A bike upgrade? Really?

Do I need one? Buying some new shorts today in my lbs I was doing a bit of tyre kicking of the new full stache 8 and spesh stumpy. Marvelling at the 2.6 tyres and carbon frame with 0% interest and got to thinking what was so bad about my bike? A 2012 trek rumble fish Pro with full xt, new maxxis tyres, 29er wheels and a dropper post. Where would the actual benefit be? Is it that much of a leap like 26 was to 29 for me? So Ive ordered a 203mm front disc for improved stopping and kept £3500 in my bank. Still considering new wheels tho 😁

What makes it worth a new bike to you?

I did this yesterday, ordered a stumpy….plan to swap my plus wheelset over, only when I got home I realised my plus wheelset is 10speed, 11 on the stumpy and 180mm disc, 200mm on the stumpy.

Might just buy a plus wheelset as well in a few months!

Umm! Nightmare ain’t it! I went for a new hobby within an already had hobby. Went bike packing and loved it so now have a road bike a hardtail and now a rigid for bike packing.

I have been itching to buy a new hardtail but couldn’t find reason to replace the one I already had. Proves bikes today are good regardless of development. Ride is different though so you need to convince yourself to go away from in my case a arse up head down xc bike to a long slack and low new trendy thing!!

I feel bad saying this, as I find the whole gear freak nature of mtbing and STW in particular pretty hard to stomach….

But, you will find  a huge difference between your Rumblefish and basicaly any half decent modern 29er.  I had that exact bike on an extended test from Trek and it just sucked.  I tried to like it, as I could get one for £2,100 but luckily I had the test rides and changed my mind.  The Rumblefish truly is the worst of both worlds.  It just trundled about lik

ocht anyway, can’t be bothered describing the fish’s shortcomings.  I bought a Specialized Enduro last year and it is totally incomparable to teh Rumblefish.

To be honest I’m finding it really hard to think about buying a new bike nowadays. You have to pay a lot just to get some half decent forks and wheels on a bike and I’m fearful that everything will be out of date in 12 months with no spares.

So I just stick with my old bike. MTB seems to be very different than it was 20 or even 15 years ago, it’s whole new bikes every other year rather than upgrade a bike a bit over the years.

I keep bikes until I’ve worn them out. It’s a cold headed decision for me – not a want decision.

That said, I rode our old SantaCruz Superlight MK2, all 26″, steep geometry, twisty QR forks and narrow handlebars tonight… It was night and day to my slacker, longer, fatter tyred and stiff tracking forks levered by wide bars Marin. It’s the geometry that makes most difference.

I also watched eldest_oab on his ‘out of date’ Radon that’s (according to a bike club friend) too steep and too high to be competative for Enduro take a 2nd place on Strava off Dumyat, second only to an ex WC DH rider…it’s not the bike, it’s the rider…

What I don’t pay for is shiny gears (they just wear out), superlight stuff (just risks premature wear and failure) or fashion. I’m always a step behind ‘new developments’, as it’s cheaper….

Can’t spend it if your dead! If you wan’t something nice and work hard then why not! I just bought a new Capra 29 and I love it.

Great points 👍 tbh with me it’s definitely the rider holding the bike back. When I first got it I was so much quicker round my local trail centre than my old bike it was pr  party on my Strava 😁

I usually wait til something is a significant step up in performance terms, going on past purchases that tends to be every 3-4 years, not including my ’15 Mondraker  which was about as Alfa Romeo like as bike can possibly get. Taking that out of the equation and judging my old Mojo HD (bought in ’11, sold in ’15) to my current ’17 T130, the difference is insane. Geometry has progressed so much since 2011/2012, the XL version of the HD has a shorter reach measurement than a XS T130! Despite using bigger wheels my T130 has 15mm shorter chainstays, the seat tube is 2 degrees steeper, among other things. It climbs, descends and handles so much better. The only thing I’d say the Ibis has in it’s favour is the suspension, I absolutely adored the DW-link and to this day not many match it for pedalling efficiency and just sheer get up and go as that bike, the T130 is good in this regard but the Ibis was something else. While there is probably absolutely nothing “wrong” with your Trek (there was nothing “wrong” with my Ibis, I’d only slapped on a full XTR groupset the summer before I sold it) a modern bike will run rings around it out on the trail. Whether that’s worth the cost of a new bike is up to you, but the fact is a new bike will ride far, far better.

