Wheels are one of the most important components on a bike, having a huge effect on weight,
speed, handling and overall performance.
If you want to improve your current wheel setup but don’t want to fork out a load
of money on a brand new wheelset then this video is for you.
We're going to show you four ways to make big improvements on your current wheelset
without spending a load of cash.
It’s win-win all round so let’s get started!
Run your tyres too hard or too soft and you won’t get the best performance out of any
wheels, no matter how expensive they are. So our first step is to ensure you’re in
the pressure sweet spot.
And all you need for this is a digital tyre pressure gauge and a little bit of patience.
It really is worth investing time in finding the right tyre pressure for your setup and
your riding because there are easy gains to be made.
Generally speaking, harder tyres result in higher rolling resistance and a harsher ride,
with lower pressures delivering a smoother ride with lower rolling resistance and more
grip.
Tyre pressure is dictated by the weather conditions, road or trail surface, rider and bike weight
and riding style and also by the tyre, its width, size, construction casing, tread pattern
and compound
Good modern tyres have a realistic range of pressures printed on the sidewall of the tyre,
ignore the max tyre pressure that’s just a safety thing. There are even apps and websites
online that you can punch in a few numbers to give you a good start for the pressures
you should be running.
Or you can simply experiment starting with a chosen pressure and then lowering it during
a ride until you feel the ride quality and performance improves.
Probably more important than the wheels are the tyres you choose as they are the crucial
contact with the road or trail you’re riding. A tyre can hugely impact the ride quality
and performance of your bike so spending some cash on a good set of tyres is one of the
easiest and most cost-effective upgrades you can make.
Whether road riding or mountain biking, there’s a huge range of tyres to choose from. You
need to consider factors like width, carcass construction, tread pattern and tread compound,
puncture protection and tubeless or regular inner tubes.
If you’re road riding you can improve your performance by choosing a top-end tyre with
a high thread count, or TPI for short, which basically means a more supple tyre for better
performance and more ride feel.
You can boost comfort by choosing the widest tyres that your bike will take, or if you’re
commuting you can increase your puncture protection by choosing a pair of tyres with a puncture
protection layer under the tread.
For mountain bikes like this one you want to choose a pair of tyres that suit the conditions
and the trails you’re riding, and most manufacturers offer tyres designed for everything from muddy
to sandy trails.
A lighter pair of tyres will make a bike feel instantly faster and may more supple, but
if you’re an aggressive rider riding more demanding trails, then you might want to focus
on durability and choose a tougher tyre that trades a little bit of weight for reliability
and peace of mind.
Motorcars don’t have them, and many road and mountain bikes are ditching them too.
We’re talking of course about inner tubes. Advances in tyre and wheel technology plus
the pursuit of better performance is leading to the demise of the humble inner tube and
the rise of the tubeless setup.
Reduced risk of punctures is the biggest benefit of tubeless. Tubeless replaces the inner tube
with a liquid sealant which can seal small holes caused by glass, thorns or flint. There’s
been a few occasions in the past when we’ve only realised we got a puncture when we’ve
removed the tyre and there’s been a thorn poking through!
Many modern road and mountain bikes are sold with tubeless-ready wheels so it’s likely
you’ll just need to invest in tubeless-ready tyres (although some bikes will already have
these installed too) and a tubeless kit comprising special valves, a bottle of sealant and rim
tape if your rims aren’t already pre-installed with special tape. Tubeless-ready tyres differ
from standard tyres in that they have an airtight carcass design and sturdier beads designed
to lock securely into the rim.
If you’ve already upgraded your tyres, converted to tubeless and got your pressures dialled,
but still feel there’s room for improvement because you’re getting the odd puncture,
then inserts could be the thing for you.
A tyre insert is a specially designed airless foam strip that sits on the rim inside the
tyre and is claimed to provide improved puncture protection by stopping the tyre dinging on
the rim, increasing traction and improving ride feel by letting you run lower pressures.
Not all tyre inserts are created equal though. There are simple foam inserts designed to
protect the rim which is relatively inexpensive and can be useful if you suffer a lot of flats.
There are more advanced foam inserts too, designed to provide basic suspension to offer
a more damped ride quality, useful on rough terrain to dampen the vibrations and feedback
from the trail.
So there you go. There are four great way for improving the performance of your bike
without having to buy an expensive new wheelset
If you have used any of our suggestions then let us know down in the comment section and
if you’ve got any of your own, let us know too, using the comment section below. For
more hints, tips and videos like this, then don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube
channel!
I'm off to fiddle with my valve caps. I’ll see you soon.