Giant Fathom E+3 which parts to upgrade?

East1999

New Member
Sep 1, 2022
1
0
Loughborough
Hello everybody, I have done around 400 miles on my Giant now and want to start doing some upgrades on it. It has a pretty basic Altus/Alivio shifters & Derailleur, 9 speed cassette. Basically all standard which came on the 2021 bike.

I would like upgrade the shifters/Derailleur/Cassette/Brakes/Bars & Stem initially. I have never done any bike upgrades so any tips on where to buy from would be appreciated. Also is the crank an upgradeable item on these bikes?

Any help/tips dos & don'ts welcomed.

Thanks

Lee
 

2WheelsNot4

E*POWAH Master
Oct 17, 2021
889
686
Scotland
Some folk (like myself) just love upgrading, so over time will probably replace most if not all parts.

Looking at yours though, being a hardtail, I should think the fork and then the brakes would make a good start to the process.
A dropper, or if you mostly commute or do basic offroad, then perhaps a suspension post might be another option to look at.
But fork for sure, as its a heavy clunky thing. New, that fork is only 90 quid, so its not really going to have much going for it or any fancy features or even be able to keep going for any prolonged period of time.
Many people, as ive said like to upgrade, so you could lok for a 2nd hand fork on Ebay, or here or any of the other bike forums. Of course its pot luck as to its condition, but usually if its in good condition outside, there is a reasonable chance its of similar condition inside.

The tektro brakes are bottom of the range, so look maybe to something else like 2nd hand Hopes on Ebay.
Hope more than any company are serviceable, with every part easily replaced by the home user, and even 20 yr old brakes you can get the spares for.

As to where exactly to get all these parts, you could look at crc, or ebay, wiggles clearance section, or even special offers that crop up time to time. I recently got a nice USE carbon riser and carbon seatpost for a total of 40 quid,(from their own clearance site/shop) and outwith the sale those would probably jointly retail at over a hundred pounds.

If you find something, or need advice on for example 2nd hand Hope brakes, just ask. Theres a huge combined wealth of knowledge on this and other bike forums.

After that maybe wheels.

Keep in mind that because you are a 27.5" frame, theres no reason you should ignore 29" fork and front wheel for a mullet set up. This gives you more options. Many of today's offroad forks are 150/160/170/180mm. yours are 120mm, so I'd say theres less interested in that amount of travel so you could pick something up cheaper.
 
Last edited:

chowsh

Member
Aug 30, 2022
3
1
West Oxfordshire, UK
I made quite a few upgrades on my E+2. dropper post from new, upgraded the fork which was the biggest noticeable improvement, bars and stem, brakes. Bars and stem easiest and cheapest to do but I'd possibly wait until some of the drivetrain wears out and upgrade those bits then. I did upgrade to Shimano 4 pot brakes but paid LBS to fit as the internal routing can be a pain and I don't think the hoses were a direct swap. The fork upgrade saved a lot of weight and feels much better, looked around and eventually a better Suntour one came up on CRC clearance, other bits from wherever they were on offer.
 

tolmie35

Member
Jul 29, 2021
25
76
Glasgow
Hello everybody, I have done around 400 miles on my Giant now and want to start doing some upgrades on it. It has a pretty basic Altus/Alivio shifters & Derailleur, 9 speed cassette. Basically all standard which came on the 2021 bike.

I would like upgrade the shifters/Derailleur/Cassette/Brakes/Bars & Stem initially. I have never done any bike upgrades so any tips on where to buy from would be appreciated. Also is the crank an upgradeable item on these bikes?

Any help/tips dos & don'ts welcomed.

Thanks

Lee
Hi Lee, I have the same bike as you so it will be interesting to see what you do, it is a heavy machine.
 

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