upgrade advice

[mco804]

What would you upgrade on a 07 GT Avalanche 1.0??? I was thinking carbon bars, stem, and seat post to start out but with all the options out there I have no clue what would be best. What do you guys recommend?? I’m new to riding and so far I been hitting the local trails around Santa Clarita.

[guero]

give us more specs on the bike, and we can better advise you on what we think would be worthy upgrades.

[mco804]

here is a link to the bike I have
GT BICYCLES

thanks for the fast response!!!!!

[dstepper]

First off, welcome to the site.

Ride it and replace stuff as it wears out or breaks. If you get bitten bad by the MTBing bug you will be drooling over custom Ti frames soon anyway.

Dean

[Collette]

I agree with Steppie. Ride the bike until stuff starts breaking, or wearing out.

I'm also a believer in buying according to your ability. If you're new to the sport, you don't really need top-end anything right now, that's just a waste of money IMO.

[gurp13]

I might be superstitious here, but the last thing I would put on a mountain bike would be carbon stem, handlebars or seatpost. This might be my ignorance showing (so I reserve the right to f8ck off if I'm wrong), but I am under the impression that when carbon fails it usually does so fairly spectacularly and I really don't want any one of those three to do that.

Carbon on road bikes? Yes! Mountain bikes? Gimme some metal.

kaotic1 (Tin) has a carbon Stumpjumper. Maybe he knows more. I bet many people on here know more about carbon parts. It just gives me the willies.

[Waldo]

First, I agree with dstepper: I have a new caution for carbon, and just switched out my carbon Monkeylite bars. After reading some recent stories here and talking to some shop guys I was getting a little squeamish. I was replacing my stem recently and in the process I noticed some scoring on the bars where the stem clamped. No hesitation: With even a slight chance of them being structurally compromised, they're being retired. I liked the vibration damping of carbon, but the weight is close enough with aluminum, and the ProTapers I'm now using are noticeably less flexy, giving a more confident feel to the front end..


As for what you should upgrade, that's a matter of personal preferences and budget. If something like bad tires, seat, or grips is hampering your ability to enjoy a ride, then for sure swap them out. If you break something it might be a good time to experiment and/or upgrade. But it's real easy to go nuts with upgrading for upgrading's sake....as many of us here can attest!

My take: You have a good, solid frame to work with. If you have funds and want to play with different stuff, go for it. If money's tight, then ride the heck out of that thing until it's toast. Along the way, demo a few other bikes, and when the time comes you'll have a pretty good idea of what you want, need, and can afford (ie: rationalize).

Happy trails, and welcome aboard.

[soul rider]

not the "c" word...carbon

[nappyt]

The only parts I could see replacing on a newer bike are the saddle, grips and/or pedals. Those points of contact can make or break a great ride. If all those parts seem to be a good fit then ride with what you have and upgrade as you wear them out or break them.

I also agree with the others about the carbon parts. I personally am not a fan of carbon but that choice is up to you. If you are looking to shave weight then get a lighter wheelset and tires. Even UST or NoTubes if that’s for you. I tried NoTubes and it was a blowout literally for me but that’s the life of a Clyde. You will notice immediately the difference when you ride between a lighter set of wheels versus a heavy set.

Goodluck!

[allison]

As mentioned, don't upgrade unless something isn't working or is really uncomfortable to you (saddle, grips).

Get a good pair of bike shorts, decent gloves, and a nice helmet. Ride the bike til it falls apart and you have a better idea of stuff you want to upgrade I run carbon bars on most of my bikes (oddly enough my carbon road bike has aluminum bars!), but it's not necessary. I have a carbon seatpost on my singlespeed, but only because it's a hard tail and it's since I usually run it fully rigid the extra "cush" is kinda nice.

If it has platform/flat pedals you may want to look into clipless and shoes before spending money on upgrades. Also, a nice Camelbak

[Schecky]

Me, I think carbon has it's place.
I wouldn't want a full carbon MTB frame or even a seatpost, but the vibration pain in my wrists was all gone once I got a carbon bar and I was sold.
FWIW, I am a big clyde and have been riding the same bar for a few years. Not a single issue.
Yes, I am about due for a replacement, but it'll be carbon again.
If it's good enough for billion dollar fighter planes (and Easton's lawyers), it's probably OK for us.
I think it's more about common sense - If you have a healthy crash, you need to inspect thoroughly. Whenever I read about a carbon failure, there is generally a big crash that happened prior to it.

Now, back to the topic at hand.
I agree with Dean (as usual) - replace when it wears out.
When it comes to upgrading, I like to spend the most on contact points where I meet the bike - grips/bars, saddle/seatpost and pedals/shoes.

[SAR_boats]

My biggest question is what kind of riding do you do now (Trail, XC, AM, DH, Urban, DJ etc) and what kind of riding do you hope to progress to? When you have answered those questions then the componentry follows suit.. Example: If you ride trail now but want to progress to XC then get your bike as light as possible: go with the carbon everything, lighter wheelset, possibly convert to a 2x9 setup, shave as much weight as you can off the bike. If you want to go DJ then you are pretty much set as is and just replace stuff as it breaks. If you want to go AM then get clipless pedals, possibly bigger brakes etc.

I agree with Schecky who agrees with Steppie.
Replace stuff as it wears out to start off with, until you are comfortable with riding off road and are commited to the financial investment of biking. As you replace parts you can replace them with parts condusive to the level of riding you want to work up to.

