I’m going to be racing ‘fifty quid bike’ at the FNSS, giving it a go in the over 50s.

Anyway I don’t ride off road enough to warrant a new nice bike, but I’m happy to lighten/racify the what I have.
It’s a basic 7005 alloy frame, the kit is mostly 2004/2005. Full XT including hydros, SIDs, Alex race-lite wheels with Speed King supersonics. The finishing kit is old and heavy witha very cheap post, the chain and cassette are also basic offerings.

I was thinking. XT cassette, X9SL chain, carbon post, lightweight flat bars, Aligator lightweight rotors (the shimanos weigh a ton)

?

Secondhand Light wheels (there’s some lovely Hope pro3’s in the For Sale section for £250) and new cassette + chain. Forget the rest it’ll not make that much difference to how the bike feels – light wheels = WIN.

I’d avoid a carbon post too, I prefer a different sort of fiber in my colon.

You may find you need new chainrings too if you replace the chain – have a look online at how to measure chain ‘stretch’. (It’s not stretch it’s wear that increases the plate distance to increase).

I’ve gone absolutely potty and splashed out a pair, yes a pair of Racing Ralphs.
I don’t get them until tonight so you won’t need your umbrellas just yet.

My bike build cost has now soared to one hundred and two pounds.

The ‘old heavy’ finishing kit – what is it? I might have some bits you can have that are currently sat in the garage.

“Fifty Quid Bike” category – you’ve spent more than that on the tyres, surely the point is that it’s a BSO and merely finishing is an achievement?

X2 for wheel upgrade. For inertia reasons its an important place to save weight.

“Fifty Quid Bike” category – you’ve spent more than that on the tyres

Thats what I though.

This is like Chinese whispers. It’s not a category, it’s just how much it cost to build.
4th May is it’s first race.

The ‘old heavy’ finishing kit – what is it?

I’m quoting myself!

not quite, on one have ust ralphs cheap as chips atm.

I was thinking. XT cassette, X9SL chain, carbon post, lightweight flat bars, Aligator lightweight rotors

not gonna get that lot for fifty notes i can tell you.

i figured that £50 was the category, i guess its just how you refer to that particular bike.

EDIT – course you might have covered that by the time i get round to posting my comments

I’m too broken to do FNSS this year, having crashed last year!

Hoping to turn up to a few and take some photos, if you see me shout!

No, soon it’ll need a new chain and cassette. I’d go for an XT and X9L.

Kit so far is old XT, XT HT2 chainset. Maxim stem, race Face flats, Flite, Eggbeaters, Alex Vectra D2 wheelset, SIDs.
Tyres were Speed King Supersonics, soon to be Racing Ralphs.

I’m too broken to do FNSS this year, having crashed last year!

Blimey how bad was that crash?

i figured that £50 was the category, i guess its just how you refer to that particular bike.

+1

It’ll be fine as it is!

Back in 1994 I raced XC on a rigid gaspipe Orange P7 with 1994 LX groupset and I didn’t lose!

Slick drive train is a must so new cassette / chain, cables (and poss rear mech) at the most Deore is plenty good enough if you are saving money – doesn’t sound like it tho!

Oh and go tubeless!

Indeed, a slick working bike is key.
I’ve spent on my road racing bike, my training bike and my crosser (which still needs bits for the next season)

I don’t do a hell of a lot of MTBing, so didn’t want to go mad even after getting a 23k insurance payout.
Then I realized that a lot of race stuff can be bought pretty cheaply. So then it became a little project to see how cheaply you could go racing.

Then last night whilst having a long old suffer on the turbos, it occurred to me that so many folk lower down the leader board try and buy their way up instead of doing what I was doing i.e busting my nuts.