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Favorite high performance category & why

1429 Views 28 Replies 17 Participants Last post by smoothmoose, Dec 11, 2021

Monty219

Discussion Starter · Dec 8, 2021

What is your favorite high performance tech category and why?

To level the budget field, disregard exact cost. Imagine your most realistic build with all parts at equivalent cost/performance. What is your most important upgrade and why?

This question is performance oriented so try not to factor in cost but feel free to discuss whatever, if this piques your interest.

i am between trickstuff brakes for my enduro bike or carbon/ tubeless rims for my fat bike or 26” mulleting my 650B trail bike.

i have much more realistic, necessary, and less expensive bike upgrade goals in mind before any of these. Just wondering what upgrades everyone is thinking about.

1 - 20 of 29 Posts

mik_git

· #2 · Dec 8, 2021

um...everything...!
If price were not an option then i would go XTR everything, but it is so I usually go XT (but XTR brakes as they are worth the extra $$)

Reactions: 1

Monty219

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 8, 2021 (Edited)

mik_git said:
um...everything...!
If price were not an option then i would go XTR everything, but it is so I usually go XT (but XTR brakes as they are worth the extra $$)

I agree, for certain categories. As the question frames; price is not a limit for only one category. If you want to get more specific; for which subgenre of mountain bike do you have in mind?

for me, tires are close behind brakes but i feel the best brake over the average brake is a bigger difference than the best tire over the average tire. And when ditching dinged aluminum fat bike rims for carbon rims i could go tubeless and save a few pounds. And a 27.5/26 mullet would just be fun and kinda weird.

Nat

· #4 · Dec 8, 2021

AXS

Reactions: 3

834905

· #5 · Dec 8, 2021

Carbon hoops with an Onyx hub go at the top of the list for me personally. Magura brakes are a close second.

Reactions: 1

MattiThundrrr

· #6 · Dec 8, 2021

Wheels and tires make the biggest difference in my opinion, followed by the frame. Unfortunately for me, they're most expensive parts to begin with!

stripes

· #7 · Dec 8, 2021

Nat said:
AXS

This, especially with shifting. Totally worth the cost for me.

Also: suspension (usually coil and custom tuned).

I tend to air now on the side of metal parts as opposed to carbon (frames, wheels, etc), and stuff that just works, so everything else seems pretty not as high end otherwise.

Reactions: 1

LMN

· #8 · Dec 8, 2021

Suspension.

I will take a mid-level frame and mid-level parts but I want top of the line suspension and I am going to spend the time maintaining it to keep it top of the line.

Reactions: 3

006_007

· #9 · Dec 8, 2021

3 distinct "upgrades" I have come across that I would never give up.

1. Suspension. My first bike with suspension gave me that "it can't get any better than this" moment.

2. Disc brakes. Again riding went to another level. There is now no way to make this significantly better.

3. Dropper posts. Yes my earlier bikes had a qr seat clamp to raise/lower periodically. But once I had an easier on-the-fly option for it I was, and still do use it constantly.

Reactions: 2

Nat

· #10 · Dec 8, 2021

Waiting for someone to say "lessons" so I can roll my eyes.

Reactions: 3

LVLBTY

· #11 · Dec 8, 2021

1) FRAME
2) Wheels & Tires
3) Everything else

Reactions: 1

127.0.0.1

· #12 · Dec 8, 2021

wheelset

slapheadmofo

· #13 · Dec 8, 2021

Nat said:
Waiting for someone to say "lessons" so I can roll my eyes.

Manual machine.

Seriously though, frame of course.

Reactions: 1

Impetus

· #14 · Dec 8, 2021

LMN said:
Suspension.

I will take a mid-level frame and mid-level parts but I want top of the line suspension and I am going to spend the time maintaining it to keep it top of the line.

I'm in this camp. Carbon wunder-wagon frames are neeto, but vs Alu frames, they aren't game changing the way a dialed-in top of the line fork or shock out performs basic suspension.

I'm perfectly happy with "Deore" level frame, drivetrain, wheels and cockpit, but I want "XTR" suspension.

Reactions: 1

BadgerOne

· #15 · Dec 8, 2021

I often see wheels cited as the biggest tangible upgrade, usually at least in part due to lighter rotating weight. They saved 300 grams! Then warp them in a set of Portly Perrys with a double casing that weigh 1200 grams each, over an insert. Oh the irony....

Impetus

· #16 · Dec 8, 2021

BadgerOne said:
I often see wheels cited as the biggest tangible upgrade, usually at least in part due to lighter rotating weight. They saved 300 grams! Then warp them in a set of Portly Perrys with a double casing that weigh 1200 grams each, over an insert. Oh the irony....

I dunno man. While I see why you say this- It's the "Double Whopper with a Diet Coke" scenario; however there's more at work here than that.
The trails I ride pretty much require double casing "Portly Perrys". There's a lot of ugly nasty rocks in the AZ desert.
My lack of skill coupled with my desire to go fast has been the end of many rims, thus CushCore is a significant financial benefit in not replacing rear rims 2x per year.
So, I'm pretty much required to ride 1kg tires and inserts, I'm looking to save weight where I can- which generally means taking weight from rims, spokes and hubs.

Reactions: 2

slapheadmofo

· #17 · Dec 8, 2021

Impetus said:
I'm in this camp. Carbon wunder-wagon frames are neeto, but vs Alu frames, they aren't game changing the way a dialed-in top of the line fork or shock out performs basic suspension.

For me it's not so much about frame material as geometry/kinematics.

Reactions: 1

smoothmoose

· #18 · Dec 8, 2021

Geo and Kinematics first. Then suspension. I've ridden carbon wheels multiple times - and can't for the life of me tell a difference @150lbs. I have riding buddy that's about the same weight and swears his ENVEs are WAY stiffer. So stiff that the first time he swapped them in he crashed 4 times as the bike handled so differently. I call placebo and a bad day.

Reactions: 2

Impetus

· #19 · Dec 8, 2021

slapheadmofo said:
For me it's not so much about frame material as geometry/kinematics.

smoothmoose said:
Geo and Kinematics first. Then suspension. I've ridden carbon wheels multiple times - and can't for the life of me tell a difference @150lbs. I have riding buddy that's about the same weight and swears his ENVEs are WAY stiffer. So stiff that the first time he swapped them in he crashed 4 times as the bike handled so differently. I call placebo and a bad day.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the OP's intent, but I don't think he's asking what you're answering. I read his post as a what doe you splash-out on and pay for top of the line, and where is budget OK. Like "Deore vs XTR" rear derailleur kinda thing- meaning that if all else is equal you choose carbon over alloy, or electronic over cable, etc. Not Shimano XT vs SRAM XO1.

Choosing a SJ Comp over a Ripmo AF (both alloy) is apples to oranges because they're both awesome but different, not a hierarchy of better or lesser.
A better frame analogy is choosing the S-Works Carbon stumpjumper over the Alloy Comp, or a Ripmo vs Ripmo AF.

Reactions: 1

Nat

· #20 · Dec 8, 2021

At this point are we just writing down our Christmas lists?

TBH I wasn’t really sure what the OP was asking.

1 - 20 of 29 Posts

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