What should be my first upgrade?

Question

I've been planning to upgrade my Foxter Evans 3.0 (Low budget Bike) to lessen it's weight. What should I replace to lessen it? Also I'm a 5'11 person and my frame is a medium. Should I consider replacing the frame due to incompatibility of my height? I only have $400 budget.

Below are the specs:

24 Speed Gears ! ( 8 x 3 Set Up)
Epixon Fork -- new fork
Shimano Gears
Oversize Bar and Stem
Heavy Duty Alloy Frame Square Tubing
27.5 Bike 5'4 to 5'10
Great Affordable Entry Level 27.5 BikeSpecifications:
Frame: Foxter Alloy 6061 Thick Frame Square Tubing 27.5
Fork: Foxter Suspension with Lock Out
Handlebar: Foxter Oversize Alloy
Stem: Foxter oversize Alloy
Shifter: Shimano 8 Speed Shimano Altus
Brakes: Shimano Hydraulic Brakes
Front Derailleur: Shimano Tourney
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Tourney
Crank: Foxter Steel Triple Chainwheel
Cogs: Taiwan 8 Speed
Tires: CST Jet 27.5 x 1.95
Seat Clamp: Quick Release
Rotors: Shimano Rotor Discs

Thank you for those who will answer.

Save your money. You can do a few things to cut weight, but the steel frame, suspension, hydraulic discs, et al are gonna cost you weight no matter what, and changing them out piecemeal is expensive. The frame may be a little short for you, but better than than too big. — Daniel R Hicks, Nov 27 '18 at 03:22
@DanielRHicks Save money to buy a new bike? I'm considering a frame I saw. Mountain Peak Evo 1.8kilo alloy frame. worth $100, do you think is it worth to buy it or should I save to buy a more quality bike? — Earvin Nill Castillo, Nov 27 '18 at 03:28
With bikes, it's almost always cheaper to buy the bike you want off the shelf, than to build it up yourself. For $400, you can buy a much nicer used bike or you could make a couple of little improvements to your current one. Upgrading it bit by bit will still never give you anything more than a pretty mediocre mountain bike, so you'd be better off just saving the money and eventually buying something like a Giant Talon instead or save longer and get an even nicer one than that. — Carbon side up, Nov 27 '18 at 04:30
And use your time on your current bike to observe the problems you have with it and the features you like on bikes your buddies ride. — Daniel R Hicks, Nov 27 '18 at 12:57
Your first upgrade, should be yourself. Lose some weight, buy some gloves and bib shorts and a comfortable helmet. Get at least 1000 km on the bike total, and consider what hurts you and what's uncomfortable. Then see how you can fix the pain points without spending all your money. Spend time and money to maintain the bike too - with cleaning and lube etc. — Criggie, Nov 28 '18 at 18:45
Upgrading is either about higher quality components or about lighter weight. The cheapest way to get there is when the rider loses weight, because any kilo less on the saddle will make climbing easier and achieve higher speed. ;-) — Carel, Nov 28 '18 at 19:05
@criggie, i already lost 10kilos due to cycling and i already rode over 1000km. I found out that I experience neck and shoulder pain. — Earvin Nill Castillo, Nov 29 '18 at 01:04
That's awesome! Now search this site for info on sore necks and shoulders, which is generally a position/flexibility issue, and exacerbated by age. https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/32658 and https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/2648/ are a good start. — Criggie, Nov 29 '18 at 06:40

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 27 '18 at 05:32

8

As everyone above points out, you'll pay double or triple to upgrade piecemeal. Save up buy a whole bike. Used if you have to.

The two items that I would consider are NOT on your list:

If you are at the upper limit of your seat height, you might consider getting a longer seat post. It's hard to pedal if you're not getting good leg extension. (The frame is probably also too short for your torso+arms, but the legs matter more.)
Clipless pedals and shoes. Your feet will thank you. Plus, you can carry them forward to your next bike.

You can also upgrade tires once these wear out.

answered Nov 27 '18 at 05:32

Jeffrey Bell

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I already bought a higher seatpost, I forgot to mention it in my original post and yes im having problem with my arms and torso when having a long ride, plus neck issue. – Earvin Nill Castillo Nov 27 '18 at 05:41
I'm also considering the cleat shoes and pedals. How much should I save to have a used good bike? – Earvin Nill Castillo Nov 27 '18 at 05:42
The used bike market is very illiquid. Some are way over priced, a few super cheap. It's hard to plan. – Jeffrey Bell Nov 27 '18 at 06:03
@EarvinNillCastillo: Get a longer stem if the bike is too short? Unless you are already at ~120mm stem length. – Michael Nov 27 '18 at 12:11

Argenti Apparatus · Answer 2 · 2018-11-28T13:47:50.490

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With an inexpensive bike like this upgrading individual components not worth it. You can't really replace the frame - replacement frames do not exist at this price level.

If the bike is too small for you, you need a new bike. Either save for a whole new bike, or perhaps look at clothing and accessories that will make your riding more enjoyable and easier.

edited Nov 28 '18 at 13:47

answered Nov 27 '18 at 09:49

Argenti Apparatus

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Indeed -- frames only tend to be available separately for higher-end bikes that will cost well over $1000. – David Richerby Nov 27 '18 at 11:11
How about upgrading it to deore groupset? – Earvin Nill Castillo Nov 27 '18 at 23:44
Argent & David, in our country, they sell taiwan made frame i think which is less weight and affordable compare to the branded ones, also some cyclists also sells their frame. – Earvin Nill Castillo Nov 28 '18 at 00:00
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If there are frames available, then you may be able to swap all your components over, but, be aware than you may face compatibility issues, difficulty setting the new bike up and you'll likely need some special tools. – Argenti Apparatus Nov 28 '18 at 13:46

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 27 '18 at 11:10

You say that your bike is incompatible with your height. Upgrading won't fix that at all. You also say that you want to save weight, but you're riding a low-end bike with suspension forks and big fat tyres. If you're riding on the road or paved bike paths, you don't need either of those things.

By an overwhelming margin, your $400 would be best spent on a replacement bike; plus, selling your existing bike will give you a bit more to spend. You should be able to get a nice second-hand bike for $400, or a decent new one. If you do only ride on paved surfaces, consider a hybrid, which will give you a similar riding position to your mountain bike but will have narrower, lighter tyres and wheels, and probably a lighter frame. (NarrowER, but not particularly narrow – we're not talking skinny race bike tyres, here.)

do you have an idea what specs will i have with a $400 used bike? — Earvin Nill Castillo, Nov 28 '18 at 00:08

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 30 '18 at 04:53

0

The best upgrade is yourself. You could spend $500 making your bike 50g lighter with titanium skewers or you could lose 5kg in a few weeks of hard riding.

You could try to make your wheels and derailleur go from 97% efficiency to 97.5% efficiency or you could increase your spin rate.

You could upgrade to a higher front sprocket and new rear derailleur or you could increase your VO2.

Etc.

answered Nov 30 '18 at 04:53

RoboKaren

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At some point your body is going to be pretty much maxed out. I agree that spending huge amounts of money for a few grams of weight saving is … questionable but OP is far from that. – Michael Nov 30 '18 at 06:57
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I already lost 10kg in just 2mos. Workout plus diet – Earvin Nill Castillo Nov 30 '18 at 08:58
The question is the first upgrade. After you’ve maxed out your body, then certainly start spending on the bike. – RoboKaren Nov 30 '18 at 10:56

What should be my first upgrade?

4 Answers4