After a bit of a break from riding I have finally returned to my fav sport. In my absence everything has gone and changed/got better! I bought myself a Genesis Latitude 10 and am loving it. Started to look at some upgrades…..I would like your thoughts and advice as I no longer know what’s what really.

I am trying to build up the Latitude in the same spirit as Genesis would – an AM bike, go up/down/through anything, but reliable and comfy – but I want to try and shed a few pounds.

What I’ve done so far:
XT cassette
Wellgo Mag flat pedals
Panaracer folding tyres
Comfier lighter grips

The recon gold’s are the coil version and I’m not that impressed so far, they seem quite heavy and not particularly plush (I’m about 75kg and even with the pre-load wound right out and rebound fairly central I have failed to bottom out) – anyone got any experience of these – tips? They also make a ‘pssst’ noise on larger hits……….? Can they be upgraded to the air version?

The brakes (BR-M445 + BL-M505) are powerful, but I’ve never really ridden with discs before. They also look heavy and chunky compared to higher end models (especially the levers). I was thinking of investing about £100 on a decent SH pair, but which ones? It seems for about that money I could get SLX or XT, at a stretch XTR. I want to stick with Shimano for the ease of it, but could be tempted by some Hopes.

Your collective thoughts/knowledge would be appreciated – over to you.

Great choice! I have a Latitude frame that I build up. Don’t worry too much about shedding weight, focus on how it rides.

If the brakes work then leave them. The more you ride the more you wear stuff out and that’s the best time to upgrade. If you’re not keen on the forks then that’s the next place to start, and the most expensive! look for Rebas or fox float 120s.

The next place would be to get some decent light wheels, Hope on stans would be my choice. keep your old ones for the mud or commuting duties.

How about some nice wide bars? or a shorter stem? after you’re happy with the way it rides, maybe look at clothing, bag or something else that will actually make a difference. changing your crank chain or front mech won’t!

Thanks Paul – some sound advice.

You’re probably right – the forks are the place to start. I was wondering if anyone had any experience of upgrading the internals as I thought this might be worth a go first. I fear Fox maybe a dream for quite some time….

I’m pretty happy with the way it rides at the moment, I suppose only more miles in the saddle will tell……

My thoughts on the brakes are partly driven by the fact that I can only compare them to my old V’s – are XT discs way more powerful than the std discs on the Latitude?

As for the wheel – all in good time…….

I’ve only ever used XT disks and in my experience it’s all about the setup. Make sure they are bled properly (not spongy), your pads are bedded in properly, and the pads have good bite. Also make sure you have not contaminated your disks and pads with oil etc. You should be able to lock up the back wheel very easily and grabbing the front brake should almost throw you over the bar. You can also increase the disk size which helps with braking performance but 180mms are more than enough for that bike.

If they are lacking in power it’s a set up issue. Those brakes are good enough until you wear them out and then you should think about upgrading.

unless there’s a problem, don’t worry about it and get out and rag that beast! 🙂