i generally commute by way of my mountain bike,i never stray from the road only if i go through a paved joggers trail or maybe a sidewalk.i ‘m wondering what is the most plausiable amount of money that i should upgrade for my mountain bike.i have been told that the xtr brand from shimano is way too much money and really not designed for everyday commuting but for racing.so how high on the shimano list of upgrades should i go?
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46498464 dollars
well. I bought a bike at target four years ago and ride it to work all time. still works great. maintain rather than upgrade
you can spend as much as you want! upgrades are not just for performance. also for wiehgt saveings, reliablitydepends on what you have now for bike frame and components? if you have a walmart bike don’t upgrd just buy new. deore-lx is good reliable, quality, save some weight. but it’s the rest of the parts and frame where you knock off the most weight. my commuter bike has full xt but i’ve had this bike for 16yrs.for commute “xtr” is too expensive.
If the XTR stuff can withstand the rigors of racing, it will certainly hold up to everyday commuting. The problem with XTR components is that they are very expensive. If you can afford it, then go for it. However, the Shimano Deore XT components work great, and so do the Deore LX, and they don’t cost near as much.
You can also go with SRAM components. The X-0 series stuff is their top of the line components, and they’re going to be a bit pricey. But the X-9 and the X-7 groups work great, and would be an affordable way to go as well.
If it were me, I wouldn’t want anything less than the models I mentioned.
Generally speaking, you should not do big upgrades above the general level of components your bike came with. You can’t turn a $500 bike into the equivalent of a $2000 bike by upgrading some parts. If your bike came with a 7 speed shifting system, upgrading to 9 speed is going to be an expensive proposition, not at all cost effective. Rather than upgrading shifters, think about things like tires, even wheels, which will give you much more bang for your dollars spent. High end components will do fine for commuting, mountain bike racing involves parts working reliably in extreme conditions, commuting is not nearly as hard on parts. If you are riding almost exclusively on the road, a set of tires for road use is the best upgrade you can make, perhaps you could try to modify your position to a more aerodynamic one to be able to move faster on the road.
mtbiker is spot on. You should upgrade the cost effective parts of the bike and find a cheap supplier.
I came across a website that has what seems to be ridiculous prices on parts. They’re called velogear and may be worth a shot- they sometimes do free insurance and free freight and stuff like that.
There is no reason to use XTR components for commuting, unless you are worried about getting to work 3.7 seconds faster. Save your dough, and buy your choice of 50 tires, 300 tubes, a trailer with a complete tool kit and refrigerator etc. Even the lowest level components will be able to handle the riding you are doing if they are properly maintained, but if you want to feel like you have a little higher quality, choose something one step up from the bottom group ( like Deore LX ). The most important thing about components is whether they are adjusted correctly. Higher end components are mainly designed to be lighter, sometimes they are more durable but usually they will last the same length as low-end ones. Most riders, if they were blind-folded, would not be able to tell the difference between component groups either in functionality or speed.
Using XTR would be like buying a Ferrari ( or a Lexus… since we’re comparing Shimano ) to go get your groceries with. Not the smartest way to spend your money.