How original is your bike?

I don't consider replacing the consumable items through wear and/or breakage as changing the spec and/or upgrading the bike. Every bike I have had required me to replace worn out and/or damaged components, that is part of bike ownership. The bike would be still to its original specification. That is what I thought was meant in the OP's question, same spec.

Every bike I have ever owned except my current one has been "upgraded". Originally it was simple stuff like pedals, grips, saddle, but now I don't even consider those "upgrades", they are just part of making bike fit "me", the same as adjusting seat post height.

What came next was stuff like larger diameter discs, or different tyres, going tubeless and so forth. That later developed into modifying the suspension, initially with spacers in the fork and/or shock. Then changing the fork damper or even the entire shock.

If I exclude contact points (pedals, grips, saddle) and replacing worn or broken parts like-for-like, then my current bike is as close to the original spec as any bike I have ever owned. It has a different brand tyre on the rear (better climbing). And that's it! I have had the bike longer than most of my others too, 3 years 9 months.

It's not that I have grown fed up of upgrades, it's just that the bike was already well specified when I bought it. Merida eOne Sixty 9000. OK, it cost a bob or two, but I have saved on upgrades. :unsure:
 
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Added mudflaps, lights, rack, stand, alu pedals, bottle cage, and display at the very beginning. Since then:

  • Various bits of bling (red metallic) such as valve caps, bolts, stem cap, etc.
  • Fork upgrade to Recon Silver TK
  • Fitted dropper post
  • Changed front mudflap with the new fork
  • Changed saddle
  • New grips due to damage
  • "Downgraded" display to Purion 400
  • Wider handlebar fitted
  • Different tyres fitted
  • Changed pedals twice now
Circa 18 months old. Fork and dropper post were true upgrades. The rest personal ergonomics (stock wasn't bad or anything) and aesthetics.

When the cassette wears out, I'll probably upgrade the drive chain to a linkglide system.
 
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2019 YT Decoy.
Front Wheel
Rear triangle
Rear shock
Motor and cranks
The rest has all been changed through either need or want 😁
 
Other than tires and mudguards, both my Levo steeds are 100% OEM. IMG_8020.jpeg
 
nickf said:
to my amazement the Deore cassette is still visibly indistinguishable from a brand new spare one (when it's cleaned) and shifting is still almost faultless!
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I've got nearly 5500km (and 2 winters) on my lowly Deore CS-M4100 and despite not doing maintaince as often as I probably should, to my amateur eyes it's suprisingly also not showing particular wear. Shifting is also faultless unless the chain/derailleur are filthy.

I was planning on upgrading the drive chain when the cassette wears out, but it's keeping me waiting, dammit :D.

It would appear that some of the Deore cassettes have surprising quality.
 
20250416_070109.jpg


Well, mine didnt even get built up original.... I changed the following before riding the bike.

Alloy wheels gone. Slapped Enve Foundation carbon wheel set,
Chucked the T type GX away in disgust (sold it) and put on link glide. There's no way i want a $800 derrailieur in the stick and vine infested tracks i ride.
Pulled the Vivid ultimate off and replaced it with a custom coil, Mavens got subbed out for lighter xt's, Upsized the front rotor to 220

Dropper upsized from 150 to 180mm. Alloy bar and stem swapped out for one piece and ditched the grips.....
 
2019 Kenevo

Frame, rear shock, brakes, motor, battery all original (although I do have a newer battery too and had a precautionary service on the motor even though it was still working). Everything else swapped out including mulleting it with a 29 front end. Changed all the bearings out last year and amazingly only one set was a bit rough

Still rides amazing even though I have a Gen 3 S Works Levo too - which is pretty standard apart from bars, stem and fork decals (which I've changed yet again since the picture below). Oh and a Levociraptor
20250412_190908~2.jpg


20250419_172600.jpg
 
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I think it depends where your starting from. I was new to eMTBs and to be honest MTBs in general, the better you become the more you'll end up spending on forks, shocks saddles, wheels bars, brakes etc if you bought a lower spec bike. Purchase price is a defining factor for a lot of people, but at some point you know it's not you holding you back, but the components. This is why those who already know what's they want get the higher spec bikes to start with, it can work out cheaper than upgrading. But in defence, upgrading stuff is fun and there's less initial outlay.
 
