All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

To put in perspective, I’m looking at $350-400 for a CSU then I have to swap the internals over or $150 for the local shop to replace the steerer. I was hoping one of the members would have some experience with steerer replacement. Thinking I’ll try it out, worst case I can replace the CSU later if it doesn’t work.

 

What fork brand and model are you looking to fix?

 

Question for the members who do their on service/builds…

My daughter bought her first bike last year, a Spec Rockhopper with a 2x Stout crank and an 8 speed cassette. She’s riding more and more now that she’s done with collegiate soccer and graduated, but she would like a dropper post.

If she were to convert to a 1x, could she use the same crank, just replace the chainrings to one? I know the shifter would have to be replaced along with cassette, chain and derailleur. But not sure on the crank. Then with the 1x, she can add the dropper.

I’m not bike tech savvy, so wanted to ask here so I can try and give her an estimate on cost for parts so she can start to save up a bit.

Thanks!

 

It’s a little hard to say exactly because this setup could be a bunch of different configurations depending on hubs, age of groupset, etc.

I assume this is an inexpensive bike so if it were me: take off front shifter, front derailleur and largest chain ring. She probably never uses the big front chainring anyways. So now she has a 1x8 with the same low end range she has before. Find dropper and mount. Ride that until she has progressed. Buy a newer bike with 1x12 and other update goods.

 

I even thought of this today while riding with her… wondering if that would be doable. This may be the easiest and cheapest solution for her, so thank you for suggesting that. The rockhopper is a 2022 I believe, at least purchased mid-2022, and yes, cheap but not for her as a college student when she purchased at $700 or so. I’ll save the FD for reuse if she sells the bike at some point for a new one. But, thank you again @TacoDozer22 - appreciate it!

 

Rockshox Lyrik

I converted an old 3x drivetrain to a 1x using the Advent X microshift cassette. I reused the crankset and spider and mounted a new narrow-wide chainring. I dropped the old 8 speed cassette for the microshift cassette (freehub was Shimano HG). All in, cost me a couple hundred bucks for parts plus there are some specialty tools needed to remove the cranks and cassette.

 

I've bough and sold bikes on PB and has went well thus far. You can always try and source something local on PB so you can check it out in person.

I honestly wouldn't look at travel numbers. A 10-20mm difference in rear travel can be negligible depending on layout and kinematics, even in setup. Some bikes are more linear, some have more platform and ramp.
For example, a 150 stumpy evo can feel less lively than a 165 Wreckoining. Good buddy of mine just swapped between those two and was amazed that the Evil felt that much more "alive" and playful. He threw an air shock on it (RS SDU) and is stoked.
Check out reviews, better yet demo. Look for a bike with a solid platform, good ramp up, and likely an air shock. Make sure geo fits you well, and the bike is well specced to your liking. You can always tweak the rear suspension with some tuning.

Admittedly, I'm in the more-is-more camp when it comes to suspension. I ride my 170/170 everywhere. I do have a 140/120 that I love to ride also, but I almost always opt for the big bike.
Modern big bikes weight damn close to mid-travel rigs that are set up the same. I just add some compression damping and speed up rebound to the rear and fork and it feels more lively on mellower trails.

 

Great minds think a like! A 2022 Rockhopper is a great bike for a college kid.

Upgrading a bike with these components is a little bit out of my wheelhouse. The square taper cranks and 135 x 9 rear hub May limit your options but the advent x set could be worth a shot if she needs more range. If there is any question of compatibility, I’d visit your local bike shop.

 

To add a little to this: I have found that my full suspension bike is faster than my rigid bike, however it feels slower. When I am on the 150/140 travel bike, I will keep a constant effort on a trail and at the end it feels like I just kind of meandered my way through it. When I ride my rigid fat bike, I feel like I am hauling ass down the same trail but record a slower time. The fun factor can be more with a lower travel bike, but it definitely puts the body through the paces.

I tend to feel it in my shoulders and arms the next day when riding technical trails on the rigid bike. Used to think the big travel bikes were only for enduro or downhill, but that has changed as time rolls on.

 

I'm not a bike mechanic by any stretch of the imagination (as you can probably tell by my post about cutting a steerer too short). My old Schwinn has a square taper bottom bracket and was a 3x8 drivetrain. I watched a few YouTube university videos, bought the tools I'd need to pull things apart and went to down. The rear hub was the old Shimano HG, which was compatible with the new Microshift drivetrain. I reused the bottom bracket, cranks and spider and bought a new narrow-wide chain ring for the front. It bolted right on (confirm your bolt pattern and spacing) and I spent some time with shims to get the chainring where it needed to be for smooth shifting. I saved a boat load of weight and didn't lose much range. I used a calculator I found online to end up with the same low end ratio and sacrificed a little on the top end. I'll spin out on the road, but I still retained my same climbing gear. Because it was an old bike, my shifters were integral to the brakes so I ended up needing new levers. Overall, I'm very happy with the end result.

 

Just wait 'til you get that Honzo or Meta!

 

you can definitely upgrade it to 1x even with the square taper and older style hub. my hardtail i posted last week had the same setup (bought for like $500 when i was in college years ago). i spent too much putting eagle on it. the dub cranks and bottom brackets make the swap super easy.

im not sure what 1x crank is directly compatible with that hub, there might be an option. taking the chainrings off the existing crank will work but like others said you gotta mess with spacers to get that chain lined up right.

advent microshift or ethirteen could be an option too. if the current derailleur is compatible, you could probably just get a wider range cassette and use the same shifter with it.

 

I've had a few really great experiences selling (and buying) on Pinkbike.

I also had one sale that didn't go as well as I hoped, but that was on the customer, not the service offered by PB.

 

Highly recommend the Park Tool "Blue Book of Bikes'. Its arguably the best approx $30 you'll spend on bikes ever.

$32 Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair — 4th Edition

https://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-Bl...+tool+blue+book&qid=1683645742&s=books&sr=1-1

@mtip was kind enough to give me one as a Christmas present a few years ago and it's been so helpful.

Even built a whole bike using it from scratch!

 

Same, although mostly selling. I've only bought one bike through PB and it went smoothly, sold probably 8 bikes. Part of making selling go well is being ready to quickly get the bike shipped and packing it well, and as always, communication. Always follow the guidelines on payment, and get payment before shipping. I only had one bike slightly scratched when shipped, and luckily the buyer didn't make a big deal out of it (the bike was otherwise pristine). I even sold one to a guy in Hawaii who paid a stupid amount for shipping.

 

directly from Rockshox. Not surprising.

We do not ever recommend replacing just the steerer tube, as the CSU is a complete unit that requires very tight tolerances. When you remove the stock steerer tube and replace it with a new one, this contact point between the steerer and crown has a heightened probability of damage and is more likely to present creaks or slip. This is why we sell complete CSU (Crown, Steerer, Upper Tubes) units!

 

I have this same bike. '21 Rockhopper 2x.
You don't NEED to go 1x for a dropper. PNW sells a 2x specific dropper lever. Brother in law and I run it, and it works.

I was going to convert to 1x myself, but I need all the gearing advantage of the 2x since my fitness is garbage.

 

I've never seen any companies sell replacement steerer tubes as well.

I bet @whitedlite can find you a baller fork cheaper than a CSU.

 

Not cheaper, but close enough.

 

It depends on the fork. MRP added a longer one to mine without an issue.