knikolaus

I have a 12 year old FSR Specialized. It weighs in at 27 lbs. Over the years, I have upgraded everything except the frame. I could get a new frame, but the only upside would be styling. I could drop $2000 to gain 1 pound and get style points, not worth it to me. This ain't no fashion show folks! I can hang on the single tracks with guys 10 years younger than my 34 year old butt. Why should I get a new bike? (ok, 29 inch wheels, but I'm 5'8".)

pablosnazzy

who says you should get a new bike? sounds like you don't want one, so what's the issue? don't get a new bike unless you want to.

roastbeef

huh? if you want a new bike, buy one. we're not here to sell you on anything.

MTBerJim

Are the voices in you're head talking again?

If you want us to talk you into it just say so, I'm with you I have a 2004 Stumpjumper. I haven't seen any reason to go looking at a newer one.

fuji86

If it still rides and in good condition, no reason to replace it. The one I have is a rigid fork hardtail. Out the door at Sports Authority it was under $ 200, about $ 175 for the bike and another $ 20 or so for a lock. Going into it's 14th year of service.

JonathanGennick 

Why buy a new bike? Because you haven't reached N+1 yet .

knikolaus

So, every time I bring my bike into the bike shops around here I get not so subtle suggestions to "upgrade." The question I have is, how are newer bikes better than my current one? I am looking for the sales pitch, but the only reason the LBS can give me is that mine is so old.

MTBerJim

In a couple more years it will be considered "retro" and be cool again.
They will still try to sell you a new bike, but at least you will be cool in the eyes of the LBS crowd. And as stated on other threads, being cool in the eyes of the LBS folks IS what makes life worth living.

In all seriousness, the economy is recovering, but it's still hard times. I'm sure the owners are pushing the employees to sell whatever they can and bring in money.

I've gotten to the point that I try to do all my maintenance myself, not only to save the cost, but so I don't have to worry about how not cool I appear.

crazyotte

Because you can never have enough bikes.

JonathanGennick 

My experience is that sometimes bike sales people have a difficult time articulating why one part or bike might be better than, or different from, another. You can probably look at the differences yourself and decide whether they matter to you.

I notice that older bikes often seem to come with longer stems and shorter top tubes. Somewhere between the late 1990s and now there seems to have been a trend towards longer top tubes and shorter stems. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but it's what I've observed just from looking at older bikes and comparing them to new ones.

Suspension travel on newer FSRs is possibly greater than on the model you're riding. Does that matter? Maybe not.

Fork and shock technology is surely improved, but I don't know enough about the technology to articulate all of the differences. On rear shocks I see boost valves and dual rate control valving (DRCV). I can tell you that both of those are a win. I did notice the effect from the DRCV when I test-rode a Rumblefish last year.

You also see tapered head tubes, stronger derailleur springs such as in the Shimano Shadow line, etc. There are lots of little improvements out there.

Thru-axle forks are something you see more of these days. They are the way forward, imho.

Some "improvements" are debatable. There's a proliferation in headset standards that seems for me to mostly result in making it more difficult to work on my own bikes. I feel the same way about the newer, press-fit bottom-brackets.

If you put two bikes side-by-side, you can probably examine them yourself and tease out the differences and/or improvements. (A bit of reading will help). Then decide for yourself whether they matter to you and how much you are willing to pay to get them.

NCMTBIKER

^ +1 i agree if your happy keep it..ride the crap out of it!

Rob P.

Your FSR isn't that far back behind the times. You have full suspension, upgraded components, and full knowledge of what the bike can do with you aboard. So your current bike will do what you want.

But:

New bikes have different (not necessarily "better") valving in the suspension. And, geometry on the new bikes is different and can make a big difference in your comfort and speed on the trail. Plus, all the years of full suspension bikes have shown the engineers and designers where the flaws are and what they need to do to improve the frame to eliminate weak spots.

New components ROCK! The SLX of today is lightyears ahead of just yesterday's XTR; let alone the stuff from just a few years ago. If the new Dynasis is as much better as they claim, mtn biking is reaching it's pinacle, Seriously, if you've never had the opportunity to compare them, you won't believe it. But I have and I'm serious in this - today's components are better than ever.

