[Closed] Couple of upgrade options??

What frame, forks and shock ?

Maybe you'd notice a 2deg headset more ?

Rims and tyres is a really good way to help what you are talking about, enable lower pressures and some better support.

I’d say wheels and tyres. You’d have to be doing some long hard but smooth descents to make 4 pots worth it over more tyre volume.

Weeksy, its a V1 hightower with 150 36s on it so a 66.5 HA. An angle headset wont work as it integrated but i tried offset bushings and they messed up the geo for everything else so i took them out.

You'll notice a wider front wheel, 'spreads' the tyre nicer and +1 for a 4-pot on the front.

I run a Zee front and a 2-pot SLX on the rear, live in a hilly area with lots of steep trails - no problem locking the rear, even after a lot of descending.

Tyre inserts? I fitted some cushcore recently and found they bought me a bit of speed/confidence in the rough.

Both upgrades are worth it and you will definitely notice the difference. Wider rims & tyres will be the most noticeable as they will give you an immediate confidence boost on the terrain and obstacles which you are now hitting harder.
4 pot brakes do also offer a noticeable improvement over standard. I changed to 4 pot on the front when needing a new brake recently and it makes a real difference. I wasn't expecting much but thought I would give them a try anyway as the price difference between 2 and 4 wasn't outrageous and was very quickly and pleasantly surprised!
Majority of my regular riding is in the Tweed Valley.

I've got 2-pot XTs on my 150mm FS, and 4-pot XTs on my 140mm HT. The brakes don't limit how hard I can push those bikes - I'm the problem. (The 4-pots do feel more powerful when I've not ridden the HT for a while, but once I'm on a trail there's no real world difference, if that makes sense?)

You might notice the differences, but neither upgrade will help anywhere near as much as some training and practice. That is defiantly the best use of the cash.

1) Switching my 23mm id rims to something with 30mm id to give either my 2.4 Magic Mary a better profile or even go 2.6?

The cool kids are back on 2.4s now, so I wouldn't prioritise 2.6in tyres for going harder. Perhaps tougher carcass tyres and/or inserts (Rimpact Pro recommended).

2) Swapping my XT 2 pot callipers for 4 pot. Either both or just the front?

Have you already got nice big rotors?

Have you already got nice big rotors?

Nah. Thats a good point. I'm on the 180s that came with the bike. So could go bigger on the front. As someone else has said i have zero issues locking the back wheel when needed.

4 pot brakes are all the trend but a well set up pair of two pots are more than sufficient for most people, just make sure you have decent pads and rotors (these should be upgraded before looking at new calipers).

With regards to rims/tyres, it's more about matching. A wider rim can work with a wider tyre. The benefits of a bigger tyre is the ability to run lower pressure and added comfort but bigger tyres aren't usually great in muddy conditions and are heavier.

I run 2.6" on my hardtail and 2.3" on my full sus, I wouldn't say either is better, they just have different benefits. Having the right tyre for the specific conditions is the most important thing IMO.

Might be worth a look at a Slack-R if you’ve got enough steerer tube. I think they fit some Santa Cruz frames despite the normal drop in bearings

or even go 2.6

If you do try and go down this route you might need to be a little careful as even getting a "proper" 2.3/2.35" tyre into the back of my v1 hightower is a bit of a squeeze and i'm fairly sure a 2.6" tyre would be a step to far for workable fit on that frame.

Having said that I'm very happy with the 30mm rims I have on mine (currently wrapped with a 2.6" butcher up front and a 2.3" eliminator on the read), and the 4 pot shimano brakes that are fitted. Both are likely to offer some noticeable performance gains over what you are running now.

Part of me, even with the 4 pot brakes, is still tempted to go for more power by fitting 220/200 mm rotors in place of the 200/180 pairing I have on there now. But then this might be related to the fact that I'm well north of >120 kg kitted up these days and may not be much of an issue for most people. There is also a good chance that this might only be helpful for me when I venture off to one of the less vertically challenged parts of the UK, as lack of power isn't really an issue on my home trails.

If you do try and go down this route you might need to be a little careful as even getting a “proper” 2.3/2.35″ tyre into the back of my v1 hightower is a bit of a squeeze

Thanks. I'd already guess that might be the case but good to have it confirmed. Currently on a 2.35 DHR at the back with no real desire for anything bigger as it would just add weight / drag. An increase in size would only be at the front. But as I have a 2.4 MM SG on the front at the moment i'll probably just run with that. As Cha****ng says its what all the cool kids are running 😉

On the brake front if you’re not on 200mm rotors that’s a cheaper and easier fix than new callipers.

Upgrading my i23 rims to i30 made quite a noticable difference. I can now run my tyres (2.5 front / 2.4 rear) at the pressure I <span style="text-decoration: underline;">want</span> to now without fear of smashing up my rims, and they're much more supportve in corners at the same pressures compared to the narrower rims. It's given me a big confidence boost.

