Upgrades
I'm taking you along in the upgrade journey of my XC50. My main goal is to make it under 11kg while not spending too much.
I'll also write short reviews about the upgrades with sometimes an update because i don't have ridden much with the upgrades yet.
Upgrade prices and weights can be found at the bottom of the page.
Brakes
As i said in my review, the stock Tektro's lack some braking power. So my first upgrade was the front brake, and shortly after the rear brake.
For the front i installed a Shimano M506 lever with M447 caliper. The braking difference is night and day, i can brake much later and i have way more confidence while braking!
At the rear i went for the Shimano MT400, the caliper is the same as the front, but the MT400 lever isn't a servowave lever like the front M506. So it grabs a bit later, but doesn't lack any power. My brake balance is more towards the front, so i don't mind running a cheaper rear brake.
Shimano M506-M447
The lever features servowave, so the pads contact the disc faster, so it's not adding more power.
It's not something i can't live without, but it's a nice feature to have.
The caliper uses 22mm pistons and resin B01S pad
On this graph you can see the advantage of servowave.
Shimano MT400
The MT400 lever is just a basic entry level lever with a aluminium 2 finger handle. Not steel like the MT200.
The caliper also uses 22mm pistons and resin B01S pad
Chainring
Stock the bike is equipped with a 32T steel SRAM chainring. I do find myself riding a lot in the 15-13-11T cogs, and to extend the life of my cassette i went to a 34T.
I decided to go for the Racework GXP 34T, i got it from AliExpress for less than 10€ and it's 75gr lighter. I have only ridden it for 200km now, and i will give an update in the future about it's longevity.
Derailleur pulley wheels
This is more for aesthetic reasons, but i decided to upgrade the pulley wheels on the SX derailleur. The stock SRAM SX/NX ones use a bushing system, and the Meroca 13T use sealed bearings. I got them for under 3€ for the set, so it's not something that will break the bank. Yes i'm looking at you Ceramicspeed..
Fork
My Judy Silver suffered from the stanchion coating coming off after 1000km. It's a common problem with the Judy Silver, hopefully Rockshox will fix it.
Decathlon offered me the Manitou Markhor as a warranty replacement, and i gladly accepted it. It's the same fork as the XC100.
The Markhor also is a 30mm stanchion fork, but this time they're from aluminium instead of steel. The fork is a few hundred grams lighter, but most importantly a lot smoother. A reason why i'd recommend the XC100 over the XC50.
Fork damper upgrade
The Markhor comes with a Kwik'Toggle damper, a basic open/closed damper, which features a non-customizable HSC shim stack.
I did read online on the MTBR forums that it's possible to install the ABS+ damper from the old 30mm R7 and that it should be a direct replacement.
The ABS+ damper features 8 clicks of Low Speed Compression and a customizable shim stack for the High Speed Compression. Stock it comes with a XC shim stack, but it's fully customizable. You can change the platform, put a more pluche Trail shim stack,... The possibilities are endless.. It does not change anything about the rebound though.
It does improve the Markhor even more, smoother and so much more customizable. When climbing you can make the fork really stiff or ride with more LSC on a section with drops and jumps, or open the LSC completely to have a smooth ride.
Left: Manitou Kwik'Toggle (stock)
Right: Manitou ABS+ R7 (upgrade)
Grips
The stock Rockrider lock-on grips are good, but as i'm a weight weenie i went for foam grips. I bought the foam grips from AliExpress for 1,36€. I also bought aluminium bar ends, but you can decide to use the plastic ones delivered with the foam grips. Just use a small drop of glue so the bar ends don't fall out.
Without the alu bar ends, i saved 62gr by switching to Foam grips.
They're around the same comfort level as the stock Rockrider grips, no ESI chunky foam grips, but they're cheaper for a reason.
Pedals
The stock flat pedals are not great. They don't offer much grip when wet and aren't good quality.
My plan was to go for the cheap but indestructible M520's from Shimano, but due to Covid they were everywhere out of stock, or close to double the price. From 24€ to 40€..
So i found CrankBrothers Eggbeaters 1 on Alltricks for less than 40€, the same price as the M520 currently, and i decided to pull the trigger and try the CrankBrothers pedals. And they're also close to 100gr lighter than the M520!
It's a plus you can clip in from 4 sides, but it's not a must have. You can't adjust the release tension, but i find that they're a nice balance between soft and hard. You will not unclip by accident, and you can unclip easily enough when you're about to fall.
Currently i have only ridden 320,5km with them, and the paint on the spring came off after the first ride. For the rest i haven't encountered any problems, but i don't expect them to last 5.000km without a bearing service.
Update: After 400 km i started having some surface rust. I sent them back for warranty after 766 km, and all those rides were problem-free.
Now i have received my new set, so the pedals start from 0 km again.
Tires
The stock OEM Hutchinson Toro's are quite heavy at 810gr each and aren't Tubeless Ready.
I wanted to get a faster rolling XC tire that was also lightweight, so i went for the Michelin Wild Race'r Advanced Ultimate in a width of 2.25 front and rear.
The Michelin XC tires and going tubeless (60ml Schwalbe Doc Blue) saved me 865gr of rolling weight. The bike accelerates faster now and also rolls faster.
The tires are clearly not made for mud, you'll find yourself floating on the mud and not having much grip. But for dry weather and hardpack these are a great recommendation. I did consider the Schwalbe Thunder Burts, but i was worried they would be impossible to use on a muddier day, because not every day is a dry day.
I currently have close to 700km on the Michelin. They're a softer, faster wearing tire, so i don't expect them to hold up 4000km. But we will see how long they will last!
Weight
The goal is 11.0kg and i'm at 11.9kg now. So 900gr left before reaching my goal!