As for the bike shop telling you to upgrade, they're in business to sell you stuff. And until your bike reaches that retro age where it's a impressive feat that you can still keep it rolling, they're going to TRY to get you to upgrade and BUY one of their machines. I have an ancient Haro I was riding year after year. Worn components, tired looking design, and HEAVY. But I still woud ride it and I'd buy stuff for it that didn't always fit. (Anyone figure out how to mount a 2.1 tire in a frame that takes a max 1.8 cross section tire? I haven't.) The bike shop even bragged to OTHER CUSTOMERS about MY bike because it was so cool that I was still riding one of the "original style" mtn bikes from back in the dark ages.

Eventually, though, you get tired of jury rigging everything and start thinking of an upgrade. I did and so will you when the time comes. And when you do, you'll wonder why you waited as long as you did.

NYCJohn170

There it is. + 1

You need a DH/FR, a Tri Bike, a CX, couple of beaters, a bike at your g/fs, maybe one of each at your g/fs, a nice bike so you have extras and can go riding when your out of town friends come to call.

I could go on but you get the idea.

pablosnazzy

what Rob P said

telebianchi

This is why I am in full-on shopping mode. If my bike worked all of the time, it still rides better than me. But I'm tired of constantly having to adjust/fix/replace things and yet it still doesn't work smoothly: bad shifting, braking problems, chain suck so I can barely use the small ring at high cadence, etc. etc. I've been riding the bike since spring of '98 and I think it's finally time to move on to a new bike.

Singlespeed92

That's always been reason enough for me I'm not there yet either (even with having just built-up/purchased 3 in the last month or so),but still working on it

fas2c

I'm still riding my 95 GT hardtail. although it has been extensivly modified and modernized. I have thought about buying new, but it fits, still much fun to ride, and it is cool (imho).

crazzywolfie

my mom would 100% disagree with you. just the other day she was pointing out that i had 3 bikes in the back yard and 2 on the side deck. at least she forgot about the 4 i have in the basement and the 1 that is sitting in the back of my truck.

djlarroc

i have an '03 Trek Fuel 100. Full carbon. F/R lockouts. It's awesome, but it's an '04 and has v-brakes. I get crap from my friends who all have dics (hydro & mech) and have newer styling. yet their bikes are aluminum

some kid on the trail kinda giggled and said "cool, old school" at my bike last year. i just thought, whatever. my wheels are prob more than his whole bike lol.

i don't plan on getting rid of my bike. it blows away the '09 fsr xc it replaced. wouldn't mind some updated wheels and maybe brakes tho.

BWWpat

If its not broke, don't fix it!

cycle2

If you like it, don't replace it. I have a 94 Hard Rock and i'm finally getting a new Hard Rock. In my case I've just wanted to have a lighter aluminum frame. For 17 years it's been good and it will still work for years to come. When a bike is advertised as lifetime guarantee on frame, utilize it--you paid for it. The next bike I get, hopefully, not until 10 or more years from now, will probably be a 29er with disc brakes. Not everyone gets the cash to update all the time, but the advantage to waiting longer is you'll have better technology. Tell the shop your waiting for better technology(how about a triple shock system) and that nothings impressed you in recent years.

roccobike

Why upgrade a FSR frame? Because the rear suspension technology that Specialized introduced in 04 on the Stumpjumper and in 05 on the FSR XC is better than the older technology. The newer design has less of that spongy feel the older design has.
I have both, an 03 Stumpy and a 05 FSR XC. I picked up the 03 over last winter. Although lighter, with the M4 frame, than the 05 FSR XC, I like the stiffer feel of the newer design. Yes, I pumped up the rear shock of the 03 to try and stiffen the rear and yes that made it better, but it still doesn't handle like the 05 bike. I'm surprized the bike shops didn't mention this to you.
You don't need a new frame, but you might want to try to borrow a freinds newer STumpy or FSR XC and try it out for yourself. Any Specialized dual sus from 05 on would have the newer design. Of course, an even newer bike is probably better than the 05 design.

timg7

Will you tell them, or shall I?

trekKiller

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electrik

5'8" ain't a problem for 29" now... with hydroforming of the top and down tube they fit much better.

The reason to get a new ride is just that, it's new. Technology and engineering changes(not NEARLY as fast as marketers claim). If this is a difficult concept for you, i don't know what to say. Have you never purchased something new? Commie. I have also found replacing parts to be at least 1.5x more costly as most major bicycle manufacturers get steep discounts on forks, shocks and drivetrains - not to mention tools.