Well, the Denali is finally ‘up to snuff’… in terms of upgraded features & road worthiness. It’s amazing what difference a few key changes can make.
A detailed list & some pics:
– I switched out the RevoShifts to the lighter, smaller, more usable Shimano A050 ‘Thumb Shifters’:
Shimano A050 "Thumb" shifters fall readily to hand for quick shifts, and allow more handlebar space than the stock 'RevoShift's did. Computer mounts compactly on top of stem.
– Upgraded to black anodized drop bars – away from the two piece bars that were stock.
– Installed my older, higher quality Shimano 600 brake levers.
Compact Shimano A050 Shifters are easier to operate & free up space on the handlebars. The bar & shifter change saved about a pound.
– Tires: I upgraded to the super high performance – 130 PSI, 130 Thread Per Inch CST “Correre” racing slick tires.
Absolutely the single best performance upgrade !
Available in the very thin 23c width – and I was shocked to find the ride significantly smoother, transmitting less ‘road buzz’ over rough pavement, than the two sizes larger 28c tires did:
The CST Correre 700x23c rolls down the road with a minimum of resistance.
These 23c wide “CST Correre” tires fit perfectly on the Denali’s stock ‘Vitesse Lite’ 23mm wide rims. In fact, it’s a better situation copared to the larger, wider 28c tires – other riders had theorized to me that the straight side walls of the same width would make for a better tire / rim unity & more cornering stability.
After almost 120 miles of aggressive road riding, I’m inclined to agree !
The bike now performs better than one could ever have imagined compared to stock: the lower rolling resistance of these amazing tires now makes zipping up to & over 20 mph a breeze – way more pedaling efficiency – I used to feel motion & effort wasted, but no longer !
[ I suppose next step is to get the pedal & shoe clip combo ! ]
Weight is still in the 27 # range – 3# less than stock – and in every respect it performs superior to it’s stock condition.
The new, lighter Denali is ready for the road with improved ergonomics & performance..
So, to summarize, in terms of road feel, responsiveness to rider inputs & smooth, easy rolling it’s the equal of the LBS $ 800 bikes. The ergonomics – how naturally everything falls to hand – is now perfect for me.
The Denali now needs two water bottles, as rides average 20+ miles each time.
In fact, I noticed an interesting thing: with the shifters up against the stem, in the center of the straight bar, if you ride with your hands there, you’re already AT the shifter, but not near the brakes. But if you ride with one hand on one of the brake hoods, and the other on the bar, you’re near to both shifters & brakes simultaneously, so you can ‘have your cake & eat it, too’ !
Whereas with the ‘Brifters’ layout (integrated shift & brake levers) so common today, you’re only near either of those controls when your hands are actually ON the brake hoods, and if you’re changing your grip to the straight bar (presumably to ‘rest & enjoy a change of grip’), then with the ‘Brifter’ layout, now you’re nowhere near to the brakes or the shifters !
Our Benotto has the updated ‘Brifter’ layout, and although I enjoy that set-up, I now see it’s downside, and the upside of the way the Denali with it’s ‘thumb’ shifter layout allows more variety of grip (helpful if you get numb hands when being ‘mono-position’ too long !) variations.
Funny, I didn’t even think of this factor of the layout of controls until living with the new Shimano A050 Thumb Shifters for a few rides — now I appreciate & grasp the benefit of having controls spread across both primary hand positions.
Hope this is of help & interest to some of you Denali fans or future owners !
Please ask any questions or give feedback in the comments below…
affordableroadbikereview 
Hello there, ETR, The Real Steady Eddie here..I dig the site, cool.
Did you know that they make Titanium bicycle spoke nipples?? But that common 7000 series
aluminum (far cheaper) spoke nipples are actually LIGHTER?? Rotational weight is something
that I am exploring and you have found its’ importance.
I will post back..
S.E.
How did you attach your second water bottle cage. Mine only holds one and massive numbers of zip ties have not worked
Hi Geep. Sorry for the delayed reply to your comment.
Skip the zip ties, the solution is Simple, go to your local bike shop (LBS, for short), they have the ‘inserts’ that are set inside a hole they drill into your bike frame. It provides a small internal nut that is secure (think: like an drywall anchor in the walls of your home) to which you can attach your bottle cage.
Just be sure the hole gets drilled straight & square. Mine were done in hurried fashion, and weren’t really placed squarely, requiring the bottle cage to be bent, for the bottle to sit straight.
(Using a right angle drill w/ short drill bit might be a solution, assuming you have one available.)
One of those little things that needs attention to do correctly ! Regards, David
Great article! Found this by visiting http://www.bigboxbikes.com. A friend is about to order the medium (gold/black) Denali and I will be setting it up for him since I am an experienced road cyclist. Thanks for all the useful tips and info. God bless !!!
Allen: Good job helping your friend get into road cycling. Hope some of what I wrote you find helpful. One of my favorite sources for affordable upgrade parts is at Nashbar (dot) com. You likely have heard of them. I was able to get an upgraded wheelset & 9 speed Microshift drivetrain for a reasonable price. The reason I upgraded from 7 to 9 speed is to better keep up with the other racers. The Denali 7 speed is great when in beginner phase, but the larger jumps from gear to gear can make finding the right gear tough. What it does have in it’s favor is super low gearing with the triple front chainrings at 28 / 38 / 48 teeth. Btw, the bike can get as low as 20.75 # weight with lighter components, FYI.
10-4 on nashbar. Use them from time to time. Thanks again for the tips!
Allen <
I just upgraded my Denali with a set of bontragers after reading this article. And hit 32 mph. Best upgrade Eva!
Hi, your article really helped me to figure out what bike to start with. I was just wondering if you could list the names of the parts you used in your upgrades and where you bought them. I tried looking on amazon but couldn’t find a couple of them. The shifter upgrades in particular.
Thank you for the help.
Glad it was of help – in general, I try to locate upgrade parts on Amazon.com, or other online suppliers, my favorite of which is http://www.Nashbar.com.
I just checked on those shifters, the Shimano A050 ‘thumb-paddle shifters’, they are still listed, but unavailable, not in stock. These small parts come & go on Amazon. You could wait, they may turn up.
Let me say I think you’ll be far more happy using some ‘brifters’ – brake lever shifters – that the higher line bikes use. They’re simply the best simplest & most effective way to shift effectively. You will be able to brake quicker & shift quicker too. There’s a reason why all high line bikes have them – bar none.
My suggestion: If your bike now has (most likely) either a 7 or 8 speed system, you could use these budget friendly units:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ST-2300-Shifter-Brake-Lever/dp/B0038EI5K2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343964971&sr=8-1&keywords=shimano+A+050+shifters
Or if you have a 9 or 10 speed system, these Nashbar – Microshift 9/10 speed levers are slighly more, but even higher quality. I have these mounted on my custom built Ridley Gladius Road bike – love ’em:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_533508_-1___202436
Also, the fork is the carbon fiber fork by Nashbar, their brand. The Denali will only fit their 1″ threaded aluminum stem / carbon fork, not the full carbon. (That requires the larger 1 1/8″ headtube)
The seatpost is the Nashbar Carbon Fiber 27.2mm std seatpost. Take Care !
You could also visit a Local Bike Shop to help you find the parts you need.
Awesome upgrade tutorial. I was referred to this page from bigboxbikes. I have a 2010 Denali road bike and a 2006 model as well. I am planning on upgrading the shifters to the ones you used. The next thing you need to upgrade on it is the wheels. I bought the Aeromax Alloy Wheelset from amazon for $100 and a 11-28T cassette (around $20 to $30) from my local REI. These wheels and the new gearing made for a very fast and fun bike. The Aeromax whels are MUCH lighter than the stock wheels on the bike, plus they have skewer hubs and a cassette freehub on the rear wheel (compared to the basic freewheel on the stock wheel). If you opt for a 7 speed cassette, you’ll need a spacer on the Aeromax wheels. The stock derailleur works fine with the new gearing, just needed some adjustments to the limiting screws.
Here’s a link to the Aeromax whelset…
http://www.amazon.com/Aeromax-Alloy-Wheelset-Road-Wheels/dp/B002XOJD9A/ref=pd_sbs_sg_7
Pics of the wheelset on my Denali road bike are located in the customer images.
Hey Nick:
Thanks for the feedback ! Glad to hear my miscellaneous posts are of **some** help !
Bravo on the wheel upgrade – those Aeromax wheels seem like a very good value, definetly an upgrade over the so-so oem wheels on the Denali. Same thing on going to the ‘cassette’ (which is a MUST if new wheelset has a rear with a ‘freehub’, versus mere threads on the lower grade wheels) !
I also use the 11-28t cassette – a SRAM 950 unit – that gear range, IMHO, is eminently practical – plenty of grunt on the steep hills, great speed on the flats, too.
Oh, by the way, I’ve done a few mods to the Denali – and it’s now my ‘back up’ road bike.
To Explain: I bought a new $ 650 wheelset – on sale at Performance Bike for $ 399, the very excellent Mavic Ksyerium Elites, and added them to the Denali.
Also upgraded to a Nashbar CR2 compact crank & ISIS bottom bracket, plus added a Nashbar Carbon Fiber Fork (aluminum Steerer tube) & seat post – those were also on sale for $ 45, 20, 80 and 30 respectively.
Oh yeah, I also grabbed some Microshift 9 speed brake lever shifters ( $ 119 at, where else, Nashbar !) & front & rear Derauillers, too. So after all the mods to the Denali, I got the weight down to 20.5 # – I think about as low as possible given the fairly beefy all aluminum frame.
Now it rode like a dream – undoubtedly the nicest Denali I could imagine or possibly that’s been built (sorry no blog posts showing it all that way…) !
Rode it that way for around 3 months – got fast enough to be on of the leaders in our local group rides, too.
Then in the Nashbar catalog, I spotted, last June, the gloriously beautiful Ridley Gladius Aluminum / Carbon Fiber Frameset (the Ridley’s Team Frameset for the 2006 Tour De France, no less) for the very resonable sum of $ 349 – and just knew the higher end components longed to be mounted thereupon !
So, that’s my current ‘main ride’ became the Ridley Gladius, and how it all evolved.
I am planning on a complete post / review in the near future. Suffice to say – it’s all the bike this 48 year old guy needs – it weighs 18.75 # – and the additional Carbon components – full carbon fork, rear triangle & seatpost – dampen the rough road vibrations enough to call it a ‘very comfortable – very high performance road bike’.
(Total cost on the build, around $ 1200 – I’d have to throw down $ 3,000 + at the LBS to come close to it……)
Now, the Denail has been re-configured with a very good compenent set, decent wheelset and is my ‘back up roadbike’ – on low key ‘family rides’ or when the weather is so nasty I don’t want to get the grime on the Ridley, the Denali eats up the road nicely.
