Upgrade what on Gary Fisher Tarpon

[roger0246]

I have a 2003 Gary Fisher Tarpon, Completly stock and i need to fix it for tough trails. What would be some good upgrades to do to it?

 

[Greg-O]

just ride it till it breaks. in the future, you might want to get clipless pedals and shoes. other than that, just keep riding it until something fails. then upgrade

 

[ireman_1]

just ride it till it breaks. in the future, you might want to get clipless pedals and shoes. other than that, just keep riding it until something fails. then upgrade

That's the way you should do it. Unless something about the bike isn't allowing you to ride what/how you want then ride the hell out of it and have fun. Some of the common "1st" things that get swapped are forks, pedals, derailleurs. No one item will make a bike invincible or awesome. Ride it and replace what falls off or quits working like it should. Have fun and keep the rubber side down.

K.

 

[roger0246]

That's the way you should do it. Unless something about the bike isn't allowing you to ride what/how you want then ride the hell out of it and have fun. Some of the common "1st" things that get swapped are forks, pedals, derailleurs. No one item will make a bike invincible or awesome. Ride it and replace what falls off or quits working like it should. Have fun and keep the rubber side down.

What a cooincidence today riding down a trail at about 20mph i shift and bam, the chain slips of the crank wheel and almost ate a hole through the aluminum frame. This is not the first time this happend. Usually the chain slips slightly when i take off or try to pass someone, but this kind of slipping is rediculos and slipping every time i take off. I alredy expect it comming when i take off. Any sugesstions would be helpful.

-Roger

 

[ireman_1]

That's the way you should do it. Unless something about the bike isn't allowing you to ride what/how you want then ride the hell out of it and have fun. Some of the common "1st" things that get swapped are forks, pedals, derailleurs. No one item will make a bike invincible or awesome. Ride it and replace what falls off or quits working like it should. Have fun and keep the rubber side down.

What a cooincidence today riding down a trail at about 20mph i shift and bam, the chain slips of the crank wheel and almost ate a hole through the aluminum frame. This is not the first time this happend. Usually the chain slips slightly when i take off or try to pass someone, but this kind of slipping is rediculos and slipping every time i take off. I alredy expect it comming when i take off. Any sugesstions would be helpful.

-Roger

It could be a (very) poorly adjusted derailleur, a worn-out chain, or damaged chainring (or all of the above). Anyone reasonably familiar with tuning a bike can tell you which (if any) of the above it is. If you want to check it out yourself then Park tools website is VERY helpful. There are several other self-help sites that are quality as well. It would take your LBS just a few minutes (and a few of your $$$) to correct any of the issues mentioned. Let us know what happens and try to have fun.

K.

 

[roger0246]

It could be a (very) poorly adjusted derailleur, a worn-out chain, or damaged chainring (or all of the above). Anyone reasonably familiar with tuning a bike can tell you which (if any) of the above it is. If you want to check it out yourself then Park tools website is VERY helpful. There are several other self-help sites that are quality as well. It would take your LBS just a few minutes (and a few of your $$$) to correct any of the issues mentioned. Let us know what happens and try to have fun.

That could be the problem, I noticed the crank wheel or chain ring is worn out. I dont know about the chain but i have had the bike almost 1 year and havent changed it. The gears shift smothly and dont make much noise so i really dont know what the problem but ill keep trying for fix it. Thanks for all your help.

-Roger

 

[roger0246]

One more question for you, what do you think would be a good bike for me for good trails and some street riding considering i am 240lbs. I'd like to get a beter MTB made for roads because i do alot of road biking. Maybe you would know of a good road bike made for my kind of weight. Suggestions??

-Roger

 

[ireman_1]

One more question for you, what do you think would be a good bike for me for good trails and some street riding considering i am 240lbs. I'd like to get a beter MTB made for roads because i do alot of road biking. Maybe you would know of a good road bike made for my kind of weight. Suggestions??

-Roger

Well, any mtb will ride the road alright (especially if you have a set of slicks specifically for the roads). I myself am a clydesdale rider (6'3" 250lbs). I don't own a road bike, however I have ridden a couple of my buddie's road bikes. I was particularly "impressed" by the Douglas bike. It's sort of an off brand (I think it's made for Colorado cyclist or something) and pretty inexpensive for what it is (sub $2K). The other one was a Fuji and was alright as well. They both rode well and seemed to be built well. I didn't care for the wheelset on the Douglas (some Mavic fancy set made for the tiny folks in the world). The Fuji was cheap as well (under $1000 on sale). I can check on some other bikes if you like.

K.

 

[roger0246]

If you can, that would be great. Maybe you can clear something up for me, what exactly is a clipless pedal. I wear a size 13 so i havent really bothered to look for and shoes and pedals, maybe you can help on that one, under 100$ would be doable. Thanks again.

-Roger

 

[ireman_1]

If you can, that would be great. Maybe you can clear something up for me, what exactly is a clipless pedal. I wear a size 13 so i havent really bothered to look for and shoes and pedals, maybe you can help on that one, under 100$ would be doable. Thanks again.

-Roger

Give me a few on the road bike thing; I'll ask around for opinions from the roadies at the shop I frequent/ride with.

"Clipless" pedals are the ones that don't have the toe straps and cages, but still "hold" or bind your foot/shoe to the pedals via a "binding" type device (not mechanically similar to a ski binding, but the same idea, sort of). Many people dig them since they can be easier to get into when starting out and instances of ones foot slipping off the pedal is almost eliminated. I hope that helps (?).

There are many (many) different types of clipless pedals. I've personally ridden with two shimano variations and the most recent Cook Bros. offerings (Mallet C, Candy, etc). I liked the Shimanos when I lived in western Colorado (not a lot of mud/muck), but once I moved to Oregon I really began to hate them (we have lots of mud/muck/sand/etc). The Mallets have been holding up well and don't seem to have any problem shedding mud and such. They were a bit tricky getting into during the "break-in" period, but after the first hundred miles or so they have been groovy.

If you search around the "bargain" internet places (Supergo, Performance bike, Cambria, etc) you can often find clipless pedals w/shoe packages for not much over $100. I paid $75 for my Mallet C pedals early last year. Shoes are even more subjective than pedals I think. I have a size 14 foot that can "sometimes" squeeze into a 13. I currently have a pair of old Shimano shoes I have had for eons (I've been planning on replacing them, but something else always gets my attention!). The european sizing of a lot of shoes can be confusing. I need a size 47 or 48 (depends, but almost always a 48) the Shimanos are a 48, but someone said it's impossible to find Shimanos in a 48 any more; I don't know about that though.

You just have to try the shoes on to figure them out. *Lots* of people swear by the Sidi Dominator shoe. I've tried them on, but couldn't tell a big enough difference between them and a lot of the other shoes I've tried (Lake, Adidas, 661). The Sidis were OVER $200 and if I spend $200 on bike specific shoes then that will take away from tattoo money. My wife cringes everytime she walks by my bikes and I remind her (just to give her a hard time) we could have gone to Europe for a few weeks on what my FS bike cost so I have to pick my battles.

Check-out the internet sites and try on some shoes locally. Take care.

K.