Getting back on bike - advice re. upgrades/changes to MTB

[C&C]

Hi,

I used to enjoy cycling to keep fit and commute to work, and did some XC on occasion, but changes to workplace, facilities etc. (and me getting lazy) means I haven't been on the bike for several years. Result is lack of fitness and increase in weight from 14 stone to closer on 18 (gulp).

I've decided to try to get back into it again as I need to get fit and although have tried the gym, find it really boring. Cycling I never found boring and might just be the way ahead, especially with the potential opportunity of commuting again.

My "old" bike is a Cannondale F600 (2004) hardtale mtb with Magura Julie hydraulic brakes, headshock etc.

bike by conradsphotos, on Flickr

I know when I stopped using it the bottom bracket was on the way out (again) and would appreciate some advice/thoughts on a way ahead. I remember I already had the bottom bracket replaced previously but the LBS said that the design wasn't great and a better solution would have been an "external"? design but that would mean other bits of the transmission being changed? (not sure if I remembered that right as it was quite a few years ago).
I have a LBS nearby and intend taking it in there to see what they say, but it would be helpful to have some idea in advance of the options. I'm happy to change a few bits if it means having a robust solution that will run reliably for a good period of time.

Having recently had a look at some posts on here and the web in general, it appears that things have moved on a bit over the last 10+ years, and particularly around transmission components - it seems that the days of triple chainrings and 7 or 8 ring cassettes are now over and there's a move to single/dual chainrings with 10, 11, 12 ring cassettes.

So - things I think I'd like to keep - the hydraulic brakes, frame and forks, crank brothers egg-beater pedals, mavic wheels.

What should I be looking at in regards to the rest of it?

Main use would be commuting including canal towpath, and gentle off-road, but still want to retain the ability to do a bit of cross-country should things go well and my fitness improves.

Any thoughts/advice welcome.

Thanks.

Edited by C&C on Friday 13th January 12:54

[W00DY]

The latest SLX 11 speed stuff is top quality and should give you a decent range and will fit your vbike and existing parts no trouble. I like single chainring groupsets for their simplicity, improved ground and mud clearance.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-slx-1x1...


You may find once you're cycling a bit more that a 32 tooth front ring little more geared towards mountain biking than commuting, but a bigger chainring can be had cheaply from the likes of Superstar components

[Herman Toothrot]

I'd register on retro bike or whatever it's called and sell it for probably a surprisingly large amount. Then get on Chainreaction and buy a modern bike for say £550 and you will likely find it's far superior in every way to actually ride.

[austinsmirk]

Personally I think the bike and its spec looks great/ I'd remove all the reflectors and probably just pop the lights on off depending on weather/time of day.

purely to save weight.

get rid of the saddle cover, either upgrade the saddle or just get a decent pair of comfy shorts. yr bum will harden up and get used to the saddle over time.

personally it possibly just wants a service: for what you are likely to do, you would just be chucking money about changing all the gear systems.

years ago people were bashing up mountains with triple chain rings and small rear blocks....... bit of a trend towards single chain ring and a mass of rear gears, or even single speed mtb's. it's just trends and fashions. If you get to the stage where you're doing some serious off road climbing, maybe then consider gear options: but at that stage you might want a better bike.

as an example, I did some 60 odd mile charity canal ride a few months back. it was boringly dull, being on the flat. I left the full sus (newish) bike at home and did it on a 1995 hardtail mtb. purely as its so light and quick v using some mountain climbing mud plodding thing. that's still on a triple crank and small rear block. you'll never get it off the top ring anyway on the flat.

there is absolutely nothing wrong with old technology. Being dead respectful: that bike looks completely unused- there seems to be no wear/s/marks anything on it. I think you could still have lots of fun with it.

[The_Jackal]

Same here, that looks a really good clean bike. Just get it serviced.
It may even be sought after, in which case, if you are not too attached to it sell it for decent money and get a reasonable new hardtail for the 500-1000 mark.

[troc]

austinsmirk said:

years ago people were bashing up mountains with triple chain rings and small rear blocks.......

I remember my bike around 1996 had a road cassette and ultegra short cage rear mech - was indeed all the rage

[Kell]

It's a bit too new for the retrobike crew. They only really consider bikes up to 1997 to be true retro...

But I'd echo what others have said. It looks little used, and could be back up and running really easily.

The only thing I've found with my old bikes (94 and 99 Orange P7s) is that the 90s geometry (strectched out, long stem) no longer suits me now I'm middle aged and fat...

[battered]

I don’t think that you need to do anything clever. Fix the stuff that’s worn out, if it’s only a BB then these are cheap enough. I wouldn’t bother with a newer design of BB because if you do you have to change the chainrings and cranks and these are expensive.
It’s winter so a Crud guard or similar MTB friendly guarding arrangement is wise unless you want to be miserable and cold with a wet arris.
My shopping/commuter/towpath bike is from 1995, newer bikes don’t ride significantly better than a decent 90s bike, at least not enough to justify lashing out on a new one if the old one works. They still need pedalling, that’s not about the bike. Comments about fit are bang on though, I fitted a shorter stem to lift the bars up.
All this advice changes if the thing is thoroughly worn out but it doesn’t look like it from here. Just use it and have a good time, get fitter and lose weight.

