[Abstraction]

Hey.... i'm sure this question has been beaten to death, but here goes.

I used to ride a decent amount maybe 7-8 years ago. Read biking magazines, knew my stuff.... Back then i picked up a cheap GT Outpost... it was what i could afford at the time and seemed to do a decent job. Later, i upgraded to an Indy XC front shock and Shimano 535 clipless pedals when i started offroading a little more. anyhow, it wasn't a fantastic setup, but it worked for me.

for the past couple years i haven't rode at all, and until recently, my bike was sitting in a friend's shed. when i pulled it out in the summer the chain and rear cassette (7spd) had accumulated some rust. i cleaned it up, and it's running alright... i mean, as good as 7 year old Acera-x components and a somewhat rusted chain will do.

So while thinking about replacing the rear cassette and chain, i was thinking it'd be nice to replace the derailleur and brakes as well. Which means i'd be looking at:
- brakes
- derailleur
- cassette
- chain
- levers/shifters?
- cables

the question is, is it worth it? or should i just go buy another bike =/

It's been so long since i was into this stuff that i have no idea whats "good" these days - i'm hoping to upgrade to v-brakes.... is it an easy upgrade from canti's to v's? so i need to get anything besides just the brakes? i kind of need some guidance here. i dont mind spending a bit of money on ebay to scrape together a decent set of components for my bike as i'd rather keep what i have and work from there - but if it's a lost cause then i'll consider buying a new/used bike that suits my needs.

any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Phil]

any idea how much your old GT frame (or the whole bike with current components) weighs? I would start there. My guess is that it is probably quite a bit heavier than what's available today. If you are a big guy, then maybe it doesn't matter, but if you're a lightweight like me, and you plan to ride on hilly terrain, then you will definitely appreciate a lighter bike.

I would also think about your fork. Your frame probably uses a 1" threaded headset and fork, maybe a quill type stem. Not that this is a bad design, but you may want to upgrade your Indy fork at some point too only to find your options limited since most current forks are of the 1 1/8" threadless variety.

If your bike was 9 speed, I would recommend pricing out a set of Shimano LX level replacement parts on ebay or wherever, and comparing with the cost of a new bike. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with 7 speed parts, but I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along soon...

 

[Squash]

Hmmm...there is a point where you'll just be putting...

money into a dead horse. I would suggest that with the 7 speed you'll be VERY hard pressed to find reasonable level shifters and the like. So, if you intend to upgrade shifters you'll most likely end up having to upgrade the whole drive train along with it. Another thing to consider, is the headset threadless or threaded. You may want at some point to upgrade the fork, if it's 1" threaded it'll be tough to find a good fork. I know you don't have a fork upgrade listed, but it could be a future possibility. Conversion to V-brakes will require new brake levers as well as canti levers don't pull enough cable to properly activate V-brakes. I would suggest as the previous poster did that you do some cost research on ebay and online retailers. See what is available and the cost to you. If it's gonna run ya more than $200 I would say rejuve the GT for a commuter and get a new bike. The advances made in brake, fork, and drive train tech over the last 7 or 8 hears are quite impressive. It could well be cheaper to go with a new bike than try to breath life back into your old one.

Good Dirt

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

Well if your financial condition has improved, I'd go with the new bike. Don't know all the specs on yours, but you can get a pretty great bike for not too much, especially compared to what you'd end up with after a good bit of "upgraditits" on what you have now. The newer forks work so much better, as do the brakes; even the drivetrain will probably work better.

OTOH, if you don't want to spend the money just make what you've got function at it's best, it's still worthy of riding; only replace stuff that isn't working at all. After riding your resurrected from the shed ride and your passion ignites, then you can just buy something a little more modern maybe even a nice plush great pedalling fs bike.

Welcome back

 

[Appendage]

Get a newer used bike

It all comes down to how much you've got to spend, but if you can swing it, get a newer bike. If you look around for a while, I think you could find a decent used hardtail for not all that much more than you'd end up spending on your GT. It would be worth it for the fork alone, since nothing you can get with a 1" steerer compares to modern stuff. Many other parts you may need for the GT, such as a stem or anything drivetrain, will have an extremely limited availability.

 

[be350ka]

Spring for a new chariot.

I think that you would be best off looking into a new bike. As the others have said, advances in technology and weight savings measures in the new components could make your upgrade project costly in comparison to a new/er bike. I would suggest that you look at some of the bikes from last year as a starting point. These bikes will carry a lighter pricetag since they are not the current model year and will offer tremendous performance advantages over your current setup.

Now, only to decide to go with hardtail or Full sus.?

Hey, that will be the next thread!!

 

[Full Mountain]

if you do decide to upgrade keep it in mind that you won't beable to find a 7 drivetrain new anymore...so you will have to upgrade to 8or9 requiring a new hub...so IMO it would be more cost effective to turn your current ride into a SingleSpeed and pop for a new ride
DMR

 

[Berkeley Mike]

Do the best you can with elbow grease

It deserves a deep clean and derust/defunking. Replace all the cables and housings and do a nice lube and tune. Keep the drive train, maybe a new chain. Get it back to it's best state and ride it and have fun. someone will have to say this so it may as well be me: you probably can't ride this bike to it's limits anyhow.
Get yourself back into this sport. In the time you are riding you will learn about the state of modern bikes. Save your money for a new bike.

