I've discovered that I've got around £120 to spend, and thought I'd use it to tart up my bike, but I'm not sure what to do with it:
My ideas are one of:
1) Throw a little more money in, and upgrade my forks from ToraSLs to ReconSLs (£170 at merlin)
2) Upgrade my chain ring from deore to SLX (£90 from Merlin)
3) Upgrade from Juicy 3 to 5 brakes (£110)
Any other ideas (bike related) are welcome!
sorry mate but all 3 of those will give you very little actual tangible difference... forks may be a little better but quite similar. brakes and cranks are near identical.
id buy some 5:10's and some nice big flat pedals, and get ready for hooning about in summer.
What he said. Save it for something decent or buy some nice clothing etc.
Riding SPDs? If not pedals and shoes will make a big difference.
Happy with your tyres? If not, lighter tyres and tubes will also make a big difference.
You won't notice the difference in a brake upgrade from 3's to 5's. You won't notice much of a difference in the chainset. The forks might be slightly better.
My honest advice would be to keep on to the money, save a bit more and buy some new handbuilt wheels. After the frame, they really do make the most difference.
I just got a new garmin mount, new 3x pack of pc 951 chains and a new headset and thats before I have treated myself for £120 
Go and ride your bike in the alps for a weekend, far more fun than buying bike bits
Get some of these and never slip off the pedals again. And best get some bandages just incase you do you slip and shred your shin.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=49718
get some pimpy carbon soled SPD shoes
Go on a course and learn some skillz*
* I'm not saying you've not got any btw!
2nd the save a bit more and get decent WHEELS, or some nice cycling clothes.
I'd probably die with spds!
I get the fear badly already, and that's with being able to tactically dismount at the first sign of steepness! Being attached the bike may cause serious injury!
Ayatollahofniche - Member
Go on a course and learn some skillz** I'm not saying you've not got any btw!
I don't actually have any, so I've booked myself onto the stop crashing course, 7th May, very excited 
I get the fear badly already, and that's with being able to tactically dismount at the first sign of steepness! Being attached the bike may cause serious injury!
you've not used SPDs have you...
in fact, there you go. take the plunge, some SPD pedals and some SPD shoes - yes new components will make a difference, but switching to SPDs 8 years ago made the most difference to my riding than anything else (even disc brakes...)
I have tried SPDS, only on a flat bit of bridleway. I limped away.
Firstly I really struggled to clip my left foot in and crashed into a tree, and secondly when I did get going I forgot to unclip when I stopped.
Don't really think they're for me!
SPD's are the way forwards - just keep practicing, it will come to you! Practice on a flat grassy field and undo the tension screws all the way (assuming you're using Shimano pedals with tension adjust). It's frustrating at first, but will become second nature in no time.
If you do crash after you're used to them, 9/10 times you'll either instinctively unclip or you're feet will be knocked out. It's rare you actually stay attached to the bike.
get some good second hand kit off the classifieds! - but wheels will make a big difference to your bike, but so will decent forks IMO
Put it towards a new bike.
don't listen to that fella up there. ^
spd's are not the way forward. unless you are on your road bike or trying to ruin bmx racing.
flats are guaranteed to offer you as much as 32% more fun per ride*
*possibly.
***blatant plug***
dan1980 - I have a very nice pair of mavic crossmax enduro wheels for sale for £100. Would defo make a noticable differnece to your bike!
email addy is in my profile 
***/blatant plug***
hang on i even have proof (im not bored at the end of a long week or anything)
look how sad/angry this rider looks.
now look how happy this fella looks
guess which is on flats, and which is clipped in.
thus. ergo. and therefore. clips are NOT the way forward.
Could someone can tell me why new wheels will make such a noticeable difference to my bike?
Currently have some own brand specialized wheels...
better wheels are lighter and/or stronger.
lighter is faster.
stronger lasts for longer.
light wheels is one of the most noticable changes you can make to make a bike faster.
'better wheels are lighter and/or stronger'
also stiffer, which translates into better handling
light wheels is one of the most noticable changes you can make to make a bike faster.
as will making your pedalling and bike control better - ergo SPDs
to disregard them based upon one go is silly (imo) - they take a tiy bit of getting used to, but its really not that bad at all. clipping out is totally second nature after a few goes (unless you're a bit thick...)
if a girl dumped you after the first shag, cos you didn't quite perform how she wanted you to, you'd feel a bit hard done by, wouldn't you...
Save for the wheels or get some 510's and some wellgo magnesium pedals, i never really got on with spd's and while I got used to the clip/unclip i never really liked them, i wouldn't write them off on one experience but if you want to buy something to enjoy right now rather than practice with then you're better off with nice flats and shoes. or wheels, wheels really can make a big difference.
Spend your money on rotational mass reduction - it will make a noticeable difference.
there's two sorts of cyclists. SPuDdies and flatties.
Personally I believe SPDs are the mountainbiking equivalent of chewing tobacco 'It made me sick every day for seven years, but I enjoy chewing baccy now'
If as you say you are not into spd's, you really really really should go and look at some 5 10's as they are remarkably grippy, and will really help you kick ass on the trails with a good set of flat pedals...
+1 five tens are brilliant
In my opinion bolt thru forks are a big improvement, but your looking at a big outlay of cash.
If you've not already got them a Thomson stem & post are always a nice addition to any bike.
Simple... Save a little more and go for wheels. The more weight you have to get turning the harder it is. Light wheels = easier climbing and faster decending. Job done!
Why not enter the 1st Merida of the year i 4 weeks time?
Some new socks, Seelsinz waterproof jobbies, some Candy Crank Bros pedals and some energy bars and gels?
All 3 of your suggestions sound like things you could do when they break or wear out.
I really really wouldn't go from Juicy 3's to Juicy 5's though. The only differences a few grams in weight, the 5s get 2 lever clamp bolts instead of one, the lever will click forward of its normal position. Newer juicy 5's (the black reservior cap ones) seem to come supplied badly bled too. I now 3 people with them and all 3 have been bled terribly
Tora SL to Recon SL is a few hundered grams. If you are going to spend £xxx's on forks I reckon you need to get at least RS Reba SLs, that way you'll drop a significant amount of wieght and get a better performing fork
Get an SLX triple chainset if you wish when you need to replace you chainrings and ideally you bottom bracket as well. You can get a 2010 deore for £50 which I assume has hollow arms (like SLX) unlike I assume your forged arm pre 2010 deore cranks. SLX is more like £90
Spend £120 on clothing or something
Go on a course! Lasts for ever and it can tackle any fears or bad habits you may have developed. Of course you cant sell it second hand! Or go for a weekend away somewhere new to do some new riding.
Changing from Juicy to Juicy wont make any noticable difference.
Changing cranks may save you some weight but in use its not really noticable - but they may last longer.
Tora SLs are pretty good - again just a bit heavy. Moving to dual air is a noticable difference - but maybe not all for the better.
Anyway that's my 2p's worth!
I don't actually have any, so I've booked myself onto the stop crashing course, 7th May, very excited
Ditto! Will see you there!
Go and ride your bike in the alps for a weekend, far more fun than buying bike bits
Best post on this thread!
Days skills coaching?
spend the money going somewhere new?
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