- Have you got some spare cash laying around
and you fancy upgrading something on your bike?
Or maybe, a loved one asks you,
what would you like for your birthday?
What can I get you for Christmas?
And you're struggling for some inspiration.
Well, here's five great upgrades that you could make
for under $50, under 45 euros, or under 40 pounds.
Let's have a look at them.
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Okay, in at number one then,
a firm favorite, new handlebar tape.
New handlebar tape is like when you're going riding
in a fresh pair of socks.
It gives a nice appearance
and also, it's going to be comfortable too.
And when you got it on the bike,
while it's not up any grubby old hand prints,
or certainly not for the first ride,
there is a huge variety, though,
of different options available out there,
from very basic and minimalistic tapes
to something way more comfortable
with some decent amount of cushioning.
The world is your oyster when it comes to bar tape.
I'm not even going to start on colors.
Well, I am a little bit.
There is something out there to match near enough
every single bike on the market
and if that doesn't satisfy you, well,
why not get something that really clashes, perhaps.
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Number two on my list, then,
and Dr. Oliver Bridgewood's absolute favorite,
the latex inner tube.
They do come as standard in some tubular ties out there,
but well, not everyone out there uses them
on a day-to-day basis.
You are going to save some weight by having them,
about 40 grams per inner tube
compared to a standard butyl tube.
They do also offer a slightly more comfortable ride
because they are more supple than a standard tube too,
and that's also going to help you with your cornering
because they're going to adapt to the carcass of a tire
when you're leaning it into a bend.
Also, we've got a lower rolling resistance in there
and then, the last thing which I'm going to mention,
it's not a positive, it's a bit of a negative,
the tubes themselves are more porous,
so that means that air is going to escape overnight,
for instance, but well, you check your tire
before every ride anyway.
Don't you?
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Bottle cages, then, often take 'em for granted,
but it's worth mentioning them
because there is a huge variety
of different products out there.
So, if you've got a subpar one on your bike,
it's likely you know about it
because you've probably lost a bottle somewhere
along on one of your rides
and if not, it's Sod's law that it's going to happen
when you're hurtling down that bumpy descent
and you don't want to have to go back up it.
Many years ago, the variety was heavy and sturdy
or lightweight and flimsy.
These days, you can get lightweight and also sturdy too.
You want that bottle cage to have a nice firm grip
so that you don't lose your bottle when you're out riding.
So what I recommend is a water bottle cage,
which has got a nice, firm grip,
but not so firm that you have to stop
at the side of the road and wrestle a bottle out
when it comes to having a drink.
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Now, if you follow our Monday Maintenance videos,
which I'm sure you do, you will know full well
the importance of the correct tool for the job
and well, bike tools I see as something of an investment
because so many of them are specialists
and they are going to last quite some time.
So if you're using a free Allen key
or a little spanner from IKEA,
throw that away right now
'cause it's not going to be up to the job
and it could well be damaging your component.
Instead, why not get yourself a decent little multi tool,
which will do the job, and they are built specially
for bicycles and also to get in those small little crevices
that we sometimes have to.
Of course, the ideal thing will be
the individual specialist tool, but well,
why not get yourself something that will see you through
'til you can get your complete toolkit.
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Right, my final one, decent tires,
something I always recommend to someone
when they're talking about upgrades on their bikes.
We've got a number of different reasons why.
Firstly, puncture protection.
Less likely to get a puncture with them, for some reason,
over even the cheapest, heaviest, oldest,
thickest tires out there.
It's just the way the compounds work and their flexibility.
Now that flexibility also helps
when it comes to ride quality too
because they're going to give you a nice lively fill.
When you get out of the saddle,
you do notice the difference between a decent tire
and one that's not that good indeed.
One of the reasons behind this actually
is the carcass of the tire,
they've got more threads in there,
which means that it can adapt to everything it finds
when you're traveling along.
Also, grip has to be considered and mentioned
as a real benefit too because a decent tire
will have had loads of R&D gone into it
so the compound and also the tread pattern
is going to be designed in such a way
to enhance your ride quality
and then, when we're talking about ride quality too,
how would you like to not put in quite as much effort,
but to go the same speed?
Well with a decent tire, generally,
you're going to have less rolling resistance,
which is always nice.
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There we are then, five upgrades
that aren't going to break the bank,
under $50, under 45 euros, under 40 pounds.
Let me know in the comment section down below,
what would you recommend
if you were sat here right behind this desk?
Get involved.
I absolutely love reading your comments.
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