Edit to add:
In addition I don’t think that you have much to gain by going to 2 x 10 or 1 x 11, then worrying about not having enough gears. You have a system that works, so use it. With standard 3 x 8 gearing and 26 x 1.5 tyres and more than a bit of hill assistance my old bike will get to ~33mph before I run out of gears. That’s quick enough.
Once you start using the thing again you’ll know if you want to change anything. Seat, for example.

Edited by battered on Monday 16th January 16:38

[Dr Murdoch]

battered said:

Comments about fit are bang on though, I fitted a shorter stem to lift the bars up.

I've just fitted this http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ritchey-comp-30...

I found that my fingers started going numb. Turns out it could be down to the weight on my hands for a prolonged period (my commute is an hour each way). So i'm removing the long stem 100mm (bit like the OPs) and opting for the one above, I'll test it out either tomorrow or Wednesday.

[battered]

Dr Murdoch said:

I found that my fingers started going numb. Turns out it could be down to the weight on my hands for a prolonged period (my commute is an hour each way). .

The good old ulnar nerve. It’s worth sorting this out. Broader grips, with the flattened bit under the heel of the hand, or old-school bar ends, or other solutions, so that you can move about and get the weight off the pinch point.

[Dr Murdoch]

battered said:

The good old ulnar nerve. It’s worth sorting this out. Broader grips, with the flattened bit under the heel of the hand, or old-school bar ends, or other solutions, so that you can move about and get the weight off the pinch point.

Yeah thats the one, ulnar nerve.

Hopefully moving weight back to my arse, and raising the riding position slightly, will make the ride more comfortable.

I'll update.

[C&C]

Thanks to all who have replied.

I'm actually quite attached to the bike so definitely am looking at hanging on to it rather than selling it and looking for a new one. Apart from anything else, getting it in the first place took quite a while going to different bike shops and trying out various Scott, Specialised and other bikes before finding this one that felt right to ride. It was also quite a decent bike - think it was on offer as previous year's model but I'm pretty sure It was £1400 reduced to £1k at the time.

austinsmirk said:

Personally I think the bike and its spec looks great/ I'd remove all the reflectors and probably just pop the lights on off depending on weather/time of day.

get rid of the saddle cover, either upgrade the saddle or just get a decent pair of comfy shorts. yr bum will harden up and get used to the saddle over time.

personally it possibly just wants a service: for what you are likely to do, you would just be chucking money about changing all the gear systems.

Agreed re. the lights - they are on quick release mounts so come off when not used.
I'll have another go at the reflectors - although I think I'll probably need to destroy them to get them off (I've tried removing them before).
Also I'll definitely look at an updated saddle.

austinsmirk said:

there is absolutely nothing wrong with old technology. Being dead respectful: that bike looks completely unused- there seems to be no wear/s/marks anything on it. I think you could still have lots of fun with it.

I know what you mean about it being in good condition. It has actually had a fair bit of use both commuting and off-road, but I guess being a fairly conservative off road rider, I haven't come off it much. Done quite a few rides in the Dales and Peak district, and been a few times to Llandegla. As mentioned above, I've ridden it enough to wear out 2 bottom brackets!

Think I'll just get a direct replacement BB for now and get the Headshok serviced and see how I go (although it's dangerous looking at the CRC website, there are some tempting offers e.g. for a 2 x 10 XT/XTR set, but I think that's probably overkill for what I need).

Re. the comments on riding position, when I was riding it I was quite happy with the position.
The grips are decayed with age so getting some new ones and have also ordered some bar ends to give a bit of variety of hand position.

As I said, thanks to all who've replied.

[Some Gump]

Op, first off fair play to you for wanting oo shift weight. Personally, I'd be thinking "what is most likely to get me to keep doing it?"

I'd be just chucking a new chain, bottom bracket, service if needed. Then the big upgrades - good shorts, a set of guards and a device to run strava on.
Guards are purely because its winter so will help you go out.

Once you've been going a month, set a goal of 15% improvement on something measurable. If you hit target reward yoiuself with shiny bits.

The mags will tell you new components are lighter and faster, but you're 16 stone. 250 grams on a gear set is fkin irrelevant! Likewise your local shop will say that buying a shiny new bike will be more fun, but they're mainly trying to make a sale. Once you are riding regularly, you'll be able to spot which of the more modern bikes are actually better for the riding you do - if its commuting I can't see how 1*10 is anything but a hindrance, for example.

[Dr Murdoch]

Dr Murdoch said:

Yeah thats the one, ulnar nerve.

Hopefully moving weight back to my arse, and raising the riding position slightly, will make the ride more comfortable.

I'll update.

OP, I can report that the shorter stem worked a treat for me. It may do for you, in fact you might be fine with the stem you have, but the shorter stem with a rise solved the issues I was having with numb / discomfort in my fingers.

Still get a sore neck mind, I had that previously so can't blame the new setup.