Had to choose between fixing my old bike or buying a new one for the season

My old Norco hardtail needed a new drivetrain and fork service, which the shop in Calgary quoted at about $450. I decided to fix it instead of buying a new rig. Two weeks later, I took it out on the West Bragg Creek trails and it felt like a brand new bike. Anyone else put money into an old bike and been totally surprised by the result?

3 comments

3 Comments

roberts.aaron23d ago

My buddy in Fernie just did a full rebuild on his 2013 Stumpy. He said the new suspension and a 1x drivetrain completely changed the bike. It rides better now than some new models off the shelf. That $450 investment sounds totally worth it.

blair39622d agoMost Upvoted

How does your buddy even find parts that cheap? I tried to just swap my own chainring last year and ended up with the wrong bolt pattern... twice. That $450 number from @roberts.aaron makes my attempt at home mechanic work look even more expensive. I probably spent that much on random tools and wrong-sized parts for way smaller jobs. His friend must have some serious skills and a magic touch for finding deals.

jenkins.wade23d ago

Wait, $450 for a full rebuild with new suspension AND a 1x drivetrain? That seems crazy low. Did he do all the labor himself, or did he find some secret cheap parts bin? Just the shock service and a decent 1x crankset would eat most of that budget around here.