Now with your Denali improving, are you riding quite a few miles ? With your local club – Doing any rides or races ? We’ve found some good encouragement with our local bike club – and my son is even doing Junior road races, too.
Question about the use of the SRAM 950 11-28t cassette – how far is it possible to push the stock Shimano RD-TZ30GS “7SPD” Rear Derailleur? Is it possible to properly shift through 8 or 9 gears on it?
Yes, it should have no problem, just adjust the high & low limit screws to allow wider operating range req bt the higher gear #.
Another issue, the stock Denali rear wheel is likely a threaded freewheel arrangement, rather than a freehub, onto which a cassette (gear cluster) may be slipped. (Do check, specs can change, maybe Kent bikes now supplies the Denali w/ a freehub. Mine was stock w/ a freewheel (gears & ratcheting mechanism that threads to hub body) . You may be able to locate a 8-9 “freewheel” cluster, I can’t say if anyone makes em. Ck at http://www.aebike.com)
The higher line wheelsets use a freehub / cassette layout. There are wheelsets starting at $ 100 that feature this – for example the Aeromax road wheelset @ amazon, or the Vuelta sets from $ 150 @ Nashbar.com.
I see you asked about upgrading the axles to Quick release from ‘bolt up’ style.
There is so much cost / hassle involved in doing these upgrades, it’s not worth it. Either keep the stock heavy, but tough & decent stock wheels (your can ramp up performance with better 700x23c tires, ie Vittoria Zaffiros) or if you are wanting QR axles & ability to switch cassettes using a ‘freehub’ arrangement, it’s time for a wheel upgrade.
Budget choice: $ 100 Aeromax at Amazon.com
Mid Choice: $ 150 Vuelta Corsa HD at Nashbar.com (for heavy riders, high spoke count)
Race / expensive choice: $ 250 Vuelta Corsa Lite (light & strong; race ready; as good as $ 600 Mavics !)
Making a good approximation of where your riding is headed can help you not to ‘underbuy’ or ‘overbuy’ – so you aren’t showing up at races next year with inappropriately chosen gear or showing up to ‘t-shirt’ rides on overly expensive, superfulously chosen gear.
At the races we do, I see more of the latter, than the former. Beer belly 50 year old guys on $ 9,000 Pinarello Dogmas with Electronic shifting, for example !
At Your Service, David – excuse my brevity, sent from my android phone
Thank you so much, David.
I am planning to upgrade to the Aeromax wheels, holding off until I have had a chance to get a feel for the stock MTB shifters. My strong preference is to stick with them, at least in the short term. I believe this will limit me to a 7-gear cassette, as the Revo is indexed. Any way to modify the shifters to add one or 2 more clicks (8 or 9 speed)?
Yes, correct the 7 spd Revo Shift (ers) are a limiting factor. They work decently enough, but may not last long, lacking durability.
No way to mod them. But they’ll work w a 8 speed cassette, you will have a cog u can’t use, is all.
I say ride your Denali road bike long & hard.
Look up your local bike club & do some group rides – u can have fun building stamina & group riding skills. You can see what others are using & how (or if) it benefits them.
For example, on our first Saturday club ride in our area, my 16 year old son kept up with the guys on their 18 # carbon “wonderbikes”, on our bone stock 30# Denali. That was fun to watch happen !
And now cycling has become a sport our whole family enjoys – as the other blog entries on my site here shows.
What I’m stressing here is to not let equipment concerns overcome the simple enjoyment of riding your bike.
The feeling of wellness & accomplishment it can bring are profound !
And in time you can make any needed upgrades as you perceive them – letting ‘form follow function’, naturally.
To quote Ben Franklin: “Make haste, slowly.”
Would you be kind enough to detail installation of the Nashbar Carbon Fiber Fork (aluminum Steerer tube). From what I have read online, this is not a straightforward task on some bikes. Did you use, or recommend using an FSA Compression Plug? The earlier Denali blog suggests 1″ threaded version.
Crosslake Sales is the seller of the Aeromax wheels on Amazon, have their own clearance website, offers several colors for $94.02, free shipping no sales tax – http://www.randombikeparts.com/Items/344130
Crosslake also has a good deal ($9.97) on an SRAM 8-speed cassette http://www.randombikeparts.com/Items/351013. Their bike mechanic confirmed compatibility with the stock Denali shifters and derailleurs, eliminating the need for a spacer (11 cog will effectively be used as the spacer). This way, should I eventually decide to change / upgrade shifters, I can go 8-speed without having to change the cassette.
So what size handlebars fit the Denali?
You could fit a wide variety of bars. I don’t prefer the oem stock bars, they’re too skinny for my tastes, plus they’re heavy as they have the two-piece design due to the ‘Revo-Shift’ shifters on the Denali – that can only fit on a straight bar portion, not past the curved part.
First, on my ‘favorite’ road bars, then I’ll advise on shifter upgrades, which the bar switch WILL require.
I enjoy these bars on my Ridley & Denali & my son races with them too. Very nice quality, reasonable price too !
http://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Series-Flat-Handlebars-Black/dp/B002BW1BJO/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top – my review is here too, of course.
They would fit the stock Denali stem, just omit the ridged aluminum spacers / bar jointer pieces, and the diameters will match @ 31.8mm (large bar sizing).
So, just to give a ‘heads up’ – to modify the bars on the Denali, de facto, is to have to upgrade the shifters, too. Just be aware of the costs involved: Rough estimates & quick idea:
See my info in the post re the ‘Shimano A 050 Shifters’ that are Thumb / paddle shifters.
Very cost effective, $ 20 or so for the pair. Simple to install & operate. The only negative is (my aggressive riding / racing son tells me….) is that if standing while peddaling, you can hit them with your knees – depending upon body geometry factors.
More expensive, but worth it:
Brake lever shifters are on all the higher end bikes, you’ll enjoy precise shifting from the ‘on the brake hoods’ position:
Two versions: first, for double chainring front gearing (which would be on the Denali IF you modified it to road gearing)
First, Road gearing 2×8 speed:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ST-2300-Shifter-Brake-Lever/dp/B0038EI5K2/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1367592385&sr=1-1&keywords=shimano+8+speed+brake+lever+shifter+2300
Second: Denali stock gearing, triple front chainring 3×8:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ST-2303-3x8sp-front-rear/dp/B003BCE7DU/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1367592385&sr=1-3&keywords=shimano+8+speed+brake+lever+shifter+2300
Don’t worry about the fact the Denali has a 7 speed rear geared freewheel, these units will simply have an unused ‘click’, but will do all 7 speed positions.
To sum up, it’s a bit of work to do the ‘Road Bar Upgrade’, at you’ll have to change shifters, too, but worth it.
If you’ve not bought the Denali yet, you may just want to buy the ‘Denali Pro’ which already has the upgraded (Microshift Brand) Brake lever shifters onboard, and more performance / race oriented 25c wide tires.
Funny how nothing is as simple as it seems !
Hope this helps – God bless y’all !
David / ETR
For those in the market for brifters: it appears that Shimano has discontinued lower end 7-8-9 speed models, some great deals on new and like new parts on eBay.
Thanks David. I have the gold and black small/medium size being shiped as we speak. I’ll be using it to tow my 7yr old on his tagalong on some cycling events. I’m not sure if I’ll go with this or a straight bar. the tagalong causes some steering input from the back. Great wright up on the bike. your info is the reason I went with it.
Great Chris, very cool on the tagalong for ur son. If u send us a pic & mini review , I will do a post on it !
On ur Denali, did u order the smaller mens frame – 19-20″ / 50cm model (gold color) ?
At Your Service, David Alan – excuse my brevity, sent from my android phone
no worries. yes thats the one. I’ll send pics and a write up for sure
I ride the 25″ Denali and have changed out the shifters for some new stem mounted friction shifters and got some wider (460) drop bars (335g). I replaced the calipers because I want to be able to stop when I have to. I went over the bike with a magnet to see what else to lighten up and found the hubs and cranks are steel. I think you mentioned weighing the stock wheels at some point. What was the weight of the stock wheelset f/b? I don’t really want to add too much to the cost and as long as it keeps going I am pretty happy with it.
I actually have two of the 25″ bikes, one in the north and one in the south so I don’t have to transport my ride
Yes there are three heavy components that weigh the Denali down:
Steel Forks
Steel Crankset
Heavy Wheel set
All those can be changed.
Once I did that, I got the Denali to weigh 20.5 #. Basically, you can loose 1.5 # (more maybe) by switching out the crankset. I installed the Nashbar Compact Road Crankset. It has the 34/50 tooth dual chainrings, so you’ll keep the good range the Denali had stock, but have the simplicity of the 2 chainrings, plus lighter weight. Here: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_502049_-1___202430
I’d say this is the equivalent quality to Shimano 105 / Ultegra, for 1/3 the cost. One reason I love Nashbar – great bike goods, great prices.
If going this route, be aware this Crankset fits a different Bottom Bracket, I use their Nashbar sealed bearing ISIS bottom bracket. Going on 5000 miles haven’t worn it out yet, still solid: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175234_-1___203709
(the stock crankset uses an ‘old school’ style cup & cone bearing, square taper bottom axle & bearing set (aka ‘bottom bracket’), and they work well, require greasing & retightening every 1-2k miles. The sealed BB works smoother & won’t require re-greasing. Lifespan around 5-10k miles)
The fork is heavy, but it’s not rotating mass, as are the Crankset & Wheelset. I think the stock wheelset weighs around 6.5-7#. You can cut this by 50 % or more, with a lighter set. The stock Denali wheels ARE solid & serviceable. Great for training if you’re building strength, but they will limit your speed.
You can get lighter wheelsets staring around $100 at Amazon.com – Aeromax wheels come well reviewed.
For a lighter weigh, but still HD wheelset, the Vuelta Corsa HD over at Nashbar get great reviews. They weigh 5 # for the set, but they’re a true HD wheelset, with a high spoke count & 300 # rider capacity, and a great deal at $ 149.
For vastly higher speed, and ligher rotational weight, the 3.4 # Vuelta Corsa Lite Road wheelset is just $ 249. I have a buddy who races as a Cat 3 road racer (averaging 24 mph over 50+ miles) and he swears these are the ‘best bang for the buck, hands down’. He regularly beats guys who have the (only slighly lighter) super carbon $ 2,000 wheelsets on them. The reviews at Nashbar are a pretty good guide to see if a given product will work for you.
