" feeling you're getting is what I call the built-in reward system. you work hard to get up the hill, trying your body and mind, sometimes it seems to suck the life right out of you. but then its all worth it when you go wheeeee! down the other side. an upgraded bike will go up the hill easier and down the hill smoother and more controllable, but uphill is still draining and the downhill is still wheeee! on any functioning bike.

if you lived in a country where new bikes weren't easy to get and were somehow forced to only upgrade. I'd upgrade pretty much everything, which would cost more than a new bike and not perform as well as a new bike.

junkyard

to ride XC is to love pain

defcone

Thanks everyone, my dad just said that he'll actually buy me a new bike if I break the one I have now. (Cause I showed him a pic of someone else breaking theirs). Is the Giant Nrs any good? Cause I see them being sold for less than $300US here. I think my dad will buy me a bike worth around 600-700USD dolla frame. Should I stick with a hardtail?

Where would I apply the WD40? And I jsut spotted that the pedals are like the crappiest ones you could find, are pedals much of a concern? Or do my plastic built in reflector pedals are all right? When I try to spin the pedals, they dont seem very smooth either. If I were to get new pedals, what brand and model should I get? I've also seen people with pedals which look like egg beaters, they do look expensive, are they?

mlh122

I couldn't find anything on Giant NRS on Giant's website. is that bike new? all the stuff i've found is older info on NRSs and they appear to be very nice bikes. for $600 - $700 dollars I'd stick with a hardtail. I think you could find a full suspension for that $$ but it wouldn't be very good, while a hardtail would be pretty solid in that range.

I put wd40 on mostly the chain, chainrings, cassette, deraillers, brake hinges, sometimes the cables. on the chain, chainrings, and cassette i usually dry them with a towel or let them air dry, then lightly lube them.

pedals if you weigh less than 180lbs pedals aren't as big of a deal. the plastic ones should be ok for now, but if you hit them hard enough on something they'll break, and if you ride in rain they can get very slippery. weighing 210lbs i've broken cheap plastic pedals when pedaling hard. i've ridden them exclusively except on my most recent bike and they have been fine my whole life. the pedals i have now are Wellgos brand (don't remember the model) but they are basic metal pedals with a slightly wider platform and little metal pegs. they don't get slippery when wet and they don't break when hit on a rock or curb. and they won't break under my weight. the only drawback so far is if you do happen to slip off (which is very rare) they can do a number on your shins
the ones that look like eggbeaters are in fact called eggbeaters, i think they run about $80. they are used by special shoes that clip into them so you can pedal while pulling up on the pedal rather than just pushing down. i've not used those before, im still not good enough to not fall over hehe

LowCel 

They quit making the NRS about two years ago. In my opinion (and many other people's) the NRS was one of the best cross country full suspension frames made.

wethepeople

That giant fork only had 40mm of travel .

FatBomber

Buying upgrades for that bike would be like putting a dress on a pig. The problem is that you have heavy everything on that bike. Frame, forks, wheels, everything is heavy. I'd recommend looking for a good used bike. Even a used low-end bike from a "real" brand will be a dramatic improvement of your current rig.

There are some great places where you can find quality used bikes:

MTBR.com classifieds - Bought my wife's FSR there for a song.
Craigslist.org - Another quality site. I've sold several bikes on that site.

You can use ebay, but I've found that you can overpay there. The two sites above are private sales involving person to person interaction where you can barter on price and get a better idea of what you are looking at.

LowCel 

I've bought a frame from there and sold a few odds and ends. I've had great luck with their classifieds.

FatBomber

I have an NRS and I LOVE it. It is the best bike I have ever owned. What made it even better is that Giant phased them out and the price on them went through the floor.

Even a low end NRS will be a fantastic upgrade. The frame is solid and the suspension is excellent. You will not regret it.

wheelhot

but its frame is heavy isnt it??

mcoine

Isn't this your bike? Doesn't really sound like your description of it. I don't think that fork has 40mm travel.

FatBomber

Well, mine isn't. I have the NRS C1. The whole front end is carbon fiber. It's a 22.5" frame and it weighs in around 25 pounds with the tubeless (heavy) tires on.

The weight difference will be a couple of pounds from a ht to an aluminum NRS frame, but that weight is negated by the fantastic suspension design.

When properly set up, the rear end stays rigid when climbing or pounding on flat trail. Hit a bump and suspension goes active, saving your butt and back. You may climb a little slower, but you will have greater control over roots/rocks and you will fly down hills with a greater degree of confidence.

It all comes down to personal preference, but I no longer ache after a long day's ride.

defcone

What do you mean my decriptions dont fit in? And yeah, those forks only has about 40mm travel. And what about the pedals bit? Should I change them, because the ones I have now dont seem to go around in circles very smoothly.

LowCel 

The NRS frame weighs pretty close to the same as the Truth. So no, I wouldn't consider it heavy.

wheelhot

thats odd, then why is erm...the normal stock NRS aluminium specced is heavy?? Anyway some riders told me that when they rode my Anthem, it feels more stable because of the low centre of gravity .But I guess the NRS is a very good bike also

never

How do you know it has about 40mm travel? From looking at the pic, I would guess quite a bit more than that. Plus that bike appears to have relatively slack geometry with a short stem so it will never excel at XC riding, especially climbing.

LowCel 

In my opinion the NRS is every bit as good if not superior to the Anthem in many ways. I believe it is even lighter than the Anthem. The Anthem is definitely a great bike, however it is known to be heavy as well. The primary reason the NRS died is because they no longer wanted to pay money to Specialized every time they sold a bike.