OP – all the bits you are talking about are readily available in good nik second hand.

I am just about to retire my last 26er… I have 3 sets of forks, 3 sets of wheels and 2 dropper posts all about to be sold. This is a position a lot of people are in so there is plenty of good kit out there super cheap.

As for the frame…. well there is really very little difference in the Five now, certainly not enough that most would notice the difference.

My Kona has been blinged to death, the only parts left are the frame and forks (rigid). But that was done over time when parts had worn out and were replaced with the best I could afford. It has had a few bar and stem combos over the last 18 months, I’m still not convinced, but they were bought off the classifieds, so the parts bin is looking very health with bling parts.

My Sanderson SS was a custom build so had all the bling from the beginning. It’s had a couple of bits and bobs, things that I wasn’t happy with in hindsight and a couple of ratio changes for different times of the year.

Life’s too short to ride crap bikes. 😉

OP. To replace your Halifax Filing Cabinet will cost you £2.5k ish? Or as you say £600 for the parts to rejuvenate it. No brainer IMO.

I think you reach a level where it dawns on you you are just upgrading for the sake of it. Diminishing returns kicks in and it pointless spending money on uber bling.

Everyone has a different level though

For me its full XT with carbon bars and a dropper.

Some people don’t give up until they have X11 and Enve everything.

Once i reach my level I just replace broken or worn out bits with the same stuff.

I’m still on 9 speed, I know I’ll have to “upgrade” to 10 speed at some point but that’s another change for change’s sake

i stop when it performs the function i need it to.

since i stopped racing light weight is no longer a key factor.

its all about low maintainance here 😀

i stop when it performs the function i need it to.

Boooorrrring! I buy useless crap all the time cos it’s cheap, slowly figure out it useless and then go buy something equally shit.

OP – you said it yourself – you can’t afford a new bike, so you’re upgrading. As many have said a 2012 five isn’t an old bike and if you sold it to get the new five you’d have lost 1-1.5k to gain an inch and a half of wheel at either end. If you do decide to sell it get something completely different otherwise it just isn’t worth it.

To steal an idea from Chips; the OP might want to reflect on the fact that his 2012 Five is possibly the best 26″ Single Pivot bike that there will ever be. Nobody makes anything quite like it now, which is a shame as, for some people, it was perfect. Still, if you want something shiny, go for it.

I haven’t stopped upgrading my ’98 Hei Hei and won’t do until every standard on it is totally obsolete. Can a bike built in 2012 really be superseded already?

Whatever bike it is I have a clear idea of what I want it to be and how to get there. I stop when I reach that goal

Obv there have been more than a few disasters on this learning curve. The coated-in-superglue-and-ridden-through-chain-reaction look stays with me always

Some bikes fill people with desire but all I see is a list of parts that need replacing

I take it you bought the frame then put other parts on it? I’d usually look to change instead of upgrade when most of the parts are out of date / not the current standard. With your frame having a tapered head tube and 30.9mm seat tube I’d be looking to upgrade, especially as you say you can’t afford to buy new.

As mentioned, 26″ second hand stuff is good value atm so nearly new is the way I’d go for forks and wheels. I’d be looking for a good deal on a new dropper instead of sh though and is the first part I’d get.

I’m loving the fact that 26-inch stuff is so cheap now, I’ve got my hardtail just as I want it for about half what it would’ve cost a few years ago.

Couldn’t care less if its effectively obsolete, 26-inch parts will be available for a few years yet and the DH/dirt jump scene will likely still make stuff long after the Trail/Enduro set have stopped bothering with 26-inch sizes.

It is a liberating feeling getting the bike ‘finished’…prior to that point I would spend my free time thinking about the size of bars or the right brakes I wanted, i’d wield the credit card and have a splurge on payday….not wanting or having to do that anymore is great, now I just ride the thing and enjoy….I also have a bit more money each month too now!

deviant – Member
I’m loving the fact that 26-inch stuff is so cheap now

Is it? Can’t say I’ve noticed any difference. My two main bikes and another ‘spare’ one are all 26″ and I can’t recall anything looking cheaper particularly.
😕

At what point do you stop upgrading your bike?

When the missus says “Haven’t you spent enough on that thing already?”

There’s an element of pig-headedness too…My Marin Wolf Ridge wasn’t the bike I wanted it to be, so I funded a 160mm fork, a Kashima CTD shock with a custom tune, a new wheelset and a new cockpit before I finally accepted that the top tube was too short and flung in the towel.

Ive been riding long enought now to know what kit I want on my bikes, to the point where there is very little excitement or pondering over the spec once the frame has been decided upon.

RS forks appropriate for the intended use
Easton carbon bars
Shimano brakes
Hope hubs (though now CK have an XD freehub option, this may change)
SRAM 1×11
Reverb
Thomson stem
Bel Air saddle
Maxxis tyres appropriate for the inteneded use.

Once the above has been acheived (pretty quickly when building from scratch), I just replace when it breaks, which is pretty infrequent tbf. Both boring and brilliant at the same time…

I struggle with long sentences

ive some stans 355 on pro2’s im about to advertise …mail in profile..

deviant – Member
I’m loving the fact that 26-inch stuff is so cheap now

i bought some new Conti inner tubes the other day, last time I got some they were about a fiver online, now under £3, superb 🙂

26-inch tyres are the main thing for me at the moment, they are so much cheaper than 650b stuff that goes on my FS so I’ve stocked up recently.
You’re right about inner tubes, they’re online for little over a quid at some places…Superstar and On-One are practically giving away their 26-inch wheels too.

I’m more interested in trying new stuff than just upgrading for the sake of it.

Come to think of it, the shifters, crank and front mech on my most used geared bike date back to 2004!

A new frame is always more exciting than new bits (new frame = new bike; new components = new components).

Dropper post = £150 for a reverb when Merlin or CRC are doing one of their deals.

Wheels = Nice secondhand pair of Crossmax SX for £250 to £300.

There, I just saved you at least £150.

I’ve pretty much finished upgrading my bikes though, apart from maybe a stiffer set of wheels for the FS 29er.

@pitchoro2011 my son and I added a couple of rocks to the cairn on Weds : ) you are a lucky fellow to have that one as a local trail, it’s one of the best man made trails I’ve ridden!