https://lumalabs.ai/capture/026AA941-591C-4B3F-8F72-6B568AF65BA0
That is a link to the LumaAI 3D model of my bike, I figured it be the best way for y'all to check it out and give me y'all's thoughts on if I should upgrade or not and possibly some directions to cheap upgrades y'all would recommend.
My dad bought it for me when I was roughly 14-15 I think( now 31) and was 130lbs heavier (yes the bike played part lol) He actually did a lot of research, went to a dedicated local bike shop, and had them put certain parts like the springs in the forks for my weight and honestly I love the bike even as it stands so I'm really leaning to upgrading.
The forks squeak and I can tell they are not a squishy as it should be and I can barely make it go mid stroke even bouncing full weight on handle bars. It has the generic older style 3/7 transmission which except for it not being able to shift to 3rd isn't bad and I think a slightly upgraded kind than you'd get from a Walmart bike (I think, it's been a while since it was bought so)
I think my only beef with the bike is the forks. I'd like cheap, but also decent air forks that would give me that super soft front suspension. I'd say it wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade to a 1/10-1/12 trans but I'm not sure how difficult that would be or if the cost of a full new transmission would be worth it. I rarely even want to use my current highest gear 2/7 much less needing to drop into a 3rd gear. My 1st and 2nd work fine and I'll tend to stay in 1st and switch through my rear 7 on trails anyway.
If I said anything or I'm confusing certain terms or parts that's because back when I got this bike I didn't care about the technical stuff, it was a good mountain bike. Now being older along with more time freedom and my own money I've been looking deeper into biking and never realized how much it interested me so I apologize as I am definitely a newb atm lol
Edit: adding that my current riding is urban/back road like, and trails (Nothing with jumps or big hill ramps or crazy downhill, but more Hiking/biking through cut out cleared wooded old atv trails and stuff, Like very rough and uneven terrain.
by breadslinger
1 Comment
First – really like the model idea. Totally stealing that.
Second – budget. How much are you willing to throw at your bike? This is really important. I suspect you’ll get close to the cost of a new bike to restore and upgrade this, I’m afraid. New drivetrain plus even a fork repair, not even replace.
By the way, “soft” isn’t a sign of good suspension. I tell you this so you don’t measure quality by this by accident. They need to be as soft as they are required to be, then move as quickly as they need to. You could make any fork soft by putting a weak spring in, basically. They’d be soft, but bouncy as hell.