I have fun on my much older 26er myself I happily dumped almost 2k in upgrading it and even though I plan to probably buy a new 650b or 29er with my tax refund I doubt ill abandon my 26er Id say if you still like it go with it but if you plan to race then probably go get a 650/29er I plan on racing myself ofc you could also try and convert your old bike to a 650b there's a decent amount of older 26er that can run a 650b wheel there's a thread in that section on it.

 

I don't think you're going to get a tapered fork on that frame. You'll need to find a 1-1/8" straight fork.

Only you can really answer your question. You don't want to put a lot of money into it and then decide that you want a more modern bike, you'll never be able to sell it for what you put into it and a lot of the parts won't transfer. You may want to go test ride some modern bikes on some local trails and then decide if you'll be happy upgrading your old bike.

I'm a bit in the same situation, trying to decide if I want to upgrade the brakes on my Dragon from mechanical to hydraulic. Personally, I would consider some simple upgrades but I would not spend a lot of money upgrading everything you mentioned.

 

Nothing wrong with upgrading the forks and shock or the brakes it will build on your current investment.
If your bike is a lower end model the upgrade parts don't need to be top shelf , could be pretty affordable for you certainly worth looking into.

Then again could be your ready for the next step up in bikes in that case buy a new one or new to you

 

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I think I've decide to keep it. It gets the job done on trails quite nicely as is. Any upgrades will just make it that much better.

The frame is scandium and while the component spec is lower, frame set is high grade and intended for XC racing (back in the day). While you never get your money back on any toy 'investment' (I restored a 1959 boat, I know...), the non-monetary value is/can be higher.

Racing? Nah, I gave that up years ago. I just like riding on hard trails (not hard tails) with friends and family. Much more satisfying.

I'm pretty sure I can get a tapered fork on to it if I use an external cup head set. From what I've seen, the wider portion of the steer tube sits in the external cup.

https://www.amazon.com/Full-Speed-A...00RLKYHNI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1475692917&sr=8-7&keywords=1+1/8+1+1/2+headset

Of course, this adds to the ride height by some small margin, raises the bottom bracket, changes overall head tube angle, etc.

Question is, does it make any sense to put a 650b fork and wheel up front? Almost seems like it will screw with the geometry too much. But it is more versatile down the road if needs be. If I could stuff a larger wheel in the rear, I would totally go with this as it would net zero on geometry. however, there isn't enough space in my rear subframe for the larger diameter. I read somewhere that a fellow made a custom drop out to convert his ride. I would assume he extended and lowered the existing setup to account for extra wheel diameter. Any one here heard of doing this?

 

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I'm pretty sure I can get a tapered fork on to it if I use an external cup head set. From what I've seen, the wider portion of the steer tube sits in the external cup.

https://www.amazon.com/Full-Speed-A...00RLKYHNI/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1475692917&sr=8-7&keywords=1+1/8+1+1/2+headset

From your link:

• This product is of Fits tapered headtube 1-1/8" top-1.5" bottom

yes, that is f'ed up but the "Fits tapered headtube 1-1/8" top-1.5" bottom" is what matters, your head tube is 1-1/8" all the way.

You could probably use a 27.5 fork (if you can find one with a straight steerer) and stick with 26" wheels. Then you wouldn't have to worry about clearance. But then you'd have to find a 27.5 frame with a non-tapered head tube down the road and that may be very difficult. Despite the math, the difference between 26 wheels and 27.5 wheels is actually only about 1/2" in radius, so your bike is "lifted" only 1/2" with the larger wheels. I don't think it is a big enough difference that you would even notice it. I think 27.5 was just a response from the bike manufacturers to the negatives of 29, and they didn't want to go back to 26.

If I were you (so this is just what I would do), i would consider looking for a used 26" fork on Craigslist or eBay (CL better as you could check it out in person). You could rebuild it if necessary, or check to see if Push Industries will still push it. You can get a deal on 26" wheels, either used or Clearance 26 MTB 6-bolt Disc or similar. Most people say SLX brakes are as good as XT, though sometimes the XT are not much more $. Figure out what you will want to do for your drivetrain, probably need to do that before you buy wheels. And then…ride.

 

Chazpat,

Thanks for the info.
I did watch a video on the head set idea. I'd have to look for it and post it back to see if I saw what I thought I saw.

As for finding a fork, that really isn't an issue, even with strait steer tubes.
RockShox Reba RL Fork 26" 100mm Solo Air 9mm QR Crown Adj 1 1 8" Alum A6 Black | eBay
Pricey with the straight tube. Tapered tubes seem to go for around $300.

