Mtn Bike Upgrades

A few years ago I bought an Iron Horse Maverick 5.0 from EMS and it has been a great bike. I didn’t go crazy this round and spent a very modest 318$ on the bike. It was on close out since EMS was no longer going to carry bikes and it was discounted down from 549$. Not being a crazy off road mountain bike enthusiast like I once was it has served me well. It is still in almost new condition as a result of its light use and rather than replace it I thought I would just upgrade a few components.

I added a pair of Easton EC90 carbon bar ends to help me ascend some of those steeper hills that always kick my ass. They barely weigh anything at a scant 81g and feature a nice ergonomic shape that easily fits the palm of your hand. I found them on Hucknroll.com for 59$ instead of the retail price of 75$

As a result I also needed to cap the ends of the handle bar when I cut the grip to add the bar ends. Being just a plug I didn’t need or want anything too fancy and picked up a pair of Eleven81 Alloy caps from Amazon for 5$. They fit perfectly and hold the bar ends on should they loosen at all while riding.

My brother and I also figured we should get some lights since we got caught a little farther from home then we thought and had to bike back in the dark. We opted to get Blackburn Click head light and tail light combo pack. It retails for 25$ but I managed to get a small discount on Amazon and picked it up for 18$ not a bad deal.

I also added a pair of Crank Brothers Candy 2 clipless pedals that also weigh a mere 296g. These too should help me climb the hills with greater ease.  I picked the silver and purchased them off ebay from an authorized seller and got them for the bargain price of 54$ instead of paying retail price of 90$

With the Candy 2’s I need a good pair of shoes and settled on a pair of Specialized Comp MTB in black. My brother has the same shoe although a little different since his are a year old. I purchased them from Landry’s Bike shop in Westborough and got a 25% discount and took them home for 112$ instead of 150$.

While at Landry’s I also picked up a case for my iPhone to mount it on my bike. I use run tracker to track my off road/on road excursions and am always wishing I could see the screen rather then have to stop and pull the phone out of my pocket. I got the Wahoo Protector Bike Case for the iPhone made by Wahoo Fitness and mounts right to the stem of the bike giving me a perfect view of all the important information I might want while riding. I got it for 45$ instead of the 60$ retail.  

So a grand total of 293$ for all the accessories and the original 318$ for my bike it is now pretty well equipped to enjoy the off road or the on road. Now that they parts are all installed now I just need to get out and do some riding.