How do i upgrade a 8 speed chromoly mtb thereby making it suitable for xc competition?

Question

i have v brakes and i need to upgrade suspension so that i can have a bit higher handlebars and travel. since i do not have budget right now for buying a new aluminium frame, is it possible that the new suspension fits with aluminium frame since my head tube is smaller?

Answer 1

It is nearly impossible to find a suspension fork with a 1" steerer tube. If you want higher bars, I recommend switching to raiser bars. Save your money for a new bike.

Answer 2

The cost of what you'd have to do to make changes to your current bike will far outstrip buying a new bike.

Back in the "early days" of xc you would have been amazed at the prehistoric technology used in competition, however the sport has progressed to the point that in order to be competitive you need to spend the money.

By the way, just because your frame isn't aluminum doesn't mean you can't be competitive. Many racers use chrome moly frames. Your problem is the way the frame has been built and the difficulty of upgrading parts on it.

Answer 3

This is a tough situation that nearly all cyclists face at some point.  You have a bike that has been passed by time and technology and you must decide whether to replace the bike or attempt to upgrade it?

The biggest issue with upgrading a bike is that as a consumer you must buy parts at retail price.  Bike manufacturers, of course, buy parts at wholesale prices.   Thus, unless you only want to make minor upgrades, it may be less expensive to buy a new bike than to upgrade an old bike.

A second issue is that size standards and technology changes over time.  Nearly all mountain bikes are made with threadless 1 1/8" headsets.  If you do not have this size headset or your bike has a threaded headset your choice of suspension forks is going to be exceedingly limited or perhaps even non-existent.

A third issue is deciding how much compromise you are willing to accept.  In XC racing, weight is king.  If you are willing to spend huge money on an exotic steel frame you can get a very light machine.  Otherwise, an old cro-mo frame is not going to be as light as a newer aluminum frame that is optimized for weight.  Newer components, also optimized for weight, will be lighter than what your bike is outfitted with.  Thus, even if you can find a decent fork, you are still going to be behind the curve.

Personally, I tend to keep bikes running, but pretty much frozen in time and technology.  For example, I have an early 90's vintage steel frame road bike with 7 speed cassette and down tube shifters.  I once considered putting brake/shifters on it, but the cost was greater than the value of the bike and it was still too heavy for racing.  I wound up putting the money plus a bit into a new (used) bike that took me to the next level.

In any case, keeping an old bike in good repair is pretty inexpensive.  If and when it is time to take a performance and/or technology leap, it is usually time to get a new bike or at least a new, used bike.

Hope this helps.