Welcome back.

 

[JimC.]

do some math

all this stuff will cost you probably $500 labour included, on your older bike.

- brakes
- dérailleur
- cassette
- chain
- levers/shifters?
- cables

If you look around, you can get a Giant Rainier (use as a benchmark) for about $600, with new design on frameset, disc brakes, good fork, and new 9 speed shifters and drive train.

As all the others have suggested, retire (i.e. sell) the old ride for whatever you can get, or keep it for a beater, and head for new territory. You'll find it's fun, ... and as a side effect, you will ride more often.

Best of luck, Jim

here's a spec sheet, use as a benchmark. You should be able to find it for less.

 

[rocknrollbarbie]

Yah. Go with a new bike. You can get a good bike with good parts for cheaper than upgrading all that stuff. Especially this time of year. I just got a great bike recently at a local bike shop selling their demos. If you watch and ask when they will be selling their demos, like prolly now (usually previous year's stuff) you can get a killer deal on a virtually new bike. Im so happy with mine. I got a great Trek Fuel for about $400 less than I would have paid for it new.

 

[Abstraction]

Hey guys.. thanks for the advice... i've pretty much come to the conclusion that most of you guys have... it's just not worth it.

I priced out some avid SD7s and levers on ebay, and they were actually a lot cheaper than i thought, but then iwith the levers i'd have to get new shifters, and from there it'll just start snowballing into more and more costs.

it /is/ a 1, not 1-1/8. way back in the day, i put in an aheadset and a profile stem to accomodate the Indy fork.

what i'm gonna do is replace at least the chain and maybe cassette if i can find a 7spd, and ride this for the year.. see what i can do with it, and get a better feel for what i'd want out of a new bike. Mike - you're very right - i haven't hit the limits of this bike yet, i guess sometimes it's aggravating knowing that better stuff exists (brakes, etc), but not having it.

I also came to the conclusion that i deserve to spoil myself rather than scraping together something so-so and not being 100% happy with it! I'll keep the old bike as a beater/loaner for friends/etc. it's not really worth selling for what i'd get for it.

Anyhow, thanks again for the awesome advice!

 

[Appendage]

Limits schmimits

I also came to the conclusion that i deserve to spoil myself rather than scraping together something so-so and not being 100% happy with it! I'll keep the old bike as a beater/loaner for friends/etc. it's not really worth selling for what i'd get for it.

Anyhow, thanks again for the awesome advice!

Good call. You'll be glad for the decision you made every time you ride it.

 

[timehoc]

i'll say it...single speed.

 

[TrailNut]

ride 'em! then buy new

Indy XC front shock and Shimano 535 ..chain and rear cassette (7spd) had accumulated some rust. i cleaned it up, and it's running alright... thinking about replacing the rear cassette and chain, ...Which means i'd be looking at:
- brakes
- derailleur
- cassette
- chain
- levers/shifters?
- cables

...should i just go buy another bike =/

Keep riding your cleaned & lubed bike and save your cash until you can buy a new bike with a well damped fork and disk brakes (like them 8" rotors!), but get a new chain for $20 now if there's any doubt about that. Cables are nice to replace, but chain's important for speed and safety.

I know that RS Indy fork ("C" or "S") -- it can be a "dangerous" pogo stick if you enjoy rough & fast descends like I do.

By the way 7-spd stuff gearing's great, if you can still find them: I "upgraded" to XT 9 spd... aieee!

Welcome back.

 

[drunkle]

- brakes
- derailleur
- cassette
- chain
- levers/shifters?
- cables

brakes and levers can be had around 30 at a performance store. gotta catch the sales.
performance sells 7 sp cassettes, around 20
chain, 15
brake and derailler cables, 8
unless your derailler is bent, keep it.
keep your shifters.
how are your front chainrings? if you need to replace one, might want to consider replacing the crankset and get new chainrings all together...

without the cranks/chainrings, that's about $75. with, well... used squaretaper cranks are dirt cheap, but they have to have decent chainrings.

you can probably do without the brake upgrade. just adjust your canti's properly. you can bring your bike back to life on the cheap... those old cassettes were really really durable, you sure you need to replace it?

heck, just clean it, lube it, adjust it and ride it. after riding, then determine what *needs* work. squirt the wd40 on bearings all around, does a good job of "rejuvenating" old grease for a while.

 

[Mellow Yellow]

Unless you're emotionally attached to that bike...

it's time to get a new(er) one. By the time you've invested in all of those components, and realizing that you'll soon need a new cranck set, then you would hav espent as much as you would if you had just bought a new(er) bike. I'm assuming that the frame is pre-disc brake tabs? and we know the fork is. So what if you decide it's time to go disc? then what? you can't do it on that bike.

Take her out back, and put her out of her missery.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

the bikes today were like 10,000 dollars a few years back...dump the old bike and go new