I didn’t know about Nashbar or these when I bought my set of Mavic Kyserium Elite wheels in Ft Worth in Jan 2012. They were $ 650 on sale for $ 399, and I enjoy them to this day. They went over 4,000 miles before needing truing. Still roll perfectly smooth – bearings are sealed & still run true, about 7,000 miles on them total.
But, I think those Vuelta Corsa Lite’s are probably their equal – just lacking the ‘big & famous’ Mavic name, hence their lower cost.
Keep in mind the wheels can totally change the ‘feel’ of any bike, and rotational weight losses will do the most for a performance gain. Also keep in mind tires play a huge role, too.
For exmaple, even with the stock Denali wheels, if one were to ditch the stock tires (mine were 700×32, heavy w/ ‘cyclocross’ tread), down to say, a ‘Vittoria 700 x 23c Zaffiro’ (our favorite cheap, yet durable excellent performing road tire) you would loose, I think around 1.25# alone, with the slimmer tires (change down to a 700×18-23c tube, too) and tubes.
Just that change will help the Denali roll much more efficiently. If you’re going long miles on the road, I’d start there.
(PS: the main argument for keeping the heavy stock Denali tires is if you do some dirt roads or off road trails, then the wider treaded tires make sense, and the weight is immaterial.)
Cheers ! David / East Texas Rider
Matthew 28:18-20
GREAT resource, folks – VERY HELPFUL.
My 25″ Denali is about a week away, plan to start slow.
1. From what I have read, stock break pads are a concern – any specific recommendations?
2. How about pedals? Some suggest they too are at the top of the replacement list. I do not have clip shoes.
Thanks, happy to help. You must be taller than I, to ride & fit the 25″ / 60cm model ! Best wishes on your riding & better health.
Ok, the best brake pads are the type that are metal backed, with replaceable ‘inserts’. Buy them at your LBS, or Amazon or http://www.Nashbar.com, you can get the whole units now (metal frame w/ insert), and just replace the inserts as needed. Bontrager ones are popular & well made. My personal favorite are the red ‘salmon’ color ones by Kool-Stop. Huge increase in stopping power – they’re for ‘wet weather’, but to me they work excellently dry or wet conditions. But the real improvement here is just the fact that a metal pad frame transmits more braking force to the rim, period.
Also, if the stock brakes are sticky / lack power, usually just a dab of grease on the caliper where the spring meets the aluminum brake arm, helps greatly. Also lubing cables occasionally helps too.
Yes – 6’2″ tall.
Concerns seem to be related to excessive, premature wear of the stock breaks – has this been your experience?
Would it be possible to make a SPECIFIC recommendation of break models?
No, haven’t heard that complaint yet.
Sounds like an adjustment issue, if the brakes wear excessively, you’ve got a dragging caliper / brake pad. Have a shop adjust it, or check YouTube for a tutorial on road bike brake adustment.
The Nashbar brakes are an upgrade worth considering, here: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175338_-1___202421
As a plus, they come with the metal backed pads I already covered ! (that way you just buy the plain pad inserts later….)
Here’s a listing for the excellent performing ‘Red’ Kool-Stop brake pad inserts.
http://www.amazon.com/Dura-Type-Brake-Kool-Stop-Salmon/dp/B004E3QS1O/ref=pd_sbs_sg_20
(Buy the whole pad & backing assy if you’re keeping the stock brakes…)
http://www.amazon.com/Kool-Stop-Bicycle-Dura-Ace-Ultegra/dp/B0014BRW6E/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_4
Ok, on pedals. Yeah the stock ones are junk, or will be in 500 miles.
My favorite, bullet proof pedal, bar none, is the Nashbar Rodeo Mountain Pedal.
Why ? It’s indestructible. Bet they last for 20k miles or longer. They’re versatile, in that they have a platform on one side (for riding with regular athletic shoes) and an SPD “mountain bike shoe” on the other.
That way, when & if you decide to invest in cycling shoes (I wouldn’t ride without them….), you already have the proper pedals.
Plus, at around $ 22 / set, they’re not much more than the el cheapo upgrade pedals at Walmart, which don’t last long at all.
Here: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175406_-1___202460
For an idea of what Mountain Shoes are that work with these pedals:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/SubCategory_10053_10052_202526_-1_202330_202362
The shoes I use:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_535523_-1___202526
Even though I ride road bikes, the reason I prefer “Mountain Shoes” over standard Road Shoes, is they’re more versatile & rugged. With Road Shoes, one can barely walk in them, off the bike. They’re just no good to walk around in, as the soles are stiff rigid plasic with 0% give. I suppose they transmit power very well, but I’m not a candidate for the Tour De France or even the local races.
I’m a performance oriented, cycling club rider who enjoys hopping on & off the bike. I want to be able to walk into the coffee shop, bike shop & restaurant without having to switch out shoes.
The mountain shoes are rugged & allow one to clip into the pedals easily, yet i’ve never had them come ‘unclipped’ accidentally, even while pedalling with lots of power. On these type shoes, the small metal cleat (which interfaces with a receiving area on pedal) is recessed, so you can walk normally.
Off the bike, they look like ‘normal’ athletic shoes. Heck, in mine, I could run or walk for many miles just as good as the Nike’s.
BTW, I did get opinions from the guys in our local bike club to see what they like, before coming to this decision. For the first 1,000 miles I just used the ‘old school’ toe & pedal straps arrangement. I much prefer the Mountain Shoe ‘SPD’ pedal arrangement. Keep in mind the pedals are adjustable for tension, so at first you can set it low as you get used to the idea of ‘clipping in / clipping out’.
And yes, you will fall over a time or two, it’s part of the learning process. But worth it. A rider clipped into the pedals saves about 10-15% of power compared to riding with on platform pedals only. Plus I think they’re safer, as when one rides many miles, the danger of your foot slipping off the pedal at a crucial moment is possible & could lead to injury – this cannot happen when connected via clip pedals & shoes. Something to think about…..
Performance Bike is having a memorial Day sale this weekend, I pulled the trigger on a pair of Forté Boulevard Pedals, one of the Doorbusters – have both SPD clip compatibility and a platform surface http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1104537_-1_1785009__1785009
You helped convince me to try riding clipped in to the pedals, agree with the approach of MTB shoes – something that do not look like bowling shoes, sound like tap shoes, more suitable for walking. Unfortunately, the Peal Izumis on Nashbar are not available in my size (too small), I decided to give these a try http://www.jensonusa.com/Mavic-Cruize-Shoes-2012
Good move, Gene. I don’t think you’ll ever regret moving to the Mountain shoe / spd (metal, super durable) cleat & pedal layout.
I’ve used mine in 3 road races, I sure didn’t feel I was losing any effectiveness compared to ‘road shoes’ – least ways not in beginner mens amatuer races (Category 5) !!
Those Mavic Cruze shoes look like a super choice, and at sub $ 40 who could argue. Plus Mavic is top quality stuff – we have two Mavic wheelsets & race & ride them to death – they are stout quality. Their shoes are likely top quality, too.
It can be hard to choose shoes via mail order as you can’t test fit them. I wear a 9.5 to 10.5 and guessed it was about a 45 (metric size) and ordered my Pear Izumi’s from Amazon – they were a perfect fit. (Uh, I did order a budget set from Nashbar (can’t recall name…) that ran waaay small & we returned ’em.)
Another thought if you have a sizeable local bike shop (LBS) they probably have a good range of sizes & types of shoes. A well stocked store may also have prices that are half-way resonable, plus you can ‘try before you buy’ – which may be less hassle time wise, than ordering & returning 3 pair via mail order that don’t fit !
Just a thought !
In regard to the CST Correre 700x23c tire upgrade:
1. Any issues with stability, increased incidence of flats / blowouts on the narrower, higher pressure tire?
2. What tubes are you using? Do the stock tubes fit the narrower tires, or was it necessary to buy new ones?
Ok, after many thousands of miles & trying different types of tires – (we have 3 long miles riders here….testing tires daily) I’m going to switch my recommended tires from the CST Correre, to the much better Vittoria Zaffiro Road Tires.
They hold up longer & are very flat resistant, plus @ $ 16 ea from Nashbar, a great value, you’ll save over whatever your LBS has in stock, too.
Here: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_517519_-1___202471 ck out the reviews.
Just using either a Michelin AirStop tube in 700x23c or a generic Bontrager 700×18-23c tube, nothing too special. The Michelins are supposed to hold pressure longer – not sure if they do, still testing.
I find stability & flat resistance just fine on the slightly narrower 23c tires. Run 25c if you want a bit more ‘cush’ in the ride.
My personal preference is towards the higher pressure & higher performance of the narrower tire. I’m a middleweight & size rider, btw @ 5’10” & 190 #.
You just have to try different things to see what works for your preferences in riding. It’s a question of preference only YOU can answer.
That’s why I try to read reviews for any product I’m going to try, plenty of them, to get an idea.
As the Scripture states, “In the abundance of counsellors, there is victory.”
Question about the stock wheels: will the axles accept quick release skewers?
Picked up by Denali X-Large Thursday afternoon from Walmart, took it for a quick spin around the parking lot, then a ~5 mile local road loop, with some moderate hills, had my bike mechanic take a look, perform a preliminary tune-up. Still waiting for my Aeromax wheels, 11-32t 8-gear cassette, Vittoria Zaffiro Pro II tires, salmon Kool Stops and computer to arrive this week.
First impressions:
1. Chain skips during moderate riding, mechanic attributes it to a bent hub; will not be an issue with the new cassette and wheels, but still requested a replacement from Kent.
2. Walmart assembly is TERRIBLE: front derailleur cable was backwards, no grease was used when installing threaded components, made pedal replacement EXTREMELY difficult.
3. Shifters are not as bad as I expected; discussed with my mechanic, will hold off on brifters, new handlebars
4. Not happy with breaking power. My baseline is MTB V-brakes, which are MUCH more powerful; if the salmon Kool Stops don’t make much of an improvement, the stock calipers are history
5. The Mavic MTB shoes fit like a GLOVE, VERY comfortable, true to size, spending some time this weekend on clipping in and out.
So despite the above, I consider it a keeper, at least in the short term. Mechanic will be back late in the week to install new components, tune up for a 46 mile fun ride next Saturday.
BTW: Mechanic insists stock rear derailleur is too short for the 32t cassette, will install a new Alivio with the other components, claims shifting will be MUCH better as well.
More to follow…
Hello Gene:
Good to hear ur report.
Did u order the XL Denali ‘site to store’ ?
Great for u the Mavic shoes fit well – sizing shoes via mail order can be tricky !
Can u provide a link & pricing ?
On gearing, imho, u probably can do w/o the 11-32 cassette, esp if it requires a new rear der.
