Justin Posted December 10, 2009 Share Hi I have a V-brake setup bike. All entry level parts. Rims are Alex rims, Kenda Kamodo tires, shifters shimano ez fire, casette 8spd, fork RST Gila Coil (very crap fork). So, I currently have the option to upgrade wheelset to tubeless (Mavic and bontrager, xt hubs, racing ralph tires) , the shifters to XT shifter/brake combo, 9spd slx casette and chain ...for R2000 or Upgrade fork to RST First Air fork for R2100? What to do, what to do?Justin2009-12-10 03:01:02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adogshow Posted December 10, 2009 Share Do the other stuff first. then save up, get a fork. cos to do the others gets really pricy and for R2k, that seems a bargain to me. So obviously the wheelset is v-brake? is it also disc brake compatible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Brunsdon Posted December 10, 2009 Share Justin, I've got an entry level bike (Giant Rock) and upgrading as I go along. Go with the R2K bundle first. An air fork is about > R2K from guys like PlanetX so no real rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 10, 2009 Share So obviously the wheelset is v-brake? is it also disc brake compatible? Yes, only V-brake. Thing is, currently my wheelset and casette is fine. I'm happy with 24spd. My fork however is atrocious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissVan Posted December 10, 2009 Share Go for the 1st upgrade (wheels, brakes, shifters etc...) RST air fork is not much of an upgrade... especialy compared to tubeless wheel set, 9spd XT brakes/shifters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodTi Posted December 10, 2009 Share I'm probably going to go against the grain here a bit - so bear in mind this is only my opinion - but I was blown away by the difference an upgrade to my shock made in regards to my enjoyment of rides... There are so many factors to consider in upgrading a bike - my rule of thumb was always that there might be very little point in upgrading all the accesories/parts/bling bits etc - if you're stuck with an entry-level frame... What frame do you have currently? Regardless - whereas there is probably nothing wrong with it - going XT/X9(?? for example) all over, and getting proper wheels/cranks/shifters/brakes could result in you riding the equivalent of a Tata with R250 000.00 accessories/upgrades on it... It's simply not done, usually, because the frame should justify the upgrades that you're prepared to make... This being said - if it's the ride that's bugging you - and you're happy with the componentry that you have on there now - as in, it gets you from A - B, but you're thinking of spending R2k on a fork to improve your ride - then it might be worthwhile going with your gut... My example - I bought an old, Ti frame bike with very old components, for next to nothing... Since it was a Ti frame - I figured I could justify the upgrades, since I'd theoretically be able to ride the frame for a lifetime.. So I upgraded the gearing/shifter componentry - and was instantly impressed, since everything worked and the gear changes were now smooth and sweet... Then I did the wheels - and didn't really notice that much difference in the ride - but went from tubed to Tubeless - which was/is brilliant.... Made other changes to stems/seatposts/pedals - kept the old XT v-brakes... Again - all cool, but the biggest difference was still the change from old LX 8-speed to XT/XTR 9 speed... Then I upgraded from my RST Capa T6 - which is basically a fork with some grease and springs inside - to a R7k White Brothers Magic 80 IMV Air/Oil fork - AND OH MY WORD. Every single thing about my riding changed. I started aiming for bumps. Could ride for longer with less discomfort in my arms, neck, shoulders. Was always smiling/screaming/laughing going downhill... I have a Fox RLC80 on the front now. Same story. Upgrading my fork from an entry level, to the complete other end of the spectrum - remains the single biggest upgrade, in terms of a tangible effect, that I ever made to my ride... So as far as I'm concerned - if your frame and wallet can justify it - and you're predominantly focused on upping enjoyment in your riding - go for a decent upgrade on a fork... I'm not sure if the fork you're looking at will amount to as big a difference in spectrum as mine did - but if it comes close - I'd certainly recommend it...And if I had to do everything all over again - it would have been the first thing I would have upgraded - even before converting from 8-speed to 9-speed.... My 2-cents worth... Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 10, 2009 Share Thanks guys for all the imput. RodTi, I currently have a Mongoose Tyax frame...not too flash, but certainly fine for my riding. I have decided to skip the small upgrades, save a bit more money and splash on a decent fork. Cannot wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwan Kemp Posted December 11, 2009 Share Thanks guys for all the imput. RodTi' date=' I currently have a Mongoose Tyax frame...not too flash, but certainly fine for my riding. I have decided to skip the small upgrades, save a bit more money and splash on a decent fork. Cannot wait![/quote'] Good thinking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendonMyb Posted December 11, 2009 Share Justin' date=' I've got an entry level bike (Giant Rock) and upgrading as I go along. Go with the R2K bundle first.An air fork is about > R2K from guys like PlanetX so no real rush.[/quote'] Please tell me where i can get a pricelist from planet x. The SA planet x website doesnt have much to go on. The UK website gives prices in ? & i want a more exact ZAR price. Also wanna see what kinda goodies they have to sell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droo Posted December 12, 2009 Share PM Kiwi, he's the local agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now