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Is it worth upgrading my cheap Chinese bike? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] 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] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The brand is called tragen and the drivetrain is all sunrun. After some googling it seems like a knockoff of a brand called sun race.

I'm just commuting through the city mostly. I figured a mountain bike would be most beginner friendly and good for going over curbs and speed bumps and the like

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

If you're just using it to commute you won't get a lot out of replacing the drivetrain. You'll just end up paying more to maintain it. Replace the drivetrain when it breaks.

New tires and hubs/wheelset are going to get you the most bang for your buck. If you can find a local wheel builder you can upgrade your wheelset for fairly cheap by buying a new hub, spokes, and rim. Better quality hubs will make your bike roll much faster and you'll notice it immediately. If you want to splash some cash or can't find a wheelbuilder you can buy a whole wheelset with better quality parts.

As for tires I would suggest something fast rolling like a Maxxis Pace or Ardent. That will have a little bit of tread in case you want to go roll on light trails but it will still roll really fast on pavement.

I would also suggest upgrading the handlebar and stem as that can also improve your comfort and maneuverability.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

If you're just commuting & riding flat, even-ish trails, you maybe don't need a MTB at all. You'll get much bigger changes in handling/comfort/speed from changing the style of bike than the marginal gains from upgrading individual parts.

What are you hoping to gain from a drivetrain upgrade? It might make more sense to look at changing the type of bike you have, rather than trying to transform a MTB to act like a hybrid/gravel/road bike