Why ? The front crank is a triple 28-38-48, and rear cluster is 14-28, which is mountain gearing territory.
Should be good enough to ride in Colorado !
Btw, mind saying which region / state u ride in ?
We’re in East Texas – w/ moderate to steep hills.
Now I get by w/ a ‘compact double front chainring’ 34 / 50 – Nashbar CR 2, rear is a SRAM 12-26 cassette 9 speed.
Keep in mind, ur strength vastly improves w/ more miles.
I now fly up hills that once killed me – though I’m too heavy to ever be a ‘climber’.
(I’m more of a sprinter, esp if near the Coffee House, @ end of a 45 mi club ride !)
Best regards, David / East Texas Rider
– excuse my brevity, sent from my android phone
Ordered online, ship to store, local stores do not stock the 25″ GMC Denali, I tested what was in the store to confirm feel before ordering.
San Diego, Ca. I live approx. 2 miles north of Mission Bay.& ride around the bay at some point, typically 15 – 25 miles.
I just completed a ~23 mile ride, which includes a relatively challenging hill (for me), several more moderate inclines…a few hills, my avg speed was 13.22, which is ~0.5 faster under similar conditions.
I re-oiled the chain before leaving, which seemed to minimize the skipping, which seems to occur when in the smallest front gear and larger rear gear.
Link to the Mavi shoe on Jensen USA is above, I will provide it again http://www.jensonusa.com/Mavic-Cruize-Shoes-2012
You are probably right about the long-term usefulness of 11-32t, Our longer fun rides (40 – 60 miles) have some relatively challenging inclines – beyond what I train on locally. I am 52 years old, 6’2″, 210, not in the best of shape,
From a practical perspective, there is not much price difference between another cassette and the derailleur from my mechanic, I consider the derailleur upgrade a better investment. With the 3-8 configuration, I will not be at a loss of optimal configurations, can always change the cassette. Please comment.
Mixed bag with the clip-ons (first real ride with them); work great on open road and trails, I struggled a bit in stop-and-go traffic; leading with my right foot, the shoe clipped in easily, but I often struggled with the left. Any suggestions?
I figured you ordered it. Kent (mfr of the Denali) has a size below the “normal” 22″/55cm frame stocked at Wal-Mart. The larger 25″ size you ordered, and one 3″ smaller, at 19″/50cm. Pretty good size range.
(Along with the 2 smaller, related 24″ Giordano Junior road bikes with 15″ & 17.5″ frames, the kids or grandkids can road ride, too !)
BTW, my mom lives about 3 miles from there, near USD, LOL, small world, eh ! Nice beautiful setting to ride in, no doubt. Some hills if you search around – just ride up towards USD, some challenging hills there !
Oiling the chain will help shifting greatly. Wipe off excess oil with a rag to minimize road grit accumulation, before riding. The shifter cables will stretch with a bit of use, and if you want to adjust them, check out a YouTube tutorial on simple rear derailleur adjustment.
The reason I suggested you might be ok with the stock gearing is I did buy a Mega Range cassette, it had a huge 34t gear for low, but it dragged the der’s upper jockey wheel, noisy, and it was a huge jump down to the next gear, which made for an akward shifting transition. As soon as I got a bit stronger on the hills – maybe 4 or 5 club rides, I didn’t use it at all. I would have been $$ ahead to just wait.
Now, I do prefer the nice, short jumps of 1 or 2 teeth, and my favorite cassette is the 9 speed, 12-26 SRAM PG 950. The advantage is it allows picking a more precise gear, and smaller increments per shift. Nothing more frustrating than being in a gear that’s not correct for an incline & then shifting & that one’s not right either.
Now we do some higher speed rides – averaging 19-22 mph, and the tight gear spacing seems right for those demanding speeds / high speed shifting. And with the compact front chainring count of 34/50 (versus traditional road gearing of 39/52) one can run the tighter spaced cassette, and have quite low gearing for the steepest grades.
Just my .02, but your level of development, comfort & local conditions will determine the best approach.
On the shoes, just keep at it – it will become second nature. The pedals will have an adustable allen screw on the ‘jaws’ that grasp the shoe cleat. I’d suggest setting the torque waaay down, to allow easy release – this should help if you have to quickly release, to prevent an untimely fall.
Congrats on your progress !
PS: I checked a while back – San Diego has some 25+ cycling clubs – it sounds like you’d have plenty of group ride opportunities, of all levels.
Participated in a 46 mile fun ride http://www.shadowtour.com/Century_Rides/Fiesta_Metric.htm with my updated Denali today – Aeromax wheels, 25c tires, 12-32t cassette. I did a similar, 34 mile ride approx. 6 weeks earlier http://www.sdgranfondo.com/routes.html on a hybrid bike.
Primary difference was on relatively flat terrain – Denali would cruise easily at 17-18 mph with very little effort, versus 15-16 for the hybrid. The ~900 ft climb was quite challenging on both bikes, a function of my relatively poor conditioning. Unlike the hybrid, I was able to BARELY make it up the hill without taking a break, taking full advantage of the 32t granny gear.
I noticed 2 people riding the stock yellow Denali, was not close enough to chat them up.
I have read over this entire blog post now..Great info! Thanks. I am interested in doing a number of these upgrades. I had some questions on sizing for parts.
For replacing the crankset
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_502049_-1
what size? 170,172.5 or 175?
and the bottom bracket
https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175234_-1
what size? 68×108, 68×113 or 68×118?
Also I wanted to do the upgrades in steps. My question is if I replace the crankset and the wheelset (Aeromax road wheelset @ amazon) and cassette with a SRAM PG950 9-speed Cassette can I still keep the original shifters?
Brian: Sorry took a while to reply.
On crank length, pick the middle one, 172.5. But any of them would work. You MIGHT be able to tell between the 170 & 175, but probably not between the smaller increments.
Same advice on the BB. I’m 90% certain I used the middle length.
The Denali has a wide throat MTB front derauiller, so it’s tolerant of chainring placement to a good degree. It would be a good idea to measure the overall width of the crankset from outside edge of cranks @ BB now, then aim to replicate that with the new Nashbar CR crankset & BB. Obviously, the width of the BB is the most determining factor. Maybe also, remove the oem cranks & measure the width of the square taper oem BB, just for kicks.
BTW, best way I’ve found to measure the width of BB’s / cranks, is I got a cheap plastic metric / SAE measuring caliper @ Harbor Freight Tools, and it usually fits thru the gaps in the chainrings, then align it’s ends with the outside edges of crankset & you’ve got it dialed.
(As opposed to using a tape measure where you are only approximating it….)
On the cassette / shifter details, keep in mind: Nashbar Crankset will work with 7/8 or 9 or 10 speed chain, but the chain & cassette need to ‘match’. 6-7-8 speed chain is one type – width, then 9 speed is another, and 10 still another. One is courting mechanical disaster to try to mix chain & cassette widths. On the Denali, unless planning on changing every component (not an impossibility….) in the drivetrain, try to stick with an 8 speed cassette, if possible, That way you can use the existing chain & derauiler set up.
The only negative is unless you ditch the ‘Revo Shift’ shifters, you’ll only hit 7 of your 8 available cogs. Also, if the specs on the Aeromax say freehub sizing is for 9/10 speeds, you’ll want a cassette spacer behind the cassette, so the 8 speed cassette will be properly tight.
For a year now, I’ve used the 9 speed Nashbar / Microshift shifters, chain & PG 950 cassette & Front & Rear Derailuers and have been delighted with the set up. In fact, the Nashbar / Microshift 9 or 10 speed Groupo (unified component group) is the best deal going, hands down.
On Nashbar the other day, for kicks, I went thru & added up all the disparate parts of this groupo, and all 9 or 10 pieces, including brakeset & cableset, was like only $ 450. (for 10 speed – 9 speed would be $ 50 less maybe)
And that was without their discounts or sales they run frequently. Pretty darn competetive pricing on great quality componenets. Next best deal I’ve seen was the 10 speed SRAM Apex Groupo for $ 610 over at http://www.AEBike.com.
Compare this to the price tags in the $ 1,000 – 3,000 for Ultegra – DuraAce & high end groupos and the value becomes apparent.
Best Wishes on your goals. Please write back & let us know how things work out.
Hi!
I don’t know if anyone could answer this question but… I have a GMC Denali, which I have changed almost everything on it…. and I want to change the Front Fork for the Nashbar Carbon 1-in Threaded Road Fork, but… I don’t know which size I have to buy.
160mm,
175mm,
200mm,
220mm,
or 240mm
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_174894_-1___202441
Hi Carlos:
Good Choice, I installed that fork on my Denali too. (I think I didn’t cover it by a post, sorry) Anyhow it works well. Couple of thoughts:
1) You may want new headset bearings. My mechanic suggested ‘Aheadset’ brand – they worked very well, will last forever – life of the bike, anyhow.
I believe it was $ 45 for new bearings & he installed Nashbar Carbon Fork for that price, too.
2) The length you see there is the total steerer tube length. Measure your Denali’s stock one & then order that length in the new Carbon one.
You can just estimate it with a tape held besides the fork, measure from Crown Race at bottom of head tube / top of fork, to top of threaded fork top end, just unscrew stem nut to expose, so you can get accurate measurement.
(I think it was 160mm but don’t quote me on that…) I had the ‘standard 22.5 WalMart” sized Denali – if you have one of the ‘other sizes’, ie the smaller 19″ or the larger 25″, it will be different.
Best regards, post back a new comment once you do the upgrade. Nashbar also has a nice carbon seatpost, too.
Don’t forget, as you ride more, wheelset upgrades make a huge difference. I grabbed some Mavic Kyserium Elites, a normal $ 650 set, for $350 from Nashbar, and now 8,000 miles later, they’re still my fav wheelset. Only been trued once, and I weigh 190 #. Bulletproof.
BTW, with all the upgrades, carbon stuff & Camp Carbon Crankset (grabbed from our local bike club rider as a ‘new, used part’ for $ 150) & this wheelset, my Denali only weighed 20.5 #, or a reduction of 10# over stock.
It flew and I was competetive with the Carbon Fiber guys, finally.
The only reason I eventually passed the Denali to a fellow rider in our club was I did an extensive ‘bike fit’ analysis, and found my body shape was better off with a different proportion frame, I needed a longer top tube, whereas the Denali was more of a ‘square frame’ – meaning TT top tube was same as ST, seat tube. Fine for many folks, but I have longer torso, shorter legs.
But I rode the Denali for my first 2500 miles / 8 months of Club Riding & 2 Cat 5 races, so that was my ‘learning curve’.
