We're in the shed, and I've got my brand new GT Sanction enduro bike.
Now, you might have already seen this bike starring in "How to Build Your Bike from a
Box", but today we're going to be talking about seven ways that you can take your
new bike to the next level, and the best part is that they're almost entirely free.
So, the first thing that I'm going to do is I'm going to get rid of this disk.
Now, I can actually see why they are there. They're there so that if
the chain does go over the top of the cassette, it's not going to go right into
the spokes and actually jam up. But to me, I'd rather just ensure that my gears
are indexed every time I go riding. I'm going to take it off, and apart from
anything, the flapping noise it creates just annoys me. Let's get rid of that,
shall we? And we'll just throw that away. I'm all for safety, but these reflectors,
they just don't do it for me, so let's get rid of them as well, better.
♪ [music] ♪
Now, I’m one for liking a really silent bike, and a top tip that I spotted a
couple of World Cup riders doing a few years ago was actually using a little bit
of velcro just to put on the chainstays, wherever the chain was slapping off.
And that just silences, deadens any noise, so make sure that you get some sticky back
velcro. I've actually pre-cut some pieces already here that I'm just going to stick
onto my frame, and I'll put them on. And when the chain does drop onto it, it's
hopefully going to be silent. I think you can agree that it looks pretty clean,
pretty sleek, and you can still see the GT logo and the Sanction name there as well.
Now, just remember, a top tip is that old saying, "Measure twice, cut once."
♪ [music] ♪
Now, one of the biggest improvements I've found over the last couple of years has
been going tubeless. A lot of the manufacturers actually spec the bikes to
be tubeless-ready, and this is exactly just that. So, all I'm going to have to do
is put some valves in and add some sealant. We've already done a video
on how to make your tires tubeless, and the link will be in the description down
below, and there we have it. How to go tubeless, and it's a lot easier to do than
people think, and it makes a huge difference to how your bike handles.
♪ [music] ♪
One of the biggest things that really makes a bike good or bad is a
cockpit setup. So the first thing I'm going to do is set my bar height,
and I'm just going to lift the stem off, and I'm going to set the spaces.
Now, I've actually done a video on this already, so check out the "Mission
Control" series. The link will be in the description down below.
And you just play around, I mean, I know what I like, and it takes a little bit of
time for you to find out what you like. Other factors to consider when you're
adjusting your cockpit is as well your brake lever angle, and also
the distance they are from the grip, and your bar roll.
♪ [music] ♪
One thing that can really bug me about bikes is the cable routing,
and the mess that sometimes it can create. Look at this, I've got my dropper post,
brake holders, gear shifting as well. I'm going to try and neaten it up,
and that really makes a huge difference to how the bike looks
and also deaden some of the noise. It's amazing what a few cable ties can do, and
I'm just going to put these on the cables, join them up, and make it look a bit
neater, and you'd be surprised just how much tighter it looks.
Now when you're doing this, I've actually got three top tips for you.
Make sure that you do use good quality cable ties. A pair of side cutters really
makes a big difference when you go to cut the ends of the cable ties,
makes it super smooth when you slice it off, and if you are racing,
and you're going to have a number plate in there, just try it before
you get all your cables cut and neat and ready to go.
♪ [music] ♪
Now one of the things that really makes a big difference to how I feel on a bike is
the seat angle. This is an enduro bike. I like to have a slight angle with the back
down and the front up just a little bit but not too much, because I'm still going
to be climbing on the bike. So I try to keep it quite neutral, so it's comfortable
on the climbs. All that's left to do is set my seat height, but we've already
got a video on that, and the link will be in the description down below.
♪ [music] ♪
I've followed Neil's advice on how to set the sack, and the video link will be
in the description down below. All that remains to be set is the rebound,
and I'm actually just going to adjust that to a central position,
and I'm going to work from there as a base setting. Exactly the same applies to the
fork. I'm going to find that initial base setting and work from there.
The more I'm comfortable on the bike, I can make it faster or slower, depending on
my riding style. So there we have it, seven different ways that will take your
brand new bike to the next level. My bike is now super nice, and I'm ready to hit
the trails. For more great videos on GNBN, why don't you click up there
for "Mechanical" playlist. You'll get some top tips on maybe cutting your brake hoses
if you need to, or if you are going for a ride and want to improve your skills
then click just down there for a "How-To" playlist. But, before
you do either of that, click right in the middle to subscribe. And if you enjoyed
this video, then give us a thumb-up like.