Advice on upgrading my bike

[Stray Cat]

hey guys

 

So when i get back home, Ive decided to start slowly upgrading my bike.

 

I currently ride a 2010 Merida 96 3000D, it weighs about 13 or Kgs, cant remembe exactly, so Id like to shed a Kilo or two and also upgrade a few of the components to better spec ones

 

So first on my list is tubless and new tyres as they are almost completely worn out

But id like to get new handle bars, seat post and a more comfy seat as well as a new set of wheels (but Ill have to save up for that)

 

The question is,

1) With regards to getting a new stem, handle bars, seat post , what should I look out for? Which brands, to go carbon or not to go carbon etc? Im currently not the most knowledgable when it comes to that, although I am trying really hard to get there

2) For wheels, same as above, what should I be looking out for?

 

I would appreciate your comments, soory that its a bit vague,

 

Enjoy the public holiday guys

 

cheers

[Palaeodom]

On small components like seat posts and stems i would reckon go with Aluminium, KCNC do some super lightweight scandium stuff which is awsome but costs lots. for the smaller stuff aluminium and alloys are often as light and require less maintanance than the carbon bits with the sacrifice of the bling. If you want carbon i'd go for Ritchey WCS carbon as its great quality carbon.

 

Handlebars...carbon is the idea, is more comfy and reduces trail vibrations.

 

Bear in mind if you start along this track it'll cost lots of money, each upgrade when you get into the high end stuff will cost about R1000. For instance, KCNC seatpost R850+, Ritchey Carbon seatpost R900+.

[chris_w_65]

Rather buy a higher spec bike

[Yellow Zebra]

Upgrading your bike TO SAVE WEIGHT is one of the most expensive things you can do to a bike; if, for example, you buy parts and a frame individually, it could cost you more than the cost of a complete bike (lots of examples of this in the motor-industry - try and build a car from parts, and you'll see what I mean!)

 

So there is a 'saving' if you like, in buying a complete up-specced bike rather than trying to up-spec an original bike.

 

Then there are two 'types of weight on a bike - ROTATIONAL weight (pedals, rims, chain, tires, cranks, etc) and STATIC weight (things that don't go round!).

 

Rotational weight is the FIRST place to save weight - within reason - because it carries a heavier 'weight penalty' than static weight, so handlebars and seat etc should be LAST on your list, imho.

 

I have gone this route before, and the BEST course of action - honestly - is to upgrade to a lighter bike after many months of hard saving - called delayed gratification - put up a poster of your intended future purchase in your garage or wherever, and then save/save/save. Because chances are if your existing bike is specd with 'heavier' parts, then the frame, etc will also be heavier.

 

Keen to hear your thoughts...

[Palaeodom]

This is true.

 

I'm more an instant gratification kind of guys which is why i've got no money. There are some quite light frames around the hub at the moment that would form the foundations for some really nice machines...if you choose to go the pre-owned route, which is not a bad idea on the big things like frames and wheels, then i'd stay away from carbon.

[Stray Cat]

Upgrading your bike TO SAVE WEIGHT is one of the most expensive things you can do to a bike; if, for example, you buy parts and a frame individually, it could cost you more than the cost of a complete bike (lots of examples of this in the motor-industry - try and build a car from parts, and you'll see what I mean!)

 

So there is a 'saving' if you like, in buying a complete up-specced bike rather than trying to up-spec an original bike.

 

Then there are two 'types of weight on a bike - ROTATIONAL weight (pedals, rims, chain, tires, cranks, etc) and STATIC weight (things that don't go round!).

 

Rotational weight is the FIRST place to save weight - within reason - because it carries a heavier 'weight penalty' than static weight, so handlebars and seat etc should be LAST on your list, imho.

 

I have gone this route before, and the BEST course of action - honestly - is to upgrade to a lighter bike after many months of hard saving - called delayed gratification - put up a poster of your intended future purchase in your garage or wherever, and then save/save/save. Because chances are if your existing bike is specd with 'heavier' parts, then the frame, etc will also be heavier.

 

Keen to hear your thoughts...

 

Yeah >I agree with you here, Id love to upgrade my my bike, but at the moment I dont exactly have the funds to buy a new bike at the moment and to be truthfully honest I am loving my bike at the moment.

 

The reasons for the upgrade are not neccessarily to save weight, part of it is to have a little side project and the other reason is to basically learn as much about my "bike" as possible as I am not that clued up when it comes to different components, set ups etc, so in my mind its easier for me to learn by actually researching etc as I go along, plus, like I said, its a good little project that wont kill my bank balance in one go

[Yellow Zebra]

I understand your needs a little better, thanks.

 

So my advice would be:

1) first choice a new/2nd hand lighter bike,

or

2) upgrade your rotational parts first

then

3) upgrade your parts, seat, bars, etc.

