[MAESTRO]

Alright, first some history here... I am not a biking n00b per se, but I haven't been keeping up with what's current in the bike scene since the heady days of early Mountain Bike Action stirred my lust for the myriad of purple anodized Ringlé bits available to adorn my steed... Ah the tackiness of it all.

Anyway, I've been biking all my life, and following a slew of BMXers made my first foray into 'real' MTN bikes ($$$) by dumping my Giant Iguana for a state-of-the-art Cannondale Delta V-900. By the time I sold it on eBay in '01, everything had been upgraded significantly and I had gone through 4 iterations of that god-forsaken 'Headshok' system... As a replacement I then purchased a lightly used Giant Warp DS2 off of eBay, and it is my current ride - weak, by todays standards I know... Below is the underwhelming spec list.

Giant Warp DS2 purchased in '02
16.5" frame with an 'HV' Shock
Fork: Rock Shox Pilot XC
Headset: Aheadset - says "manufactured by IP for Cane Creek"
Bottom Bracket: unkown
Cranks: Race Face 5-bolt forged (one crank is yellow, other is natural alu?)
Rings: 'Real' 32t and 42t
Front Derailer: Shimano XT
Rear Derailer: Shimano XT
Rear Cassette: 9-speed unknown
Rear Brake: Avid 160mm mechanical disk
Rear Lever: Tektro
Front Brake: unknown cross-pull cantilever w Ritchey pads
Front Lever: Promax
Shifters: appear to be Shimano rapidfire style? with 'SL-M952' stamped on them
Rear hub: unknown black anodized disk brake hub
Rear rim: Mavic TXC 3.01 UST Tubeless
Front hub: unknown black anodized disk brake hub
Front rim: Mavic 517

Since I've owned it, I've added sticky Yeti grips, F&R Flak Jacket derailer cables, a comfy seat, Diamondback platform pedals, and Maxxis Hookworms.

So... The reason for my post is this: I've decided to get back into riding more actively and have been lurking around the forum. My, how times have changed... I'm just blown away by how different all the bikes and components are now from the stuff I remember and have...

Overall, I guess I'm a 'Freeride' kind of guy since I like trails and downhill, but I have a heavy BMX background and like jumps and stunts and urban stuff with lots of stairs etc. I tend to be pretty hard on my bikes, but this Warp has lasted quite well so far. For the time being, I'd like to keep riding it since it's not broken, but can I upgrade some of the components on it? Is it worth it at all, and is any of the stuff on the bike still considered decent? I'd like to move to one ring in the front with a bashguard, but nobody seems to even make 5-bolt stuff anymore...

Any advice is welcome at this point, though if it consists of "spend $4k on a real bike," it will most likely be ignored - I'd love to, but my love of things 4-wheeled, namely a big-turbo street car and stripped NA track car, eat most of my income at this point...

Thanks in advance!

 

[Secret Squirrel]

Welcome to the sickness... :biggrin:

Anyway... On the pure merits of the description of your riding style, on to the answers (or proposed options, if you will...):

Possible upgrades for current Warp are:
(1) Hayes XC Hydraulic brakes (they'll work better than the current set-up)
(2) Pick up a different rear shock (same stroke and i-2-i of course)...something along the lines of a Fox Vanilla RC or if you can find a cheap Manitou Swinger 3 or 4 way.
(3) A Marzocchi or Fox 4 or 5 inch travel fork (like an '03 or '04 used one can be picked up for pretty cheap...) Fox: Vanilla R or RLC Marz: Dirt Jumper (I'm guessing that it's a quick-release hub and I can't remember which DJ model is the QR one right now...) or possible a Z1 fork (coil over not air sprung).
(4) Check out RaceFace, I think they might still produce a bash ring in a 5-bolt pattern. I don't know if I'd bother grabbing a chain tensioning system unless you're willing to search out 5-bolt replacement crank arms...eventually it will happen...


Start a "Bike Fund" and toss whatever you can into there. This is pretty much how I pay for my habit...it works pretty well.

Start looking at Iron Horse, Kona, Specialized, and Giant. These four have some awesome fully built options that would be a really nice upgrade to what you have, and they don't require a 2nd mortgage to buy.

Hope that helps for the moment!

 

[MAESTRO]

Thanks for the excellent advice and thorough response, Squirrel!

Your suggestions sound perfect. I'd like to ride the Warp until it cracks etc., and thus far it's proven itself up to the task for everything I can throw at it.

In response to your suggestions...

(1) A hydraulic brake sounds great, though I can't seem to find an 'XC' model in the Hayes lineup... I'm assuming any of their brakes will work, though how do I know if they are a front or rear brake or if they will fit my fork... I figured they all had the same bolt pattern, but I've seen people selling 'rear' disk brakes in the classifieds... I'll probably keep my Avid mech. on the rear for now, since it works pretty well.

(2) What's the advantage to a different rear shock? Should I be looking for more travel? Sorry for my ignorance, but I don't have too many complaints about the unit that's currently on the bike - I've tightened the collar to preload the spring enough so that under normal pedaling it isn't active. It barely even bobs when I'm stand-up cranking... The only times when the rear suspension is really active is when it's absorbing big hits or drops etc... It's honestly set so stiffly that I can't detect when it bottoms-out... Does this sound right?

