Upon-purchase upgrades - for All-Mountain bikes

Hi all,

I live on the slopes of Seymour. I've had a 2014 Norco Sight, Aluminum, for the last 2 summers. I typically ride Old Buck to John Deer, Asian Adonis, Severed or Pangor, 350 metre short rides. I ride pretty fast, but avoid any dangerous stunts. I'm 42 and have suffered enough injuries.

I've loved my Norco Sight. I may or may not ride it for a third season. I may just replace it with a 2017 Norco Sight A7.1

Before replacing it, I'll need to demo some bikes. I need to try a 29er, I need to try a 1X to determine if 42 teeth are enough for me. I'll be trying a dropper seat post for the first time. (I'm 5'11", not sure how much seat travel I'll need). I should try a few other brands, I know, I know.

My Questions: Let's say I stick to a Norco Sight or similar AM bike, what upgrades should I do upon purchase?

- Specifically: should I upgrade the Pike fork, from 150mm to 160mm, or even to a Lyric 160mm?
         It was well worth doing with my current Sight. It came with a puny fork back then. The 2017 Sight has 140mm in the rear, 150mm in the front (Rockshox Pike RCT3 150mm RL Boost )
         The package is better now, but did they have North Shore in mind with that pairing? or the rolling hills of California?

- What about the drivetrain?  worth upgrading to 12 speed Eagle at 50 teeth?   Do you know if 32 teeth X 42 teeth would be much harder than my current 24 teeth X 34? How do you do the math on that?
     I'm not even certain the shop would offer so much customization, would they?

- Have all brands modified their frames at this point to accommodate longer travel in the dropper seat posts?  Specs don't usually seem to specify dropper travel.

Thanks for your tips everybody :)

You can play with this to compare gearing: http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_ratios

A simple upgrade like a longer-travel air shaft is worth considering, but a major upgrade upon purchase like a whole fork or entire drivetrain usually doesn't make much economic sense compared to choosing a complete bike with the spec you want from the start.

Most people run chainrings from 28t to 32t with a 42t cassette. A 30t ring on a 27.5 will give similar gearing to a 28t on a 29er.

Most bikes come stock with 125 or 150 mm dropper post. As a shorter guy at 5'8", I find 125 to be fine, but taller people I ride with complain about it not going low enough and will drop their post in the seat tube for descents.

Don't bother upgrading a new bike straight away. If you even consider an Eagle group, I guess you have a decent budget. Just buy the best complete bike you can within your budget and ride it like that.

Regarding the gearing, I agree with D_C. You'll be fine with a 28t or 30t ring paired with a 10/42 11sp cassette on a 29er (go 30t on a 27.5). This is valid if you don't ride a lot on the road, in which case you may find yourself undergeared.

The deuce you say. I down to 26 c/r and now have to buy aftermarket cluster to pull the hill.

If I mount a 2.6 tyre that fix jumps the shark.

Thanks guys. 

Yeah, budgetwise, I don't really want to go much over 5k.

And I'd like the best components, so I guess I'll have to stick to aluminum.

Don't know how much upgrading to Eagle would have cost, but shop guy also says much simpler solution is just to choose a smaller front gear upon purchase. So 28 or 30 I guess. I'm almost never on pavement.

I'll have to stick with 27.5, but I'll make sure to try a 29er before committing...So I know what I'm missing?

And it sounds like I should just stick with the 150mm Pike that comes with the Sight, or otherwise consider upgrading to a bigger bike like the Range?

Re dropper post travel. If I need 150mm, I wish they published that on the frame specs. I do like mine quite low on the downhill.

Shop guy says 2017 dropper on the Sight has 150mm of travel. But I don't know if other models in other brands have 125 or 150. Makes it hard to consider them.

I currently ride a Medium frame.

Posted by: D_C_

You can play with this to compare gearing: http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_ratios

I like this one because it makes it really easy to compare two setups: http://www.ritzelrechner.de/

Just to play devils advocate, what is the reason why you want to replace your 2014 sight?  The geometry between a 2014 sight and a 2017 Sight isnt revolutionary.  The biggest difference I can see on paper is the 1 degree slacker head angle on the newer bike.
Any reason not to do some upgrades on the older bike and save yourself a few dollars?
If you are switching to a 29er, I can see the desire to for something new.  I am also not immune to the draw of a new bike even if one isnt really 'needed'.

Just my .02

Posted by: Walker

Thanks guys. 

Yeah, budgetwise, I don't really want to go much over 5k.

And I'd like the best components, so I guess I'll have to stick to aluminum.

Don't know how much upgrading to Eagle would have cost, but shop guy also says much simpler solution is just to choose a smaller front gear upon purchase. So 28 or 30 I guess. I'm almost never on pavement.

I'll have to stick with 27.5, but I'll make sure to try a 29er before committing...So I know what I'm missing?

And it sounds like I should just stick with the 150mm Pike that comes with the Sight, or otherwise consider upgrading to a bigger bike like the Range?

Re dropper post travel. If I need 150mm, I wish they published that on the frame specs. I do like mine quite low on the downhill.

Shop guy says 2017 dropper on the Sight has 150mm of travel. But I don't know if other models in other brands have 125 or 150. Makes it hard to consider them.

I currently ride a Medium frame.

He's correct, the cheapest/simplest fix is running a smaller chainring, especially if you don't care about top speed/pavement riding. I think you can go as small as 26 if it's direct mount. One thing to keep in mind is the rear suspension is designed around an optimal chainring size and the farther you go from that, may result in unfavorable pedaling performance.