Plenty of 26 wheels out there from what I've seen, too. BlueSky cycles has a ton of them for reasonable $$. My current set of Alex rims are decent, but I'd like to run something lighter down the road if I can. (but not race wheels, as they need to be durable)

On brakes, I looked at the price difference between the SLX and XT and it was like $20 or something. Not that big of a deal. Really it boils down to Servo Wave. I tried a set on a friends bike and loved the feel and modulation. The ability for the pad to sit far off of the rotor eliminates any rubbing issues due to out of true rotors.

 

Confirmed. Cane Creek makes the XX-44. This allows a tapered fork to be installed on a traditional 1 1/8 head. Adds 7mm to the head height. Opens up a world of possibility...

 

Make sure that your head tube is 44mm. Cane Creek makes a headset that allows a tapered steerer in a 44mm head tube. It won't work for a traditional 1 1/8 head tube, though. They mention that in their FAQ.

 

I would keep riding as is, if not broken. the bike is also getting old. if my Heckler were 8 years old I wouldn't consider the upgrades you are talking about.

get 3 more years out of it and look into a new bike.


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Buying new is still a option

Noticed that Manitou still has 1 1/8th straight forks being sold by re sellers from china etc.
Probably forks can be had from other manufacturers with a straight steer tube i have not looked.

I was looking into manitous R7 pro model and noticed many of their forks can be had in the straight steer tube version , from aftermarket sellers.

 

I would look into getting a 2017 Rockshox Recon Silver RL in 27.5 if I were you. Motion Control, Reba lowers mated to Recon steel uppers, straight steerer for no fuss installation. Heavier than a Reba but way cheaper too. The 27.5 fork is about 10mm longer than corresponding 26 fork which probably does good for older XC geometry bike.

 

You're skipping Step 1 -- What about your current bike do you feel needs improvement?

Too heavy? Too flexy? Not enough suspension travel? Handling too twitchy? Damping too primitive? Poor brake modulation? Shifters seem sloppy?

 

@TimoA
I'm pretty set on the Reba RL. I keep reading up on the lower stem adapters and think I can do the 1.5. I'll measure before ordering though. The Recon is cheaper by about $100, but if I'm going to spend on a fork I want remote lockout and some weight savings. I can drop a pound by going to Reba.

@phantoj

Oh, I didn't skip step one. I just didn't put it here.

Shifting is good, no attention needed. I replaced the crap Deore rear derailleur with a Shadow XT early on.
Handling is really superb. I get into some gnarly uphill switchback root climbs and it does great.
Brakes are not sufficient. Too much finger pressure required and not enough modulation. These will get replaced regardless of fork activity.
Fork needs attention as well. I regularly blow through my travel on the local trails. I can set more preload, but then lose my sag. And there is no damping other than the spring. I'd like to be able to tune more than what I have can do. (too many years riding sport bikes with fully adjustable forks).

The bike weighs in at 33lbs in current trim. About middle of the road for a fully XC bike from what I understand. With upgrades mentioned above, I think it will last me a good 5-10 more years. (I still have my 1998 Trek 7000ZX hard tail, relegated to my son. Still going strong).

 

I had to look this up. According to the Cane Creek headset finder (https://www.canecreek.com/headset-fit-finder) the 2008 Kona Four has a EC34 headset, and Kona promo pics confirm that too. There is no way to make a tapered fork work with that, you would need a frame with a 44mm ID headtube and a EC44 lower headset.

That being said, you can probably source a straight steerer Reba without too much trouble and if price is of no concern, go for it.

 

Well, thanks for finding that for me!

Good news is, I don't have to buy a new headset!

 

1 1/8th frames DO NOT require an adapter to run the Reba RL forks.

More or less

Out of curiosity i had a look to see if the Reba RL was available in 1 1/8th straight steer tube and found it actually is.

New 2016 RockShox Reba RL Manual Lockout 100mm Suspension Fork 26er 1 1 8 9mm QR | eBay

 

Great that you are back on the bike. Sounds like you're having fun. That's what its about for me too.

You seem to be really fond of the bike, but I tend to agree with cjsb. There is no way I would spend that much money on it. It is a base model, and 33 lbs is quite heavy for a 26er, other than a dh type bike.

A couple more reasonable upgrades might make sense. The bb7's are good brakes. You might try new cables/pads and a bigger front rotor. It might take some work, but you might find used fork or wheels really cheap.

Good luck, whichever way you decide to go.

