Best upgrade per dollar?

Recent acquisitions have made me think about what item on a bike provides the most bang for the buck?

Let me clarify. This is something that increases your enjoyment of riding and/or performance on the bike - but thinking about it in a per-dollar cost.

So let me start with an opposite. Carbon wheels. The per-dollar upgrade cost does not translate into more enjoyment or performance for me than a great set of hubs laced to a high quality aluminum rim. the fact that it's generally a $1000-$2000 "upgrade" makes it crazy in my book.

So - per dollar upgrade that made a huge difference for me? Shimano XT brakes over Shimano Deore or SLX. Massive upgrade in performance and user friendly features for not a ridiculous increase in cost.

DT Swiss hubs - STAR ratchet versions. Beats the hell out of almost everything else on the market, and the 350s are not much more expensive than Stans, Race Face, Easton or dozens of others. Cheaper than i9s, Chris Kings, Hopes and other niche hubs that arguably don't work as well or last as long.

Tubeless Ready tires. When they were first introduced, UST tubeless tires were heavy and had very stiff sidewalls offering a very different ride than non UST tires meant for tubes. Then came better rim technology and STAN's sealant. BOOM - Tubeless Ready tire was born. Light, compliant, reliable, easy to mount. The increase in enjoyment of riding AND performance cannot be overstated.

In the 90s, I would have said bar ends without a doubt. Bar ends allowed you to pull towards your hip while climbing instead of pulling up on the handlebars. Translated to better power and a comfortable alternative for neck, shoulder and hand muscles. They went the way of the dodo, except for XC riders. Riser bars with bar ends? Nope. When the wide riser bars came into existence, the bar ends were out. That and the danger of hooking something.

What are your thoughts? What is the first thing you would recommend to a friend if it wasn't already on their bike - keeping in mind the fun-per-dollar ratio.

 

hmmmmmmm

 

American Classic 26" rear wheel. Was one of the first additions to my 2005 SC Superlight that ultimately resulted in a sub 25 pound FS bike that has lasted almost 15 years (hub is on its third rim).

 

Wheels are usually the best bang for the buck, but i think this may be different for everyone depending on their need. I think tires are a great bang for the buck. They are the only contact to the ground and they come in so many variations.

 

I don't think of tires as they are expendable, high wear items. You can swap them around often, so not much of an upgrade. Whereas a set of wheels are a durable item that can last the life of the bike in the right hands (not mine).

Agree that carbon wheels aren't best bang for the buck, but a quality wheelset might be.

A good saddle might be best bang for the buck. The wrong one makes a ride horrible, the right one is something you take for granted.

 

Best bang for the buck....the one item that does make the ride better.....


Carbon Bars.

Yuu can make a rigid bike feel compliant. You drop a few grams. Shop around and you can get into quality carbon bars for about $100.....yes, yuh can get them cheaper, but in general $100 is a good point.

Carbon wheels, cranks...high end forks/shocks/cassettes....not great bang for the buck. I know some will say forks/shocks are worth it....but I don’t feel that way.

 

A good wheelset is working its way up this small list. I concur. My DT Swiss EX 1750 wheelset I bought for $600 in 2007 made its way onto 3 bikes over 9 years and was still going strong when I sold my Knolly Endorphin. I did have to replace the rear rim on it once (with a Stan's Flow).

I think you can get a GREAT wheel set for $600-$1000. The "upgrade" to carbon in my mind and recent experience is the least effective upgrade per dollar, unless you get a smoking deal. Even the new compliant carbon rims are less compliant than a good aluminum set, and they are not significantly lighter.

I agree with J about carbon bars. Huge difference. Aluminum bar is not an option for me.

 

Modern frame. Yes, they're expensive, but I said before modern geo is the most important MTB advent for me, so the cost is somewhat immaterial.

1x system with clutch der and NW ring. Sure, we did bash our ancient drives through everything, but what a racket.

Carbon handlebar. Spendy, but pretty much gets used every second of the ride. The damping compared to alloy is real.

Carbon rims. Hah! You knew it was coming! More damping that gets appreciated every second of forward movement. Can be wide and still not heavy. Mitigate some cost by buying used and moving the wheels from bike to bike. I'll never know how many dings and how much truing our CF wheels would have/need. I sold a set recently that we ran on three bikes over many years, and they were round and true as ever without ever having been touched beyond minor spoke tensioning. One mistake with alloy and you have a ding like the set I gave to a bro. I make mistakes all the time. I expect my gear to be able to handle it outside of extreme circiumstances, I'm not a heavy rider. The cost of carbon hoops has come down, but I'm confident enough in some of them to buy used without hesitation, even well used.

 

OK @mike I will give you the bombproof argument about your carbon hoops, but I will go to the mat about damping and vibration absorption. Every carbon rim I've ever ridden transmits more trail noise to one's hands and feet than any aluminum rim I've ridden. The opposite of what I experience with the handlebar. Carbon rims simply don't flex - vertically or laterally. I'll give mine a few more rides to convince me otherwise.

 

To clarify, I don't think it can be said definitively one way or the other, because various bike/setups and wheels factor in. IME, wide rims and the lower pressure that can be used with them do something to counteract harshness. A larger tire can keep one from feeling so laterally knocked around. But I had a set of Easton carbon that were not good at all on my Czar, and alloy was an improvement. So although my experience has been overwhelmingly good with carbon rims, I will refrain from any general assessment stating they are always superior to alloy or always superior in some aspect just because of the material. It depends. One might feel differently about his hoops, say, by just switching to a coil shock.

