In this week’s GMBN Tech Show, Owen Coutt’s (aka Owen The Bike Nerd) and Anna Cipullo are discussing 6 upgrades they think are worth your hard-earned money!
Plus Ask GMBN Tech is now part of the show, joining your usual favourites including this week’s Quiz question and much more!
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⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️
00:00 – Intro
00:15 – 6 Upgrades Anna & Owen Think Are Worth Your Money
06:30 – MTB Tech News
11:24 – Things We’ve Seen This Week
13:43 – Quiz
16:58 – Rewind [Feat. Jurgen Beneke]
18:26 – Comments
20:55 – On The Channel This Week
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What upgrades do you think are worth the money?
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39 Comments
What upgrades do you think are worth the money?
My top upgrade is a pair of rock stop tyre inserts. Made in Cumbria and have stood the test of time. Worth a visit and a test I think! @rockstopmtb
Decent grips are a game changer. I bought some cheap Temu grips that were terrifying to use…. Finally invested in ergon and they revolutionised the feel!
#gmbntech I have an XT drive train my my 2022 transition patrol. When I pedal backwards in the easiest gears my chain wants to work it way down and jam. Is my cassette wearing out? I never let my chains go beyond wear point.
Completely agree with Anna on top spec suspension. I’d rather have a Deore level groupset and a Factory/Ultimate fork than a blingy drivetrain and budget fork.
Pinion 12 speed is a wonderful machine. I have it on a full suspension trail bike, works great for long rides and touring.
#quiz Easy one this week – Full Speed Ahead
If you can lock up your front, bigger brakes won’t make your bike stop any better (unless you’re getting fade from too much heat). Traction is the biggest limiting factor in braking distance, so better tires will help there more than a bigger rotor.
Best upgrade, training to ride a bike.
Serious question; does being taller reduce the effectiveness of a dropper post?
I have had mtbs since the mid 90s. I rarely find my seat to be in the way. My latest 110 mm bike came with one and after a couple weeks I ripped it out for the weight savings.
So am too tall to appreciate the benefits (75 inches/191 cm)? Too old… not gnarly enough?
changed the rear wheel after 8 years without wheel hub maintenance on an XC 120mm I went from 25kph max on flat to an easy 32kph that's 4.3mph just because of the new rear wheel hub (old was half rusted) Shimano WH-MT500 not expensive wheels which also have a wider jaw from my old 21 to new 24mm weirdly that simple change made me able to pedal without hands a bike that was very unstable before and I love it that wheel change was a huge upgrade I beat all my Strava times with it and after 1 ride bought the front wheel to have a matching jaw width pair (rocket ron tires 27.5×2.25)
#quiz FSA is full speed ahead.
But worn down tires go faster
#quiz FSA= Full Speed Ahead
Full Speed Ahead
FSA= Full speed ahead
@gmbntech FSA = Full Speed Ahead
who asked for 135mm cranks?
Wheels! Definitely wheels.
Upgraded my cheap dropper post lever to a nicer one with ball bearing pivot, seemed simple but made a big difference.
#quiz FSA = Full Speed Ahead
18:41 Having the chainring puncture your skin along your shin/calf is sometimes referred to as a Shark-bite.
Full speed ahead
Anna is back! Yay! Thanks for this episode! I’m working towards i9 hydra hubs as an upgrade!
FSA – Full Speed Ahead
Full speed ahead.
FSA stands for full speed ahead of
FSA = Full Speed Ahead
#quiz FSA stands for full speed ahead
#quiz FSA "full speed ahead"
FAS = Full Speed Ahead.
I’m thinking about a rise jones h bar
YES! I finally know the quiz answer. FSA = Full Speed Ahead!
Bearings… ROFL. Unless you upgrade your ball bearings to a roller bearings (potentially ~1% difference in efficiency) it's a full on marketing bullshit.
I have found that single piston brakes are the best. For my money single piston brakes are easier to set up and maintain than dual piston brakes, so in the real world, over a year you get better braking for an equal amount of maintenance and faff.
I kept getting stem slip , changed to a DMR stem with oversized bolts for steerer tube, fills me with more confidence which has definatley helped me to push it a lot harder!
The best upgrade anyone can make is free. That is spending time tuning your bike, suspension and tyre pressure. You say high end suspension is worth the money and if you know how to tune it you’re probably right. But let’s face it 70% of riders don’t tune anything on their bike and for them high end suspension is a total waste of money.
FSA – is Full Speed AHead – They started as a windsurfing component company and I was lucky enough to be sponsored by them and my photo was on their first ever catalogue that was printed on A4 Paper – yes I am that old 🙂
I started mtb last year with scott spark 970, the lowest tier model but in that time it was perfect due to fact that i was starting my journey, after a year i did some upgrades. Started with brakes due to fact that stock ones(mt 201) disc broke twice and i put slx (4 pistons f&r). Next part was a fork stock judy silver started to lose air and due to fact that i improved my ride it wasn't fast enough with rebound etc so i got a fox 34 factory on disocunt(big game changer, after that it feels like a new bike), next important upgrade were tires, i put maxxis forekaster front and rekon rear. Though it will be all for this yearm, but rear shock has broken i did bit impossible thing i mean i got fox nude shock which is almost impossible to get and this part is as same gamechanger as fork, again i have to get used to new feeling of the bike.
After winter i will got more comfy seat and pair of wheels.