Advice for a new guy

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    • #121825

      Hello All!

      I am hoping I can get some advice on upgrading my current bike vs. buying a new one. Last year I bought a Diamondback Overdrive V 29er. I was new to mountain biking and essentially bought the bike because it looked cool. Now looking back I know that is not the best approach. In the time I have had it, I upgraded the fork to a RockShox XC 32 TK, put on a new wheel set (so I could run disc brakes) and upgraded the brakes to Avid BB5. I like the bike but I am not sure if I love the bike. I am not sure if my lack of love for said bike is because of the remaining components. It has low grade shimano components and is only a 7 speed.

      I can’t decide whether I want to sell this one and take a bit of a hit, or continue to upgrade the components and go to an 8 or maybe a 9 speed. Does anyone have experience with a situation like this? I ride this bike typically on single track trails here in the greater Denver / Front Range area. I am looking for something that is strictly an “off road” bike as I have other bikes to ride around the streets and bike paths. Can I take what I have (mostly concerned about frame construction and geometry) and make it an off road beast?

      Thanks for any info!

      Rick

    • #121826

      My thought is it would probably be better in the long run to sell this and buy the bike you’re looking (lusting) for. You will probably wind up spending more dumping a bunch of money into components, trying to bring it up to what you want it to be.

      With that said, it sounds like you have already put a bunch in, with the fork, wheels and brakes. Depending on what you buy, you could always take those off to use on the new bike if they are better than what comes stock.

    • #121827

      Good thoughts. I am thinking of listing this as is on CL to see what I can get out of it. The bikes I am looking at (in the $900-$1100 range) all have much better components then what I have now and I don’t think taking components off my Diamondback would get me anything better. Still, I wonder if just upgrading the drive train to Deore level components will give me a better ride that I could "learn" on for a couple of years and then really step up and buy a higher level bike.

    • #121828

      One thing to consider is you have to basically change everything going from a 7sp to 8 or 9. And 10sp won’t work on any of those. So you will be needing basically a whole new drive-train.

    • #121829

      If you love the bike and enjoy doing the work then i think its worth it. Certain pride that makes the ride that much better. If you order all the componets and then break the frame in half just order frame. Moneys all spread out, cash, wife never knows your riding all that money around if she did might not understand. If the bike geometry just doesnt feel right go buy a new one keep that one for backup.

    • #121830

      I really do like the bike and think it would be fun to upgrade it. I am not put off by doing the work and figure I can have it adjusted one I get the parts bolted on. I have a whole parts list priced out and am just mulling over whether it is worth upgrading or selling it and starting over. I guess the biggest concern I have is the frame itself. I am not sure how it is going to compare to say a trek or specialzed etc. I feel good when riding on it and with the better fork the bike feels good. However it is the only bike i have trail tested. Its the drive train that I think has the biggest problems. Shifting is sometimes rediculous and frustrating and it seems that with only having 7 speeds I run out of options quickly. I hope this all makes sense.

    • #121831
      "rdhunt316" wrote

      I really do like the bike and think it would be fun to upgrade it. I am not put off by doing the work and figure I can have it adjusted one I get the parts bolted on. I have a whole parts list priced out and am just mulling over whether it is worth upgrading or selling it and starting over. I guess the biggest concern I have is the frame itself. I am not sure how it is going to compare to say a trek or specialzed etc. I feel good when riding on it and with the better fork the bike feels good. However it is the only bike i have trail tested. Its the drive train that I think has the biggest problems. Shifting is sometimes rediculous and frustrating and it seems that with only having 7 speeds I run out of options quickly. I hope this all makes sense.

      What you might want to do is rent a demo bike for a day from a local shop. That way you can see how a different frame and component group feels. You would have the opportunity to see if you want the 8/9/10 speed. Just make sure to ride on the same trails you would normally ride so you have a fair comparison.

    • #121832
      "gar29" wrote

      What you might want to do is rent a demo bike for a day from a local shop. That way you can see how a different frame and component group feels. You would have the opportunity to see if you want the 8/9/10 speed. Just make sure to ride on the same trails you would normally ride so you have a fair comparison.

      I am looking into that right now. So far I am only finding shops with higher end full suspension bikes. I really want to test a bike that is similar to my wants… Or maybe I should change my wants to a higher end bike. 😃

    • #121833

      😆 Go big or go home, right?!

    • #121834

      Okay… So I broke down this weekend and went and looked at a bike that a friend at worked had showed me at REI (link to bike below). It had way better components than what I had. The only "issue" I had with it was the steel frame. I took it on a ride around Denver for a test and bought it figuring I can return it because of REI’s return policy if I don’t like it. So far all I can say is wow… It is way way better than what I had. The ride was so much smother. I contribute this to the frame. I had never ridden a steel bike before and I can’t believe how nice it rides. Shifting was great and the air fork and hydraulic brakes were nice too. I rode it a few times over the weekend and took it up to some local favorites here near Denver. All in all I think it was a smart buy.

      http://www.rei.com/product/825375/novar … -bike-2013

    • #121835

      Good buy! And yeah, steel is real. It’s not the lightest material to build a frame with, but it does ride oh-so-nice!

    • #121836
      "dgaddis" wrote

      Good buy! And yeah, steel is real. It’s not the lightest material to build a frame with, but it does ride oh-so-nice!

      So far it is really cool. Never thought I would buy a steel bike, but after riding it I see what people mean about the smooth riding. Plus it is not much heavier than the aluminum diamond back I had before so it is a win win.

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