A power meter was a game changer for me. Not just for training, but mostly for managing effort during rides. For example, I know I can sustain this amount of Watts for the duration of the ride or I can do an effort as long as I don't push above this number for a certain time, etc.
I think one of the most expensive and valuable things I spent on my most recent bikes was proper tools, and time! Workshops are always booked up near me (2 weeks+ wait time) and super expensive. So I bought a stand, vice, saw blades, attachments, torque wrench, chain breaker, bleed kit, bb tools etc. Then built the entire bike from scratch. It took an age but now I also know how to maintain everything on it. *Requires some extent of mechanical skill and a lot of YT videos and manuals lol
I definitely second this comment. If you can just drop your bike off in the morning and get it back in the evening like Hank, because GCN has their own mechanic, fine. But if you're out there like the rest of us and you go to your LBS and it takes two weeks and after that you pay a massive bill, it is definitely nicer to be able to do things yourself.
The bottom bracket upgrade suggestion is really weird. An unloaded crank spinning for a long time doesn't imply any significant watt savings when pedaling under load. Plus the light weight grease/oil they use in such BBs will leech out and go bad sooner.
Yeah, I think having good a quality BB (and bearings in general) is a good shout, but to use the free spin as an example of quality is a bad one, not only is it mostly meaningless, certain crank designs will never spin like that because of how they preload no matter what BB is in there.
I was going to comment exactly that coming from mechanical engineering point of view. I'm glad more and more people are realising this and don't buy into the marketing bs of "the longer it spins under no load the more efficient it is".
complete cable replacement can be huge. they degrade so slow you don't notice it. then when you replace them, and it only takes one finger to shift, you wonder why you waited so long.
So right. I really wanted/needed to get electronic shifters until my shop replaced all my cables and housings with top tier parts. Now I cannot justify a new bike.
@@johnleonard5936 Ironic, 35 years of 2x9 and 3x9 I just bought a bike with 1x12 e-shift. After riding it, I realized how hard my 3x9 was shifting and did a full cable replacement and now it shifts almost like an e-shift. I'm old school to the bone but can't express how GREAT the e-shift is.
I always imagined that my midlife crisis would get me to buy a sports car but the more I get into cycling, the more I want to buy and relentlessly tweak a dream bike. So much more healthy and affordable!
Exactly that - £6k - £15k and you can be the proudest guy in town with your absolute baller of a dream bike ….. In the car World these sort of numbers are not getting you very far ….
Unpopular opinion: Pedal bearings are almost as important as BB bearings. Both rotate the same rate, and both deal with very similar forces. Yet nobody is showing off how long their pedal spins, or buying ceramic pedal bearings. Losses under load is what matters, not unloaded viscous load of grease. Go back to your efficiency lab and compare actual BB losses with ceramic vs. steel, and grease vs. oil in the BB. It matters just so little, especially for punters that think nothing about baggy jerseys and wind sock jackets.
Performance tyres are good for racing but I prefer more puncture resistance for my training rides. Used to ride Schwalbe Durano Plus on my bike for 4-5 years and didn't get a single puncture. Now, I use Conti 5000s and I get a puncture every once in while. They're not terrible but don't give me the peace of mind I used to have with the extra puncture resistant tyres.
I enjoyed your opening chat, Ollie and Hank, and I think I'm ready for an alternate bike vault, one for daily drivers, filthy or trashy. I'd think my commuter would consider either to be a compliment. 😀
I think there was a GCN video not long ago about bottom brackets where you discussed that spinning the cranks with no weight and tension has little to do with the actual efficiency of the system 🤨
A small pouch for keeping a flashlight, batteries, maybe gloves etc. Flashlight for night and a good pair of fenders for those rainy days.Those are my "must have" suggestions.
1) Has Ollie EVER rung the bell? 2) Amazing British non-actor doing an American accent - great job Ollie! 3) The hand was a great solution, saved the bike, etc. 4) Hank, what on earth was wrong with the Sup? Seriously, it's great to see the two of you together, especially when Hank hasn't been in so many videos lately.
