upgrading old bike v buying new

[sgjl]

having pretty much worn out the cartilage in my wrists ( amongst other things) and reducing the amount of full suspension riding ( that bike is getting very old) a friend suggested that perhaps i could revamp my old Hardtail ( cube reaction race carbon fibre approx 2014) this bike has the more basic rockshox Reba forks 100mm travel which in all honesty have not been well looked after.
so the question is would there be an issue changing to something like rockshox 'Pike' forks say 140mm travel or is this as another friend says is going to screw up the geometry? has anyone tried this or similar or have any observations they could share? . i am beginning to think that perhaps i should maybe just buy a newer bike though it seems a shame when the frame is in such good condition. I cant post a picture just yet though it was the black and white one. As you can probably gather my knowledge is not great on these matters so any guidance welcome - would just like to complete 3-4 hours riding without wrapping 'gaffa' tape around my wrists - thanks

 

[wafter]

In terms of geo the important numbers for the fork will be axle to crown (A/C) height and offset (which will determine trail). Remember that both will vary by intended wheel size and that a 29" wheel won't fit a fork intended for 27.5".

Also consider steerer tube / lower crown race spec as this has likely varied over time although whether this is relevant depends on the age of your bike.

Finally there's brake mount and axle standard compatibility with your existing components; which again will largely be determined by the bike's age - I'm not too hot on MTBs so it may be that the prevailing standards have changed since your bike was about.

Looking at geo changes the basic assumption is that if the fork is longer (40mm assumed from the extra travel; which may or may not be the case) this will jack the front end up; slackening the head angle, increasing trail (fork offsets being equal, which they probably won't be) and increasing stack and to an extent reducing reach.

The slackness probably isn't a huge issue as MTBs have gotten a lot slacker over the years so it's likely that you'll find yourselves closer to the realms of modern bikes - which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preferences and use model.. although at least likely within the realms of "normal" numbers.

The trail is much more of a lottery as this will depend on the fork's spec. Given your hand issues increasing stack and reducing reach may be a good thing.

There are probably online calculators that will allow you to quantify the effects of this swap (or you could probably achieve the same with a bit of trig), however translating these numbers into ride feel will be the tricky bit.

You might also want to look at the new generation of gravel-centric forks with lower travel to retain geometry, however standards may be different and being newer / gravel oriented they probably command more of a premium.

There's also the issue of cost and ongoing longevity - forks aren't cheap and the bike is old; however from the material (which IMO raises its own questions) I assume it was pretty high end.

HTH, good luck, welcome to the forum.

 

[Sharky]

If you buy new, you will know the total cost, everything will be new and parts will all fit together and you should have warranty.

If you upgrade, costs could spiral, no warranty and you will still have an old bike and you'll need tools and time to do the upgrade.

No right way, need to do a price comparison and see if the difference justifies a rebuild.

 

[Punkawallah]

CC has a thread with a map showing local bike charity site - perhaps you could find one near you, and see what’s on offer?

 

[annedonnelly]

The thread is pinned at the top of this sub-forum.