I quite fancy a go at some xc events this year. Nothing amazing (cos I am fat and slow) but I suspect it will be more enjoyable than Road TT’s.

Plan is to do one on my current bike (cube analog 29er) with some decent tyres on and see how it goes. But what then? I don’t really want to go the whole new bike route to keep costs down but we all like shiny”best bits” for race days don’t we. So is it a good bit to spend on an upgraded wheel set and keep them as race day only wheels?

Or am I barking up the wrong tree? Any pointers welcomed to save me finding out the expensive way. …

Why bother keeping them for best? Get some Light Bicycle carbon rims, build onto some nice hubs. Mine are 1370g with American Classic hubs, and I’d have no qualms using them for all my riding.

Only really fragile parts I’d consider keeping for race use only.

Have a go first, at the end of the day you can’t buy speed, yes light wheels feel great, but equally you can end up with a nervous twitchy bike. Have a go see if you like it, then see what you feel needs improving.

Any difference to speed will be minimal at best.

Its not about the bike 🙂

Thanks guys. Makes sense. I think I phrased the topic wrongly too after re reading.

Let’s assume I get on and do like it. What is the best”upgrade” to go for first if I want to?

wheels/tyres, rotating weight will make a difference before anything else,

the OEM stems/bars/seatposts can all be swapped out for lighter stuff for not much ££

ditch the front mech/shifter/2x chainrings and fit a narrow wide ring, will help knock unto a lb off

and a turbo trainer and subscription to trainerroad never hurts 😉

It’s a decent entry level bike, first port of call for me would be to sort the tyres, something like racing ralph, good for most of the courses, and roll really well. Personally you could chuck a load of money at that bike, and would be better of using it to save for a complete new bike, sorry if that sounds harsh, but if you are not careful it is easy to get into over upgrading based on the frame.

Thanks again. Appreciate the advice. I totally agree about the ensuring I don’t get into the over upgrading game.

I have a Kurt Kinetic turbo with head unit. I have a couple of sessions a week. We have a love hate relationship. I hate it and it loves to hurt me.

Dont spend any money on your bike at all .Spend less on food !!dropping a few kilos will make a massive difference to how well you go.

I can’t deny you are right edric! I’m going in the right direction though in that respect. ..

If you do go down the bike upgrading route (it will be more for fun that performance for us mere mortals) then KCNC/ Mt Zoom/ generic Chinese carbon stuff is light, strong and cheap. There is some really good light stuff out there nowadays without having to spend a fortune. Ralphs and the wheels Njee suggests are a great foundation too. Clee Cycles, XC Racer, R2-Bike and similar shops will give you a good feel for the weight and cost of various shiny parts 😀

Since investing in a decent light bike I can tell you one thing… the painful, steep, long hills are still painful, steep, long hills! It must help slightly but it doesn’t feel like it sometimes!