After tyres I would say the most important upgrade is the bike fit. Ideally this should be done before purchase to ensure you have the right bike. My LBS would not let me order my new bike until they had checked my fit to ensure i could actually ride it (i am 66 and only been riding 5 years and so not super flexible).
2 things Hank, Sir Ollie and the wider GCN team. 1. Do comments only get read out if they’re a “Super thanks”? 2. The Superior bike was definitely a super nice. The bar tape colour matched the tyre sidewalls. Everything aligned. Nice background with good depth of field. Super nice every day of the week!
Wow! I'm glad you liked my bike. You certainly have an eye for details. The lighting of the photo wasn't great, which means another nice detail got overlooked - the saddle is also a dark brown matching both the tyres and handlebar tape. Cheers!
Hi guys, "SinkingShip" here, thanks for the feature. That was awesome. The bike is a Chapter2 Toa, Kapua is the colorway. I'm not sure how you got the unedited version of that picture, but I thought I uploaded one without the "stick" in the background. Sorry about that!
I used to reply on a bike mechanic until I realized I'm a Phantom Phixer, now I do all my own bike mechanicing. side note TH-cam makes it easy to phix your own bike.
When it comes to head units, I have to speak up! I bought the Garmin EDGE 1050, their top navigation device, and discovered that it can't search for addresses. I really regret choosing this model. So, for anyone planning to buy it and wanting to use it for map and address searching, I wouldn’t recommend it. Their support team basically told me that it doesn't work for them either. Additionally, language-specific symbols only appear when you change the entire language of the device. So, if you're traveling, you have to learn another language just to find something. Really a pain!
@@lukasbaran4225 Yes, that's true, it works with Apple Maps. I use Google Maps, and it doesn't work there. Anyway, I still think it's a fail when navigation can't search.
I agree with the tires upgrade for sure. Put new tires on my gravel bike and made a huge difference. Also upgraded to the Redshift suspension seat post and stem - for a more comfortable ride. And thanks guys for that comment review. You guys are doing a fantastic job!!
4:39 a hundred percent! There’s like 20 bike shops within a 20km radius where I live but I only trust two. They are more expensive than the others but they just get the job done right all the time.
in current world where everything is 50 shades of grey, i love that my Dogma is bright yellow, that bike pops everywhere, it just looks so damn good :D
You talked about switching to 32s for the British winter. I got into cycling in Japan, in an area where the roads are pristine. I recently moved to the UK and live in an area where the roads are awful! Since moving, I usually ride a gravel bike with 40s, purely for comfort reasons. Now I get why you love gravel bikes so much 😆
I switched to the elliptical machine, swimming, jogging, climbing, floorball, tennis and a dozen other sports instead of cycling. Far better for the health, far less dangerous, far more versatile exercise, far more comfortable.
@@JCleggy You think you're 'fast' on your bike? Just ride a scooter or any cheapest grocery-getter car to those sports venues to be 'faster' then... Or take the bus to achieve much higher speeds. I've never in my life ever heard anyone say they do cycling because of the thrill of speed.
Now I get why you love gravel bikes so much 😆 I don't wanna ride on anything narrower than 38 mm these days for the same reasons! "Gravel" bikes are now my road bikes unless they're vintage ones for when it's time to kit-up in wool.
@pistonburner6448 talking out of your backside, never experienced the thrill of a fast winding descent or chopping turns in a chaingang with your mates? You can't say cycling isn't fast just because you haven't cycled fast!
I'd add a couple of good basic coaching sessions - it prevents bad habits and gives you confidence. Probably more relevant in my world (mtb) but road going riders would most likely benefit from early experience of a good road coach. Ps. Si did an Icelandic tour with Neil from GMBN a few years ago.
For me, the biggest advantage of a head unit is that I can plot myself a route, usually somewhere I've not been before, or for joining the dots between known areas and get discovering what's around, rather than sticking to the same old routes.
