[azneinstein]

I had my first few rides, trail and at the beach, holy crap it killed me- but it was great! I just bought this bike, a few of you might remember I was going to build my own- but I found this deal and took up on it.

2005 On-One 18" frame, inbred
On-one stem
Answer handlebar
Aheadset
Manitou Axel fork
Trutavtiv fireX cranks
Kiosk seat (this thing is sooo hard, I'm fearful of not having kids)
Avid D3 levers with tektro brakes (I really want to swap these first)
Mavic wheelset with Deore hubs, and Hutchinson Elite python tires

it was used, but in almost new condition, aside from scratches on the levers, it was pretty much brand new- my brother even thought it was new when I showed him. I bought it for $280. I was sold when I first saw it, the awesome part is that the tires match the gold frame!

I want to know what upgrades are available for me, and if I should go this route.
Upgrade to Avid Digit 7 or Ultimate brakes/levers.
Swap out the cog for a real SS one, probably Surly
Get new wheels with SS hubs, probably Surly as well

I don't want to go disc, but what are the best V/linear brake on the market right now? Also, is there anything else I should think about upgrading? Thanks. -Ken

 

[pacman]

I had my first few rides, trail and at the beach, holy crap it killed me- but it was great! I just bought this bike, a few of you might remember I was going to build my own- but I found this deal and took up on it.

2005 On-One 18" frame, inbred
On-one stem
Answer handlebar
Aheadset
Manitou Axel fork
Trutavtiv fireX cranks
Kiosk seat (this thing is sooo hard, I'm fearful of not having kids)
Avid D3 levers with tektro brakes (I really want to swap these first)
Mavic wheelset with Deore hubs, and Hutchinson Elite python tires

it was used, but in almost new condition, aside from scratches on the levers, it was pretty much brand new- my brother even thought it was new when I showed him. I bought it for $280. I was sold when I first saw it, the awesome part is that the tires match the gold frame!

I want to know what upgrades are available for me, and if I should go this route.
Upgrade to Avid Digit 7 or Ultimate brakes/levers.
Swap out the cog for a real SS one, probably Surly
Get new wheels with SS hubs, probably Surly as well

I don't want to go disc, but what are the best V/linear brake on the market right now? Also, is there anything else I should think about upgrading? Thanks. -Ken

Go ride, upgrade the first thing that breaks.

 

[synkronized23]

Great price. Great bike.

The Avid Ultimates are definitely up there. Those will be increase your braking performance significantly. It also seems that you should get a new seat if you want to have children. =)

Do you have any pictures you could post so that I have an image of the bike to visualize what would be some good upgrades?

 

[shiggy]

Go ride, upgrade the first thing that breaks.

Agreed!

If the brakes are weak and you can not improve them with adjustments, any of the Avid Vtype brakes work well.

Get a saddle you like.

Other than that, just ride it!

 

[meloh1]

If the brakes work well I'd leave them alone. Of the "upgrades" you mentioned about the only thing I'd do is get a cog with a wide base. You'll probably want a couple of cogs in different sizes anyway. What kind of system is used to space the cog on the freehub?

I don't consider a new saddle an upgrade. Unless a bike I buy comes with an old school WTB saddle (pre luv channel) I take it off and replace it with a classic WTB because it works for me. You'll find you are out of the saddle more on a SS than a geared bike but a good saddle is still important.

BTW, that's a great bike for a great price. Enjoy.

 

[shiggy]

If the brakes work well I'd leave them alone. Of the "upgrades" you mentioned about the only thing I'd do is get a cog with a wide base. You'll probably want a couple of cogs in different sizes anyway...

With the Deore hub a wide base cog is not needed. The $5-10 DX and Novatech cogs work just fine.

 

[meloh1]

I just think, as a rule of thumb, wide is better than narrow on any hub. Since most people who SS end up getting more than one cog it might as well be wide based. I'm not suggesting he dump the cog he has, whatever it is.

 

[shiggy]

I just think, as a rule of thumb, wide is better than narrow on any hub. Since most people who SS end up getting more than one cog it might as well be wide based. I'm not suggesting he dump the cog he has, whatever it is.

I do not see a reason to spend $25-40 on a cog when a $5-10 cog will work just as well.

 

[Mudflaps]

I do not see a reason to spend $25-40 on a cog when a $5-10 cog will work just as well.

What Shiggy's referring to here is that the only reason to require a wide based cog is if the freehub body is alloy (think soft metal) and would get the narrower cogs stuck as they form seats for themselves. This is not an issue with a steel-body freehub.
One reason to go for something other than a Shimano or Novatech cog is if you want something larger than a 20T cog, which seems to be the biggest available. Otherwise, it's aesthetics.

 

[meloh1]

I understand the reasoning but here's mine. People often have several cogs for different riding conditions. SS cogs last a long time, even alloy cogs. I think it's safe to assume you might use different cogs on different bikes. You might have more than one SS bike. You might sell one and get another. You might get new wheels or use a different set of wheels. I just think it's a good bet to buy a wide based cog that will work well with whatever bike/hub you may want to use it on. Surly cogs can be had from aebike for about $22, not a huge cost penalty for a cog you can use with any Shimano compatible freehub.