Before I had a Ebike my last four bikes were frame only so all custom builds and i had a friend in the trade so custom build was cheap for me.
 
I switched to eMTBs in 2017 and have since owned 12 of them, some for much longer than others! Not one has remained in stock spec and most were purchased in the base spec, stripped to frame and electrics, then rebuilt to the spec I wanted. My current three are shown below, having started life as a Fuel EXe 9.5 (2022), a Grand Canyon:On 7 (2023), and a BMC Fourstroke AMP LT Three (2025)...
20250422_114416.jpg

20250315_112005.jpg

20250424_094919.jpg
 
CJaMTB said:
I switched to eMTBs in 2017 and have since owned 12 of them, some for much longer than others! Not one has remained in stock spec and most were purchased in the base spec, stripped to frame and electrics, then rebuilt to the spec I wanted. My current three are shown below, having started life as a Fuel EXe 9.5 (2022), a Grand Canyon:On 7 (2023), and a BMC Fourstroke AMP LT Three (2025)...
View attachment 159944
View attachment 159945
View attachment 159946
Click to expand...
Is the middle one for when you are doing a bit of Delivaroo .
 
2022 Turbo Levo Pro. Still riding original frame, battery, cranks and wheel set. Everything else has been replaced or upgraded.

IMG_2467.jpeg
 
Just gan said:
Is the middle one for when you are doing a bit of Delivaroo .
Click to expand...
Haha! No, far too underpowered for that, having the legal limiter still intact! No, that photo was taken with the bike set up for winter bikepacking rides over the moors. Temps drop to subzero, so keeping fingers warm is way more important than looks!
 
CJaMTB said:
Haha! No, far too underpowered for that, having the legal limiter still intact! No, that photo was taken with the bike set up for winter bikepacking rides over the moors. Temps drop to subzero, so keeping fingers warm is way more important than looks!
Click to expand...
Yes im thinking of camping up a hill not far from me on midsummer night. Won't be as organised as you though. Tent sleeping bag food and a dram . 4 miles max to top but weather must be good or Won't bother. A 1000 battery would be the way do some bothying , but a long push with a loaded bike if it goes wrong.
 
Just gan said:
Yes im thinking of camping up a hill not far from me on midsummer night. Won't be as organised as you though. Tent sleeping bag food and a dram . 4 miles max to top but weather must be good or Won't bother. A 1000 battery would be the way do some bothying , but a long push with a loaded bike if it goes wrong.
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That Canyon has a 750wh battery and it just goes and goes, even when fully loaded. I can carry everything I need to be comfortable and well fed, plus an emergency margin, and cover a solid 80-85kms of moorland off-road riding (usually somewhere around 1,800-2,100m of climbing, even more in the warmest summer weather. I'm thinking of getting the 250wh range extender, which is compatible with the bike, for trips of a couple of nights. The beauty of the 27.5+ hardtail is it can carry a load and still provide traction and comfort, plus the Bosch system is pretty damned good in terms of reliability. That bike has done over 5,000 miles in the 22 months I've owned it, and they haven't been easy miles either!
 
Stihldog said:
…and it’s my hobby.

I still use my 2020 Rail 9.7 but the only thing original is the frame, battery and motor (rebuilt).

My wife has another hobby but we both respect each other’s passion.

View attachment 159530
Her collection of Sid Dickinson tiles may have a greater value than any of my bikes or bike upgrades. (Shakes head).

I justify upgrading on my bikes by avoiding the service and maintenance fees of the lbs’s. Still try to purchase parts locally though.

I like tinkering on my bikes and any friend or family or neighbours bike that wanders into the bike cave. Even though I only use that special bike tool once …it’s still worth it…right?
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Agreed on all points, that's a sound mentality. And after all, who wants any of the original Rail parts :)
 
I have replaced the grips with Renthal softs, the pedals with OneUp Alu and the crank arms for a set of Miranda arms (still at OEM lenght). Added a RRP mini front mudguard, but the rest of my Haibike is still pretty original. I have of course replaced brake pads, chains and casettes, but those are not upgrades, only normal maintenance.

Instead of a bottle cage, I have my OneUp pump with an OneUp EDC toolkit inside.
Also installed a BikeFinder tracking device.
 
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