tl:dr My bicycle sat in the garage for probably 8 years and I want to know if there's any point in upgrading it or just buy a more modern bike altogether
Picture of the exact model: https://s3.amazonaws.com/bbb-v2-production/original/bicycle/diamondback-recoil-29-195845-1.jpg
Years ago I bought a 29 inch DiamondBack Recoil (Before the company went into complete hibernation), and I used to ride it quite frequently, I also essentially serviced it myself at the time.
After a certain life change I couldn't ride anymore for a long while and it has sat in my garage for almost 10 years, and now that I've got it back out I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.
The bike itself is in great condition, I already replaced the tires and cleaned/lubed the chain, however I'd like to improve my quality of life and change it/literally change it
I am well aware of the outdated geometry and less-than-luxorious components on the bike, and I wonder if it would make sense to install upgrades on it (new fork, shock, etc) or if I should just buy a more modern bicycle
I'd obviously much prefer the first option, both economically and because I do like the bike, but I don't know how much is that going to affect the experience (Keep in mind this is a HEAVY frame for what it is, for the better and worse)
by fnfjfitjgng
6 Comments
Definitely go ride!
I wouldn’t plow more money into that bike though. Maybe tires. But otherwise.
Demo some bikes and see what grabs you.
Modernizing could cost as much as a new bike, but you’ll still be tied to that same frame and rear suspension layout.
Ride your bike.
You only earn a new bike if you ride this one enough to justify the upgrade and needing nicer components.
Worst thing you could do is upgrade your bike and then put it back in the garage for another decade after a handful of uses.
So it uses a 7.5in shock, which is nice because thats 190mm, and there are 190mm shocks available in metric sizing. So you can get a modern 190mm air shock, but you would be like at 80-90mm of travel since I think the largest shock is 190×45 vs yours at 190×51.
Headset is also ZS, which means you can run a tapered fork with a different lower cup (but you would have to get a new wheel though for hub spacing).
Overall, you can definitely put in like $500 or so into it going with used fork/wheel/shock, and a few other parts, and it would be a fairly competent xc bike that wouldn’t be out of place with modern bikes. A lot of the weight is in the fork and shock, so swapping out those with used components is going to make a big difference. And if you don’t plan on going hard, you can get a set of carbon wheels on amazon for fairly cheap (read reviews, there are ones with lots of them where people say they are fantastic value for the money).
Do not put any money into that bike. Ride it and decide if you want to buy a modern bike.
Ride it for now until you know what you want. Don’t throw money at it apart from the basics and a service.