More and more manufacturers are putting 150mm (even 170mm) droppers on M/L/XL frames and putting 125mm on S. You would have to check on a bike by bike basis. Also if you are buying from your local shop, they may be able to help you out with swaps on items like that. The Pike RCT3 is the highest end version of the Pike, so unless you have a specific issue I can't imagine why you would change it out, you can also custom tune forks/shocks for your specific weight and riding style BUT you need to be able to articulate to the suspension tuner what you are trying to accomplish/what problems you want to solve.

If I were you, I would demo the Sight in 29er and 27.5 and see which you like more. Maybe try some other 140-150mm trail bikes since you don't seem in a rush? Giant Trance, Devinci Troy, Santa Cruz Bronson and Hightower, Specialized Stumpjumper etc.

For outright value, no one can touch Giant. For $5k you can get a carbon frame Trance Advanced with Fox Factory 34/Float DPS suspension, Shimano 1x XT drivetrain and XT brakes and carbon wheels. Go to Different or Steed and try one.

I'm going to guess you need a 150mm if you like your seat low. I am 5'9" with a 30" inseam (on the high end) and I am on a 150mm dropper. It is really nice to be able to get the seat right out of the way.

Posted by: [email protected]

Posted by: D_C_

You can play with this to compare gearing: http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_ratios

I like this one because it makes it really easy to compare two setups: http://www.ritzelrechner.de/

That's a good one. Thanks!

Yes, it is a lot of money for basically the same bike.

I could spend about $400 on a full tune-up for my bike. It needs full break bleeds, shock and fork maintenance, etc. Unfortunately, I'm not very mechanically inclined myself.

I could spend another $400 for a dropper post that would have too little travel. But that is all money that could go toward a new bike.

In the meantime my bike would lose more value. With technology evolving so quickly, who will even look at my bike a year from now?

I tried my friend's new Enduro the other day. Yes it has more travel, but mainly: it is new, and oh so nice. It all felt more tight and dialed. I'd even say it felt cleaner. Perhaps mine is badly in need of a tune-up.
I just had a new chain put on mine, not much else since it was purchased. Now the shifting is a bit off (chain wear was at .75). The mechanics are busy building new bikes for the summer. They are taking tune-up reservations for a month from now!

I have to wait at least a month for the new bike prices to drop though, not sure I can go so long without that major tune-up.

It's not a cheap sport.

...And I just bought my 8 year old a 24" Trek (lucky used deal at $280 with hydraulic disc brakes), and over $100 of armour. I think I'll ship him off to take a mechanics course at Park Tools!

If you like yourcurrent bike, except for the dropper post - why not invest in a post, get friends with someone who is good at maintenance stuff, buy him/her a couple beers. 

And save the money you plan on spending on a new bike that is basically just similar to your current bike....except shiny and new with a few different bits and pieces.

Go on a road trip with your son, spend the saved up money on riding, bbqs and memories. 

You can always get a new bike next year or the year after, but not the chance for incredible memories of a kid who might soon go bigger than his dad.

Posted by: Walker

Yes, it is a lot of money for basically the same bike.

I could spend about $400 on a full tune-up for my bike. It needs full break bleeds, shock and fork maintenance, etc. Unfortunately, I'm not very mechanically inclined myself.

I could spend another $400 for a dropper post that would have too little travel. But that is all money that could go toward a new bike.

In the meantime my bike would lose more value. With technology evolving so quickly, who will even look at my bike a year from now?

I tried my friend's new Enduro the other day. Yes it has more travel, but mainly: it is new, and oh so nice. It all felt more tight and dialed. I'd even say it felt cleaner. Perhaps mine is badly in need of a tune-up.
I just had a new chain put on mine, not much else since it was purchased. Now the shifting is a bit off (chain wear was at .75). The mechanics are busy building new bikes for the summer. They are taking tune-up reservations for a month from now!

I have to wait at least a month for the new bike prices to drop though, not sure I can go so long without that major tune-up.

It's not a cheap sport.

...And I just bought my 8 year old a 24" Trek (lucky used deal at $280 with hydraulic disc brakes), and over $100 of armour. I think I'll ship him off to take a mechanics course at Park Tools!

If you're set on riding bikes for a while, you should buy a couple tall cans and sit down to watch some youtube videos on bike maintenance - bleeding brakes, tuning derailleurs etc is all easy stuff you can teach yourself in a few hours. If you get it wrong then you have more learning opportunities to fix it, we're not talking about sports cars or anything here. Spend the money on suspension service though, it's worth it.

The bike industry is a fucking joke these days; every bike or component or upgrade you're thinking of buying has been planned for obsolescence within 12 months, soon to be replaced with a newer standard that will cost 15% more and have a 25% lower service life. That new bike you're lusting after will depreciate at a similiar rate to the one you're riding now. Ride yours into the ground, fix it when need be and when it's utterly clapped out give it to a friend who wants to get into biking and get yourself set up with a slightly used wonder bike from the buy/sell that someone who needs the latest and greatest had to sell at a pittance.

Posted by: t_w

The bike industry is a fucking joke these days; every bike or component or upgrade you're thinking of buying has been planned for obsolescence within 12 months, soon to be replaced with a newer standard that will cost 15% more and have a 25% lower service life.

Same as it ever was............