Upgrade on a 26"

[AndySteyn]

Hi Chaps,

 

hope i can get some solid advice:

 

I have 4 Trans Baviaans, plus W2W, and a few other great rides under the belt but i know nothing about bikes. I still ride my 26'' S-Worx Stumpy. I have the bike serviced before a race and to date have been super lucky not to have a break because it would be race over for me. Luck won't last forever though and i'm experiencing some hassles lately.

 

i don't ride enough to justify a new one ....- Yet. Can i maybe upgrade my bike by buying group sets and the like on the Hub? 

 

it doesn't really help we get technical here, my knowledge on whether a component will fit a 26'' or 29'' is obviously lacking, what do you guys say? (besides go to the pro's). Are the group sets 26/29 tailored specific?

 

Cheers for the help!

[Eugéne Alberts]

You can upgrade with sets bought off the hub.

 

Whereabouts do you live?

[MORNE]

groupset specific....MOST things are interchangeable between 26,650b and 29....hell even some road stuff will fit. There are a few things you have to take into consideration though.

 

before I get to "upgrades"...you'll certainly be able to find exact replacements or similar stuff to what you currently have on your bike if you are happy with your range and ratios etc.

 

1: At the front, Boost vs non boost spaced cranks/chainrings....but with direct mount rings that's an easy change between the two by changing the ring offset (3/6mm) only. You'll have a non boost setup on your bike and presumably NOT 1x(?)...as in you'll have more than 1 ring up front with with front gears?. You could easily go 1x by just getting a narrow/wide chain ring at the front with the size of your choice and removing the front derailleur and expanding the range in the rear  so don't stress too much about this...it's quite an easy conversion.

 

2: at the rear you  should be able to fit all the latest cassettes and derailleurs.  Some things to take into consideration is whether you currently have Shimano or Sram components, as they use different freehubs on the rear wheel where the cassette goes on. No biggy though....if you have a Sram XD rear freehub then anything SRAM GX eagle and up should fit. if it is a Shimano freebody...almost eveything else will fit....including SRAM NX eagle(uses shimano splines). Everything from 7 speed and up will fit on the same shimano freehub too.

 

Extra: depending on your frame's headtube setup you might be able to upgrade the fork tosomething current in 650b guise and still run 26" wheels in it. You'll probably have to upgrade the hubs as well then to conform to a new axle standard. Obviously wheels are not interchangble between 26 and 29 lol, but depending on your frame clearance in the rear you MIGHT be able to squeeze a 650b wheel/tire combo in there...but that is a bit more of a "try and see"kind of thing unless someone on here can guarantee they have tried it and it works with the model you have. there are other considerations then as well regarding axle standards and maximum tire size etc but i'll leave it there for now.

[King_Crispy]

You should be able to change to an 11 speed without any mods to anything. If you do end up going that route, I strongly suggest you fit a new chain, cassette and chainrings. Be warned, it's not going to be a very cheap project though

[MORNE]

1x11 (11-46) SLX m7000 can be had for ±2k at cwc at the moment...I upgraded my wifes bike this weekend...sommer got her the 1x11 upgrade including m7000 crank for 3.5k total at cwc. hella cheap special.

 

https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/shimano-slx-m7000-11spd-upgrade-kit

 

https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/shimano-slx-m7000-11sp-upgrade-kit-crankset

[ChrisF]

WELCOME to the Hub 

 

Andy have a look here - https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/181779-mongoose-rebuild-project/

 

ALL of these components fit the same on a 26'' and 29er 

[Beard]

Older bikes that dont have boost spacing at the rear, can they fit the 11x or 12x rear cassettes?

[Mett]

I assume you have quite narrow bars on that bike, I’d suggest getting something a bit wider + 740mm, depending on your comfort. Perhaps some new grips. To me that made a big difference in feel.

[Shebeen]

Unless you are replacing a drivetrain, there is very little gain in changing to a 1x11 system.

 

It really depends on the kit on the bike, but what I would look out for is a nice set of wheels. There must be a lot of high end 26 wheels sitting around gathering dust, and with a bit of luck you can get light strong and cheap

 

Otherwise if you really feel the need to spend cash get a dropper post

[Shebeen]

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/362442-carbon-dt-swiss-xcr12-26-1200grams/

 

 

HOT HOT HOT HOT!

[MORNE]

Older bikes that dont have boost spacing at the rear, can they fit the 11x or 12x rear cassettes?

the casettes basically stay the same width all the way from 8 speed....they just force more cogs in there at narrower spacing...thats why the chains get narrower too. I run 11 speed chains on my 10 speed groupset for better shifting.

 

on a normal shimano MTB hub you can run 8/9/10/11 speed just fine. road casettes differ in width.

 

dont have personal experience with 1x12...but can 100% confirm what Chris has in his build thread-  1x11 works fine on a non boost frame, QR wheelset that was upgraded from a 3x9 setup.

[Shebeen]

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/362442-carbon-dt-swiss-xcr12-26-1200grams/

 

 

HOT HOT HOT HOT!

[Eugene]

I seem to remember someone on this site showing a picture of this bike with 650b wheels.

 

If they do fit, you could upgrade your wheels.

[ChrisF]

Older bikes that dont have boost spacing at the rear, can they fit the 11x or 12x rear cassettes?

 

I just converted an older (non-boost) to a 1x11 as per post #6 

[droo]

Frame, fork and wheels are specific to wheel size. Everything else fits. Mostly.

 

Find someone - not a salesman - with decent technical knowledge, take him your bike and a 6 pack, and see if you can narrow down what it is you need to replace before you start throwing money at non-issues based on not understanding the problem.

 

You'll be surprised what you can get away with if you're smart about it.

[Shebeen]

Frame, fork and wheels are specific to wheel size. Everything else fits. Mostly.

 

Find someone - not a salesman - with decent technical knowledge, take him your bike and a 6 pack, and see if you can narrow down what it is you need to replace before you start throwing money at non-issues based on not understanding the problem.

 

You'll be surprised what you can get away with if you're smart about it.

Best advice