Can This One Upgrade Transform Your Riding? | Best MTB Upgrade

If you are new to mountain biking and looking to make the perfect upgrade to your bike, is there one component or part that can make more of a difference than anything else? And if there is, is it worth it? In this video, Rich grabs the trusty cheap second-hand BTWIN bike to find out!

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If there is one upgrade you'd make to your bike what would it be? 🤔 💭 Let us know 👇

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[frederikjacob]

Would love to see this bike getting more upgrades 😊

[briw]

Dropper post was a game changer for me . Everything else was just an upgrade, such as Shocks. Better feel. Brakes, better stopping.
But dropper post improved the way I ride

[Milessongs]

I think for newer riders, upgrading the Rear tyre might be more helpful. The Front will help with hard cornering at speed, but most new riders might more likely find the Rear slipping on CLIMBS, a very under-emphasised aspect of the typical day on the trails.

[stujm]

Tyres, handlebar width, stem length, brakes, and front forks on my hardtail, all in all it made the bike a completely different bike to ride. Much better. I also converted it to 1x9 by changing out the front chainring for a narrow wide 32 and replacing the rear cassette and chain. Over time it all cost me about £300 on a £300 bike, now it rides like something that would cost a lot more. The forks were a second hand pair of fox floats but in good condition. You can easily upgrade a budget bike with a bit of patience without braking the bank. And the satisfaction of building your own bike is second to none.

[steveb]

The best upgrade is YOU...your enthusiasm, your stamina, your out there..enjoy and have fun!

[raphaelwolff]

Cheers for the advice Rich was a good vlog as always.

[andyarchitect]

Might have been more useful to compare new cheap tires with good good tires. I think its fair to say its pretty obvious to everyone that a slick rear tyre is no longer suitable for use on a mtb trail... but less obvious the importance of a higher quality tire, when to the untrained eye they look the same as cheap ones.

[lozetchells]

Absolutely agree with this. Just like contraception, always pay for good quality rubber!

[jmendez]

Very good video, doing individual upgrades and quantifying results is great to give us an idea of what we can do to our bikes. What about suspension, one at a time please :)

[saddleweary]

Comparing tires on speed around turns is a subject I'd like to see. One turn / top speed.

[StefanDrake]

If you ask me the Btwin bikes have a great upgrade potential with a new better shock, new better breaks, new better fork, longer handlebars i think it will be capable of going toe to toe with high end "Brand" bikes, im curious to see how much of a difference would it make if the Btwin got a complete overhaul and have a go against a high end bike (27.5 vs 27.5 inch wheels, no cheating with mulets or 29"/29ers )

[MTBPerspective]

Absolutely yes on tires! Also worth spending time figuring out what tires suit your terrain and what pressure to run them based on your weight, riding style, conditions, etc...
Next upgrades
-grips if they don't fit your hands
-saddle if it doesn't support your weight on sit bones
-pedals to get the shoe/pedal combo that works for you
-brakes if they don't modulate well or not powerful enough for your terrain/steepness

[kyle-jamesholburn]

After peddles, Adding a dropper seat post was the best upgrade for me. I get along with most other contact points but the dropper seat post really gave me the confidence to need upgraded tires. Next up was tires for me and then brakes and a new fork.

[TitoJoebs]

@gmbntech Changing the brakes from cable actuated to hydraulic brakes, change to bigger rotors 203mm upfront & 180mm rear.

[julianw]

I think tyres and breaks are the two upgrades that really allow you to push the limits of your bike.

[drajlic]

Well, the tires were a no brainer for a first upgrade here considering the state of the old ones, but what would be the second upgrade on that rockrider? Better brakes, clutch mech and 1x, dropper or something else?

[przemyslawgawel]

Add a foam insert when changing the tire and drop the pressure even further. You can weld as foam water tube insulation with a glue gun it costs nothing weighs nothing takes 10mins. Just hold it until it cools down.

[ivan_di_dio]

I have a btwin Rockrider 520s 2019 27.5" version, i transfor it in an enduro bike with very onesly cost. Is an awesome bike (frame is similar to santa cruz hecler 2014)

[REB]

Dropper post, tires, wheels, brakes in that order. Since dropper posts are pretty much standard now, we'll skip that. Tires because you can put burlier ones for gnarly trails and lighters ones for longer rides & faster riding in more tame terrain for a lot less cost than other upgrades. Same benefits, but more expensive, are the wheels because if you have lighter wheels the bike will feel like it accelerates better, maneuvers better, and you use less energy during long rides. Cheap breaks will get you killed or maimed on demanding trails so that's worth the upgrade since it's usually not too expensive and will improve your riding performance.

[LaurentiusTriarius]

It's like putting 4000$ of Michelin pilots on your 2005 ford fiesta. Absolutely worth it, don't forget the anodized valve caps 😂