The cool part was I didn’t by an incorrect sized $ 3000 bike like many do. I slowly built up a $ 175 Walmart Denali, and then the upgraded parts transferred over to my new Giant TCR Advanced frame, sized M/L, which is a correct fit for me.
A bonus was we learned ‘bike building’ skills, now to adjust it all, switch components, re-cable the bike & tune it perfectly. A must if you’re going to ride a lot, and not lose your shirt to the LBS – local bike shop.
Best regards, great riding, David in East Texas
Just a quick question on the Nashbar 1″ threaded carbon forks. I ordered them and I have them now. I have the 25″ frame and in comparing the two I see that the carbon forks are about an inch shorter than the stock forks. I thought that maybe the smaller size frames might have different length forks but a quick trip to WWorld gave the same stock length of about 15 1/2″ from bottom of race to centre of axle. The carbon forks are about 14 1/2″ from bottom of race to centre of axle. I think this drop of an inch in the front is going to change the geometry of the bike more than I want and put more weight on the front. I got the 220 length tube and would need to cut 12mm to get the right length.
I wanted to thank you for your post. It’s really hard to find good info about the denali without sifting thru 10 pages of forum posts telling me that if I didn’t spend $1000 on my bike then I’m a moron and the denali will somehow kill me in my sleep should I allow the thing in presence (I’m exaggerating that part but the point stands). Anyway, a couple of questions…
Are the stock handlebars welded together or are they being held together by the stem clamp? Also, what size/width are the stock bars?
If I was to upgrade to the Shimano A050 shifters would I HAVE to replace the stock bars?
The shifters in your pics and the ones I find online seem to have a two position friction shift for the front derailer, how does this work with the denali having three gears in the front?
Thanks again, look forward to hearing back…
Adam:
I’m with you, all the way. The Denali will work for many, many miles. It may be all the road bike you ever need.
When I had finished all my upgrades – more extensive than many Denali owners would do, it weighed 20.5 #, and I had ridden it up to 70 miles averaging 18 mph, easily keeping up with the “Carbon Fiber Guys”.
So, keep on riding it & doing upgrades that you feel are needed. Keep in mind, if carefully chosen, most upgrade parts can be transferred to a different frameset later on.
(A good argument for NOT tossing all those stock Denali parts…) But to your questions:
There is a ‘thru-bolt’ that holds the two piece drop handlbars together, it recesses into the ridged shim / clamp piece.
This unique layout is required due to the Shimano ‘Revo-Shift’ shifters, they can only slip on a straight line. Ergo, you could upgrade bars & stem if upgrading shifters to either the AO50 shifters (simple & inexpensive) or fancier & more expensive ‘Brifters’ – ie Brake Lever / Integrated Shifters.
(Recommendation for latter is: Microshift 8 or 9 shifter Group, approx $120-160 for shifters & F + R Derailuer set, check Amazon.com)
I can’t recall the width, but you measure by measuring Center to Center & do it in Inches & MM. Most new bars will be rated in MM or CM.
My favorite width is 44 cm or 440mm / 17.5. Why ? More leverage & Control for the rider.
On the A050 Shifters, the Left one, for Front Der, is of ‘infinite adjustment’, ie it works for either 2 or 3 chainrings. I like it because it is easy to eliminate chainrub.
On the Rear Shifter, keep in mind it’s got clicks for 7 speeds. We did use it with an 8 speed cassette / freewheel, but you have to adjust the rear der for 7 of the 8 cogs, just ignore the largest one (not a good plan if you deal with hills) or the smallest cog (not a problem for most as we don’t try to pedal above 30 mph !)
Also another factor to ‘figure ahead on’ is the fact that cassettes come in 8 or 9 or 10 speeds, and allow smaller steps in between gear changes. I found that as I did more & faster group rides or races, that it was advantageous to have tighter gear spacing.
(If you don’t do group rides or races, this may not matter much to you.)
Also, the stock gear cluster on the Denali is a thread on 7 speed freewheel, and 8 speed freewheels are available.
Any upgrade wheelset you may consider, even the $ 120 Aeromax one on Amazon.com are likely going to be cassette / freehub arrangement. This is where the cassette slips over a splined hub which has a ratchet relationship with the rear hub. Road cassettes are 8, 9 or 10 speeds.
I mention this because I found myself doing an upgrade & shortly thereafter seeing that it could impose future limitations on other upgrades.
IE: Shifters / Chain, cassette / freewheel & Derailuers all must match speed wise. EG: 6-7-8 speed chains interchange. 9 speed is it’s own thing. 10 speed is it’s own thing.
Also, 9 speed is much cheaper & more standard than 10 speed, as well as more robust.
Ditto, 8 speed is very robust & quite cheap, too.
(Another moneysaving nugget: KMC chains are the bomb, they have quality for 1/2 the price of the Dura-Ace & high dollar stuff…..the Amazon reviews tell the story.)
A lot to think on – hope I didn’t overload ya !
I trust this will help you plan accordingly. Keep on riding !
All the best, David in East Texas
Thanks again for giving an unbiased review of this bike. I’ve had it for a year. I decided to celebrate the fact that the bike didn’t kill me (much to the chagrin of the leetist in the bicycle community,) by changing out some stuff. I went a different route than you and opted for mountain bike handle bars instead of drop bars, purchased brake levers and new shifter’s. I adjusted the gears and brakes myself (I am using the stock ones until I can get bigger holes drilled for the new ones.) I also purchashed brakes but I’ll have to wait to take them to the my bike shop and have the rear holes drilled out in order to accommodate the recessed nut. Everything worked out with the exception of the brakes.
The bike planet tool kit came in real handy.
Pardon the mess.
Ok, so I dont know if anyone is still following this thread or not but here’s my question, I want to change the handlebars on my gmc denali, but I have to do it as cheaply as possible as there isnt alot of extra cash in my family right now. I want to put a flat handlebar on it but have been told I need to change the shifters because they wont come off due to the fact that they won’t pass the bend on the drops, well they work fine for me and was wondering, what if I cut the bars in the middle and took them off in the reverse order in which they were put together, will I be able to use them on the flat bar then? Also the lbs wanted to sell me a new stem as well because the diameter of the flat bars would be smaller than the opening in the stem due to the spacer/sleeve used on the denali drop bars. What if I was too use the sleeve over the skinnier flat bar, so that I could use the same stem. Would that work? Any advice would be appreciated. I want to Change the bars for comfort, I don’t use the drops at all because of back injuries and I’m new to cycling so sorry if I didn’t use the right terms, I hope you get my meaning. Thanks!
Hey Gilbert:
Sorry for the delay, again.
Yes you can sure do that mod / upgrade.
The bike shop wasn’t very observant, if they did look at your Denali. I say that because it’s pretty obviously got a ‘2 piece handlebars’, joined in the middle by a small bolt.
You just undo it & bingo, the bars slide apart – that’s how they slid the ‘Revo Shifters’ on in the first place.
At that point, you just slide the shifters on the new bar. Keep in mind you will require new, standard brake levers.
Once you decide on bars, you can decide if you need no shim, a thinner shim, or maybe the one that came on the bike originally.
Knowing the diameter of the stock Denali stem ahead of time will help you settle on a flat bar.
We fit a flat bar to our “junior Denali” bike, and it was simple: our LBS had maybe 10 ‘take off’ flat bars to choose from, and $ 10-15 each.
(I don’t recall the shimming method – I think we found a bar that fit without shims….)
Take Care, David – East Texas Rider
Gilbert I’ve done this upgrade and it went really well. I am on a tight budget. Here are the items I purchased.
Brake levers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OI0BL0/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (the guy at the bike co-opt said they were the wrong ones but I haven’t had a problem with them.)
Shifters: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YSS8TK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZM9RX6/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Handlebars: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030L1II4/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (much lighter than the stock handlebars and I didn’t need a new stem, or neck.
Handlebar grips: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00165P52Q/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The shifters already come with cables attached. You will have to get new cables for the breaks. I bought mine at the LBS for $5 a piece. You need because the new brake levers will require a different connector from the banana bar ones.
Here are some pics after the upgrades were done.
I realize that it looks like a lot, but you will be fine if you take your time, check some youtube videos out and ask questions. I hope this helps.
I was going to go with the following:
Handlebar: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_551522_-1___204718
Shifters: http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-ST-2303-3x8sp-front-rear/dp/B003BCE7DU/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3DZMBT0IIAXRS
This would work, eh?
I have the Denali 48cm frame as I’m only 5’6″ and it has just enough standover height http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FNVBSAM/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
What brake calipers are you running?
Hey Levi:
Sorry for the delay responding.
Yes, that sure looks like a great upgrade for the Denali.
Keep in mind you may need a new stem, in case the width of the new bars at the clamp isn’t the correct diameter for the stock stem.
I think I recall that if you remove the thick stock shim, the stock stem should work – but that’s merely an educated guess.
(In case you can’t tell, I’ve sold my beloved Denali so I can’t easily measure it & speak accurately !)
But, sometimes playing with the length of the stem can allow you to ‘fine turn’ your bike fit., so that may be a good idea if you’re planning on a bar / shifter upgrade anyhow.
Oh, on calipers, I eventually grabbed a set of SRAM Apex units. Very good stuff !
Best Regards,
David
Hello!
I would like to said in a few question.
i am looking for this, but i am look at amazon GMC Denali and cost $191, with 48 cm. i am 5’4 and about weight 190, but i am not sure if i pick this, cause i will attend to College and plus weight loss, too, so any tips for me? i looking for this similar to something cheap or good enough price.
Yes Jose, that’s a good sized frame for your height, generally speaking. The bike you are referring to is the ‘”small” frame sized Denali Mens bike, it’s 48cm / 19″ and is usually Gold in color.
Here is a Craigslist ad for it: If you’re near Dallas, it’s a very good deal, barely used $ 120:
http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/bik/4475537265.html
My daughter is 5’4″ and her best frame size is 48cm – 19″.
Me on the other hand, I’m 5’9″ and the ‘medium’ 22.5″ / 55cm Denali is about right for me. This medium size is the size sold at walmart, the most commonly found one on Craigslist for that matter.
I think you’ll find that to be an ideal size for you, do take a look at the ‘standover height’ if they list it anywhere, and make sure your inseam (pant leg length) will allow for it.
Please comment back & let us know what you settle on.
Take Care, David – East Texas Rider
Yes, Jose, I think the 19″ / 48cm Denali is the perfect size for your height.
I don’t think you’ll find a better equipped entry level Road Bike, in this size, for less.
Most budget / entry level bikes only come in 1 size, but the Denali comes in 3, the 19″, 22.5″ & 25″, pretty broad range.
