what parts on my bike should be upgraded first?

Question

i need to lighten up my rig, and i am thinking about getting a new fork, crankset, tires and wheelset. i cant afford top of the line, tell me what you think about these-

Rock shox SID race or team model

XTR cranks - maybe a set of FSA carbon cranks

Mavic Crossride wheels - $180 at my lbs, and i get a 20% discount for working there.

as for tires, im thinking about a set of skinnies for XC race

im gonna sell my current parts to get some money to put towards my new purchases.

what else do you recommend i upgrade?

Answer 1

Spend your money on a good set of wheels and tires first. Period. Unless your fork is really crappy or worn out, save that for the next round. Keep in mind, if you're going to spend all that money on what are basically the most expensive parts on a bike, you might come out ahead saving up for a new bike. Seriously.

For wheels, I'd steer you to something besides Mavic, because their freewheel mechanism takes some attention, and they're just TERRIBLE about getting parts/warranty. They make decent products, but as a company I think they rather suck. If you're sold on Mavic, consider keeping the cranks you have (they don't make much difference honestly) and get a set of Crosstrails for $450. You'll appreciate them. Or find a set of wheels from Cane Creek, FSA, DT Swiss, or one of the many other brands in that $250 - $500 range that will suit your riding style. There are lots of house wheelsets for sale pretty cheap, too.....many of them come with a LX or XT hubs laced to various rims. Those are decent choices, and they're usually in the $150 - $250 range. They won't be as light as more expensive wheels, but they're not bad at all, and you won't be stuck in Mavic's empire. (Can I stress that enough?) :o)

Back to the cranks.....they really don't make much difference. The chainrings do, though! Unless you're concerned about the brand name you're sporting on the side of the crankarm, you might just invest in some good rings when your current ones are worn out.....and use all that money saved toward a new fork or whatever else you feel like changing on the bike.

And go work for a shop that will sell you parts at 10% or 20% above cost, not 20% below retail. Sheesh! lol :o)

Answer 2

I was wondering when you'd come back asking about more stuff... welcome back.

Can I suggest something? How about keeping your bike specced as-is until you get more riding on it. Seems to me you haven't even had time to dial your old stuff in yet.

Having the bike perfectly suited to your riding takes AT LEAST a couple of months, and having this stuff set up will give you far more performance advantage than any possible weight savings.

When I worked at a shop I was ridiculed for riding a 15 or 20 year old steel framed bike while everyone else was riding aluminum, Ti, and carbon fiber. My bike outweighed the heaviest one by at least 5 pounds. Heck, my bike then didn't even have indexed shifting. To make a long story short, they stopped laughing and started gasping for air when they tried to catch up to me.

Work with what you have and learn to be happy with your rig.

Answer 3

legitimate motives to enhance a million. section is already broken or wiped out 2. section isn't assembly your expectation of weight or overall performance. 3. section in query is in many cases a susceptible spot for Clydesdales, and failure of that section would desire to reason catastrophic crashes/harm. (crank arm, handlebar) 3. you may handle to pay for to do in spite of you %, in spite of ways lots experience it makes(nicely, then you somewhat would desire to have offered the main suitable in the 1st place). Illegitimate motives to enhance a million. through fact your human beings instructed you to 2. on the grounds which you think of you may would desire to enhance, yet do no longer know what the earnings is. I continuously think of you will desire to get your moneys nicely worth, even from inferior areas. Use them till at last their broken. in the journey that your plan became into to take this hardtail and do dirtjumps, hucking, or downhilling...i'd say you acquire the incorrect bike. in case you intend on driving on paved trails, fireplace roads, rail trails, and mild-weight singletrack, your bike will serve you nicely. individually, for the cost, i'd have expected to work out extra advantageous wheel hubs in the spec sheet. in the journey that your purpose is to make your bike lighter, then you somewhat've a diverse concern on the grounds which you're no longer possibly to interrupt your inventory seat post, seat, handlebars, stem, hubs, and so on...yet those are precisely the areas which you would be waiting to keep some weight. replace those as funds facilitates and objectives mandate.

Answer 4

Replace your tires and wheelset first. Probably that's where it's going to be more noticeable the weight difference.

Answer 5

Get the fork first

Answer 6

is it that time of year again???!