May have sold my 2001 V2 that was too small for me. Now I am going to get a 2003 Rocket. I like the crisp handling and the comfortable ride of the 1.75 tires that come stock on the bike. But I wondered how many of you have kept the stock parts and how they are holding up? The reviews of the parts on www.mtbr.com only give me a small sampling of users on a completely different application. I am particularly interested in the headset, composite brake levers, hubs, and front and rear derailleurs - ok the whole bike in general. Seems I always get upgrade-itis whenever I get a bike and maybe I need to just ride the Rocket for a while and see what breaks. If you did upgrade certain parts, what did you upgrade to, from and why?
Maybe the chain and brake levers should be first? At least these may be the cheapest. The nice silver alloy Deore brake levers are only $16 at www.jensonusa.com.
Anyway, thank you all for such a nice board and maybe I can actually contribute with my experiences on my new Rocket! Woohoo!