Something significantly different.

The only new mtbs I’ve bought (well frames+bits, actually, much SH) have been to try new tyre sizes.

1x, new amazing geometries, droppers, CBA (Had a Hite Rite back in the day!)

Nothing anymore really.

Went from a shitty hardtail that was way too big for me when I started riding to a really nice short travel full sus. Then got a “hardcore” hardtail for the winter and just because I liked the look of it. Then got a long travel full sus which is ridiculously light and incredibly capable.

I’m now on a mission to reduce the number of bikes I own and ride more. Doing ok on the former, not so well on the latter. If I ever ride as much as I did a few years ago then I’d think about getting a new bike. Even then, doubt I would buy something new.

I keep my bikes for a long time (last bikes were a ’93 Hei Hei and a ’07 Handjob) and the difference with my new one (Slackline) is marked.  I think leaving it for a while and then being exposed to every new development all at once makes quite a difference and I suspect you might get this moving from a ’12 bike.

Spending £3500 is always relative though.

“I’m fearful that everything will be out of date in 12 months with no spares.”

What does out of date mean? Do parts have a best before or use by date?

Is anyone having trouble getting spares for five year old bikes, let alone one year?

I think I’ll try for some test rides to see if there is a marked difference in 6 years of development from my bike and actually how fun they are to ride. I’m gonna have a ride down to wheelbase today and peruse their selection. They seem to actually have a full stache 8 in and the fatter tyres are quite appealing at the moment.

You don’t ever need one unless your current bike is broken but new stuff is nice. If you work hard it’s good to reward yourself every now and then.

For me some bike changes have been a upgrade, some just a change. Was a shift from 26″ to 29″ an upgrade? Probably for me, not for others. Forks and shocks have been an upgrade each time, gears not really. My old XTR Rapid Rise system (not with the flappy brake levers!) from 2008ish is still the best set up I’ve had. I prefer the modern geometry but it’s not really an upgrade. Meh.

I’ve got a similar dilemma. Riding a pretty old and flexy Orange Gyro and have got back into my riding this year after a few years of not really doing it much.

The lure of something new and carbon is strong. SB4.5, Following MB are both very tempting. Do I need it? Not at all. I’m keeping myself in check by telling myself I just need to get out and ride my current bike rather than spunk 5-6k on the never never.

Is anyone having trouble getting spares for five year old bikes, let alone one year?

Kind of. 2013/14 bike here. If I want brand new forks, I’d quite likely need a new front wheel/hub as well. Thanks, Boost. You could probably buy a non-Boost bike 12 months ago. Who knows what the next pointless anti-consumer “improvement” will be?

Im still riding a Giant 2008 Trance with 9sp XT and M775 disc brakes. Oddly, I’m still able to ride and keep up with my mates who have 27.5″ or 29″ wheels and my bike still works very well.

Sure I’d love a new “modern” bike, but money is in limited supply, so until something terminal happens I’m in no rush to change.

I’ve been in the market for a rowdy 29er for a while, but I found a 2016 Spesh Enduro S-Works frame online for half the RRP and snapped it up.  The alternative was spending £3.5k on a frame with an incompatible axle standard, a box in the frame to hold my multitool and geometry that’s approximately 1 degree slacker at the front and steeper at the seat tube.

Honestly, I cannot be arsed with chasing the Next Big Thing and plan on riding what I can justifiably afford, a two year old S-Works dressed in Shimano XT suits me just fine.

Is anyone having trouble getting spares for five year old bikes, let alone one year?

If it is a 26″, straight steerer….

I’m going through this right now; my bike is circa 2004 – and whilst there’s nothing definably wrong with it; it’s going to need a new drivetrain soon; a decision on whether to strip + rebuild the brakes; a proper service on the shock; suspension busings/bearings are worn. I love it; but I think it’s time to move on. I’ve got a test ride with Cotic booked; and I’m probably going to check out the Whyte T130 too. It seems a lot of money to spend; but I figure I got over 10 years out of this one; a replacement (if looked after) should last a similar amount of time …

Yep. Same here. 9 speed 2004/5 Stumpy. It’s a well made bike that serves me well when I need it. It’s worth more to me in the shed and used occasionally than what I could get cash for it.

If I do go for something else, it’ll probably be second hand. Although Sonder bikes are turning my head….