The only other advice I could give is that the ‘other best’ way to find a bike in your size range, affordably, is on your local ‘Craigslist’ – you can go to the ‘bikes’ page & just list your preferred size, like ’48’ , ’50’, in cm or use inches. Most ads list the size as part of the ad.
Or just browse & every 5th ad will likely be close to your size needed.
Best Regards, ride safe, God bless, David
Hello! I just got the GMC Denali Road bike. I am planning to upgrade the forks with the carbon fiber from Nashbar but I am confused which steer tube size to get. I know its the 1inch but the length of the tube is my problem. i see 160mm, 170mm and 175mm. Do you know which one is the right size for the Denali? Thanks!
Hey friend, sorry for the tardy reply.
The kids have been doing a lot of bike racing lately (they made it to Junior Road Nationals, in fact, another story !), so been very busy.
Ok, I can’t recall the length now. Keep in mind it will vary depending upon WHICH Size Denali you have. For exmaple, the small frame 19″, the 22.5″ (the size Walmart stocks) & large 25″ all have differnt length head tubes, and steerer tubes on the fork.
Do this to determine your length: take an adjustable wrench & loosen your top fork cap (normal threads, turn counterclockwise), then, find the very top thread of the steerer tube & measure down to the ‘crown’ of the fork – the part where the lower crown race bearing is located, convert that to MM and that is the best length to buy. You could buy longer & cut it, but I know one of the normal size options for the Nashbar Carbon fork is the correct length.
It’s a good upgrade & worth the effort. Oh & BTW, my bikeshop did the install as it needed a new, upgraded headset & I lacked the tools to install it.
I believe they installed a ‘semi sealed “Aheadset” model.
(It’s possible the stock headset (fork bearing) could be made to work….)
Hope this is of help – Ride Safe & God bless,
David in East Texas
I’m curious if anyone has re-laced the stock rims with Shimano 105 or Tiagra hubs vs. swapping out the wheels completely. I’m looking for low cost upgrades and really love the look of better hubs. I’m just not sure how much there is to gain performance wise since hubs are rarely mentioned in “bang for buck” upgrade threads.
Hi David, I see you responding to new posts, yet mine has been awaiting moderation since Sept. 19th. Maybe it got buried in your email? Appreciate it if you would post it up. Thanks!
Hi Jason:
Sorry to have missed your post / question.
I don’t know if anyone has. I would think if one had the following, they should:
1) set of lighter higher end hubs, correctly spec’d
2) wheel building skills
3) good amount of time
That said, I don’t have all those together, so I wouldn’t myself.
Couple of ideas:
1) The OEM Denali wheel (labeled ‘Vitesse’) has a high spoke count, I think 36, making it a heavy, ‘bomb proof’ wheel. Mine never needed trued. I probably didn’t put 800 miles on them though, but they are strong and then some. A 240# rider wouldn’t stress them.
So, you’d need some heavy duty hubs, like a high end mountain hub. There might be some road hubs drilled for 36, but I don’t see them often.
Point is, the rims, spokes & hubs are matched, strong & relatively precise.
That said, I did eventually upgrade the wheelset on the Denali to a much lighter wheelset. I still have the wheelset, in fact, though I did sell the Denali eventually.
I can tell you, if performance is your goal, an upgraded wheelset makes a huge difference. That & the Nashbar Carbon Fiber fork, were the two biggest upgrades the Denali enjoyed.
I also put a Microshift 9 speed group (Nashbar CR2 crank, w/ ISIS BB) on it.
All told, those upgrades shed around 10#. She weighed 20.5 # at the lightest. Pretty good diet, eh ?!
To sell her, I pulled the wheelset & put the stock ones back on. A beginner Triathlete guy bought her & I think the stock wheelset was fine for him. The weight went back up to 24# with the stock wheelset.
So, it was a 3.5# savings on the wheelset, making a huge difference.
BTW, FWIW, the wheeset was / is a Mavic Kyserium Elite unit. Now has 10,000 miles plus, bearings still fine, trued 2x, 1 broken spoke. Very strong & light.
Keep in mind, if you’re not climbing hills & don’t do USAC Category racing, probably the wheelset upgrade isn’t going to benefit.
The Quick Release skewers are a nice touch.
(bring a 15mm wrench in your bike bag if using bolt up stock rims.)
So, I tried to give you the complete scoop.
FWIW, Nashbar often has a comparable wheelset to the Mavics, which were $600, on sale for $ 229 or so, it’s either the Vuelta Corsa Pro or Elite, essentially the same as Mavic, minus the label.
I’m now testing Chinese Carbon Tubular wheelset that are promising – I may review them later if I get requests.
Ride Safe Jason !
David
I replaced my hubs with a Claris set with quick release The only thing to remember is that the wheels are laced with a cross four pattern.
I also installed Continental Ultra Race tires in 23c and lighter tubes and replaced the rim tape.
The OEM tires are good enough, the Vitesse rims aren’t that heavy.
Hello David/ETR, thank you for this website! It was the deciding factor in my having just ordered the Denali. It will arrive in about a week. I read a ton of reviews but this blog was THE clincher. And any bike reviewer who signs off his posts with a reference to the Great Commission is pretty cool in my Book 🙂 . I’m totally new to biking. I’m still learning the lingo so bear with me if I use the wrong terms. The farthest I’ve ever ridden a bike is 10.2 miles on my 20yr old mountain bike on 26″x1.75 “city tires”. That ride taught my overweight body a lesson I will never forget.
And that brings me to this website: I was encouraged to hear from an experienced cyclist who wasn’t a snob that the Denali is a great entry-level bike; and with some reasonable upgrades, it could even hold its own against pricier bikes–assuming the cyclist is fit and experienced of course. However, I’m neither fit nor experienced. But I want to be. I plan on using my new Denali to commute to work during the week and for fun/fitness during the weekend.
At first I thought I understood the game plan for upgrading the Denali, but then I read all the follow-up posts/comments and am now confused again. It sounds like you’ve learned quite a bit since first upgrading the Denali and have since moved on to further refine your upgrade choices (e.g. first the Correre tires but now the Vittoria Zaffiro tires, etc.). Furthermore, other commenters opened my eyes to even more possibilities (like how Grizzyly907LA replaced the drop handlebars with mountain bike style flatter bars).
If you’d be so kind, I have 2 questions:
1. What FIRST modification/upgrade is the best pound-for-pound upgrade I should make? That is, what is the lowest cost upgrade that returns the highest performance/speed change? I don’t have a lot of money so I can only do 1 thing right now. But if this upgrade can make me faster, or make me ride farther easier, and thus, make it more fun and easier for me to stick with cycling for the long term, then I can justify to my wife the later more expensive upgrades.
2. Can I rotate my drop handlebars upwards so I can sit more upright? I’d prefer to not buy stem or angled risers. I’ve never used drop handlebars before and am intimidated by them. My main concern with riding on the drops is my back pain and the fact that I won’t be able to see traffic so well (I’m already short and have the small frame Denali), and add to that my zero experience riding with drop handlebars, my bad back, the fact that Revo shifters are on the tops while the brakes are on the hoods, and I can see myself losing my balance fiddling around with too many hand positions and falling…again. Unfortunately the paddle shifters you had in the blog post wouldn’t solve this problem. I was thinking of doing what Grizzly907LA did by adding mountain bike flat bars instead, but all the other accompanying mods that go with that (new shifters, new separate brake levers) seem complicated and expensive to me (please post detailed instructions Grizzly907LA! Please?). Ideally, I’d love to just add additional brake levers to the tops (like those cyclocross bikes have), but there aren’t any YouTube vids that show me how to do that. Or better yet, I’d love to replace the Revoshifters with combination shifter/brake levers like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004V2ACD8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AJ5KCH6R81QUN
This would feel closest to the current shifters and brake levers positioning I currently have on my 20yr old mountain bike. But I couldn’t find YouTube vids that show me how to make this change either. Furthermore, I don’t even know how to find out if those combo shifter/brake levers are even compatible with the Denali?
I would address these questions to my LBS but I just don’t feel it’s ethical for me to use their time/knowledge/expertise to answer my questions when I know I don’t have the money to spend on their higher LBS prices. Any suggestions?
Thank you in advance David/ETR,
Hey Johnny:
Thanks for your reply. I appreciate being appreciated ! But seriously…..I do aim to have an impact, even if a small one. I’m convinced that God, the LORD wants us healthy & that is of course including both spiritually & physically, too.
(Too often, we tend to focus on one to the exclusion of the other, rather than balancing them together.)
But, it’s great to hear your positive attitude about getting healthy. And the back troubles can go away as your fitness increases. Ya just gotta ‘get over the hump’, first.
BTW, in our health quest, we’ve learned 2 key ‘back health’ issues:
1) Our spinal discs are 80% fluid, water primarily. One of the key symptoms of dehydration, chronic, is back pain. The average healthy adult should be drinking 1 gallon of fresh pure water daily. We have found back pain to be a thing of the past, since learning & practicing this.
2) Back pain can also be related to constipation. We eat lots of fresh salads & vegetables to help combat this.
Before leaning these things, my wife was a constant patient at the Chiropractor. We haven’t seen him in 5 years now. PTL !
That aside, getting the cycling gear / bike equipment correct is pretty crucial.
So I understand, you have ordered the 19″ small frame Denali (usually Gold in color), and this is the bike you want to modify to meet your needs ?
(the size commonly sold by Walmart is the middle size 22″ frame Denali, they also offer a very large 25″ model, and the smaller 19″ one.)
Ok, you asked several questions, where to start: Yes, the Altus 7 speed shifters will work, so long as you go to a ‘flat / mountain style bar’, and you said that would help the bike feel more like your existing mountain bike.
(You could also add the ‘inline accessory brake levers’, sort of. They don’t work gracefully with The ‘Revoshifts’ as they get in the way of where your hands need to be. )
Installing all this will be more involved than the average person would like, unless you enjoy tinkering & buying the occasional bike tool. It’s not rocket science – but there are various cable ends, housings & inner cables that need to all be correct length to make it happen.
One idea is to find a good local LBS, get to know the manager or mechanics, and ask about ‘take off parts’ ie used bike parts. They normally have a ton of these on hand & will sell them pretty cheap. Ask them if they have the flat bars & some basic ‘altus’ type 7 speed shifter brake combo levers. Chances are pretty good a busy shop will have a box full of them. The only parts that you’ll want new are the cables, most likely.
Just a thought.
I’d say at first, try to keep the bike totally stock, try to accommidate yourself to appreciate it’s layout (this is the most economical option), before doing much of any mods. Even if it means moving the handle bars a bit ‘up’ to get the hoods / levers closer.
