New Bike or Upgrade?

[MrBatzloff]

Somewhat of a hypothetical here, but your advice will give me something to look up online.

I've been going over in my head what I've broken or replaced on my 2005 Trek 6500 throughout this past season. It occurred to me that I better REALLY be commited to this bike before I spend anymore money on it. I rode a lot this spring, summer and fall..not a ton, but the best I can figure is about 600 miles or so. The frame's still in good shape, just normal scratches and rock-rashes, no dents. Here's the short list:

-Manitou Axel Comp 80mm fork- Needs replacing-Loose stanchions, fork weighs as much as the whole bike.
-nearly taco-ed rear wheel- replaced reusing hub and spokes
-front and rear hubs needing rebuild
-replaced cassette, chain and cables
-replaced busted saddle
-need disc pads and rotors
-need a new stem
-blown BB, need to replace cranks- they flex and weigh a ton
-replaced a couple of tires

I can't remeber anything else.

So here's the hypothetical: I like the handling of this bike, but I'm not super attached to it. It's fast, climbs well and is pretty nimble. Keep in mind I don't have a lot of extra money to spend. Is my budget best spent upgrading and fixing, or should i keep my eyes open for a good deal on somthing used (maybe steel)? I'm pretty hard on my bikes, so need something that's up to the task. Is my trek frame solid enough?

If I upgrade the current rig I've been looking at replacing the cranks with External BB Race Face Evolve ($109@pricepoint) and open to forks...what would be a good, light, XC fork? Should I replace with an 80 or 100 travel fork? I've seen some r7's in the $250 range.

I think my biggest complaint right now (other than what needs replacing) is that the bike has just been feeling really heavy lately. I'm sure the fork has a lot to do with it, but I'm probably a little spoiled by my 22lb roadie. best I can figure is that all in all the trek weighs somewhere around 30 pounds...sound right?

Any thoughts?

[soupboy]

Shallow views from a deep thinker:

You can pick up plenty of nice used air forks online. Stick with a fork that matches the intended geo of the bike if you like the handling. I'd start with a late model Fox Float that has adjustable travel so that you can set to 80mm. Going with a taller fork will slacken it out and there's no guarantee you can replicate the current handling you seem comfortable with.
A new wheelset will do a lot for the perceived "heaviness" of the bike...you can transfer this to the next bike. A nice set of tubeless tires/rims will help you dump rotational weight and improve traction.
I'd recommend an LX or XT external BB crank over the Race Face stuff. The latter has suffered from premature wear issues. The Shimano stuff can upgraded reasonably with Phil Wood bearings when needed that will last a loooooooong time.

[taylor p.]

I would upgrade the current bike then if at some time you feel like you want a new frame you just have to switch everything over

[tmenssen]

I would upgrade your bike! Sounds like you like the frame.

[bigwheel]

I would hypothetically add up how much it is going to cost by the time you finish the upgrade, then make your decision. If you are within a couple hundred bucks, get a new one.

If you decide to get a new bike, you could use hand me down parts to get your old bike ridable again. It is nice to have a beater bike, especially for the spring urban rides. It saves a lot of wear and repair on your good one.

[Slimpee]

I think you should save up for a lighter steed and keep the Trek as a back-up/winter ride and replace parts on the cheep when you come across a good deal. Or go SS w/ it...

[Heuy]

Sounds like you're trying to justify a new bike.

As far as the frame.. hey Trek's got engineers that should know what they're doing. If there is any difference between your frame and current production the new ones are probably better.

Parts are cheaper when bought all at once on a complete bike. Be on the lookout for a bike that's on sale with all of the bells and whistles that you're looking for. If your bike is still in running condition you'd be amazed how much resale it has.

Also, old bikes are like old cars, they always seem to need this or that $15 part and $20 part.

[taylor p.]

Sounds like you're trying to justify a new bike.

As far as the frame.. hey Trek's got engineers that should know what they're doing. If there is any difference between your frame and current production the new ones are probably better.

Parts are cheaper when bought all at once on a complete bike. Be on the lookout for a bike that's on sale with all of the bells and whistles that you're looking for. If your bike is still in running condition you'd be amazed how much resale it has.

Also, old bikes are like old cars, they always seem to need this or that $15 part and $20 part.
and their twice as cool :banana:

[At the Gates 2121]

[quote=MrBatzloff;253821]Somewhat of a hypothetical here, but your advice will give me something to look up online.

I've been going over in my head what I've broken or replaced on my 2005 . Here's the short list:

-Manitou Axel Comp 80mm fork- Needs replacing-Loose stanchions, fork weighs as much as the whole bike.
-nearly taco-ed rear wheel- replaced reusing hub and spokes
-front and rear hubs needing rebuild
-replaced cassette, chain and cables
-replaced busted saddle
-need disc pads and rotors
-need a new stem
-blown BB, need to replace cranks- they flex and weigh a ton
-replaced a couple of tires


Sounds like new bike time to me if that is the short list. what does tohe long list look like:banghead:

[GearDaddy]

Seek and you shall find... Ebay is your friend....

If you want to have a nice ride and money is a concern, then you may need to sacrifice two things - 1) Being able to get the *exact* things that you want, and 2) being able to get something right away.

I have lived in this world for a long time and my solution is to be patient in looking for good deals and then building up my rides from a combination of parts that I already have and good acquisitions. The last time I bought a new bike was 1999 and I paid about $1500 for it. Since then every road, CX, and mtb bike I have has been built up for much less money than that, and the bikes are nicer. For instance, I put together my CX bike for about $700, and the same bike new probably would have been in the $1500 to $2000 range.

I have gotten some great deals on frames, wheels, and cranksets in particular off of Ebay. You need to be patient in finding what you want sometimes. For example, it took me a long time to find Campy 9-speed brifters for a good price (people really want that stuff!). Also, bike swaps are another place to find good stuff at great discounts.

It's one way to go. For me, I would never have been able to afford the equipment to be able to race road, mtb, and CX like I do unless I did it this way. Plus, I am comfortable doing all of my own bike assembly and maintenance. I completely understand though that you may feel the need to get the latest bling-bling, or you've gotta just have that certain widget, or you don't want to build your bike. In that case, go with the new bike route. Or, just grow some more dollars and throw them at the next bike. ;)

[Heuy]

Seek and you shall find... Ebay is your friend....

If you want to have a nice ride and money is a concern, then you may need to sacrifice two things - 1) Being able to get the *exact* things that you want, and 2) being able to get something right away.




Ebay definitely has some good deals, especially if yuo're a medium or small. My theory is, wealthy guy gets into mountain biking, buys a nice ride for wife trying to convince her to ride, doesn't happen and so he has a new bike sitting in the garage for a year or two. Then he decides to liquidate it. Ebay here we come.