Hello all,

I've been riding my 2003 Giant Cypress Dx (hybrid) to work and for pleasure for some time now, approximately 100 miles/wk. While certainly not a "great" bike, it meets my needs, and has really grown on me.

I was thinking about modifying/upgrading the bike. What would give me the best value for the money?

For instance, I was thinking about upgrading/replacing the derailers. Would that noticeably improve my ride?

Or, on a bike like this, would people suggest that I simply save my money for a better bike?

Could anyone make some suggestions? Thanks!

The Hybrids, IMO are wonderful commuters, I bought one for a Do-it-all bike. They are comfortable and fun. In my case though, I found that a dedicated road, and mountain bike, were needed and left the hybrid for commuting.

The best bang for the buck is to go for lighter , better wheels and tires. If it is a V-Brake bike this is a good time ,because many folks are going to disc wheels. Many sets of rim brake wheels are being sold cheaply on ebay. Wheels are also transferable to a new bike-many parts aren't transferable.
If you derailleurs work ok, new derailleurs won't give you much bang for the buck.
XTR 517 wheels can be bought for $100 now(used), and they are very nice-smooth and probably 150 or more grams lighter(a piece) than your current wheels.
Luck,
Charlie

In order of desirability...
1) Put the money in a savings account for a new bike
2) a brooks saddle, prob a B67
3) a solid fork (no shock)
4) better tires.
5) better wheels (not used). See what your bike shop has to say about this.
It doesn't make a lot of sense to put $300 wheels on a $300 bike, IMHO...

Clipless pedals and decent shoes will help with efficiency and comfort. You can swap them to a different bike later too.

No, not unless the current ones are not functioning properly, and even then it's probably just a matter of adjustment. Upgraded derailleurs offer slighly lower weight and better long term durability, but little if any improvement in shifting performance.

Glad you posted this dydst, since I am in a similar situation. I just started riding 4 months ago and got a Trek 7100. Although I plan to get a road bike later on this year, I really want to keep the Trek for commuting. I have already upgraded the rear derailer, cassette, wheels, and tires due to an unfortunate bike/car collision on my first commute (only my bike had to go to the hospital). I mostly love the current setup except for the suspension fork; I would really like to ditch it but wasn't sure if it was cost effective.

Replacing the derailers would accomplish nothing, just throwing money away.

Here's what I would do, in order of priority:

1. New tires. Something light and smooth, maybe Avocet Slicks or something similar, probably narrower than the stock 40 mm tires, unless your local roads are very poorly maintained.

2. Clipless pedals and matching shoes. I like the Shimano SPD system a lot.

3. New saddle. Something narrower, firmer. Maybe ditch the suspension seatpost too.

4. Handlebars/stem. Something perhaps giving a slightly more "aggressive" position would be appropriate for someone who rides as much as you do.

The adjustable stem is heavy and clunky, and once you figure out where the bars want to be, you really don't need the adjustability any more. Might want to lose the riser bars.

Bar ends for additional hand positions would also be worthwhile.

Sheldon "Upgrades" Brown

When your chain gets worned out, replace it with Wipperman brand chains. Your shifting will dramatically improve.

And you will end up noticeably poorer.

I've been thinking about this for one of our clunker/commuter bikes. The frame and fork are from an older Trek 720. The unmarked rear wheel seems rather heavy and was from an inexpensive bike - it weighs 5 lbs 3 oz with the 700x35c tire, tube, etc. One spec site lists the rear as Weinmann 2719. The front was a used replacement - it says Weinman 519 and weighs 3lbs 14 oz with similar tube and tire. The tire is a Panaracer Pasela that's about 250g in that size.

This bike will be used for year-round commuting of about 6 miles a day. It's also parked in a relatively high-crime area, sometimes for several days, so we've been reluctant to make it too attractive. At the same time, making it a better ride for other recreational uses on the weekend is also appealing. So I'm trying to do a value analysis, along with deciphering the value of some of the wheels for sale on eBay or elsewhere.

Any suggestions?

Maybe ditch the suspension seatpost too.

My first choice. Things weigh a ton and do not really do much to save your butt.

The single most dramatic improvement will be the lighter wheels and tires as others have said. Plus you can always transfer these to another bike.

But for commuting I disagree with the clipless pedals and shoes idea because a lot of commuters work in their shoes they rode in on, and clipless shoes will be very uncomfortable to walk around in all day-or you have to carry your work shoes with you in a backpack or pannier. Thus with regular pedals you can wear any shoe you want. You can get adjustable straps to help keep your feet on the pedals for better power transfer, with those any shoe will work.

Anything else you want to replace is up to you. Your suspension seat post you may like because it dampens pot holes etc. Seats and handlebars? If you like those already why replace it?

You mentioned the derailleurs, are they working fine? If not maybe they just need to be adjusted properly, but if their old and tired and all the adjustments in the world aren't helping then replace them; but derailleurs will not improve your ride noticeably.

Of course a newer better bike is nice to have, but you mentioned you commute to a high crime area, so why buy a better bike to commute on? Just replacing the wheels won't make the bike stand out because if your commuting then in a few days water and dirt will be on the wheels and no one will know their new!