I spend most the time on the flats of my bars, only going onto the hoods if I want to be more aero. Like keeping up with the fast guys on our club rides, then it’s a must (or even in the drops occassionally). But for casual rides, I’m on the flats most of the time.
The single biggest performance improvement is the tires, bar none. And I’d suggest another tire, from what I have on the blog. After running dozens of types of road tires, of many brands, we’ve come to really enjoy the Continental tires. I’d suggest the Gatorskin or the Grand Prix in either 23c or 25c. The Gatorskins are super tough, long wearing. The cost & aggrivation you save by not having flats more than pays for them, plus great road speed & efficency. If you ride where there are tons of glass & road debris, go Gatorskin. If the roads are cleaner or you have dedicated bike trails (less road trash there), then the Conti Grand Prix are just perfect, as well as a bit less. I bought the Gatorskins for $ 42 ish & the Grand Prix for $ 28 on Amazon.
Also, 25c put a bit more rubber & cushion – rough roads, 25c are better idea vs. 23c. Either choice will fit fine on the stock Denali rims.
Be sure to upgrade to a better rim liner, too. The stock Denali rim liners can allow flats to occur. Just search Amazon for a 700c rim liner that gets good reviews.
BTW, 6,7 & 8 speed are all the same, chain & cog wise, so they’re regarded as compatible, in terms of shifters too. For example, on the Denali later on, I grabbed a pair of Shimano 8 speed brake lever shifters (STI-2300), and they worked fine with the stock 7 speed chain / rear freewheel. You just ended up with a ‘click’ at the top or bottom of the cog where it was trying to shift to a position that didn’t exist, which is no biggie.
On the other hand, 9 speed road gearing is it’s own standard, as is 10 speed. They both are narrower chain & gears than the far more common 7-8 speed.
The reason 7-8 speed are way more common is most mountain bikes are that speed – and frankly, the Denali with it’s front triple chainring & 7 speed freewheel with a 14-28 range is basically, mountain type gearing. That’s not a bad thing, at all, perfect for the entry level road cyclist, and once you go further or try ‘charity’ rides, group rides, etc and hit some real hills, the lower gears can be utilized.
My kids & I have gotten pretty far into racing since I started this blog (some of my posts reflect this development), and so we’ve learned much. For example, my son – now 19 – races a full carbon fiber Giant that is around 15#. His ‘heavy’ training bike is 19-20# or so. It has to be this way for him to be competetive. He’d love dearly to ‘go pro’ and is now ranked nationally, so that is that possibility, God willing & him staying healthy & devoted to the sport & proper training.
But, the fact is, we started in Fall 2011 so Dad (me) could lose weight & feel better – and that has happened, and then some. I was 250#, now 190# (okay gained 10# during Holidays, but I feel fat at this #). Our family goes to USA Cycling road races together & do rides each week, including with our local bike club. For us, cycling involves the whole family – even my wife does her riding, not quite as fast or as far as me & the kids, but she jumps right in.
When she complains of being too slow, I remind her she’s the fastest (maybe) 50 year old mother of 5 in our county, maybe in our entire East Texas region !
So, progress is all a matter of perspective & right attitude.
By the way, if you are in a city of any size, you may find some good ‘group ride’ opportunities, usually based out of your Local Bike Shops – they will know of them in any case. ‘So-Cal Rider’ suggests you may be near some cities with nice riding / clubs / LBS, etc.
As I write this, it’s too bone chilling cold outside to ride, so I will hook up the bike to a trainer and / or hit the Treadmill later tonight.
Though I do have some decent winter riding gear, I’ve decided I don’t ride below 40 degrees, or below 60 degrees if it’s raining !
Well, I guess I now do ‘post length’ replies, to make up for the fact that I’ve been too busy to post much of late !
LORD bless your progress brother. Please keep me updated !
David in East Texas
(So Cal ‘Refugee’)
Hi ETR,
First, thanks so much for taking the time to respond so quickly. And thank you for all the helpful tips. Good choice on leaving SoCal and going to Texas. That’s where I would move to if I leave SoCal too.
I took my Denali for its first test ride yesterday. On the stock 32c tires pumped up to the max 75 psi, it felt pretty rough. So maybe a more cushier saddle would help?
Sadly, I also didn’t notice going much faster than my mountain bike (on 26 x 1.75 Nashbar Rambler City Tires at 70 psi). My MapMyRide app confirmed my subjective assessment and reported that I only averaged ONE mile per hour faster (so pathetic!) on the Denali on a route I’ve taken many times! This is even though my mountain bike is considerably heavier and is loaded down with a rear rack, a pannier and a lock! I looked for the 25c Continental Grand Prix on Amazon but they are now much more expensive than the $28 you got them for. I’m thinking of getting the Michelin Lithion 2 700×25 tires instead since they’re closer to the $28 range. Hopefully the slicker tread and higher max psi of 118 will help increase my speed? What do you think?
Thanks,
SoCal Rider
So Cal Rider,
Good to hear your update.
(There is plenty of room left in Texas if you get the urge at any point…)
The Denali tires do that. They are tough as nails, but not for high pressure. Keep em at 65-70 max.
Ok, keep in mind, the Denali is still a 30# bike, in stock config, and your mountain bike may not be much heavier.
Their gearing is similar (quite likely identical), rims probably being the biggest difference, but you also had high efficiency tires on the MTB.
On flat ground, weight differences are negligible. Once a heavy object is accellerated, it takes only marginally more power to keep it at speed, so minor weight differences, in terms of average speed, don’t amount to much.
Now, do that comparison on a hilly course, and there you will note a performance difference.
(But, I humorously & self deprecatingly note, that those of us who could easily shed 5, 10, even 20# or more sometimes spend $$$ on to save 1 or 2# !)
For a real world example of this, watch the next Tour De France – or better yet, the Tour of California, and note how the riders who win the mountain stages are usually the lightest, skinny guys and the ones who win the flat stages, sprints & time trials are the more muscular, heavier riders.
It all comes down to the physics of weight, power, grade & gearing.
So, try not to judge yourself against an unreasonable expectation.
Yes, get a better seat than the stock Denali one.
Yes, get better & more efficient tires, too.
Do upgrades as you can afford them & find they are required.
But let your fitness level ‘ratchet’ you up to those requirements.
My son & I joined our local bike club for fun & group ride opportunities. We rode the Denali bone stock, upgraded tires for a month, then did more little by little.
(see my reply to Jason for upgrade details).
It took 9 months, 2000 miles ridden & 40# lost before I was able to fully discern my ideal ‘bike fit’ – IE my best frame size & proportion so that I & my machine were ‘one’.
That said, the Denali is the ideal beginner fitness machine. It can be upgraded quite a ways. It may be all you ever need.
One thing is for sure, if you find your needs eventually go beyond it’s limits, you will be in great shape !
PS: On the tires, specifically, if you ride bike trails, the Michelin Lithion should do fine. If you ride dirty nasty roads, check it’s reviews to make sure it’s puncture resistant. The Conti Gatorskins have that ‘down cold’ – and with our debris strewn roadsides here, it’s a primary concern. That & pedalling efficiency, and the Gatorskins are tops there too. The Grand Prix being a slighly less robust version of them.
Hope this helps – Ride safe in SoCal !
David
ETR, I took your advice and am very happy with the results! Got the 25mm tires with slick treads and high max psi and can’t believe what a difference they made! Sure, I popped 4 perfectly brand new tubes within 1.3 miles before I learned what “rim strips/tape” are, but after that, I was flying on the road like never before. The feeling of speed and ease of riding has made riding fun and I’ve ridden more miles in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last 2 months. Once I hit the lifetime 250 mile mark (remember I’m a noob), I think that would justify the next upgrade. Better wheelsets maybe? I find that having an upgrade reward matched to a mileage goal really spurs one to ride consistently. Do you still recommend the Aeromax wheels? What do you think of the Vuelta ZeroLites? They’re both approx $100. Or some other wheelset? Thanks again for your blog, especially your posts on the Denali and related Denali upgrades. it’s made a difference.
SoCal-Rider
Good deal, Brother. Glad to hear it made a noticeable improvement. Tires & wheels are pretty key to the road bike working for you.
I’ve heard good things about the Aeromax wheels. I do think though, that you might consider an even higher line option. At least take a read of the reviews & compare to the OEM Denali wheels (which are tough & precise, if heavy & not QR quick release).
Here are 3 candidates:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_566766_-1___204727
That’s a HD wheelset, with a high spoke count. Can handle lots of abuse. See what the reviewers say.
Here are two more, lighter, more ‘race oriented’:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_566771_-1___204727
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_566768_-1___204727
So that ‘s some food for thought.
Mainly, have fun riding & getting more fit.
My daughter & I just finished our ‘Road Race Camp’ where our team rode 160 miles in 4 days, climbing over 10,000 feet, in the Texas Hill Country.
I couldn’t have dreamed of doing that 5 years ago, now – Praise God – I can.
It’s really fun to see how our bodies respond to proper inputs.
On the urge to upgrade, just be sure you really feel it will benefit you.
I laugh when I see many of my fellow cyclists, quite a few of whom do superfluous upgrades, when they already have proper equipment.
The several times world champ & cycling legend, Eddy Mercxx, put it into perspective, saying:
“The key to being a great cyclist ? Forget upgrades, ride up grades !”
Pretty good, huh ?
(The Denali could use an upgraded wheelset, just make sure you do research so your’e happy with the results.)
Godspeed,
David in East Texas
Thanks for the great response regarding the hubs David. I agree with your assessment of the stock wheels being bomb proof. My idea was that better hubs might provide less friction and in turn greater lifespan. I ended up buying a 36 hole Shimano 105 front hub in order bump up my total at Chain Reaction Cycles to obtain free shipping. It seems compatible with the stock spokes, but I don’t really know for sure. Alas, re-lacing the wheels might be more trouble than it’s worth. I’m thinking of buying another inexpensive bomb proof rim to lace as a spare, however I’m not seeing many 36 hole options online. Might need to hit up the LBS for that.
The majority of my riding is simply for commuting. There are plenty of hills around here in Vancouver, BC…….read mountains, however hill climbing on wheels is not my idea of fun (no offence to anyone here). I’ll stick to hiking and AT/snowshoeing 😉
Hello everyone! I have recently recieved a Denali Shimano 6061 series from someone that was throwing it away in the dumpster outside of my work. He was literally going to throw it away so i took it off of his hands. When i got home on later inspection, i found out that the front forks have bent out beyond the point of repair. I see alot of comments about the “Nashbar Carbon Fiber Fork” but do not feel like spending $100 to fix it. Can anyone suggest other fork replacements for me at a cheaper price tag? I even brought it into my local bike shop and they said that I needed to find a replacement fork for it to be ride-able again. Thank you in advance! -Alex
Hey Alex, I may be able to help you.