PS: A recent assessment by the weez... Derbys make uphill pedaling easier, smoother going down. She just switched from Arch Mk3 to Derby 30i AM, same tires, same bike. FWIW – YMMV.

 

@mike You are making my point perfectly! With carbon hoops, you need to compensate for the stiffness of the rim by varying your tires, tire pressure, rim width or even suspension! Arch Mk3 to Derby 30 is an increase of internal width - that will help compensate for the extra stiffness.

Maybe I will be singing the performance praises of carbon rims soon. I did notice a slightly more direct transfer of power while climbing on a relatively smooth surface in a straight line. I do appreciate your zealousness though!

 

Best bang for the buck is to invest in improving your health. It will make you a better rider and more capable of sustaining the abuse that comes with mountain biking and for longer stretches of time.

 

I don't notice a ride improvement with carbon wheels. I also don't notice a weight improvement, unless it is narrow XC race wheels (where I do run carbon wheels). But with $2000 for a set of race wheels, you better care a lot about racing. My carbon rear hoop got destroyed on one hard hit. Sure, the aluminum probably would have been trash too. But an aluminum hoop is MUCH cheaper to replace.

I don't like wide wheels with low pressure, it doesn't work for me. Matter in fact, I am looking at trying an EX471 on the rear next time to replace the Flow (25mm vs 29mm).

I wanted to say "coaching", but decided against it

 

Awareness bell

 

didn't think of this one, but absolutely. If you aren't a bell user, this is the fastest way to start having more fun and have better interactions with other trail users. I get more un-obstructed runs in now that I am religious about bell usage then I did years ago when I was too cool for them. Most of the times when I'm approaching a hiker, they are already moved over to the side of the trail with a smile on their face when i approach.

I think for me, a few of the things I've spent money on that I really love:
1) Really nice shoes. I've always bought middle of the road mtb shoes. Lately I've ended up with 2 pairs of near top of the line shoes and it's made a difference in comfort and also just general performance on the bike. I hadn't realized it, but my old shoes soles were pretty worn out and were flexing more than they should have.
2) A good shock pump and tire pressure gauge and a notebook/pad and pen. I got a lot better performance out of my bikes by getting a digital/reliable shock pump and tire pressure gauge and taking notes after good/bad rides on suspension setup and tire pressure. This helped me dial into a few different setups based on the type of riding I was going to do and has lead to better bike setup overall. Example: The settings I use at skypark and big bear, are not the same as I would use on SART or while up in Santa Cruz.
3) Longer dropper seatpost. I now have 180+ seatposts on all of my bikes, I use my dropper post almost as much as I use my shifter. (ironically, @mtnbikej doesn't use either)
4) Regular lower leg and half lower leg services. The biggest increase in performance you can get is doing 1/2 lower leg services every 6 weeks (new oil and foam rings, wipe the dust wipers clean and apply grease) and full lower leg/air spring services every 12 weeks (air spring cleaning/greasing, foam rings and dust wiper change). Seal drag in a fork can account for as much as 10-15lbs of force. Your air spring is around 60-90 psi. Imagine just adding 15 psi to that randomly that really mostly effects initial movement, and then directional change movement but not deep stroke impacts... yeah, hard to tune for.

 

I will go with dropper post. I know most new bikes come with one, but my first mountain bike build did not. I rode without a dropper for about 6 months, and when I finally added one it was like freedom. Fast forward five years and I cannot envision riding without one. I also use my dropper about as much as I shift, and the more drop available the better.

A bell is a good answer too, generally cheap and very effective. However, I have now had two Timberbells fail where the clapper fell out, so those are not very cost effective. It seems like you should be able to buy a bell and have it for life unless you lose it.

 

A good set of wheels is very important. These will be arriving on my doorstep any minute now: https://www.ebay.com/itm/DT-Swiss-E...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

Actually.....I do have a Reverb on the SS now.

 

Hmmm... In today’s politically charged environment?

Noise cancelling headphones.

 

Helluva price! Great wheelset.

 

Great rim....

 

you're finally getting soft. It's ok J, it happens to all of us.

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I’ll admit,it has added a whole new dimension to the SS. It’s still a goat up hill, it was an awesome descender....but now it’s just a beast.

 

At last, your SS is the best it will ever be, more capable than ever. And, why not? SS is in your blood so this bike should be everything it can be.

 

Those that have ridden with me know that the lack of a dropper never held me back on the SS.

 

Tossing that terrible WTB Volt saddle that comes spec’d on nearly every mtb in the trash. Shame a lot of people ride it not knowing there are so many better saddles out there. I’ve given away so many and still have a few somewhere in the garage I bet.

So I guess my upgrade per dollar would be any good saddle. You spend a lot of time on your butt, invest in a good saddle.

 

That wasn’t what I meant.

“it was an awesome descender....but now it’s just a beast”.

You said it.

 

Birth control.

You’ll ride more and get stronger which makes you faster and more skilled. Boom!

 

I agree with @MrGreedom on the awareness bell. Nothing on my bike allows for positive hiker trail interaction and uninterrupted flow better than the bell.

It's a few bucks to get lots of smiles!