Hi all,
First off, apologies for the stunningly unoriginal post. I’ve read through a ton of posts like this one already but was hoping for some bike specific advice.
I am maybe 3 years into riding an average of 40 – 50 miles of single track per week with some more technical trail riding mixed in. Your standard 1,000 to 1,500 elevation over 10 – 15 miles per outing. I LOVE my [Marin Rift Zone 3] (https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2019-rift-zone-3) but it’s starting to show signs of wear. I am pretty good about taking care of the drivetrain and stay fairly on top of maintenance. I put on better tires, new grips, a longer/better dropper, better pedals, but other than that, haven’t changed anything. I keep finding myself looking at new bikes and am torn between a higher quality bike and upgrading the existing one.
I understand it’s a pretty ‘entry-level’ bike. Do you think it’s even worth upgrading? If there are obvious upgrades, what would you recommend? And specifically, what part (make and model) to look at for said upgrade. I’m not going to shell for an $800 XT groupset and $1,000 wheels on this thing but don’t know what a reasonable upgrade looks like as far as cost and quality goes.
Cheers and thanks!
by nubbled21
4 Comments
Also, I am considering the following as potential replacements should I go that route.
Rocky Mountain element, alchemy arktos, ibis Ripley, and Transition Spur
That’s great weekly riding! Where do you ride?
Feel free to upgrade stuff when it dies but otherwise it seems like you have done all the upgrades that are good bang for buck.
Keep a newish chain and make sure stuff is reasonably clean. When a few things start to break then decide if you want a new bike or just replacement parts.
What’s it not doing that you want it to do? I always ask myself that when my “buy new shiny thing” consumer brain wants something.
After 3 years – get new frame bearings and install this winter. Do the lower shock services yourself. Bleed your brakes. Service your dropper post. Check hub, headset, and BB bearings and replace as needed. Go through the drivetrain mech. Get it back to riding like new for next spring.
I always lean on service instead of buying new if the bike is sweet but just feeling clapped out / old.