I knew a guy that took a bike he had and beat it with a chain to make it look unappealing to thieves; it must of worked because his bike never got stolen. If theft is a problem make sure your using two different kinds of locks on your bike.

Actually, it's all up to him or her. ;-)

When I was able to commute by bicyle, I rode SPDs and stayed in them all day with no problem.

If he or she needs dress shoes at work, they don't have to be carried back and forth if they get left at work.

Sheldon "SPD Sandals" Brown

I'm having a vision of an internally geared hub in your future..

Best upgrade for any bike, especially a commuter would be to convert your wheel set to Stan's No Tubes. www.notubes.com
You save weight because you're getting rid of the tubes, (probably more savings than upgrading to an XT wheel set)
You don't have to worry about getting a flat unless you run pressure low enough to register zero on a gauge.
You can either buy a kit and convert it yourself, or ask the LBS if they'll do it for you.
This is a relatively inexpensive upgrade as well. And well worth the $80-$100

The cheapest way to improve your speed is to buy narrower tires instead of your 700x40.

For example, Performance has 700x28 for $10 each:
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=5420

They will still give you enough cushion.

Also, you should buy a new chain if it's never changed, some 8-speed SRAM.

Thanks guys, you all offer great suggestions. Much appreciated!

I'm going to the LBS today to get some new, thinner tires - the ones that came standard on the bike are really far too wide for commuting. Am considering all other suggestions as well.
Thanks, everybody!

OTOH, you can probably get an adjustable stem for very little money (I can get one for about US$15 here), so you could get one, find your preferred position and stem length/angle, then buy a proper stem with correct length and angle.

Lighter, lighter, lighter. Ditch any weight you can while still maintaining your comfort level. I'm unfamiliar with the setup of both of these hybrids, but I'd definitely ditch a suspension fork if either has one. If it's a flat commute, go single speed and eighty-six your shifters and derailleurs. +1 on replacing the suspension seatpost and adjustable stem. You'll be amazed at how much weight you were dragging around.

I knew there was something I'd missed on this thread on the first read - it's not clear if you've had this bike since new, but if you have, then:

100 miles/wk over 4 years = 4 x 5,200 = c21,000 miles. This is quite a lot of milage, and will have put a fair amount of wear onto drivetrain components, rims etc.

I'd agree with the postings made above (though will stay out of the stem debate) but would also say take a look at the state of the chainset, cassette, chain, rims, bearings (hub, bottom bracket, headset). I'm assuming you've been carrying out routine maintenance, but at this mileage it might be worth looking at these 'high mileage replacement' items to see if any failures are imminent, or if ,e.g., chainrings are worn to the point where replacement would bring about a big rise in performance.

Just a thought.

Here is a my dilemma. I looked at an eBay auction of the following:

Used MAVIC / SHIMANO ULTEGRA 600 WHEEL SET
* Auction Includes Both Front & Rear Wheel
* Auction Includes Shimano Ultegra Hiperglide 8sp cassette 12-21
* 700c Clincher Road Bike
* Front Skewer Included
* Shimano 7/8/9 speed Compatible
* Hubs are Shimano Ultegra 600
* Spokes 32 Front & Rear

These wheels sold for $96 delivered. But I really don't know enough about wheels to determine what is and isn't a good deal, given that it's a commuter bike that will see a lot of bad weather. The bike has a Shimano 7 cassette, currently.

Here's another set of wheels that seem like they will sell for very little:

# Wheel(s) Make = Weinmann
# Wheel Model = DP810
# Wheel Size = 700c
# Tubular/Clinchr = Clincher
# W. Spokes Front = 36
# W. Spokes Rear = 36
# Hub- Front = Shimano
# Hub- Rear = Shimano

How do I figure out if they are an improvement? I can't even find out specifications for what these wheels weighs. Also it appears you can use a spacer with a 7 cog cassette on these wheels, but where do I find them?

Narrower tyres are good for commuters but dont to too far. You need something fairly tough and reliable.
I find that a generous 28mm size (Schwalbe Marathon ) is about right for year round use although I could use a thinner one in summer. Money spend on a kevlar protection band is well spent.

You could lose a lot of weight by replacing the sus seatpost, adjustable stem and sus forks. Good ridgid forks can be quite springy but cheap ones are too stiff for comfort.
Do you have a track pump and is your bike kitted out with decent luggage, lights, lock etc.

I would do to the cypress what I have done to my Sedona.

1) Change to better tires.

2) Add bar ends

3) Replace the suspension fork with a rigid. I did it partly for weight, partly for handling. I didn't notice the weight savings, I did notice the handling.

My next change will probably be the seat post, as I have tightened mine so it doesn't move, and it works well for me, therefore, I save weight inexpensively without sacrificing comfort.

Well if the Frame is good and the components decent in some case's It makes it a $600.00 bike.

If done right you taylor your 300.00 bike to fit your needs, spend more than a new bike sure but the cost is spread out a lot and besides, upgrading is fun.

Good suggestions I can apply these to the wifes Giant Sedona