Turns out I have my original Denali fork, perfect condition. (I saved it after upgrading to the Nashbar Carbon fork…) To describe it, it’s yellow in color (I believe some of the Denali pics on my posts here show it), and just to be sure, it’s from the Medium size frame Denali – the one sold widely at Wal-Mart. So if you measure your frame, this bike is the one that is right around 22″ from seatpost center to center of stem, running the tape across the top tube in a straight line. I say this as the Denali is also manufacured in a small, 19″ frame & large 25″ frame size. Both are somewhat rare & need to be special ordered, so it’s unlikely you have them, but just to be sure, do measure.
If you’d check & decide you’d like the fork, please reply here & I can shoot you an email direct.
(I can see your email address already, assuming its the one I should use).
Best regards,
David / East Texas Rider
Wow that’s amazing thank you so much! And yes I measured it and it is a standard 22″. Please send me an email and we can discuss details. Thanks again!
My Denali upgrades and justifications
So I purchased an GMC Denali 700cc Road Bike in 2013. Being a career mechanic I knew the general quality of this bike. With an aluminum frame it has a good basic platform. The components on the bike are without argument at the low end for the industry. However for $169.95 out of the box this is what you get for your money. The 2 top complaints from consumers are poor or low end components and the bike needing several adjustments to operate correctly. It’s important to remember as the consumer you take on the responsibility of these issues when purchasing a bike from stores such as WalMart, Target, Kmart or off of the internet. So if you are not mechanically inclined or uniformed you have only yourself to hold accountable.
Now back to the Denali I purchased. As I was saying I did my home work and knew what I was getting for my money. It was always my intention to upgrade the bike. Providing my own labor and expertise was part of the plan for keeping my over all cost down. After assembling the bike I quickly realized the brakes or lack there of had to be addressed. I live in a hilly area and stopping quickly is a must. If you’re a flat land rider you may not mind the OEM brakes. I purchased a set of TekTro R539 brake calipers for $50.00. Upon installation I did find it necessary to enlarge the mount holes on the frame and forks slightly to get them mounted. This wasn’t an issue. The difference in braking was tremendous. So I road the bike several weeks and discovered the next upgrade that was necessary. The pedals were plastic and didn’t spin freely. I initially purchased set of Wellgo aluminum forged pedals. They have a machined aluminum body and shaft. More importantly they had a sealed precision bearing making them a great commuter pedal upgrade. The cost about $40.00 bucks. As I road the bike I began to realize that the bike had several configuration issues for me. The tires are a hybrid style and create a lot of drag for a long distance road bike. I removed the original Kenda 700x32c tires and installed a set of Specialized brand 700x28c Espior Sport road tires. With tubes another $65.00 dollars. So now I’m at $325.00 dollars on this bike still pretty reasonable for a aluminum road bike! So back to riding. I replaced the seat and seat post. I opted for a Specialized Seat and installed a Carbon Fiber Seat Post. Less weight an more comfort. Another $50.00 dollars. Up to $375.00. I’ve had to make several adjustments as the bike has gotten miles on it. None out of the ordinary. Miles and miles of usage led me to dislike the shifters. The twist grip shifter are more common on off road bikes and are not conducive to road riding. In stalled a simple set of stem mounted lever shifters more reminiscent of the 80/90’s road bikes. Fine by me, simple is best! $10.00 bucks, $385.00 total investment. Next I addressed the steal handle bars. I picked up a set of pull off aluminum Specializes bars for $30.00 dollars. So by now you’re thinking why did I buy a inexpensive bike to start with? I like most people these days find buying a $1,000.00+ dollar bike up front is a bit much. Plus if I decided that riding wasn’t for me I would be have a big investment to deal with. I’m now at $405.00 dollars. Still reasonable. The last investment I have made is the aluminum Shimano Acera crank and bottom bracket set. I installed them myself after purchasing a couple of Parker Bike Tools for “$40.00” bucks. I wasn’t crazy about that but I do like tools being a mechanic! The OEM cranks had steal arms and weighed a small ton. Another $95.00 dollars for the parts and I’m at $540.00 smackers. This is really all I want to invest in this bike, but man it really rides good. A 20, 30 or 40 mile ride is no big deal once you master hilly roads. So the moral of the story is that the Denali road bike out of the box is OK for riding around the neighborhoods. But if you’re going to hit the roads with any real mileage involved you will need to make some upgrades. If you’re a mechanic no big deal! If you’re not than the labor cost for these upgrades are going hurt your wallet! This bike weighed approx 30 pounds originally and it’s down to 24 now. It doesn’t sound like much of a change but at 20+ miles into a ride you will definitely notice the difference. So to all of the $1000+ dollar bike riders I say enjoy your bikes. Since must of the bikes out there are now manufactured over seas any ways I figure I saved on inflation and cheaply paid labor. Happy pedaling.
Thanks for the inspiration everyone who posted here. Been doing upgrades as things have worn out/down (i.e. new wheels after spokes started going) at an awesome local shop here in Pittsburgh with free-to-use service stands but I’ve been buying parts from them.
Down to a 24.4lb (w. pedals) Denali after the following upgrades (nothing done to handlebars/shifters yet):
* Nashbar 1″ threaded carbon fork (160mm was the correct size for my yellow/black 2013 model, but I had to use 2 small extra 1″ spacers vs. cutting it) – $80 delivered Nashbar
* Shimano R501 wheelset w. Michelin Lithion 2 tires – $125 delivered from wiggle
* Wellgo Gold Track Pedals (114g) – $15 via ebay
* Shimano Tourney Triple Crank w. Chainguard 1160g – $25 Nashbar
* Shimano HG-20 12-31T cassette – $18 Local Bike Shop
* Shimano UN55 113mm BB (per crank size guidance) – $28 local bike shop
* Jagwire brake pads – $16 local bike shop
* Black/yellow cork grip tape – $7 amazon
I can shave another pound off if I wanted a double crank, but the triple is necessary in Pittsburgh for city riding. The lighter wheels and carbon fork definitely make a big difference in the handling & riding of the bike.
Yes, spending $490 from bikes direct would have gotten me something comparable to all of the above w. brifters (another $70) at about a pound less (but likely a cheaper wheelset). Still, the education of swapping out parts has definitely made me a better wrench, it rides great (using it in a tri this weekend) and it was worth the experience.
I have the orange gmc denali. It came with massive 700x32c tires and I love it. I’ve changed out the shifters and brake levers for shimanos a073 tourney brifters. I plan to replace the bottom bracket, crank, front derailleur, rear derailleur, freewheel, and chain this winter. I’m buying parts with better gear ratios for speed. I’ve hit 36mph on it before and hope to get it going faster. Is there anything other upgrades you recommend?
Hey Trent:
Hope your upgrade process is going well.
Yes, everything you mentioned could be improved, but a lighter more race oreinted wheelset is the one thing the Denali can benefit from.
You can look at what is on Amazon for ‘Road Wheelsets’ or go to Nashbar, or visit a “Performance Bike” if they have a store near you.
I recently got a sweet deal on a Set of Ultegra 6700 Wheels from Performance Bike, very light, very strong for just $369. These will last for years & probably 20,000 miles. They remind me of my ‘other’ high performance wheelset, the beloved Mavic Kyserium Elites – bought in 2012 for $399, that now have 15,000 miles on them – same bearings, trued twice, one broken & replaced spoke. TOUGH WHEELS !
After reading about your upgrades to the denali road bike. I’m going to purchase one. I do have a question about the rear wheel. I’m getting a new wheel set for the bike. My question is will a 10 sprocket cassette fit or will I need to stick with the 7? Ideally I want to make it a 20 speed. Thanks for any info you may have on this subject.
Ryan:
Sorry for the long delayed reply. Hopefully you’re still ‘tuned in’ or this will benefit someone else, equally.
I would try to keep it in the 7-8 speed category. To buy all the parts to convert it to 10 speed will cost you more or at least as much as going to the Craigslist in your area & finding a sweet lightly used 10 Speed bike, or even to your LBS and find a ‘Clearance Deal’.
I’m not saying ‘Don’t upgrade the Denali’, I’m saying be realistic about how much you plan to throw at the upgrades.
I only did the extensive upgrades I did (some I never posted, even) as my kids were racing & we became proficient Bike Mechanics & I had a conduit for cheap used upgrade parts. Even then once the Denali had all the nice parts, including a Campagnolo Carbon Crank & Mavic Kyserium Elite wheelset, it still weighed 21.5 #, a hefty 10# reduction from ‘Walmart Stock’ but still about 2# heavier than most lower to mid-end Aluminum road bikes and 4-5# heavier than Carbon Fiber road bikes.
It performed well, to be sure, but most folks either dont’ ride hard enough to notice / care about the difference or wouldn’t want to pay for the parts & mods if they had to pay retail.
That said I have since built a more advanced Carbon Fiber Road Race Bike here is the review:
https://www.amazon.com/review/R36T2JT1XHQQ7A/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00LX14E6Q
I haven’t done a post on it yet. Will if I find the time. But the review above had pics & plenty of detail.
Best regards, David ‘East Texas Rider’
Hello everyone. It’s been a long time anyone has been here but I’ll give it a shot:
The Denali (and the similar Genesis RoadTech that I have) has a 135mm rear spacing for the rear wheel. The Aeromax and the VCs all seem to have 130mm hubs.
Have you encountered any problems running the 130mm wheels on the 135mm spacing? Do you overtighten the skewers?
Thanks and God bless.
Chuck/ MIami, FL
Chuck: Sorry for the long delay in replying. I’ve been busy with life, riding & racing bikes with my children and other priorities.
Good Question. I have sold my Denali some time ago, but I recall using several different wheelsets on it, and they all fit: the stock ‘Vitesse’ with bolt on hub, a QR set from my sons Schwinn road bike, and even my higher end Mavic Kyserium Elites.
Normally, there is sufficient flex in the rear triangle members, the seat & chainstays, to allow one to compress or spread 5mm which is just under 1/4″ no problem. I think either width will fit and yes the QR just tighten the nut a bit and rotate lever until tight but not too tight.
Thanks David
I have upgraded the derailleurs front and rear. New chain, brake shifters and all new cables and housings. Was wondering if you have a recommendation for the brake calipers?
Yes, SRAM Apex Brakes are a great choice. Very precise & strong. Around $70 at Amazon.com. There are cheaper, unbranded or ones like ProMax or Tektro that are similar and probably less $$$….