When you have an excellent local bike shop and you take it in for good service, everything regreased, new cables etc. feels incredible when you ride it home from the workshop. 😊
Bottom bracket spin really means 2 things. Very light grease in BB or bearings that dont have seals or not properly sealed. Ok for racing in a pro team, not so much for real world.
+1 for the bottom brackets. But for the stifness. it's always a mystery for me that the crank spindle actually crushes bottom bracket first then the actual BB hole. What's the point of all the improved stiffness of the BB area on the frame while the BB itself is noodle ??? This needs to be addressed in the bike industry.
I like that we have the "Kings of Epic Challenges" hosting the tech show together. :D As for tires, I just put some 32's on my Viathon R1 and I definitely enjoy the difference over my 28's. Certainly slower, but noticeably 'cushier'. I also went with a more endurance-oriented tire, so I'm expecting more puncture protection.
Properly studded tyres are a must for winter cyclists in the Finnish capital area. So many icy and slippery weeks unless you want to be a pedestrian with sticky boots. Me and my 17-year-old noname bike.
Biggest change for me recently, changing pedals. I’ve ran SPD-SL, Speedplay and most recently, Look Keo Blades. I lost patience with Look. Very good pedals, cleats are easy to setup but I’m so so sick of the bloody squeak as they rub. You get a rubber patch in the cleat rubbing on the metal plate on the pedal. The bikes running smooth. The chain and running gear are silent but the pedal noise. It’s distracting. So now I’m back on Dura Ace pedals. Silence and joyous riding.
I’m an American and nearly fell out of bed laughing at Ollie’s American accent impression. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing! Although, I think I know some people who sound like that.
Both Superior Bikes and Polygon are becoming popular brands here in Australia, they are amazing value for money but put out performance models that could compete against the best of the best
I love it when the US accent is featured. I'm from Vermont. Whenever I listen to GCN my wife refers to you all as the "Aluminum Guys" pronounced as you do... In related news, I just mounted some FENDERS for winter riding. 🎉
Totally agree about tires. Putting nice tires on my bike probably made as much of a difference than putting nice wheels on, and the tires are a LOT less expensive.
Bike fit above everything. Comfort is key to enjoying cycling. The relationship between cost and fun is not a linear one. Spending more money on these parts does not equal more fun. A bottom bracket upgrade is not sensible. Agree with tyres, but other than that I struggle to see it. If you’re seeking performance gains for competition, then fair enough. Otherwise, just ride and have fun.
Tires & tubes, wax, chain, shoes. Probably in that order. And I've been watching GCN for years and never realized how much Ollie and Hank look a like. Long lost cousins?
Ollie, just a suggestion.....I know how much you like upgrading and matching items, so why don't you sport some light weight carbon and rather dapper black ear rings to go with your hair band?
HANK, LOUD AND PROUD! I AM WITH YOU ON THAT ON... HAVE SPECIALIZED ALLEZ SPRINT ALL IN YELLOW... VERY LOUD! HANK, YOU WOULD LIKE IT, DID SUBMITTED IT TO THE BIKE VAULT... CHCK IT OUT:) THANK YOU FOR AWESOME CONTENT!
The last point may be the most important one. A well fitting shitbox bike can do tons more then a not suitable one, even if would be a magnitude "better". Then tires.
As an American, I literally laughed out loud and was caught completely by surprise hearing Ollie flip a switch speaking like an American. 😂 Just a clarification though, we do not speak with an 'American' accent; we just speak English. You English speak with an 'English' accent! 😉
Smoothest BB that i currently run, actually similar to the effortless spin in Ollie's DA/Pinarello demo in this video, is a my2007 XTR (non-ceramic, i think) in my Bianchi Oetzi / Julian Absalon model mtb hardtail...amazes me...can feel the difference every ride. Also, too, i've always had the question...ceramic BB bearings or ceramic wheel bearings, which delivers more measurable "feel" ??? Still don't have an answer.
For me, the best upgrade, when it comes to tires, is tough tires that can survive being ridden over broken shards of glass, flatless, for tens of years 😅, that are fast as hell 😐🤔🤪
Moar shite two bye. Once you sell a chain break-in device, you can sell a power meter for it. That way, you’ll know exactly when the chain is broken-in. LOL.
