Paul <
[email protected]> wrote in news
pr8g56cxcxd4gh3@tarfax:
>
> I'm starting to err towards your line of thinking.
>
> I tried out a Rockhopper Comp Disc today, and don't get me wrong - it
> was good. But whilst the frame is certainly very good, many of the
> components on the bike are fairly average. I already have a frame
> that is pretty good (it might be ten years old, but it was a
> brilliant frame for the money when I bought it), so why don't I just
> build on that. The advantage of this route is that I can pick best
> of breed components in price brackets I'm interested in, e.g. get a
> good front fork, and groupset. Then at a later date I can upgrade
> the wheels / cockpit, and I should have a bike that is better than
> the Rockhopper Comp. If my frame gives up the ghost in a few years,
> I could just buy a new frame and transfer my hand-picked components
> on to it...
>
> I may be in danger of spending more than half the value of a new bike,
> but there is some logic there, I think!
>
>
>
> On Fri, 21 May 2004 21:00:26 -0400, The Nelson Paradigm
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> "Paul" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> | Have MTB's improved much over the past ten years? With my well
>> | used 10 yr old Trek 930 hardtail needing a whole new drivechain,
>> | and me considering entering a entry-level race sometime this year,
>> | I was thinking it about time to replace the whole bike with a Trek
>> | 6700 or similar.
>> |
>> | However I was shocked to see that this year's 6700 appears to be a
>> | few pounds heavier than my old 930! This makes me wonder whether
>> | it is better to keep my 10 year old Cromoly frame and spend the
>> | money on selectively upgrading the components on it instead. I
>> | could upgrade to Deore V-brakes (from cantilevers), and to LX
>> | 27-speed (from STX / Deore 21-speed), and even add front
>> | suspension, and still have a couple of hundred $$ left in my
>> | pocket.
>> |
>> | Or I could buy the Trek 6700, which is a very good frame, with
>> | pretty average components.
>>
>> My MTB is a 1994 Rockhopper Comp FS (full XT upgrade.) Every time I
>> see the
>> "next new thing" I go out and ride it and re-discover just how
>> perfectly dialed it is for me. When the frame does finally wear out,
>> I'll miss having
>> a triple butted full chromoly bike.
>>
>> The only drawback is I'm restricted to <80mm travel on the fork.
>> That's perfectly fine for me, as I'm using a 97 Manitou SX Ti (76mm
>> travel). As for the rest of the DT, go for it if the frame is good
>> enough for your needs.
>>
>> One rule of thumb we mention to our customers - if it costs more than
>> half
>> the price of a new bike, really think hard about what you're doing.
>>
>>
>> ---
>> __o
>> _`\(,_ Cycling is life,
>> (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details.
>> The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^=
>> http://intergalax.com
>> http://intbike.com
>> _______
>> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>> Version: 6.0.682 / Virus Database: 444 - Release Date: 5/11/2004
>>
>>
>
In my opinion, you should buy a new bike. You might save some money by
simply upgrading the components one at a time but there are some drawbacks
to that approach.
1. MTB frames do take a lot of abuse, and have a finite lifespan. I know
it depends on your style of riding and the number of hours on the frame,
but 10 years is old for a frame. Inspect it for any serious dents or signs
of stress fractures. If any exist, it is not really safe to keep riding
that frame.
2. Although it would initially cost more to buy a new bike than to replace
parts one at a time, you will ultimately spend less on parts that come
packaged on a prebuilt bike.
3. Technology has changed a huge amount in 10 years. Even hardtail
geometries have changed as riding styles have changed. Many
'recreational' bikes built 10 years ago had a racing type geometry that may
or may not suit your riding style these days.
4. Further to point #3, full suspension bikes are so much nicer these
days, and there are an increasing number that are priced reasonably well.
Whether FS suits you is a choice you need to make, but I for one am very
glad I decided to buy FS instead of another hardtail.
5. Don't be too beguiled by the names stuck on components... I think it
is worth buying a new bike with LX components rather than sticking XTR or
even XT on your existing frame. Although others will likely disagree, I
don't think the upgrade from LX to XTR is worth a fraction of the money
spent in the process. XT or XTR might look sexier and function a very
slight bit better than LX, but in the end, LX is a solid, functional,
affordable group of components. Also, I have many friends running XTR with
the dirtiest, oldest cables and their bikes shift like poo. A well
maintained LX drivetrain would kick ass on their setups. The same applies
to SRAM or what ever other manufacturers I can think of. I have been lured
into spending too much on new components (wheels, forks, tyres, and drive
train stuff) and despite all the cool reviews, I have not noticed a
tremendous improvement in my riding ability. Having said that, I did
notice a big difference changing from a 10 year old hardtail to my RM ETSX
frame.
6. Components break off and need to be replaced. Living on Vancouver
Island, I have decided that the frame and fork is where the money should be
spent and components are essentially disposable and as such should be a
compromise between high cost, sex appeal, and function.
So, if any of what I just stated makes sense to you, or seems to apply to
your particular situation, then strongly consider a new bike.
If you really cannot afford one, patch up your current bike, and save until
you can afford a new bike. The longer you wait, the better the bike you'll
get for a given price.
Ride many bikes before you purchase. Some brands offer excellent
components with solid frames for reasonable prices (ie Giant, Norco).
Others have such expensive frames that in order to make them somewhat
affordable, they run less expensive components on their 'low end' bikes -
which, as I have already proposed, work very well too.
Hope that helps a bit.
