Can We Make The CHEAPEST Road Bike GOOD?!

We saw how bad Britain's cheapest bike was as an everyday commuter and on a hill climb! But could we make it any better with just a few component swaps?

Si goes in search of bargain bike parts to be used on our cheapest bike and see if those small upgrades could make a significant impact on the performance!

0:00 Upgrading Britain’s cheapest road bike
01:07 Where do you turn to for bargain bike parts
01:23 Visiting a local bike shop
01:57 Checking the internet
02:36 Local charity bike shop
03:56 Swapping the brakes and handlebars
05:25 The finished product
07:00 First thoughts
08:13 Testing the new brakes
09:05 Other shortcomings
10:00 Getting pedals and shoes
11:49 Trying out the bike with the upgrades
13:07 Final thoughts

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📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images

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[gcn]

What would you do to improve such a bike? 💸

[Wheelie]

When I was a kid, all my parents could afford was a really cheap bike. Most of my mates had the branded bikes. Through shear hard work, I became the strongest cyclist in the group. I had the best bike in the long run, because it made me work harder!

[neilporter]

thank you for promoting charity bike workshops i have volunteered at R-evolution in east Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire for 7 years. we started roughly the same size as Juilian house and now have 3 major workshops and 10 community hubs, we are all about getting people on bikes and making them safe to ride. P.S. you should see the size of our spare parts store.

[luboslaviliev]

I love these cheap bike upgrade videos... Much more interesting then 10k bikes reviews that normal people cant afford :D

[zedddddful]

"Find some dura ace" lol they are never gonna forget that one 😂

[ivorpeachey]

After your first video, I bought one because I’ve got enough spares to change everything, yes the brakes were shit .
I changed to Tiagra 10 speed levers, better reach bars, and ditched the gear levers . The brakes still had no bite so I changed the brake blocks to old cool, stop blocks I had . Bingo the brakes are now reasonable. 25 k test ride was ok . Apart from a puncher . So tyres were changed to continental tour ride Extra 32 mm .
I’ve since rode 3 x 200 k rides on it . Just need mud guards now for winter

[charlcoetzee]

Decent video. Agreed a clean second hand bike is a better starting point. But it didn't feel like you were mocking this bike and you showed some good steps for how you would go about making it usable

[Metal-Possum]

I've drilled loads of steel frames and forks for recessed brake nuts and bet my entire career on it and have never seen a failure because of it. It's a relatively small increase in the diameter of the existing hole in a material that's known for being incredibly strong and forgiving. Not to mention, the placement of the hole isn't in a place that's under a lot of stress, smack bang in the middle of the crown like that, away from where the legs are loading it.

[andywilson]

I bought this bike after watching the first video. I love it. It's been years since I last rode, but it feels great to be back on the road and losing some timber! 🚲

[L.amanda]

This was a great watch! I think a video series like this would be really interesting and a lot more applicable to some of us regular cyclists. I'd love to watch more videos about upgrading 'normal' or cheap bikes with second-hand parts or with cheap alternatives from Temu and AliExpress, all while avoiding the counterfeits. Also charity bike shops deserve a video of their own!

[laurentitolledo]

Already did the same on a similar cheap
new set of wheels and tires, from 23mil to 28mil, with better puncture resistance compared to original
7-speed free-wheel to 11-speed cassette...
Shimano A070 2x7speed shifters to 11-speed Sensah shifters,
Steel Prowheel crank 50x34 to aluminum Shimano Tourney 50x34
generic 7-speed chain to KMC X11 chain
cable pulled mechanical disc brakes to cable-pulled hydraulic disc brakes, disc changed as well
cables changed to Jagwire cables
metal flat pedals to aluminum SPD pedals
new sadle...

why you ask?
for the love of bike mods.... and satisfaction on a successful transformation...
and improved riding experience, specially at hill climbing...

[japancamerahunter]

This is one of the reasons I love living in Tokyo. There are loads of used bike shops with a massive array of used parts and bikes. I have been able to slowly upgrade all of my bikes for a fraction of the cost of new. And if you build a relationship with a store you will get a discount too.

[tecbarrett]

GCN Tech's advice is to always change the tyres first, however I'm sure that assumes a safe bike in the first place

[musclelessfitness]

Si couldn't find a dura-ace crankset laying around? That's a shame ... that bike could've been much faster :P

[robbchastain]

Great effort, Si, now reset and try it again with MTB flat pedals and flat bars and surely you can find perfect brakes from the alt crowd, maybe Russ on your side of the pond can hook you up with a pair and a party pace sticker, too. And that frame actually looks perfect for you, I mean, seriously it is perfect GCN red and with that you can work with the rest of it. 😀

[ianbatley]

Good to see you promoting community bike projects. I would definitely like to see more of that. Not everyone is cycling on a dentist's disposable income. How about GCN sponsor a single model race series using this bike, all spares/upgrades have to bought from a community bike project?

[Jayneflakes]

That final line hits hard for me. With reports pointing to forced labour in China, it is entirely possible that this is the case. The UK Government released a report in 2021 that stated "There is mounting evidence that the Uyghur population and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have been the subject of systematic human rights violations, including forced labour." However, supporting groups like Julian House is a great place to start making life better. I went to Uni in Bath in the 90s and remember well what good work Julian House was doing. This was a great video and it was lovely to see GCN making a strong case for supporting human rights. Well done.

[Czechbound]

Exactly. At 83 quid including postage i guess means someone was paid <5 during its whole manufacturing process in wages. It's like buying a 1 pound t-shirt. You know right then that it was made in a sweat shop. So pay the premium and investigate where things and how things are made. For me, the more I spend I'm more likely to take care of things. I buy a 50 quid t-shirt, I hand wash it. And it will last me 20 years ( I still have one I bought in 2001 ... and wear it all the time ). Same with a bike.

[steve]

That bike is perfect for your indoor trainer.

[songofyesterday]

I like these value improvement vids. They resonate more with the regular people.