(3) Front fork I wouldn't mind replacing... I tend to like them pretty stiff, though I haven't had any experience with the huge long-travel triple-tree stuff that's available now - When I got out of the scene, they weren't really starting to make such motocross-esque offerings yet. Will I be looking at a big geometry change? - I wouldn't be averse to that and would actually like to raise the front of the bike a bit. I'm assuming a coil spring unit is my cheapest way to go here...

(4) Race Face does indeed make a bashguard for archaic 5-bolters like me! Now, if I just want to run the one 32t ring that I have now, can I? I don't need a special ring or anything right? I'm planning to run the cranks that I have with the 32t in the middle ring location and put the bashplate on instead of the big ring and just ditch the front derailer... sound about right?

I'll eventually purchase a newer bike, but in the meantime I really appreciate the help and advice in regards to updating my current mount.

Sorry for the lengthy response, and again thanks, Squirrel!

 

[Secret Squirrel]

[/COLOR]

Thanks for the excellent advice and thorough response, Squirrel!

Your suggestions sound perfect. I'd like to ride the Warp until it cracks etc., and thus far it's proven itself up to the task for everything I can throw at it.

In response to your suggestions...

(1) A hydraulic brake sounds great, though I can't seem to find an 'XC' model in the Hayes lineup... I'm assuming any of their brakes will work, though how do I know if they are a front or rear brake or if they will fit my fork... I figured they all had the same bolt pattern, but I've seen people selling 'rear' disk brakes in the classifieds... I'll probably keep my Avid mech. on the rear for now, since it works pretty well. A hydro up front would do well since about 60% of stopping power comes from up front. No need to toss the rear yet, since it works! Sorry, I should've been more specific on the brake type. Any brake that comes in a 6" diameter rotor is considered an "XC" brake. The only difference between the 6" and the 8" are stopping power. If you're used to the rim brake, a 6" hydro up front will be a massive upgrade in power. The reason they sell it as a "rear" brake is because of the adapter that the caliper uses to mount to the frame. In the last couple of years, these types of things have become pretty standard. Just call the brake company (or contact them somehow...) and ask them what adapter you need for your specific fork and brake combo. Shimano brakes are the only oddball bolt pattern so steer clear if you can, or until you're ready to have your head hurt with a lot of excess info.....

(2) What's the advantage to a different rear shock? A different (read: Upgraded) rear shock will increase the range of adjustability that is available. It will probably make the bike feel and handle better. I'm guessing that there's no "rebound" knob. That knob would let you control how fast the rear shock comes back to full extension after being compressed. It helps out with not getting bucked over your bars after a big drop or jump. Check out Foxracing.com, they have some pretty inexpensive stuff that would most likely benefit your ride. Should I be looking for more travel? No. The rear travel is pretty well set because if you go changing the length of the shock, you'll screw up the geometry of the bike in a much more noticeable way than a simple fork travel change....keep the same shock stroke and eye-2-eye (Bolt eyelet to bolt eyelet) measurement as the stock shock on there now. Sorry for my ignorance, but I don't have too many complaints about the unit that's currently on the bike - I've tightened the collar to preload the spring enough so that under normal pedaling it isn't active. It barely even bobs when I'm stand-up cranking... The only times when the rear suspension is really active is when it's absorbing big hits or drops etc... It's honestly set so stiffly that I can't detect when it bottoms-out... Does this sound right? Ummm...Yeah, if it feels good to you that's all that matters. If it rides well, then don't mess with success. But normally, the manufacturer designs in some "sag" (the amount of travel that happens when you sit on the bike...) to make sure the rear wheel stays in contact with the ground at all times. With your description, it sounds like it's kinda tough on ya in the stutter bumps... But don't mess with it if you like it like that. I've found that keeping a little notebook around with various settings and ride characteristics is pretty helpful. It lets you mess with things without worrying about how to get it back to where it was if you hate what you did....

(3) Front fork I wouldn't mind replacing... I tend to like them pretty stiff, though I haven't had any experience with the huge long-travel triple-tree stuff that's available now - When I got out of the scene, they weren't really starting to make such motocross-esque offerings yet. Will I be looking at a big geometry change? - I wouldn't be averse to that and would actually like to raise the front of the bike a bit. I'm assuming a coil spring unit is my cheapest way to go here... Coil is the cheapest way to go. And you can go all the way up to 7.5 inches of travel in a single crown fork now...Don't do that on your current bike though. I'm pretty sure that the Pilot is a 4" fork so going to a Marzocchi 4 or 5" fork would not change your geometry by more than 2 degrees. Also that change might also be nice for doing drops and such since it will make the bike a tad more stable. The slacker the head angle, the more stable the bike will be.

(4) Race Face does indeed make a bashguard for archaic 5-bolters like me! Now, if I just want to run the one 32t ring that I have now, can I? I don't need a special ring or anything right? I'm planning to run the cranks that I have with the 32t in the middle ring location and put the bashplate on instead of the big ring and just ditch the front derailer... sound about right? Yep, the bash would replace the big ring.

I'll eventually purchase a newer bike, but in the meantime I really appreciate the help and advice in regards to updating my current mount.

Sorry for the lengthy response, and again thanks, Squirrel!

Response in red.

 

[MAESTRO]

[/COLOR]


Response in red.

You rule dude! Thanks so much for the excellent responses!! The DS2 is going to be ready to rock again... Well, maybe not rock, but yeah... ... :biggrin: