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Apologies if this thread exists elsewhere but I haven't found it. I recently got into cycling again and decided not to splurge on a new bike and picked up a decentish 2nd hand bike. I am loving the sport and am in a constant love hate relationship with my bike, possibly bike envy and the love for something new/ more upgraded. I have a 29er hard tail, I love the look of my bike all the angles are great and aggressive but it has a Shimano Altus 3 x 9 drive train which I am not so happy with. So my questions are: is it possible to convert it to a 1 x 10/11/12? Is this a conversion that I could do? Or would it be better / more cost effective to simply buy something newer?

Hi there. I need advice on my upgrade. I recently bought a 12 speed upgrade for my 11 speed. I first double checked that the hub doesn't have to change and from what I saw, I was good to go. I thought, 'heck let's try to do this myself'. So I fit the 12 speed GX eagle and everything seem to fit, but when I place my wheel on the bike and tighten it, the cassette doesn't seem to move freely backwards. Forwards it's free though. What am I doing wrong

I'd like to upgrade my wife's bike to Eagle so it fits on my Kickr with an Eagle cassette. The bike is currently running a Shimano SLX M7000 2x11 groupset with some other components: Cranks: Shimano SLX FC-M7000-11-B2 (170mm) Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB-MT500-PA, 41x92mm shellCassette: Shimano SLX CS-M7000, 11-42 toothHub Rear: Syncros XR2.5 CL / Boost 148x12mm I'd prefer to upgrade to GX, since I've read and heard lots of bad things about the quality of NX derailleurs and shifters. The three issues I have are that 1) I need to keep 170mm cranks and 2) I need to change to a XD freehub (or not) and 3) I have no idea if that bottom bracket will work with Eagle cranks if I need to change. The XD freehub is the easy part - I know I can simply stick with the NX cassette (this is probably an okay compromise) and I think the Syncros hub can be changed to use a DT Swiss XD freehub if I do change to the GX cassette. Where I need some help is with the crankset. I don't think that any GX Eagle groupset kits come with 170mm cranks as standard. What are my other options for cranks? Is there any way to keep the existing SLX cranks and fit a 1x12 compatible chainring? If I do end up getting the 170mm GX/NX Eagle cranks, will they fit that Shimano BB?

Anyone know where shall I trade in my bike for a better new bike? Looking someplace in Pretoria. Your advise will be appreciate.

Hey Guys First thread on here so take it easy on me haha... I have a Cannondale Trail 29 Hardtail. Used to ride a bit of DH at varsity (I sucked, good at crashing though.) and then focused on paddling and running the last 8-10 years. I decided to get back onto a bike cos it's fun and you can do such a cool mix of long explorey days and cool techy trail rides. Anyway, I bought my budget Cannondale Hardtail with tubeless done and the front derailleur removed by the previous owner as he was just using it to keep miles off his fancy bike for beachfront rides etc. I got it for R 9 500 only a year old in immaculate shape. So its 1x10 SLX and has the Shimano branded but no specific name (SLX / Deore etc) brakes. I manage 95% of the time with the 1x10 as he put on a 40t big cog - spin out on the downs obviously but that's fine. 34t chainring. I've done close to 100km days pretty comfortably and I manage most of the steep tech stuff ok too. I think that 1x11 would obviously be better if I want to do some stage / longer 1 day races. The brakes are also adequate but not much more than that. What sort of price would I be able to pick up a SLX 11 speed rear derailleur and cassette and some better brakes? Happy to trawl the used section of the hub until I can find something! I've put on wider Ritchey bars and a shorter (50mm) stem as it's a large and I'm probably in between M and L frames. Do you think it's worthwhile? I'm happy and comfortable on my bike and riding some pretty decent distances / speeds and technical stuff so don't feel the need to go full sus any time soon due to extra cost and service requirements etc.

My latest Trance still is using the Giant dropper with the same lever that been there since the first post. Nothing horrifically bad about it, but after riding a bike with a Fox that had the lever under the bar, when I saw that Lyne Components had one that was modded to fit the Giant Dropper, I picked one up. Here's the lever I've faithfully been using on a Trance or three over the years (well, each had it's own one) across the different versions of the Giant droppers they have fitted, right to my current Trance Advance with the 150mm dropper. Here they are side by side: And here is the little 3D printed piece to accommodate the way that Giant cable needs to be tightened. Dayle from Lyne told me this when I collected the lever (damn, it was good service, I emailed as I was in the area and 30min later was collecting!)... This was a high-speed "mod" slash "upgrade" to my bike, and only needed these two tools: So, now to find the perfect spot to put the lever on the bar, and lets say the first issue (well, only issue really) popped up. Fitting to the left of the brake lever meant that it was just too far "left" if that makes sense. And at the "perfect spot" it was unable to engage because it hit into the clamp for my brakes. So after a little bit of left and right, settled on what worked best for me: Then because the Giant Dropper lever had that unsightly, shitty long tube thing out of it for the adjuster, there was plenty of cable to pull through the lever's tightening mechanism. I first backed on 1 to 2mm of spacing on the adjuster barrel just incase I went ape-**** and over tightened the cable. Then the problem is that there is no real way to get the cable cutters to get any closer to this finger-stabbing-leftover: So, although I'm no boer, I made a plan. Whilst the plan was not elegant, the solution was. haha. I simply pressed the cable into the hole with an allen key and now it looks great. Totally invisible whilst it's all mashed up and frayed like Zuma's brain. And here we go! Lever fitted. Literally, even with taking pics, this was a 10min operation. VERDICT? Money well spent, and the leverage is a lot more than the Giant one, so the action is really soft with hardly any force required to press / operate the dropper. It would be great if it could sit 8mm or so more to the left (and not contact the brake lever clamp), but It's just so much better than the standard one. Best 200 bucks and 10min spent on the bike in years. EDIT TO ADD: took a ride or two to get used to, but now wonder how I ever pressed the lever without such a light action and having to move my thumb up with the old one.

Hi guys, I'm looking to upgrade to a new MTB, think it's about time to say goodbye to my old faithful 26er. I just need advice on the sizing of a 29er. I'm 1,89m, I currently ride a 21' XL frame. Somehow it feels like I can't get any good XL MTB deals within my budget, so I want to know if I find a good deal on a large MTB, should I take it, or rather stick to a XL frame. Thanks

Being new to mtb I recently got a 2014 Anthem X29er 1 which I absolutely love . I intend getting the Giant dropper post for it but what would be other worthwhile upgrades for it if any. It's SLX throughout with XT rd. Would any upgrades be noticeable to me with my limited experience in mtb ? Your commets will be greatly appreciated

Hi guys Currently have Shimano 2300 (8spd) on my Specialized Secteur. Been riding for about 2 years now and feel like it's time for an upgrade. Have got no issues with the brakes or crank (compact), but the shifting is starting to bug me. Also would like to get a wider range cassette, maybe something like a 11-26 (13-26 current). Don't have a fortune to spend, so my question is is it worth it to upgrade to Tiagra components, or should I hold out and replace with 105's? Thanks

Hi guys. I am posed with a bit of a problem. I am looking at buying a entry level MTB. The plan is to ride once during the week and then over the weekends. Then doing at least one fun ride (about 10km) every 2 months. I am about 1.7 tall. (Read short). I have been looking at the Axis A60 (26'') hydraulic disc brakes or the Trek Marlin (29'') with mechanical disc brakes. The issue now is... do i go for a 26'' with better specs or for a 29'' and maybe look to upgrade components later. Alternatively the secondhand market is a entirely different prospect, but it does come down to the same question 29'' / 650b small frame (not too common for a good price) or a 26'' with reasonable specs (because everyone seems to be selling them to upgrade to 29'')? Please help?