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Hi
I'm new to the forum and I was hoping to get some advice on my planned upgrade.
I have a 2008 Mongoose Otero Elite and after 10 years of ownership and never having been serviced, it's time for some replacement parts!
Firstly, I know that a lot of people will say save your money for a new bike but I'm happy with 80% of my bike and it's just the wear and tear that needs attention. I don't have the money to shell out thousands on a new bike and I like to save money by doing my own mechanical work.
The bike was cheap but it has a strong (and heavy) frame. I have upgraded the fork, brakes, pedals, grips and added a dropper post. Now the gears are worn out and need to be replaced. Instead of replacing like for like I thought it would be a good time to upgrade.
It's currently an 8x3 set up and I'd like to upgrade to a single chainring with a 10 or 11 speed cassette. Is that possible? There's a lot of kit out there and it's difficult to know what's compatible with what. Currently I need to replace the bottom bracket, crank/front chainrings, rear cassette, rear derailleur and free hub. I've priced it up and it looks like I could do the lot as like for like for around £150. As I'm doing the work myself I'm happy to increase my budget to £200+ for the upgrade.
The bike currently has Shimano Alivio RD-M410 rear derailleur, CS-HG30-8I cassette, FC-M311 22/32/42 crankset and Alex TD-24, 32-hole wheels.
I'm not in any way an extreme mountain biker so I'm looking at the budget end of the component market.
I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
TIA
Buy what ever 10 speed rear mech, shifter, cassette and chain suit your budget from deore up, or Sram equivalent. Check eBay and here for shifter and mech bargains, probably best to buy new cassette and chain though...
11-36 cassette if it's pretty flat where you ride or 11-42/44/46/50... if it has hills.
34 or 32 tooth narrow wide chainring, again terrain depending. Fit this to the middle position on your current cranks if they're ok. Might need different chain ring bolts.
Remove old stuff, fit new stuff.
I've been upgrading several of my bikes (mostly older than your one) to 1x set-ups. The important thing is to consider what gearing range you need as you'll still struggle to get the same range as a 3x system unless you go to 12-speed (when you can get a 10-51 cassette) but where you'd also need a new rear wheel I think. So far the best option I've had so far is 1x11 with a 34t chainring and a 11-46 cassette. That's fine at the low end although a little short at the top end, although really not bad at all. That's on a fairly XC type bike - it's probably be just about spot on on a slower FS bike.
I'm just about to try a 1x11 set-up with an 11-51 cassette which I think should be pretty good with a 34t up-front.
shimano do an 11-42 or 11-46 10 speed cassette as well, if you want to save a few bob. I'm not sure which mechs work on it - I'd assume deore, so you need
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SHIMANO-CS-HG500-10-fach-Kassette-11-42/dp/B07KCT7B91
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-deore-m6000-10-speed-trigger-shifter/rp-prod161592
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/funn-solo-narrow-wide-chainring/rp-prod188476
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/jagwire-pro-1x-shift-kit/rp-prod183608
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/sram-nx-pc-1110-11-speed-chain/rp-prod152452
would do you. basically a cassette, deore m6000 shifter + mech, narrow wide 104bcd chainring, any >9 speed chain and a gear cable set
We've got quite a few bikes in our household, from a fixed wheel pub bike to a 12 speed Trance 29er. One of them is a 3x8 Diamondback Apex Comp with full STX/RC.
It's a lovely bike, rides as well as the day I bought it and the riding experience would not be improved one bit by spending a load of money on going 9,10,11, or 12 speed.
I know a front mech is a little bit more of a faff than 1-12 but last year I bought a new mech, cassette and chain for peanuts. Didn't have to change the (gripshift!) shifter, get a new freehub, anything like that and it's got a super wide range of ratios and super positive shifting.
Shamino compatible 11 speed derailleur for £30. Could possibly put together a 11 speed setup just as cheap as 10?
It’s a lovely bike, rides as well as the day I bought it and the riding experience would not be improved one bit by spending a load of money on going 9,10,11, or 12 speed.
The original post did say that the drivetrain was worn out though, so if changing it anyway then considering 1x is an option.
I'm not saying 1x is the only option (my Epic is staying 3x9 for the moment as going 1x isn't worthwhile for it, as it's not likely to be an upgrade) but worth considering.
I upgraded my Inbred to 1x10 (34t front, 11-42 rear) using mostly 2nd hand bits via Ebay, and my Soul to 1x11 (34t front, 11-46 rear) as well and neither was all that expensive.