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Is it worth upgrading my cheap Chinese bike? (self.bicycles)

submitted 1 month ago by doyun to c/[email protected]

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Hi, I hope this is the right place to ask. I decided to start commuting by bike as it's only about 15 minutes each way. So I got my first bike and learned how to ride. It's a cheap Chinese MTB from my country's version of amazon. This was a few months ago now. Since then I've been riding almost everyday and taking longer trips along the river trail near my home.

So I'm thinking about getting a lower end Shimano groupset. But I'm wondering what I'll get out of upgrading. Will there be a noticeable difference in performance? Smoother shifting? More speed in top gear?

Thanks for any insight you can share :) any essential gear recommendations would be great too!

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[–] teft 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What is your original bike? As long as the frame is solid and the standards aren't weird you should be ok to upgrade part by part.

What type of riding do you do? Trail riding will have different needs than full on downhill racing. My first recommendations for upgrades on a lower end bike are pedals and cockpit. A new handlebar and stem will change the most about your riding and new pedals will make you stick to your bike over rough terrain. Also a new saddle isn't a bad idea if you're riding for long distances. make sure you measure your seat bones in order to get the right size.

[–] doyun 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The brand is called tragen and the drivetrain is all sunrun. After some googling it seems like a knockoff of a brand called sun race.

I'm just commuting through the city mostly. I figured a mountain bike would be most beginner friendly and good for going over curbs and speed bumps and the like

[–] teft 3 points 1 month ago

If you're just using it to commute you won't get a lot out of replacing the drivetrain. You'll just end up paying more to maintain it. Replace the drivetrain when it breaks.

New tires and hubs/wheelset are going to get you the most bang for your buck. If you can find a local wheel builder you can upgrade your wheelset for fairly cheap by buying a new hub, spokes, and rim. Better quality hubs will make your bike roll much faster and you'll notice it immediately. If you want to splash some cash or can't find a wheelbuilder you can buy a whole wheelset with better quality parts.

As for tires I would suggest something fast rolling like a Maxxis Pace or Ardent. That will have a little bit of tread in case you want to go roll on light trails but it will still roll really fast on pavement.

I would also suggest upgrading the handlebar and stem as that can also improve your comfort and maneuverability.

[–] CosmicGiraffe 1 points 1 month ago

If you're just commuting & riding flat, even-ish trails, you maybe don't need a MTB at all. You'll get much bigger changes in handling/comfort/speed from changing the style of bike than the marginal gains from upgrading individual parts.

What are you hoping to gain from a drivetrain upgrade? It might make more sense to look at changing the type of bike you have, rather than trying to transform a MTB to act like a hybrid/gravel/road bike