Which components do you upgrade right away?

[Swiftdaddy]

Just bought my first emtb and am patiently awaiting for it to arrive. I’ve already bought new wheels and a better shifter, plus a new bike stand if you want to count that in. It seems many people upgrade a lot of their components right out the gate. I see people here throwing ona fox Factory fork and even push elevinsix shocks. Do y’all just have a hole burning in your pocket or are you just rich? Which components do you usually upgrade right away?

 

[steve_sordy]

I always fit my own grips and pedals. I'll give the saddle a try before changing that too. Contact points are important.

But as for "upgrades", the first thing I do is to go tubeless. Once I've ridden for a while, I might change the tyres depending upon how I get on with them. But that is the limit of what I would change right away.

After that, it is how the bike is performing for me. I will spend time getting the best out of the suspension that I can before considering changing anything. I have upgraded a fork by changing the damper, but I have never fitted a whole new fork. I have upgraded a shock by changing the air can, but until earlier this year I had never swapped out the shock. I once converted a bike from 2x10 to 1x12, but only to keep up with the 1x12 on my other bike. Switching from one to the other was a nuisance.

The only other "upgrade" I have fitted was a dropper seat post when they first came out, all the bikes I would buy these days already have one fitted and I will use it until it breaks, then I would fit a Brand-X; they work, they are cheap and reliable.

As for anything else, it has to wear out first.

Oh I forgot the one time I changed some perfectly good Shimano wheels for an e13 TRS+ wheelset. They felt absolutely great until the rear hub failed after 700 miles. What a disaster that was! Despite the five year warranty that came with the wheels, the hub failed every 700 miles and the bearings wore out frequently. That e13 wheelset was totally unfit for purpose.

"Upgrades" are not always good, so choose carefully.

 

[Hamina]

I upgrade all the components that I have money for. Then I post to several theads like "What did you buy today?" and "What did you upgrade" but never to "Was there a real problem with your stock components?".

My Rail 5 was relatively low cost entry level experiment to EMTB world in spring 2020 and it had it's soft spots that have now been replaced with something stronger. The main reason for replacing components or "upgrading" as you say, has been only to be able to go back riding again.

 

[The Hodge]

None initially ..other than Time ATAC pedals..
Grips & saddle..if Im not happy with stock items

 

[MrSimmo]

Seat, Pedals, probably tyres.

If buying from a dealer, I’ve found they usually will swap the tyres foc.

 

[flash]

Grips, pedals, saddle before the first ride. On my current ride I've also changed the bars but that's all.

OTOH I have two bikes that have nothing original left except the frame and motor.

Gordon

 

[Rahr85]

Right away nothing. pedals don't count as it didn't come with any.

Did quite a few rides before deciding the grips were pretty good but not quite the feel i was after. To be fair i would have bought the wrong bike if i was upgrading anything straight away.

In the longer term things i have upgraded:
kiox replacing broken purion
fox transfer dropper as the original crankbrothers one broke
renthal handlebar 760mm wide because i didn't want to cut down the original 800mm, may yet go back to them.
brake pads? came stock with resin pads that just melted away in weeks.

 

[Mteam]

depends on the components already fitted to the bike when you bought it, if you buy a high end model most stuff like suspension , brakes, wheels and gears should not really need upgrading, but the following will usually get swapped reasonably quickly because they're fundamental to how the bike feels, and quite a personal thing/closely related to the terrain you ride/how you ride.

IN order (most important to least important)

Tyres (inc go tubeless, add an insert)
pedals
grips
saddle

 

[The Hodge]

depends on the components already fitted to the bike when you bought it, if you buy a high end model most stuff like suspension , brakes, wheels and gears should not really need upgrading, but the following will usually get swapped reasonably quickly because they're fundamental to how the bike feels, and quite a personal thing/closely related to the terrain you ride/how you ride.

IN order (most important to least important)

Tyres (inc go tubeless, add an insert)
pedals
grips
saddle

Im surprised that tyres would be the first thing you would change ..mine came with Assegai front & Minnion DHR rear ..which are a great combo..