My ridgid v-brake 1996 Dekerf generation is still well used and faster than my riding buddies on their full suspension bikes. Been riding it as a 1×8 for many years, and only an oversight on the last chain replacement has limited it (too short a chain, so its only 4 speed, must get round to fixing that)

End of day, its not about the bike, its about being out and enjoying yourself

I’ll get a new bike when the old one is broke, Marin East Peak FRS 1998, or my mortgage is paid off.

Got a new bike couple of years ago. I wasn’t entirely sure I *needed* it – neither of the others were broken – but I reckoned it’s helped my riding enjoyment, not to say the others were rubbish but the newer one was still a 1998 Stumpy HT.

Is anyone having trouble getting spares for five year old bikes, let alone one year?

Hmmmm. Bit older, but I’ve got an Inbred bought in 2010 (bought the frame & built up) & a 2010 Stumpjumper FSR.

Both are 26″. I was looking around for some tubeless ready tyres the other day & options are pretty limited.

The rims on the FSR are fairly narrow. They are fine, but I would quite like to try some wider rims – options are pretty limited.

On the Inbred, my forks are 2008 Reba’s with a straight steerer. Pretty sure I am stuffed if I wanted to upgrade them or go to something with a bit more travel.
Luckily, I got a warranty replacement on the FSR frame & swapped the alloy frame (straight steerer) for the carbon one (tapered steerer) so there is at least an upgrade path there if I needed it, although I’d probably need a new front hub too as the current one is one of those thick DT swiss QR things.

I have a dialled bikes PA, it was my absolute favourite bike. I then bought a Whyte t-130 to supplement it, I after doing so I just couldn’t get on with the PA anymore. Where it once felt fun, it now felt nervous, the front end seemed to deflect off the smallest trail obstacle. I just didn’t enjoy riding it anymore.

I’ve now replaced it with a Soul & now I barely touch the Whyte & am considering if I even need a full suss…

Where it once felt fun, it now felt nervous

I suspect that’s what I’m experiencing; I can get down most stuff; but it’d be nice to be able to do it in a bit more of a relaxed way …

are you enjoying your current bike, if not life is too short..get a new one

i want a new bike.

ive not found one i like enough to replace mine. Its gutting! yes there are slightly nicer stuff out there but not the 4k nicer im looking at!

Kind of. 2013/14 bike here. If I want brand new forks, I’d quite likely need a new front wheel/hub as well. Thanks, Boost. You could probably buy a non-Boost bike 12 months ago. Who knows what the next pointless anti-consumer “improvement” will be?

Hmm, I did think boost was a bit pointless at the rear, where a more intelligent solution would do better (offsetting things, having a limited number of sprockets but with a narrower cassette, etc.) – but on the front the 100mm width dates back to road bikes which never had to accommodate disc brakes. I don’t like the lack of backward compatibility, but it’s probably a better solution (well going asymmetric on the forks would be better too, now I think about it, but it still seems worth widening things up a bit). It’s not a night and day difference, but it’s a bit better, just like most things.

I’ll buy another bike when I have the money to get/build up exactly the bike I want. I definitely am more a chopper and changer rather than a full bike buyer, there are just more things to get wrong with compatibility these days. Or when a current bike breaks (if I need it or have the money to replace it).

Where would the actual benefit be?

Do you feeling limited by your bike? If yes, new bike, if no, crack on with what you’ve got.

I don’t like the lack of backward compatibility, but it’s probably a better solution (well going asymmetric on the forks would be better too, now I think about it, but it still seems worth widening things up a bit). It’s not a night and day difference, but it’s a bit better, just like most things.

Serious question – if a wider hub is better, why not make it 20mm wider, or 30mm?

As is understand it, the extra hub width means more triangulation at the spokes, which means a stronger wheel. 10mm = 5mm per side which when compared to the radial distance (311mm for 29er) isn’t very much.

Obviously, there becomes a point where ‘but make it even biggerer” just gets a bit silly but a 5mm increase seems a bit, erm, for the sake of it.

Well I was out this morning sessioning a few bits on whinlatter south loop on my rumble fish and thoroughly enjoyed it 😁

I dropped into cyclewise for a go on a mondraker foxy and really was not blown away by how good it was. It was too small a frame and a 27.5 instead of a 29er but apart from the slack angles wasn’t £3k good.

So my bike is getting bigger discs, a wash and loved a bit longer ❤😁

Just looking at headsets that adjust the angle now, might be worth a play.

Any feedback from people who have ran them for a few years?