this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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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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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

No. In fact, your cheap Chinese bike will have a cheap Chinese frame, which in turn is basically a death trap. You should get yourself a decent trail hardtail from a reputable brand instead.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Note that these days there are some cheap Chinese bikes that have decent aluminum frames. Don't know if they are the majority yet or not. It's safer to bet they're not. A reputable brand would guarantee a decent frame as you said.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

There's cheaper reputable brands as well, like Ragley for example. Of course prices differ with the regions & import taxes but with Chinese products you typically can't tell for sure what you're getting. And a bad frame is really something I would stay away from if you value your own health and safety. If that thing breaks mid ride it can have fatal consequences.