Upgrading some parts MTB

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Hey all,

I am looking to upgrade some parts on my bike (Cube Acid) as they kinda need replacing.

I am looking at a crankset, flats, chain, cassette and front derailer (I might swap out the back one, but at the moment it's fine). I am also looking to get new wheels and disk brakes (excluding the levers).

I'm not 100% sure what to look out for. I was thinking maybe Shimano XT but there;s just so much of the stuff. I'm not looking for top of the line stuff.

I use my bike mainly for commuting but I also do some down hill and trails. Cheers for the help.

Tomred13

Alicia Calm Self-denial wrote: »

Hey all,

I am looking to upgrade some parts on my bike (Cube Acid) as they kinda need replacing.

I am looking at a crankset, flats, chain, cassette and front derailer (I might swap out the back one, but at the moment it's fine). I am also looking to get new wheels and disk brakes (excluding the levers).

I'm not 100% sure what to look out for. I was thinking maybe Shimano XT but there;s just so much of the stuff. I'm not looking for top of the line stuff.

I use my bike mainly for commuting but I also do some down hill and trails. Cheers for the help.

Hi Alicia Calm Self-denial


XT is the way to go. no comparision at all. its a great groupset as its hard wearing and simple to adjust. if your feeling adventurous get the spd/flat combo pedals and invest in mtb shoe's. you'll find that your quicker on the trails both going up and down..
As for brakes get the XT combo gear/brake shift levers and calipers. CSS usually has good deals on XT groupsets. For wheels i use DT's but mavic crossrides should do ya and wont break the bank.

Dermot

FirstinLastout

Have used probably entire range of Shimano mtb components over the years and all are great when chosen for the appropriate job.
Equally some are better than expected in some applications so long as you're not concerned over weight.
To be honest if it's mostly commuting with only light trail use then Deore is more than fine and up to the job.
However if you want a bit more bling then SLX is great.
No real between it and XT but cheaper.
The difference between both these component ranges and Deore are nonexistent when on the road.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Thanks for the replies guys

I just had a look at the components on my bike and it's all SLX stuff. I upgraded the levers about a year ago and they are fantastic (Shimano SLX M675 I think).

I also upgraded my BB for an XT-SLX Hollowtech II recently as the stock BB was busted. I am unable to find a 34.9mm front mech, they seem to be combinations of 34.9mm + 31.8mm like the one in the link below. Can I still use this on my bike?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-xt-m781-conventional-3x10-front-mech/rp-prod67202

I am looking at getting the following parts for my first upgrade (can I have your opinions please?);


Nukeproof Neutron Flat Pedals;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/nukeproof-neutron-flat-pedals/rp-prod85862


Shimano XT RT86 Ice Tech Rotor x2;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-xt-saint-rt86-ice-tech-6-bolt-disc-rotor/rp-prod67197


Shimano XT M780 10 Speed Triple Chainset;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-xt-m780-10-speed-triple-chainset/rp-prod67199


Shimano XT M771 10sp Cassette + Chain

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-xt-m771-10sp-cassette-chain/rp-prod126470


When I have more money I would like to get these wheels;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/easton-ea70-xct-wheelset-qr-front-135mm-rear-2013/rp-prod119820#

ford2600

Locate a mint 2nd mtb with the groupset you want, good wheels, decent fork and sell your own.

Thete are some lovely bikes out there on madmtb, epicmtb, pinbike etc.

Upgrading in one go and going 2nd hand is best way to get bang for buck.

Picked up a cube with xt/slx mix and reba fork for 400 last year. 26" is probably wherr best bargains are

blobbie

If you are getting several components, buying online and delivery time isn't an issue, have a look at some of the German sites such as bike24, bike-discount, rosebikes as their regular prices tend to be better than CRC

Having said that, most of the kit you are getting is on sale with CRC and their sale price seems to be competitive with the German sites listed above.


Or, as Ford2600 mentioned, get a 2nd hand bike to cannibalise

silvo

For pedals, try Irish company MooveMTB. I have their flats and narrow wide tooth chainrings and they are excellent. http://www.moovebikeco.com/

Popoutman

The new Deore brakes have proven to be able to withstand over a week of Alpine descending for friends that put them on their bikes for the annual Les Gets trip, with the finned pads meaning pads temps don't get quite so high and as a result don't wear half as badly.

Actually the new Deore groupset overall is nifty with the shadow+ rear derailleur (http://www.attackmtb.com/shimano-2014-deore-groupset/) means it's a lot less chainslap as well.

The mountain bike club in UL have sworn by Deore as the components of choice for the club bikes for years and it's paid off in reliability and ease of use. The only reason to go higher into the more expensive groupsets is for weightloss or shinyness. If you are doing full-on DH riding you'd be recommended to get Zee brakes, I have a Zee on the rear of my carbon V10 and it performed perfectly in Les Gets this summer. The bike came with a set of Saints on the front and they are spectacularly good, if pricey to buy as an upgrade. Finned pads are really the way to go though, the resin finned lasted 9 days of descent in the Alps and a few days in Fairymount Farm - which is impressive for resins. I've since put metal pads in and they are just bedding in now.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

My levers and cables are only about a year old. They are in good nick and I won't be changing them any time soon

I ordered the gear above, along with the flats from MooveMTB. They look nice and were the lightest around.

I'll post back when it's all put together. I am looking forward mostly to the new disks and the flats

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Hey all,

The parts arrived today, I am quite impressed with them at the moment.

Next question is who should I approach to put them together that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

I have tried a few numbers but no luck. I went to rock and ice (or whatever it's called) but they weren't that great. Couldn't provide an estimate, time frame, if they are busy etc etc. I am not expecting it to be too difficult, I just lack some of the tools. Would €50 be ok to pay to put these parts together?