# MTB newbie but not new to cycling.



## Stevec047 (17 May 2019)

So after over 3 years of road bikes the darkside calling was to much to handle and I have got myself a MTB hardtail.

To be honest I havent got a clue about the bike other than it was a bargin and its so much fun. 26" is just so much fun.

Have already taken it to Chicksands and Danbury and intend to do so much more. Struggling to get the roadie riding habits out of the way though.

Any advice or info about the bike. What to change etc would be greatly received.


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## sheddy (17 May 2019)

luverly !

Longer rear mudguard (or rack), bar ends and decent lock


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## Stevec047 (17 May 2019)

sheddy said:


> luverly !
> 
> Longer rear mudguard (or rack), bar ends and decent lock


Oh this is my weekend fun toy. Mainly to be used off road at places like Thetford, Chicksands and other bike parks. 

Still got the road bikes for my daily rides.


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## Spiderweb (17 May 2019)

Looks like a 2008 model Rockhopper Disc with aftermarket Fox forks (originally Rockshox Tora).
Very nice bike, no need to change anything, if everything works as it should then ride and enjoy.
https://www.evanscycles.com/special...=awin&utm_campaign=78888&utm_medium=Affiliate


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## Stevec047 (17 May 2019)

Spiderweb said:


> Looks like a 2008 model Rockhopper Disc with aftermarket Fox forks (originally Rockshox Tora).
> Very nice bike, no need to change anything, if everything works as it should then ride and enjoy.
> https://www.evanscycles.com/special...=awin&utm_campaign=78888&utm_medium=Affiliate


Ah thats cleared things up a little. Everything seems to work great. Will look to upgrade the brakes as the Avid Juicy set up on there currently are starting to show its age and I would like to put a larger set of discs on it to help scrub more speed off quicker as the discs started to get a bit hot last time I was on the trails.


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## Jody (17 May 2019)

Stevec047 said:


> Ah thats cleared things up a little. Everything seems to work great. Will look to upgrade the brakes as the Avid Juicy set up on there currently are starting to show its age and I would like to put a larger set of discs on it to help scrub more speed off quicker as the discs started to get a bit hot last time I was on the trails.



No need to change disc size if you have a reasonable set of brakes. Discs do get hot but it's not a problem unless you start sending them blue.

What's your budget on brakes?


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## Zipp2001 (18 May 2019)

Was 100% road bike for almost 40 years, until I discovered the Darkside 6 years ago, and now spend more time on the trails than the road. 

Have fun on the Darkside !


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## Deleted member 23692 (18 May 2019)

Nice bike.

Firstly get the front disc rotor on the right way round. The rotor spokes should be curving outwards towards the front, not the rear as they are now. There should be a rotation direction arrow on it somewhere so you know it's fitted correctly. The rear rotor is is right

If you are wanting to upgrade/modernise it then in no particular order

180mm front rotor
Dropper seatpost
Shorter stem/Wider bars
Dropper seatpost
1x conversion

Did I mention dropper post?

There's also the longer fork/slacker headset options but by the time you get there that point you'd be looking at a new bike anyhoo.

Mine was a similar layout reasonably staid 3x10 XC when purchased in 2011, and over the years it's morphed from this..






to a 1x10 hoot of a trail ripper


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## Stevec047 (18 May 2019)

Jody said:


> No need to change disc size if you have a reasonable set of brakes. Discs do get hot but it's not a problem unless you start sending them blue.
> 
> What's your budget on brakes?


To be honest the budget is low. I have been searching the classifieds to see if a working Hope set up is available but may look at Shimano if nothing comes up.


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## Stevec047 (18 May 2019)

Zipp2001 said:


> Was 100% road bike for almost 40 years, until I discovered the Darkside 6 years ago, and now spend more time on the trails than the road.
> 
> Have fun on the Darkside !


Doubt I will ever stop riding the road bikes love them too much to switch fully but for a fun toy and weekend hack its brilliant.


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## Stevec047 (18 May 2019)

Ffoeg said:


> Nice bike.
> 
> Firstly get the front disc rotor on the right way round. The rotor spokes should be curving outwards towards the front, not the rear as they are now. There should be a rotation direction arrow on it somewhere so you know it's fitted correctly. The rear rotor is is right
> 
> ...


Oh I never spotted the front disc, that may be the reason I get a bit of chatter from it under hard braking. Will jump on that straight away.

The 1x is the first upgrade on the list as its a super cheap option to do. I have been looking for a wider set of bars but have no idea what would be the best option for me. As for the stem well it currently I have a 60mm sat on my winter road bike that I may switch out and see how it feels.

