Upgrade my current bike or buy a totally new bike?

[Nobody'sbikehacks]

I am new to mountain biking and want to hit the trails asap. Currently, I am using an Apollo Aspire 10 (with front and back disk brakes, shimano drivetrain, sr suntour 80mm travel suspension) that I got as a hand-me down from my older brother. I am not sure if I should buy a totally new entry-level hardtail trail bike (please list any recommendations) or just upgrade the components on the Aspire 10 since I got it for free.

[10speedsemiracer]

How about, stay with me here, give it a refurb with new tyres to suit the environment you'll be riding in, all new cables, new brake pads, service the headset and hubs and save up for something more substantial and focused.

Reason I say this is that the Apollo is an entry level bike, a nice one though, however throwing large amounts of $s at it doesn't make a lot of sense. The fork is probably the limiting factor, but replacing with something more serious instantly throws the $ equation out the window.

Ride it around, develop your skills and enjoy the bike, and maybe spend a couple of K on a duallie Giant/Scott/Specialized/Trek/Marin/Kona down the track.

[Duck!]

Buying another entry-level bike isn't going to get you any further than what you currently have. So as per the above, stick with it for a while, if necessary replace any worn out bits like brake pads, gear cables etc, as these are consumeables. The fork is the biggest limiting factor on entry-level bikes as a whole; a decent fork on its own will cost as much as a step-up-from-entry bike. Ride this one for a while until you work out which aspect of MTB you're most drawn to and buy a bike more specifically suited to that purpose later.

[bychosis]

What they said. Upgrading will cost a lot or not make much difference. Buying a new entry level bike won’t make a lot of difference either to your riding. Save and buy a decent bike, second hand will be better value.

I don’t know what brakes are on your bike, but a possible upgrade might be getting hydraulic brakes if you have cable. But that is only if you can’t see getting a new bike for like a year or two (because you can’t save enough for a new better bike). A set of Shimano XT or SLX brakes could be $200ish and transferred to a new bike later.

[Calvin27]

Depends on dollars.

Personally I rekon you could do these few things that would give you maximum bang for buck

- Upgrade brakes to something like shimano M615 for $120 odd - these can be transferred to the new bike if you want. These will make a world of difference you braking handling.
- Upgrade fork too, but don't over capitalise. Something like a 100mm 26er suntour XCR will be a significant improvement and can be had for about $120. Alternatively there are suntour raidons going for about $170 (ligher and air sprung). Prices from cycling deal.
- Tyres. Check what the locals use and grab a set, you can replace when your current set wears.

I know it might sound stupid throwing money at a low priced bike but don't be dissuaded, the performance gain is worth it, the trick is to not spend too much that you are buying a whole new bike - even then a $800 mountain bike will not usually come with the same spec of brakes and fork that I have spec'd.