Old bike - should I upgrade or get a new one?

[amundsen]

Hello,

I have a Thomson (Belgian brand) Orbit mountain bike bought around 2000.

However I have been using it mainly as a urban or touring bike on road, paths or towpaths (we have many of the latter here in Belgium). I have replaced the saddle, added mudguards and a carrier. So it has become some kind of touring/fitness bike now.

The bike hasn't been used much (for less than 5000km I guess) until now but I am willing to bike more in the future.

I wonder if there's room for improvement on this bike or if I should rather buy a new one. The Orbit is a reliable and sturdy mountain bike but the frame is a bit heavy I guess (see the thickness of the lower bar on the picture), sometimes I wish it were a bit lighter and also more reactive. I wonder if I could upgrade some parts such as the cassette and the cranks to help on that regard (please have a look at the pictures below and give me your opinion). Also, could narrower tires help too? The current ones (Kenda Kwick) have a 35mm width (on 28" wheels). I plan to replace them anyway, because they are as old as the bike and I want to have less flats

Also, over the last 20 years, multiple technologies have emerged. Would they alone justify the purchase of a new bike?

In case I get a new one, I don't know what kind of bike I'm headed for. I think I would appreciate the lightness of a road bike, but I'm not looking for speed for its own sake. I appreciate the stability offered by the wide tires of a mountain bike and its ability to negotiate bumps and potholes. I also have a preference for a flat bar, and I appreciate being able to carry a few things, which allows me to avoid car trips in the city from time to time.

What do you think?

[Brucey]

given your penchant for carrying stuff about the place I don't think a new bike would have that much to offer over the extant one, provided it is in good condition. One thing I'd query is whether you get much advantage from the front suspension or not; there is quite a lot of weight in those forks and relatively little benefit.

BTW aluminium frames are built using large diameter, thin-walled tubes; they are not necessarily heavy when the tubes are large diameter.

cheers

[Jamesh]

Ditto what burcey says.....

The forks are heavy,

I would suggest changing the tyres to some lighter 700c X 28/ 32 ones.

If you wanted a change of handle bars position butterfly bars might be simalar but different.

A lighter saddle would be on my list a selle turbo for instance.

But if you want a lighter bike by all means buy one!

Cheers James

[amundsen]

One thing I'd query is whether you get much advantage from the front suspension or not; there is quite a lot of weight in those forks and relatively little benefit.

Quite an interesting idea, as this fork has been in a rigid setup for quite a long time anyway!

BTW aluminium frames are built using large diameter, thin-walled tubes; they are not necessarily heavy when the tubes are large diameter.

Good to learn this. Appearances are deceptive...

Thanks a lot!

[amundsen]

I would suggest changing the tyres to some lighter 700c X 28/ 32 ones.

Besides the weight, how would the overall functioning of the bike be changed with narrower tires?

[igauk]

I would suggest changing the tyres to some lighter 700c X 28/ 32 ones.

Besides the weight, how would the overall functioning of the bike be changed with narrower tires?

If you still intend to go off tarmac roads I wouldn't necessarily go much narrower than you have already, no less a 32 anyway. For two identical tyres at the same pressure the wider tyre will actually have less rolling resitance, which menas you can lower the pressure on a wider tyre to give a more compliant ride and have the same rolling resistance as the narrower one (especially if you're ditching the suspension fork). It looks like your tyres have a fairly studded tread pattern so something like Panaracer Gravel Kings would see a big improvement in speed and comfort (have a look here: https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/25-best-gravel-bike-tyres-221961). IMHO tyres are often the most cost effective upgrade to ay bike, along with brake blocks. A full service and new cables and it'll feel like a new bike. Ride some more and then see if you want a new bike.

P.S. if that's a suspension seatpost I'd ditch that along with the saddle.

[Willieg]

Hi I have a Claud Butler tourer, wanted to do a similar thing, I replaced steel with carbon forks, lighter saddle and took everything off that was not needed, bags etc lighter compact bars and stem, massive difference now use as a gravel bike with 24 speed it’s a go anywhere bike!


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my iPad using hovercraft full of eels.

[amundsen]

It looks like your tyres have a fairly studded tread pattern so something like Panaracer Gravel Kings would see a big improvement in speed and comfort (have a look here: https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/25-best-gravel-bike-tyres-221961).

Actually the current tyres look like this:

I was rather thinking about a tyre model to reduce the chan, such as the Schwalbe Marathon (GreenGuard) (640g g for the 700 x 32 model) or the Continental Contact Plus (760g). Another option is the Marathon Supreme (lighter but much more expensive). I'll weight one of the older tyres for the sake of comparison first.

EDIT : Dutch Perfect tyres seem interesting too but there are not many reviews out there.

lighter compact bars and stem

Which models of bar and stem?

[Jamesh]

I have some wiggle commuter tyres 32mm which are great.

They are about 550gms lighter than marathons etc.

Cheaper too.

Cheers James

[amundsen]

I have some wiggle commuter tyres 32mm which are great.

They are about 550gms lighter than marathons etc.

Cheaper too.

Cheers James

Do they offer any special protection against flats?

[Jamesh]

Kevlar I think...

Cheers James

[bgnukem]

Certainly upgrading to lighter tyres with less knobblies should make a big difference. Lighter wheels accelerate faster, are more responsive when steering and can make the bike feel much livelier.

I've used Panaracer Pasela PT tyres for about 20 years now as they are quite light, puncture resistant and fast enough. The PT version has puncture plies. They are available up to 35mm width and there's a folding version which is lighter. The sidewalls are fairly thin but I rode them for 4y on the gravel roads of New Zealand without any sidewall damage. There are more 'gravel bike' tyres to choose from now though, e.g. the Panaracer 'Gravel King'. I've also had good experience with the Continental Sport Contact II, although in 26" x 1.3"/1.6" size, but it looks like they are being phased out.

You could save a lot of weight by ditching the suspension forks (but make sure the fork leg length and the offset are the same on the replacement forks, and that the steerer tube is long enough), the chainset (seems to have all steel chainrings?) and the huge saddle which looks very heavy! Maybe also lose the wheel reflectors to save some more rotating weight, unless they are a legal requirement in Belgium?

The cassette sprockets don't look too worn, but the chain wears first so perhaps checking the wear and replacing the chain would be a good idea to prolong the life of your transmission.

[Trigger]

I still think you're going to spend a lot of money for not a lot of gain, where as the same money spent would probably buy a decent chunk of a much lighter bike.

[amundsen]

I've used Panaracer Pasela PT tyres for about 20 years now as they are quite light, puncture resistant and fast enough. The PT version has puncture plies. They are available up to 35mm width and there's a folding version which is lighter. The sidewalls are fairly thin but I rode them for 4y on the gravel roads of New Zealand without any sidewall damage.

Do you use the folding or the wire bead version?

the chainset (seems to have all steel chainrings?)

Is there an easy way to know whether it's steel or not?

[squeaker]

Is there an easy way to know whether it's steel or not?

Magnet?