My Canyon Yellowstone has had a hard life, it has commuted for years, climbed mountains, bike-packed and now it is used daily on the school run.

It is starting to need some bits, the fork is dead (doesn’t really bother me), the brakes are horrifically corroded (but still work). There is a wobble from the headset (did the bearings not long ago). The large chain ring is really worn (but not yet slipping).

I’m thinking it probably needs new chainrings, then chain and I guess I should do the cassette as well. Then I started thinking I should just convert it to 1x. At some point the corroded brakes will need replacing. Is this going to add up to the cost of a new bike?

I love the 29er, it is great for the trailer school run and family days out and I love having a cheapo bike which I can leave on the car roof and take camping etc. I don’t want to be using my FS for this kind of stuff.

Options:

1, keep replacing bits on the Canyon, will probably soon cost as much as a new bike.
2, get a cheapo MTB, Voodoo or Vitus?
3, slowly replace bits on the Canyon, then at some point replace the frameset (Sonder Frontier?) et voila I have a new HT?

Mick

Option three for sure. Though you need to watch out for changing standards (headsets, hubs, steerer tubes, bottom brackets etc).

That said, some of them cheapo mtbs are pretty good, the Voodoo Bizango regularly gets the plaudits

I’d suggest singlespeeding it and keep it as a low cost, low maintenance commuter. You can run a singlespeed drivetrain into the ground over thousands and thousands of miles without it playing you up as it slowly wears out.

Brakes that are good enough for commuting can be had for £20-30 whether you’re talking rim or disc.

Headset sounds weird, not sure what you mean by a “wobble” but either you’ve not put it back together properly or something nasty’s happening.

Singlespeed isn’t an option. I live at the top of a hill, school is at the bottom. I am also towing a trailer.

or a cheapo B’Twin from Decathlon

Singlespeed isn’t an option. I live at the top of a hill, school is at the bottom. I am also towing a trailer.

Gear it for the climb, freewheel down 😉

(But yeah, ok, point taken: hills aren’t so much an issue, but towing is.)

I’m going to say no, for that usage you don’t really need another bike.

Just keep putting bits on it, none of those things sounds pricey (if you use budget parts) or particularly time consuming.

Never read any of your post but

YES

If the headset / fork wobble isn’t something horrible going on (what do you mean by the fork is dead?) then I’d just replace the drivetrain as cheaply as possible and keep it going. Cheap Clark’s hydraulic discs or cheap ish rim brakes also easily done.

If there is something terminal going on with the fork / headtube then new bike time I reckon. For pure commuting / towing I’d be looking at a cheapie caters or btwin- better than an Apollo or similar but not too flash or a thief magnet.

The fork has completely seized, it did a few 1000 miles commuting. Coating has worn off the stanchions. For current use, this doesn’t really matter but maybe one day I would like to replace it so I can use it for MTBing again. (Everybody needs a hardtail don’t they?).

How can I estimate the costs:

1, replacing the drivetrain with 1x (this will include cassette, so it can tow uphill and still be pedaling on the flat).

2, New brakes.

3, I guess new headset, I did the bearings myself but I’m not sure why it is wobbling (similar feeling to when bearings are worn).

4. New 100m travel fork, tapered, budget option.

Mick

Canyon have 29er hardtails starting at £569

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/outlet-bicycles/?pmax=1%2C000.00&hideSelectedFilters=true&pmin=0.00

I very much doubt you’ll get new headset, brakes for & drivetrain for much cheaper than that.

get a new one.

The wobble could be play in the stanchions / bushings rather than the headset in that case. Your fork sounds in a bad way!

Costs, I’d think maybe £200 for cassette / chain / shifter / rear mech / NW chainring to go on your current crank if you shop around. Maybe look at deore 10 speed for the cheapest option.

I haven’t looked recently but you used to be able to get a lot of Clark’s hydraulics with discs for about £50.

Headset – as above it’s probably play in the forks if you’ve recently changed the headset.

Forks – maybe look at a Suntour Epixon if they do that in tapered – probably still at least £150.

Total £400 assuming wheels / tyres etc are all still ok.

I’d be tempted to invest a tiny bit more and just get a whole new bike – like a Voodoo Bizango in a sale or something like that.

Which option makes you happiest?

New bike, obviously.

The problem is that when the fork died, I decided I needed a new MTB.
I thought I would try FS for a change, so I bought a Canyon Spectral. Then I decided that this would be annoying on the road so I bought an XLA.
Now I think neither of these are the right bike for towing and the school run so I’m using my half-dead HT.

I have bought two bikes to replace my HT and I’m thinking I still need another!

This can’t be right. When will it end?

Mick

I’m still toying with this. At the moment I am thinking I will just get a new cheap hardtail. It’s always good to have one for family rides, bike-hiking and holidays.

I want to go pretty cheap (so I’m not too concerned about leaving it around) but still will want to use it for occasional proper MTBing.

Is Voodoo Bizango the best option?

Cheers,

Mick

Fix up and change forks to rigid. Or get rid and buy a used rigid bike suitable for utility. Done.

Canyon have 29er hardtails starting at £569

I very much doubt you’ll get new headset, brakes for & drivetrain for much cheaper than that.

Easily done, plus fork.

None of that is particularly expensive for what you need. You could go all tarty but tbh it’s good money after bad if you want something you can happily leave. Cheap but reliable headset, some Clarks M2’s (less than £20 an end from CRC) and you could probably get a second hand drivetrain for a ton if not:

M7000 shifter – £28
M7000 cassette – £45
M7000 derailleur – £44
Chainring £20
Chain – say £20

Headset £30
Identiti XC rigid steel 465mm fork £99 (probably fine but I’d check that first!) Equivalent sus fork wouldn’t be for off that price anyway.

Comes to £306 all in. Even if you got your pants pulled down by a workshop I wouldn’t expect that to top £400 with fitting.

I’d go for option 1, after carefully checking for any cracks etc. At some point, option 1 will be the same as option 3, at this point it might be worth considering option 2 (or option 2a – buy a nice hardtail).

I wouldn’t singlespeed it unless you’re finished with using it for kid duties.

Oh and if you just fitted a headset and it’s wobbling, you probably just need to get the preload adjusted right – it may have bedded in a bit.

The current issue of MBUK has done £500 entry level hardtails. Their shortlist was:

Voodoo Wazoo
Saracen Manta
Marin Bobcat Trail 3
Vitus Nucleus 29 vr

The Vitus was their favourite.

Hmm I would quite like eyelets for a rear rack (I know it’s not cool).

1x preferable.