A bit of a noob to be honest but I know I want to upgrade a few parts on my bike, a specialized rockhopper 2009. I’ve got some decent rockshox recons, avid juicy 3’s, dt Swiss wheel set and a few more upgrades on gears etc.

I’m not sure what to upgrade next, the tyres have a fair amount of tread as they are but they could be a bit chunkier, possibility? The pedals aren’t great as you can see and not very grippy but are new pedals a priority? And the third upgrade I’ve been thinking of are the bars, at the moment I have the originals which are: Specialized butted alloy, 31.8mm, XC rise, 640mm wide, 8 degree back sweep, 8 degree up, 2.6mm thick. They are good quality bars but I’m thinking wider bars would be better?

So anyway I would really appreciate some advice from you guys and any suggestions will be considered.

I would say it depends on how you use your bike and what you want from it. (I know that sounds like a cop out)

What do you want from the upgrades? Lighter bike, comfier riding position, better traction?

For me, investing in hollowtech cranks that can handle my heavy load, tyres that can better handle the local mud and woods, and spd pedals to keep my on the bike have been the best things I’ve done by far.

Only after some epic rides did I start to think about a new saddle and cockpit set-up.

It would be easy to upgrade everything for the sake of upgrading, but without knowing what yr after you could spend a small fortune!

Generally don’t mess with it unless you know something wants changed- that way lies madness and owning singlespeeds and suchlike.

But, good contact points are always worth it- grips, saddle, pedals and tyres. best bike in the world will be rubbish if these are wrong. And really good flat pedals aren’t expensive- something like a Nano (big and thin) or a Wellgo MG1 (fatter and smaller, but lighter) will do you well for under £40. Or you might want to think about clipless shoes and pedals (SPD)

Bars are a matter of taste, but the fashion currently is for wider… You can experiment a bit, since you have lock-on grips- undo the bolts and slide them out over the end of the bars. Not a good idea to ride like this, they’re not strong enough but it’ll give you a feel for what it’d be like. You can pick up decent alu bars for not much money.

Pedals definitely. You only contact the bike with your hands, feet and backside. You’ve got some ODIs which are solid but a nice thin pedal with replaceable pins (Superstar Nano is a good starting point) will give you more security and allow you to control the bike with your legs as much as much as your arms.

First thing though is to move your brake levers as far in as possible to get you closer to 1 finger braking. Your shifter windows aren’t removable but you appear to have a gap between them and the brakes. This free upgrade gives you one extra finger on the grip, your pinky and ring finger don’t offer much grip by themselves.

Your tyres look quite summery, something with a bit more definition and a defined shoulder would help in the next 6 months of slop. Bontrager Mud-X get rave reviews for mud riding. I personally use Maxxis ADvantages for the fairer months, these would be spot on for trail centre stuff if that’s what you do.

Bar width is affected again by what you do and how you do it. The trend is toward 700mm+ as it gives you more leverage and stability. I ride 711 which isn’t that big by current standards and feels pretty good. To balance out the handling change, people often choose a shorter stem to match the wider bar. Even a 685mm riser bar would be an improvement without needing a stem change.

You urgently need to sort your brake hoses out. The front one should run up the inside of the fork leg and be gripped by the zip tie on the outside of the arch not behind (zip tie in the same place though); you’re leaving it vulnerable and it may rub the stanchion. Likewise the rear hose should be tucked behind the frame and run under it. You don’t want to lose your brake fluid after a crash!

Put something up in the wanted section, the STW hoarders will sort you out and often at a really good price. In short; pedals yes, tyres yes, bars maybe, levers and hoses tidied up.

Hard to say without knowing budget, size, where and how you ride but I believe the above to be an all round improvement for whatever you do.

i would also remove the brakes so you can run both on the inside of the fork and seat stay. this will stop the brake cable fouling on a branch and doing some crazy damage.

edit, too slow. but very important.

I had the same thing, i bought a RH comp ’10 which rode lovely…only things i changed were pedals to DMR v8’s an tyres to spesh captain controls as the fast traks are TERRIBLE on anything other than the road

My suggestion is to buy second hand off of here or try a specialist 2nd hand seller such as http://www.****/storepage1095240.aspx I’ve used them many times and always been happy

I’d go with the “if you don’t know what to change, don’t change it” school of thought. Also standard answer is to upgrade yourself with a skills course. In my case I was definitely the worst part of the bike.

Cheers for all the advice guys, thanks Herman il definitely clean up my hoses and levers 🙂 I think il go for some superstar nano techs as more grip is always useful, il also look into getting some tyres. Il wait try out some different bar lengths on mates bikes etc and see how I feel

Colour choices for the pedals? White? Black? Brown? Or something more funky like orange, yellow, green etc?

Id go for pedals, bars and tyres personally, made a world of difference for me. Having a tyre which is very confidence inspiring will help big time. Something like a single ply high roller has loads of grip, works in most conditions and aren’t too expensive. I wouldn’t go super wide with a bar but maybe up to 710mm, adds more control.

that way lies madness and owning singlespeeds and suchlike.

start again with an ultra-cheap SS