 

[Mteam]

Im surprised that tyres would be the first thing you would change ..mine came with Assegai front & Minnion DHR rear ..which are a great combo..

yes, it does obviously depend on what came fitted as standard and whether you would normally run that.

In the case of tyres , its usually the casing type not the tread pattern I dont like. The manufacturers usually use exo+ (which is a decent choice by the manufacturers for most people ) , which is fine for me on the front, but I'd usually puncture a rear exo+ tyre very quickly. So I'd swap the rear out for a doubledown DHR - maybe id run it for a couple of rides until it ripped - but probably not, as I dont want the hassle of a puncture

 

[Burnsey]

I tried to buy a bike with the components I was looking for, as adding to a less equipped bike would have worked out more expensive.

A few weeks in, I've changed nothing yet, but do have my eye on a Kashima Factory dropper post to match the forks and shock.

Invisiframe and pedals are a given of course.

 

[Slapbassmunky]

Contact points for me, make sure the saddle and grips are comfy, bars the correct width and stem the right length. Setup tubeless, then just ride. You'll soon find out what areas are lacking, if any. But I don't waste money 'upgrading' for the sake of it.

 

[DtEW]

I replace all the spokes, damping shims, and all the bearing grease. Because one shouldn't ride on stale spokes/shims/grease.

 

[04fuxake]

If I were buying a new bike, I'd only upgrade as required to ensure it had SPDs, dropper post, 4-piston brakes.

Aside from that, I generally don't upgrade anything for a good six months at least. I think a lot of people just spend money on needless upgrades when the stock parts are perfectly fine.

 

[PAC]

I usually take all the parts off and then replace the frame followed by all-new custom parts. Takes a little more work and cost a bit more but it's worth it in the long run..........

 

[Flyfisha]

As well as pedals seat and grips a new helmet to match the colour of the bike is always an option.
It has taken me 8 months and 3500 km to fine tune the seat height distance and placement of controls. Only now am I thinking I might change the handle bars. I might be slow but why rush in and change things when you don’t really know how they fit your needs?

 

[GMLS]

A few weeks in, I've changed nothing yet, but do have my eye on a Kashima Factory dropper post to match the forks and shock.

Yup an indulgence but I'd do the same with 2 out of the 3 already

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

Usually, I try and stick to a standard (800mm bars, ODI Grips, Nukeproof Pedals etc) but I am finding myself swapping freehubs on the rear wheel just to have one type (Shimano HG in my case). Its nothing personal to Sram XD drives or the Microsplined system. But price and availability was my rationale behind this move.

Whether this is considered an upgrade or downgrade, I'll leave that to your opinion.

 

[Jirkovo]

New bike and are you already improving? I bought a bike that I didn't have to upgrade. No worries. Only after a year of riding

 

[Swiss Roll]

All of it.
That way when I roll up to the bike park all the kids look at me and make comments how badass my bike is. Then when it’s my turn to go I act like my phone is vibrating and I answer it then get out of line and wait until no one is around to see how much I fit the mold of an ‘ebiker’ which is a synonym for can’t-ride-for-shit-loser ppssshhhhhhhhhaaaaa

????? He he

first thing i do is upgrade my phone. I feel you on the looking stupid front. I am a total newb on the hard core trails these days, yesterday, I came to a juddering terrified stop, had to drag my behomoth to one side to let a couple of 16 year olds pass me, but i shredded them on the fireroad, with my superior buying power.

 

[Swiftdaddy]

I think a lot of people just spend money on needless upgrades when the stock parts are perfectly fine.

I agree for the most part. Even the base model legitimate emtb’s come spec’d well enough that you don’t have to worry about upgrading parts, at least not until they wear out. There was one post I saw here where a guy had bought a Orbea Rise M-TEAM which is already a top tier bike sitting at $10k. He was asking what he should upgrade on the bike before it even arrived and could see how it rides. In that case it’s all diminishing returns.

