Upgrade this ride!

[burritoace]

Hey guys,

Though I do not live on the west coast (nor in Canada for that matter) I still like freeride. Right now I'm on an Iron Horse Warrior Pro from last year, all factory. Components are something like this:

Manitou Splice fork
Fox Vanilla R rear shock
Sram X-7 Derailleurs/Shifters
Avid BB5 disc brakes
WTB rims
WTB Weirwolf tires
Truvativ cranks, stem, seatpost, etc...

I want to upgrade this thing to be more freeride, but keep it relatively light as you have to ride XC type trails to get to any freeride shit where I live. I've been having problems with the tires rolling off the rims when I corner and was told I need wider rims. Mavic? Also, what kind of fork should I upgrade to. I'm looking for maybe 5-6 inches with lockout. Should I upgrade the rear shock as well, or is it worth keeping for a while? Another question: what are the advantages of a shorter stem? And, should I switch from flat pedals or stick with em. Everyone around here rides clipless, but I love the factory flats, even if they're way heavy. I've also toyed with the idea of upgrading to Saint components, how do they hold up?

Basically, I'm looking for a bike that can stand up to bigger jumps and drops of maybe 6 or 8 feet. Sorry for so many questions!
Thanks a bunch for any advice you can give me.

Liam

[burritoace]

Oh yea, here's a picture (if it works)
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7258/1006724hv5.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1006724hv5.jpg)

[thedude]

What is your budget?

How much weight are you willing to put on the bike?

Are you happy with the performance of your brakes?

Have you ever ridden a better "freeride" bike than yours? What did you like and dislike about it?

Take off the water bottle and lose 3lbs.

Also take off that bag on the seat. Put your water and tools in a hydration pack on your back. You will notice the difference in weight immediately and it is far easier to carry the weight on your torso.

Looking at the stem you have on your bike now....the advantage of a shorter stem will be that a shorter stem will make it much easier to pick up the front end of your bike, also you can more easily ride down steeper slopes. (that is one freaking long stem you have on there)

Saint components are very durable, but you may not need them.

[Sticky]

I wouldn't suggest putting lots of money into that bike, but here are some cheap upgrades that will help out.
-Maxxis Minion 2.5 front and 2.35 rear Sticky rubber tires
-Get rid of your big chainring and replace with bashguard
-Shorter 50mm stem (better body position when riding DH)
-Keep your flat pedals

If you do want some good rims at a reasonable weight, look at the DT 5.1d rims. Many people run these rims on trail bikes, but are also used on DH bikes.

[burritoace]

What is your budget?

How much weight are you willing to put on the bike?

Are you happy with the performance of your brakes?

Have you ever ridden a better "freeride" bike than yours? What did you like and dislike about it?

Take off the water bottle and lose 3lbs.

Also take off that bag on the seat. Put your water and tools in a hydration pack on your back. You will notice the difference in weight immediately and it is far easier to carry the weight on your torso.

Looking at the stem you have on your bike now....the advantage of a shorter stem will be that a shorter stem will make it much easier to pick up the front end of your bike, also you can more easily ride down steeper slopes. (that is one freaking long stem you have on there)

Saint components are very durable, but you may not need them.

Budget: I'm planning on upgrading this over a longer period of time so some higher priced components are OK. Of course, cheaper is better at this point.

Weight: I'll add a few pounds if I need to, I haven't had an issue with its weight right now.

Brakes: Definitely could be better, but the stuff I'm riding right now doesn't require too much stopping power. If I were to upgrade would it be to bigger discs?

Other Bikes: I've been on my friend's Stinky but not for an extended period of time. The suspension felt too soft for any kind of regular pedaling. I definitely prefer the way my suspension feels, a little stiffer.

I took this picture before I had my Camelbak, so I have taken off the seat bag and water bottle. A solid improvement.

Yea, my stem is huge right now. I'm just wondering if it will change the way I ride XC drastically if I switch to a much shorter stem.


Thanks a bunch for your words

[raphy777]

Honestly, look into getting a different bike. Maybe like a Kona Coilair, that would sound right for you.

[Testy]

50 or 70 mil Stem
Marz All Mountain 1 Fork (w'ETA)
Hydros with at least 8" on the front
Bash Ring
Set 2.3 Nevegals (Kevlar Bead)

And you'll have a good "do it all" bike.

[freakonaleash]

juicy 5's with 8" rotors
Better fork (AM1 like testy suggested)
Definatley a bash ring
Some sticky tires... kenda's ... maxxis'