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Best upgrade for 2011 Jamis Sputnik

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Best upgrade for 2011 Jamis Sputnik

Old 07-15-13, 09:26 AM
  #1  
zivins
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Best upgrade for 2011 Jamis Sputnik

Hey everyone,

I recently got into biking after purchasing a black 2011 Jamis Sputnik last summer. I've been riding it for a year now and I'd like to make an upgrade or two. It's a stock bike with the following specs:
https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...11_sputnik.pdf
*I put some Shimano SPD-SL pedals on it

I ride between 140-200 miles a week and I'm a college student, so I'd like to get solid parts that can take a beating without having to be replaced again. I was thinking about getting some Velocity deep V's, but since I'm new to biking I figured I'd ask if there were any other stock parts on the bike that I should change first. Would new hubs be a good investment? Someone else told me to change the crankset as well, so what do you think? And aesthetics are important, but only as long as it doesn't take away from quality.

This is what she looks like at the moment, except with SPD-SL pedals and a front brake (https://i.imgur.com/i1PWf.jpg?1)
I put the front brake back on because I felt like I couldn't push myself to my limit on longer rides. Now I can go as hard as I want and I'll have that backup brake in case I don't have enough strength to come to a quick stop.

Thanks
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Old 07-15-13, 09:38 AM
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If I were a college student, I wouldn't change anything, unless you are a rich kid with a big trust fund. There is absolutely nothing wrong with those cranks or wheels, and the only thing deep V rims will do is make it heavier. Certainly the stock wheels are plenty tough.
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Old 07-15-13, 09:43 AM
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As Tejanotrackie said, it's a solid bike with no "bad" components. You may want to cut your steerer though. And it's hard to tell from the photo, but your saddle should be level. If you feel like you're sliding forward when sitting, tilt the nose up a tad and you'll be much more comfortable.
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Old 07-15-13, 10:21 AM
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If everything is comfortable for you, I wouldn't change a thing on that bike, unless something breaks. You're a college student, money could be better spent a million other ways.

You could buy a lot of Natty Ice with the couple hundred you'd spend on wheels.
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Old 07-15-13, 10:28 AM
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The only upgrade I would think of is the saddle, depending on whether or not it fits you.
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Old 07-15-13, 10:52 AM
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This all sounds good to me! Thanks everyone. And you're right, in the photo my seat is tilted down a bit, it's from last Fall shortly after I got the bike.

I should probably consider getting a different saddle. It's not too bad for short rides, but the day after a long ride it can be pretty painful. I figured I would just get used to it, but it hasn't really gone away. Any recommendations on a comfortable saddle that will work for longer rides?

And I know this is probably the wrong place to ask, but pretty much every time I ride my neck really starts to hurt. It usually comes in at the 10 mile point and by 30-40 miles, it's almost to the point where I have to stop because of the pain. I've tried lowering the seat and raising the bars because I thought I was having to look up too far, which helps, but then it seems too evened out compared to everyone else. The best way to relieve it is to touch my chin to my chest, which really makes me feel the soreness, but also stretches it out the other way. I moved my handles up on the stem (you can see in the photo that there was an extra ring above them before); Would that still be abnormally bent over? Or is there something with your form that could cause this problem? Thanks everyone.
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Old 07-15-13, 11:53 AM
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I've got the 2012 Sputnik and pretty much upgraded everything out of it. Having done that, the only upgrades that really mattered for a street rider like myself were the pedals, clips, straps (which you've done already), saddle and bars. Everything else is adequate. Saddles are very personal, so you'll have to try whatever works for you. Most popular choices round here are Brooks B17, Brooks Swift, Fizik Arione and Selle San Marco Supercorsa. Personally, I'd just leave it as it is for now. As for your neck hurting, your stem may either be too low or too long. Do you feel like you're reaching out too much or bent over and looking up too much? It's ok to have a ton of spacers if that's what it takes for you to stay comfortable. Of course, it means you may have benefited from a larger sized bike, but that's a different issue in itself. As for bars, I'd go with either some risers or bullhorns if I was going to go brakeless; there's not much control in those track drops.

Last edited by Training.Wheels; 07-15-13 at 11:58 AM.
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Old 07-15-13, 12:07 PM
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Getting rid of those bars will probably do wonders for your neck pain.
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Old 07-15-13, 02:26 PM
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I feel like I'm bending over and looking up too much. Would bullhorns help with that? I found a cheap pair of nitto bullhorns on craigslist for $15. I was thinking about picking those up and trying it out.

Is there anything about my bars in particular that would cause the neck pain? Or is it just drops in general?

Thanks again everyone.
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Old 07-15-13, 04:13 PM
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What part of the bars do you use? If you're in the drops all day, then yeah you're going to hurt. If you use the tops and are still straining, using all the spacers and raising your stem will help. Alternatively, you can keep the two spacers under and flip your stem. Or you can raise your stem and flip it, if you really need to. If you don't like all the spacers, flip the stem or get risers. Bullhorns may help with your comfort level, but it won't do much to prevent you from leaning over too far. Your stem and spacer positions will help with that; you just need to be higher.

Last edited by Training.Wheels; 07-15-13 at 04:16 PM.
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Old 07-15-13, 10:19 PM
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Originally Posted by zivins
I feel like I'm bending over and looking up too much. Would bullhorns help with that? I found a cheap pair of nitto bullhorns on craigslist for $15. I was thinking about picking those up and trying it out.

Is there anything about my bars in particular that would cause the neck pain? Or is it just drops in general?

Thanks again everyone.
Post a pic of yourself on the bike. Otherwise it's difficult to give you any advice.
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Old 07-16-13, 08:53 AM
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Well everyone...I've come to the conclusion that I should probably start riding with other people or at least read more about biking. I was under the impression that people with drops had their hands on the low part almost all of the time, hence why I was in terrible pain after using them for 40 miles straight. *swoosh*

How I've logged over 1000 miles this way and never bothered looking into it until now, I don't know. But boy was I wrong.
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Old 07-16-13, 09:15 AM
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You have track bars on your bike right now which were intended for people to be in the drops all the time but in track racing the distances are never very long. The most versatile setup for people on the road is to have road bars with hoods. This lets people position their hands on the tops, on the hoods, in the drops etc. for riding back in a pack, sprinting, drinking etc. Changing positions is a necessary part of distance riding. You do need new bars.
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Old 07-16-13, 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by zivins
Well everyone...I've come to the conclusion that I should probably start riding with other people or at least read more about biking. I was under the impression that people with drops had their hands on the low part almost all of the time, hence why I was in terrible pain after using them for 40 miles straight. *swoosh*

How I've logged over 1000 miles this way and never bothered looking into it until now, I don't know. But boy was I wrong.
Haha that's wild. But yeah, you may want some new bars. Those bars don't offer much in terms of versatility when riding on the tops; the space available to hold on to is very narrow.
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Old 07-16-13, 01:44 PM
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I found some nitto bullhorns on craigslist for $15, I think I'll give those a try. If I like those but miss the drops, I'll try and save up for some with hoods. Thanks everyone!
And I'll be turning 23 this August, so I think a Brooks B17 is in order as well.

Hasta la vista pain!
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Old 07-17-13, 02:38 AM
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Brooks might be great for you, but you might want to consider something like the Team Pro or Swift with more of a race-y profile. The B17 is best on bikes with little to no drop from saddle to bars.
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Old 07-17-13, 05:35 AM
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I would save the money for emergencies (Flat tire, really worn out chain, etc)
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