And finally, carbon fiber is all about personal preference. It is not a wonder material. Just like everything else there is a good side and a bad side. It provides great dampening, it is extremely stong and light and looks cool. But it is brittle, doesn't take impacts well and is non-repairable. The catastrophic failures noted on this board before are a mixture of lack of maintenence (like inspections) and the drawbacks of the material itself. Aluminum, titanium or steel could just as easily be the culprit, but dents and cracks are more noticeable in those materials. A catastrophic failure could just as easily be caused by a bubble in a MIG weld, or improperly prepped steel or titanium that wasn't purged right.

Welcome to mountain biking and to STR.

[mco804]

thanks for the advice guys. I'm new to mountain biking but not new to riding bikes. My wife and I try to ride at least 5-10 miles on weekdays and 10 plus on weekends. I figured I might as well add a little bling to it. I did buy gloves, helmet, shorts, camel pak, back pack, extra tubes, new tires, pump, shirts, and etc.
funny how I got into the sport to help me with my racing (road racing motorcycles) but now I catch myself more interested in mountain biking!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kid A]

Originally Posted by SpyderGirl

I If you're new to the sport, you don't really need top-end anything right now, that's just a waste of money IMO.

what about the entertainment value. can't tell u how many times i have seen a squid on a top line rig with no skills and clue. $5 says they drop in the parking lot before the ride and can't clip out...now that's comedy!!!

[mco804]

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

My biggest question is what kind of riding do you do now (Trail, XC, AM, DH, Urban, DJ etc) and what kind of riding do you hope to progress to? When you have answered those questions then the componentry follows suit.. Example: If you ride trail now but want to progress to XC then get your bike as light as possible: go with the carbon everything, lighter wheelset, possibly convert to a 2x9 setup, shave as much weight as you can off the bike. If you want to go DJ then you are pretty much set as is and just replace stuff as it breaks. If you want to go AM then get clipless pedals, possibly bigger brakes etc.

I agree with Schecky who agrees with Steppie.
Replace stuff as it wears out to start off with, until you are comfortable with riding off road and are commited to the financial investment of biking. As you replace parts you can replace them with parts condusive to the level of riding you want to work up to.

And finally, carbon fiber is all about personal preference. It is not a wonder material. Just like everything else there is a good side and a bad side. It provides great dampening, it is extremely stong and light and looks cool. But it is brittle, doesn't take impacts well and is non-repairable. The catastrophic failures noted on this board before are a mixture of lack of maintenence (like inspections) and the drawbacks of the material itself. Aluminum, titanium or steel could just as easily be the culprit, but dents and cracks are more noticeable in those materials. A catastrophic failure could just as easily be caused by a bubble in a MIG weld, or improperly prepped steel or titanium that wasn't purged right.

Welcome to mountain biking and to STR.

thanks for the info. I guess i'm having a hard time telling what kind of riding I do. For example, I been going to towsley canyon and the drop in off bouquet canyon. I could easy bomb down those hills(if I did'nt have to wait for my wife) but I really don't think that is downhill. I like to do little jumps if I see them along the trails, hop over logs and stuff. I guess i'm confused into what kind of riding I been doing All the trails I will be riding will usually be fire roads since thats what near me, but I also plan on doing big bear, mammoth and stuff. I really don't see myself dropping off cliffs though. Just bmx type jumps is all i'll probaly do as I see them along the way

[Fired Yo Momma]

I am somewhat new to the whole MTB passion as well. I have been riding since Christmas and I am in love with the sport. I have the GT Avalanche 2.0 and it was a great intro bike for me. I say intro because if you really not sure if your into MTB then your really not out of a lot of money. I ride about three times a week and I use my bike to communte (not every day)to work as well. The things that I need to replace right now because well I broke them (although have jimmyed to get by). I need to replace the seat (bent the seat rails), the pedals (the pedals suck on that bike) Everything else is working out allright for now. I really don't want to spend too much money on this bike because right now I am going to get another bike (high end). The overall advice considering I have this bike is just replace what you NEED to. I really at this time would like to replace my front fork supension, but instead of dropping 400 for a good set of forks I will elect to save and get my new bling bling rig.

[SAR_boats]

Good advice from Yo Momma. Even if you drop big money in top shelf components for the GT, it is still an "entry level" bike. So it is better to get durable, dependable parts (eg Shimano LX or Sram X-7) and save the cash to get the high end frame, fork, etc

[allison]

Originally Posted by Kid A

what about the entertainment value. there's nothing better than seeing a squid on a top line rig with no skills and clue. I got $5 they drop in the parking lot before the ride and can't clip out...now that's comedy!!!

Hubby still does that every other ride. Has nothing to do with no skills, clue, noob, etc.

We had really good equipment as newbies. Just makes it so you grow into the bike, not the other way around

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by mco804

I guess i'm having a hard time telling what kind of riding I do..... All the trails I will be riding will usually be fire roads since thats what near me, but I also plan on doing big bear, mammoth and stuff. I really don't see myself dropping off cliffs though. Just bmx type jumps is all i'll probaly do as I see them along the way

It sounds like a mix of trail and all-mountain. Sounds like you don't really need the benefits of a carbon bar(unless you have wrist problems with vibrations) and post (unless you have back problems with vibrations) so I would shy away from them. They look good but for someone who just wants to get out there and ride, they aren't the best choice due to durability and inspection requirements. You may consider a set of clipless pedals and shoes before the pedals you have dig into your lower legs too much. Other than that it sounds like the bike is doing everything you want it to do.

[nappyt]

Figure out what you want first then get the best you can afford. Trust me its cheaper that way. I have spent more on my bike in the last year replacing old parts then I did for the whole bike new 4 yrs ago. I keep saying enough is enough but until the frame cracks why waste a good bike.