 

I completely upgraded a old '97 RM Element frame , all parts its costing a small fortune. Have just finished buying the last of the parts for a total of $1300 in parts and $250 for the frame.

The resale is about $1000 so it makes little fiscal sense ...more or less its my entertainment exercise and enjoyment.

It comes down to the frame imo if it was a good frame at one time it will be a good frame forever ( if its not damaged )

My old RM Elements are 17 and 19 years old respectively and still worth their salt

The frames weigh 4.7 lbs with the rear shock on , a really enjoyable bike to ride at 19 lbs with street tires on or 21lbs with dirt tread on.

If your frame is all you'll ever want from a frame then your good if its not I suggest to shop for a bike although you sound pretty pleased with your wheels ! which is good.

 

I think you should maybe freshen it up with a lightly used fork upgrade from Ebay (or, better, a local seller) and some new brake pads... put the rest of the $$$ in the "new bike fund".

 

Try this, leave the rest as is except for the fork. I suggest Manitou forks, a much more sophistacated fork in regards to damping.is.https://www.blueskycycling.com/product6983_70_-Shimano-SLX-M675-B-IceTech-Disc-Brake-w--Adapter.htm 2016 Manitou Marvel Comp 26"27.5"29" Fork Straight Tapered Manual/lRemote | eBay

 

I wouldn't want to throw too much at that bike, personally. If you're set on keeping it, that Dart fork is junk. I would look for a used fork as others have suggested. The last used 26" fork I bought was a Lyrik RC2DH in excellent condition for around $200. Probably not a fork you'd want on this bike, but just an example. BB7s aren't that bad, maybe try larger rotors and the necessary adapters. I ran BB7s for several years and they did ok with 180mm rotors for Colorado riding. Depending on your riding style, maybe trying a shorter stem and wider bars to get closer to modern geo.

 

Has anyone had thisdilemma or gone through this exercise?

Yep, it was expensive and left me with a fun bike with practically 0 resale value. After 5 years riding it upgraded, I wound up parting it out and the frame hangs on the wall in my garage now. I got about 15 years from the frame though.

 

Great response from all of you. Thanks! A very nice welcome back to this board.

In the end, I like the frame and the way the bike handles. So to me, its worth keeping. When I spend money on it and then move on, it will likely go to my son as his first fully, so there is no expectation of trying to get my money back out of it. I'm 47, and I'm planning on getting a bespoke bike when I turn 50, so I think this is a decent plan.

Yes, the dart is junk. I serviced it recently and it sure helped, but there just isn't enough sophistication there. The Manitou R7 or a Reba seem like a good price point (and that R7 sure is light). My limit is $300 on a fork (for no other reason than I'm a father with 3 kids and can only spend so much!)

The BB7s are decent, but after riding the XTs there is no comparison. Plus, I can always move those to another bike at will. Also, the BB7s will go on my wife's bike when that change happens. She is on a built up Ditch 3 that we got for free.

 

not trying to talk you out of it because your plan to pass it along to your son makes a lot of sense. if you haven't already yet then just consider age of frame for when you plan to do that. frames get weaker, especially swing arms, banking on 10+ year frame has risks.

all that said, if my son is big enough in 3-4 years I plan to give him my Yelli, which will be 7-8 years old by then.


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I have only owned 26'ers, so I can't say whether you'd be better off buying a 27.5 or 29'er. What I can say is that if you really like the bike, keep it. Obviously, check the frame for cracks or other damage that would make if unsafe to ride it. You're not likely going to recoup money spent on upgrades, but that's okay. You are saving a lot of money by not buying a new ride.

Get a decent hydraulic front brake. Or put a new cable and housing for the Avid BB 7-up front. Get some metallic pads. Try tweaking the adjustment on the brake, too. That can make a significant difference to the stopping power. A larger rotor can help increase braking power, as long as it is allowable on the fork.

As for the fork, how about a Rockshox Recon Silver with rebound and lockout (1 1/8" straight steerer tube)? They have them on ebay for about $200. That would be a significant step up from the Dart, I would think. Also leaves you a hundred bucks for other bike parts and accessories.

 

I rode an 08 dawg until this year. Tons of fun! I dig konas.

Konas need a good rear shock. That drastically transforms the ride. Manitou has a radium shock that works wonderfully, and they're dirt cheap new.

 

I went front 27.5 fork and wheel on my 26er. It helps a ton, especially traversing thru sketchy areas. You can find a straight 27.5 fork on ebay and the great thing is that you can still use your old 26er front wheel when you feel like going over the bars and to re-enjoy the twitchy steering when you ride the Strawberry Peak Trail.