I recently got this bike after the longest dry-spell of riding, and I just wanted to introduce myself and the bike to the group. At this stage, I am mainly intending to ride the bike in the city and light trails, but I have access to a great park with tabletops and jumps nearby; I am tempted.
A little "rant" – This bike seemingly has been kept super-well and has probably been used the way it was intended. When I got it, there was a fair amount of TLC to do, and I think I managed to tick all the boxes to make it ready for trails and/or jumps. It was expected for a bike from 2013. (No, I can't afford a brand new one)
Whilst I am intending to keep all the original parts, I have changed/fixed a few already, please see the list of work I have done to the bike over the last 3 weeks:
– Changed the rear derailleur for an identical replacement (the old one had the inner cage snapped)
– Straightened the derailleur hanger (also researched what exact type it is and ordered a spare)
– Trued the back wheel as it had a slight wobble. It is not 100% by any means, but certainly 10x better.
– Swapped the shifters to ones that indicate whereabouts the chain is (not numbers)
– Re-ran the shift cables and changed 1 cable housing (I need new shift cables, because the current ones are badly frayed at the ends)
– Dialled in both front and rear derailleurs (3×10 speed)
– Bled the brakes and adjusted the travel/bite on the brake levers.
– Oiled the chain and greased as many things as I could think of.
– Put some fresh grips on
– Swapped the saddle, because the original one was extremely uncomfortable.
Though with every "newly invested", enthusiastic rider, I also have a few questions, so in no particular order, may I ask for some direction?
1) Can I/Should I consider a dropper post?
2) Would I go wrong if I increased the rise of the handlebars? (currently 25mm and 710mm width)
3) Seeing the age of the bike, would it be safer to swap the whole hydraulic system for a newer one?
4) Me being 5'9", is a 26" bike the correct choice?
Thank you for reaching the end of the post 🙂
by W4sSuP_