Dropper post will be later down the line will need to save a little for that and probably look to update the brakes first.

Loving your set up though. Thats the plan for mine in the long term.


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## fossyant (18 May 2019)

GIve the brakes a bleed and possibly new pads


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## Yellow Saddle (18 May 2019)

fossyant said:


> GIve the brakes a bleed and possibly new pads


Why?


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## Deleted member 23692 (18 May 2019)

Stevec047 said:


> To be honest the budget is low. I have been searching the classifieds to see if a working Hope set up is available but may look at Shimano if nothing comes up.


Hope's aren't that special IMO, unless you like gaudy colours and tooling marks.

The beauty of Shimano is that the Deore, SLX and XT all share the same internals and all you buy is extra features as you move up the ranges. 

Moving from Deore to SLX buys you banjo bolt hose fitting at the caliper end instead of nut/olive, tool-less reach adjustment at the lever, ditches the split pin pad retainer for an allen bolt.
Moving from SLX to XT buys you with free stroke adjustment and very little else.

All can run the same pads - finned or finless, and Deore can be easily adapted to allen bolt pad retention with a 4mm tap. Plus they don't use nasty DOT brake fluid, which can only be a big plus 

Moving sideways to look Zee or Saint will get you 4 pot calipers... plus you can use any of the above mentioned levers. Gotta love interchangeability 




Stevec047 said:


> Loving your set up though. Thats the plan for mine in the long term.


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## Yellow Saddle (18 May 2019)

Stevec047 said:


> Ah thats cleared things up a little. Everything seems to work great. Will look to upgrade the brakes as the Avid Juicy set up on there currently are starting to show its age and I would like to put a larger set of discs on it to help scrub more speed off quicker as the discs started to get a bit hot last time I was on the trails.



Brakes convert kinetic energy into heat. That's how brakes work. If they don't get hot, it means they don't stop. Larger discs won't stop quicker, the limiting factor is traction, not brakes.


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## fossyant (18 May 2019)

Yellow Saddle said:


> Why?



He's saying the braking performance isn't great - bike's quite old, don't know how old the fluid is/possibility of air bubbles. Pads could be contaminated. It's cheaper than buying a full set of brakes.

You know all this anyway. Did a full bleed and new pads on my missus' 'new to us' mtb. Cleaned the rotors too.


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## Yellow Saddle (18 May 2019)

fossyant said:


> He's saying the braking performance isn't great - bike's quite old, don't know how old the fluid is/possibility of air bubbles. Pads could be contaminated. It's cheaper than buying a full set of brakes.
> 
> You know all this anyway. Did a full bleed and new pads on my missus' 'new to us' mtb. Cleaned the rotors too.




Bleeding is not the panacea of brake problems. You only bleed if there is air in there and from the OP's description, that is definitely not the problem. Routine bleeding serves no purpose and often introduces problems.


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## fossyant (18 May 2019)

Yellow Saddle said:


> Bleeding is not the panacea of brake problems. You only bleed if there is air in there and from the OP's description, that is definitely not the problem. Routine bleeding serves no purpose and often introduces problems.



Given the age, I would do it. My missus bike was 4 years old, rear brake not functioning (different to OP), but at least new pads and a clean of the discs will save him money. I've only beld my bike's brakes once - only when changing the Lever Piston (SRAM Guide heat issue) and my fluid was still clear and clean after 3 years. 

Just trying to save him money !


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## Stevec047 (20 May 2019)

As soon as I got the bike I checked it over for any obvious issues, chain, bb etc and the brake fluid which was clear and free of air. 

Having looked at it over the weekend the pads are glazed which more than likely was the couple of trips to the trails recently where I was riding the brakes due to my lack of skills and confidence. So took them out cleaned them up and then rubbed them over abit of course emery cloth. Reinstalled them as they have plenty of material on them and switched the rotor round. 

Did a little ride down the road to bed the pads back in and it feels much better. Still going to upgrade as the reservoirs are showing signs of corrosion around the block but at least I have a bit more confidence in the brakes.


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## ChrisEyles (22 May 2019)

Looks really nice, enjoy it! 

I ride a similar age GT avalanche and have swapped out quite a few things. Best upgrades were:

Switched to a 720mm lower rise bar & 60mm stem - cheap and improved handling & confidence going downhill.

100mm dropper post - I must admit I balked at the price of them but they have transformed the way I ride. I got a "cheap" £70ish X fusion one and have been really pleased with it. 

1x is an easy switch, but if you ride mainly bridleways rather than trail centre I'd stick with 3x8 myself as you'll likely run out of low gears without a more expensive (unnecessary?) switch to 10+ speed on the rear to get a 40+t big sprocket.


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