I recently upgraded from a 180 to a 203mm rotor on the front (SLX 2 pots rotor running metal pads). Power when braking is now there in spades, and is much more immediate. Who knew an inch would make such a difference! I only weigh 75-80 kg, so if I went to four pots it'd be more for show than go (...or stop) but If you're coming in heavier you'll probably see the benefit. Unquestionably however, I'd run them on larger rotors. It's a big power upgrade for very liitle money and hardly any extra weight.

The cool kids are back on 2.4s now

Obviously, not being a cool kid, that news passed me by! Is that really the case, and why? Thought 2.6 was the new Goldilocks width?

First thing I'd do is open up the fork to 160mm.*
Then I'd think about long shocking the rear for a tad more travel.
*I ran a 160 36 on my gen 1 Hightower and really liked it.
Unless you're overheating you brakes all the time I'd not bother with 4 pots.
If you want more brake power put bigger rotors on.

From what you say I'd personally go with wider rims, should give a wider/better contact point with the ground. As others have said would enable you to run lower tyre pressures which should help. I'd also stick a 200 disc brake on the front to see if that would help before buying new pots, if you can lock up the back wheel I would just leave the back alone though

Lots of great input there. Sounds like a rim upgrade and a bigger front rotor are the way to go. Ill have a look at some of the other suggestions after that too. Cheers.

Wheels and tyres for sure.
Brakes rarely make you faster.

If you can’t fit larger tyres in the back, then go mullet to get bigger tyres in. Although IMHE 2.4-2.5 is all you really ever need.

bigger discs for sure. Wouldn't bother with wheels just yet unless you are going to get a decent weight saving. Wider rims like 30mm will make the tyres pretty square. I would consider getting the suspension tuned for your riding over wider rims.

It depends on your riding, but certainly wider wheels and tyres for hitting rough things faster will be an improvement.

Brakes too IMO because if you're confident you can control speed, you can go faster and you will have more grip from the bigger tyres to exert more braking power - although as others have already said, bigger rotors rather than 4 pots might be just as good unless your descents are sustained and/or steep.

It depends on what, where and how you're riding.

Improvements like this can become a cascade effect too, highlighting the next deficiency in the spec as you increase the performance of something elsewhere.

i have zero issues locking the back wheel when needed.

As has been pointed out on another thread, this is actually a pretty poor metric for assessing the power/usefulness of a brake.

I didn't get on with wider rims. Wider tyres are good, but I found wider rims spoilt my riding - I got way, way more punctures on 30mm DT Swiss rims compared to 23mm ones. Mostly from sidewall slashes. So I've gone back to narrower rims and notice no difference in ride feel, but I can keep riding uninteruptted.

If you're doing rims then I'd suggest getting a set of rimpack inserts, as you start to hit rocks etc harder this will give you a bit of cushion to prevent pinch flats, while also being able to run nice low pressures.

For me I’m not sure rim width makes a massive difference. If you’re planning to change wheels anyway then makes sense to go wider - but if not I don’t think it’s going to be a game changer unless you’re actually running wider / more aggressive tyres.

I’ve got one bike on 25mm internal and another one 30mm internal. In the summer they both have the same 2.5” DHF WT on them - whilst one’s a hardtail and one’s full suss I really don’t notice any difference in front wheel bite (both have a 140mm travel fork on - 1 a Pike and 1 a Lyrik).

Rotor upgrade is easy and relatively cheap if your brakes are holding you back with either pumped up fingers / forearms from long downhill trails.

Slack R headset change would be good if it fits - it’ll increase you wheelbase for more stability at speed and put your wheel a bit further out on front of you on steep tech trails.

Looking at suspension tuning could also be worth doing.

V1 Hightower geometry is quite conservative though - short reaches from what I’ve seen. Was wondering about them as a first 29er but they are very short per size.

V1 Hightower geometry is quite conservative though – short reaches from what I’ve seen. Was wondering about them as a first 29er but they are very short per size.

A bit conserative yes. Its 450mm Reach and 66.5 HA. But its an absolute hoot to ride. Very playful for a 29r, great for popping off stuff and hitting jumps etc. I don't want some LLS rock garden point and shoot sled.

Not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing - depends what you’re after. My just recently sold and newly bought frames from Bird and Transition are Mediums and have a 457 and 451 reach respectively. Both with really short seat tubes so should be able to run a really big dropper post.

I haven’t ridden a Hightower, but have had a quick go on a Tallboy and it seemed fun / poppy / jumped nicely. My mate’s 5010 is also fun on flow / rollers stuff - find the head angle a bit steep on steep tech riding though after the Aether.

I've been through something similar.
Actually getting faster once i'd got the upgrades probably.
Running 30mm DH rims and a rear insert was a good start, but as i've got more aggressive, this year i've had a really bad time with tyres and a string of rear pinch flats.

I've now gone for a DH casing rear with higher pressure and no insert. (I note that Jack Moir doesn't run an insert and I reckon he's probably a bit harder on tyres!)

A more aggressive front tyre makes a big difference.

I'd only upgrade your brakes if there's a noticeable issue.