I love irony.

Like many new bike owners, you've been infected with upgradeitis. This deadly(to your wallet) disease distorts the perception of the victim into thinking that money will solve their problems and that a lighter bike should be the focus of their expenditures.

I myself was once afflicted with this malady but a bearded sage down at the Temple (LBS) advised me to simply ride what I had until it could go no more. At which time, I would be enlightened and would clearly see that I was no slower than the riders with $2,000 wheelsets and ceramic bearings and carbon fiber bottle cages.


Keep the Rush Hour as it is and only when parts start failing should you upgrade. By that time, you'll know your bike and your needs much better. Hauling that bike up and down the stairs will just make your arms and shoulders stronger to match your legs. You can use your other arm to haul beer and even the load.


Since inexpensive is a relative term you'll have to provide a dollar amount in order to receive quality responses. To upgrade significantly anything on your bike you'll be spending a good chunk of money so it's a good idea to be sure you know the effect of any such upgrade besides lightening the wallet.

i concur
ride the bike, invest in a good saddle at least but ride everything else until it breaks
the rush hour seems like a great ride...it was on my list when i was shopping around before deciding on a steamroller i was riding a 30 lb conversion around for about a yr or so threw the snow and all over the place...i feel spoiled riding the 20 lb steamer

Solid advice. I especially liked the part that urged me not to spend any money right now.
I've decided to remove the cog and lockring and buy a new saddle. I'm also in the process of removing all of the stickers on the frame. That should lighten the load considerably ;)

BTW, the 08 Rush Hour is indeed a nice smooth ride. I've only put about 30 miles on it so far but its been a lot of fun.

Loose the bar plugs,
remove grips go with 12" chopped aero carbon flatbar.
remove fork stem cap,
remove valve caps.
drill speed holes in the frame, seatpost, bars, cranks, chainring, hubs,
replace spokes with kevlar string,
remove seat and replace with carbon fiber and ti.
remove pedal cages and ride on the spindles,
ride naked,
shave everything.
Sunburn + peel = lost weight.
Plus...
Make sure you go to the bathroom before you ride.

/\
you left out meditating to clear those heavy thoughts
:thumb:

The whole zen thing takes care of that. But, yeah, whatever everyone else said, fork, wheels, pedals, etc.

when i first bought my new bike, i was also suffering from upgradeitis pretty bad. however i told myself i wasn't allowed to change anything on the bike until i put 500 miles on it. 3 weeks and 500 miles later, i switched the seat and the grips. that's it!

This is stupid. You may ride "safer" but the brakes guarantee YOUR safety. An accident is an accident and if you have to stop in case of an emergency, it doesn't matter how "safe" you're riding.

I totally hear you. If you are determined to lose some weight on your Rush Hour, then by all means go for it. However, I can tell you that it will cost you a few hundred dollars (as much as the cost of your bike or more) to lose 2 to 3 pounds. Carrying an extra 2 to 3 pounds up four flights of stairs can be felt, I'm sure, but you will condition yourself in no time that the extra 2 to 3 pounds will mean nothing to you. But the $500 or more that you spent on lighter wheels and several new (carbon fiber) components will be felt for much longer. Unless, that is, you're very wealthy.