 

Since you might save only 200g on a seat, but could save say 400grams+ on very good tires, maybe consider your tire options very carefully - mtb's carry a lot of ruibber compared to say a road bike, and there is a fair bit of weight that can be saved, of course dep[ending on your riding needs.

 

pedals can also be4 a weighty item, when weighed together as a opair, so IF you want to research new pedals, then you could save weight here, and you might improve on pedal FUNCTIONALITY compared to what you cot, AND it's rotational weight!

 

Good luck

[droo]

A point from the peanut gallery - controls (stem, bars, seatpost) need to be strong. I hope I don't have to explain. Thomson beats KCNC any day of the week, and if you keep an eye out you'll find 2nd hand stuff in good nick for a very decent price. KCNC stems and posts are fine if you weigh 50, but I've heard way too many stories of failure.

 

(That said, their handlebars seem to be pretty bombproof)

[Robrider]

My 2c

 

I've had 2 kcnc seatposts (on 2 sepperate bikes) for 2 years and the kcnc bars for a year now, and i have never had a problem with them. They are extremely light (even lighter than alot of the carbon alternatives) and very cheap in comparison (around R600 each).

 

another big weight saver as mentioned is pedals. Look at the crank brothers eggbeater (or candy) range, you could knock off over 200g quite easily on that alone (and bottom of the range egg beaters are lighter than XTRs)

 

Going lighter with tyres in my opinion is a trade off. The rubber stops puncutres, sidewall cuts, etc. If you go lighter there, you could have problems (but some people still swear that they don't).

 

Wheels are probibly the single most effective upgrade in my opinion, but you will pay alot for good wheels.

 

This may sounds stupid, but if you going for grams, look at your grips too... I saved 100g but changing grips and that was to cheap (R30) foam grips. Some people will pay thousands for a weight saving like that on their components.

 

Saddles it is possible to save weight, but your comfort must come first. No point paying alot for a light saddle that is uncomfortable and spoils your riding experience.

[AndreZA]

Carbon is not lighter the alu if you work it out go $/gr. Thomson finishing kit is the best but it is not light. A good middle man is Ritchey WCS components. Saddles are a personal choice, you can not just buy a light one and think it's gonna fit you arse. You can save quite a bit of weight by getting foam grips. Get Stan's or American Classic wheels. Look Quartz are good lightweight pedals.

[Stray Cat]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice

 

Ive been doing some research and I think Ill slowly upgrade smoe parts as I go along. Like some of the posts above suggest the best way to upgrade and get a lighter bike would be to just buy one, but at the moment Im just not in that position and to be truthfully honest I would like to become a better rider before I upgrade to a better lighter bike

I definately would like to get some new wheels, but Ill need to do some research on that as I pretty much Know F&@"k all about them

 

For interests sake, what is the best way to learn (so to speak) about the various other components etc and simple bike maintenance, Ive got a book for christmas on bike maintenance -Zen and the art of mountain bike maintenance - it is pretty usefull, but, I am more of a practical guy and sometimes pictures etc dont help me much Are there any courses etc that I could go to etc?

[pauloc]

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice

 

Ive been doing some research and I think Ill slowly upgrade smoe parts as I go along. Like some of the posts above suggest the best way to upgrade and get a lighter bike would be to just buy one, but at the moment Im just not in that position and to be truthfully honest I would like to become a better rider before I upgrade to a better lighter bike

I definately would like to get some new wheels, but Ill need to do some research on that as I pretty much Know F&@"k all about them

 

For interests sake, what is the best way to learn (so to speak) about the various other components etc and simple bike maintenance, Ive got a book for christmas on bike maintenance -Zen and the art of mountain bike maintenance - it is pretty usefull, but, I am more of a practical guy and sometimes pictures etc dont help me much Are there any courses etc that I could go to etc?

 

One bit of advice I can offer from experience is to do a quick sum of what you'll be spending on each of the parts you're looking to upgrade. Depending on the extent of your planned upgrades, you may find it easier / better value for money to just take the knock and buy a complete bike. I've been upgrading my bike over the past few months and it's got to the stage where if I'd known how much I was going to spend I may have re-considered the piece-by-piece upgrade

[pauloc]

For interests sake, what is the best way to learn (so to speak) about the various other components etc and simple bike maintenance, Ive got a book for christmas on bike maintenance -Zen and the art of mountain bike maintenance - it is pretty usefull, but, I am more of a practical guy and sometimes pictures etc dont help me much Are there any courses etc that I could go to etc?

 

If pictures speak a thousand words, then videos speak a thousand pictures I've found a lot of very useful tutorials on YouTube and BikeTutor covering all aspects of bike repair / maintenance. You can also check out the ParkTool website for detailed tutorials.