But It’s like I get this itch that I have to get something new for my bike every few weeks lol my wallet hates me for it! I also sell my former components to get some kind of compensation on the new parts.

 

[Zed]

I'll chime in. Upgrade what needs upgrading. I bought my Orbea Wild FS H10 a few months back. The Sunrace cassette was shite so that's gone, and the dropper post was pretty crap and started to jam up. Could probably have serviced it, but I replaced it with one I don't have to service. Of course - grips/saddle/pedals. But that's it! No other changes on the horizon. (this is my 3rd ebike)

It doesn't have bling parts but it has solid parts - and I ride it quicker than I rode any bike before it, according to Strava. Those bikes before it had Factory/Ultimate level suspension, yet were slower descending, ascending, flat.

Some years back the mid range suspension and wheels were pretty crap. Different story now. Save your money. Performance level suspension is awesome without the settings headache. Especially as travel gets longer, that kind of tuning becomes less relevant, I've found. Decent DT Swiss rimmed wheels (or similar) are all you need.

However, it's a good idea to keep a spare back wheel, chain and brake pads in stock. Especially if you don't run cushcore or similar

 

[head]

Which components do you usually upgrade right away?

None.
Ride it first, see what works well, what works not so well.

this!

 

[EME]

Just bought my first emtb and am patiently awaiting for it to arrive. I’ve already bought new wheels and a better shifter, plus a new bike stand if you want to count that in. It seems many people upgrade a lot of their components right out the gate. I see people here throwing ona fox Factory fork and even push elevinsix shocks. Do y’all just have a hole burning in your pocket or are you just rich? Which components do you usually upgrade right away?

Im just stupid .. you?

 

[maramouse]

Hi everyone, usually, the first upgrade is my trusty specialized power saddle, the second is the oneup grips, then, usually, stronger tires, compared to the exo or exo + or grid trail, etc. another upgrade that I cannot give up, despite being 165 cm low and using small size bikes, is the dropper v2 150 oneup, the only one I can insert on small frames, finally, if I can I avoid using sram code r rs brakes or rscs that are found, almost always original equipment and which I hate

 

[R120]

Every time I get a new bike it becomes more and more apparent that the first thing that needs upgrading is the rider ?

 

[SiDobsFig]

Nothing until ridden as it will take a while to get used to it, agree with the guys about tubeless if not supplied.

Learn about suspension tweaks and go from there.

If riding in a wet, muddy environment and the bike has been made and tested in Sunnier places just make sure the headset bearings are sealed. I have changed all my bikes (EMTB or otherwise) to Hope headsets that fit most makes as I do most of my riding in the West of England and Wales.

Just have fun on it and don't bother until you have a good feel for the bike or something wears out.

 

[Barbara_Reed]

The saddle. Always. I don't know why the manufacturer bothers putting one on, I've got a heap of them in the back of the barn. Maybe it's because the one I take off and swear at is made for a man, and a deformed one at that. Even if the bike was intended for a woman. Then I go out and buy some more chain oil because the can is in the bag on another bike, and some quick links because the chuffing CHAIN is different, FFS. And a stupidly expensive little bag to hold a few bits. And another pump because I don't want to rob the old bike. Plus some more CO2 cartridges because I can't find the box of 24 that I bought a month ago. Then I need some more gorilla tape because that will fix most of the problems I am convinced I will have. Then I lose one of the keys and have to buy another so I have a spare. When the new key arrives I instantly find the one I lost. By now I have decided what actually needed changing, which is usually the tyres. So then the ones I want are unavailable except maybe on Mars.
It's starting to look like a rather scruffy bike shop in the barn by now. When the new box of CO2 cartridges arrives I put it away and find the box I lost, exactly where I am putting the new box.
What was the question, exactly?

 

[Shjay]

I swap most things, but it’s to parts I already have as I have always bought frame only for bikes & built my own, less choice when comes to ebikes so swap parts to my own tastes, bars, stems wheels & brakes which I have moved from bike to bike & forks

 

[1oldfart]

There is no one answer, it depends on the bike.
Usually i fine tune my fit.