Yeah, how unloaded bearings turn isn't particularly meaningful. I'm willing to bet almost no one can resolve the tiny power savings gained from a higher end BB and a medium range BB. Our brains are good at being biased and detcting things that aren't actually being detected.
I take all my bikes to my LBS for a post winter pre summer full service Also for this winter on my winter bike I've fitted some 32mm conti Gatorskins They are bullet proof tyres but give a nice ride
A free spinning bottom bracket is nice to look at but if you ride all year, you want some good grease in there, that can keep water out and still rotate with some dirt coming in and then it won't spin but will be more suited to you everyday use. A mechanic?? Do you own maintenance and use money on some basic but good bike tools.
@@TheTrailRabbit What ever tells you that I am not a qualified mechanic? Because I grease the box?? At this time I have 14 bikes, all restored and maintained by me!
I think some people consider accents to be offensive, I on the other hand think they are hilarious. As an American I think American accents are especially hilarious because it's rare that I get to here one and Ollie nailed it. That gave me a good laugh while enjoying my morning cup of coffee! 😀
Other than the tires, the others seem more like nice to haves, rather than must haves or good deals. Wheels, its always wheels, since most entry to mid level bikes save on wheels.
Helmet! You can't put a price on your noggin, and you only ever get one of them! And more expensive doesn't always mean better - go with a reputable brand and look up Virginia Tech helmet ratings (or similar) for objective comparison. And make sure it's the right shape for your head and is fitted to your head.
What upgrades would you consider to be worth spending money on? 💰⚙
Cycling holidays
Varia Radar, don't want to ride without it now
Top-quality tires and TPU tubes.
For price to performance increase, can't beat a structured training plan (especially if the rider has not followed one before).
Tyres, waxed chains, clothing - get those right and you feel a drastic change immediately.
Even the dreaded Euro Bike would feel better.
A power meter was a game changer for me. Not just for training, but mostly for managing effort during rides. For example, I know I can sustain this amount of Watts for the duration of the ride or I can do an effort as long as I don't push above this number for a certain time, etc.
I think one of the most expensive and valuable things I spent on my most recent bikes was proper tools, and time! Workshops are always booked up near me (2 weeks+ wait time) and super expensive. So I bought a stand, vice, saw blades, attachments, torque wrench, chain breaker, bleed kit, bb tools etc. Then built the entire bike from scratch. It took an age but now I also know how to maintain everything on it.
*Requires some extent of mechanical skill and a lot of YT videos and manuals lol
I definitely second this comment. If you can just drop your bike off in the morning and get it back in the evening like Hank, because GCN has their own mechanic, fine. But if you're out there like the rest of us and you go to your LBS and it takes two weeks and after that you pay a massive bill, it is definitely nicer to be able to do things yourself.
The bottom bracket upgrade suggestion is really weird. An unloaded crank spinning for a long time doesn't imply any significant watt savings when pedaling under load. Plus the light weight grease/oil they use in such BBs will leech out and go bad sooner.
Well, bearings require preload to function properly. The spin test demonstrates nothing from a technical perspective
Yeah, I think having good a quality BB (and bearings in general) is a good shout, but to use the free spin as an example of quality is a bad one, not only is it mostly meaningless, certain crank designs will never spin like that because of how they preload no matter what BB is in there.
I was going to comment exactly that coming from mechanical engineering point of view. I'm glad more and more people are realising this and don't buy into the marketing bs of "the longer it spins under no load the more efficient it is".
Stopp just to be nothing more than advertisment boosting outfit
@@kacperjajko4257 unloaded roller bearings “skid” - which from a Tribology perspective is a huge red flag. It’s technically a very bad thing.
I would also mention a back light with radar, it’s been a game changer for me.
Isn’t it?
complete cable replacement can be huge. they degrade so slow you don't notice it. then when you replace them, and it only takes one finger to shift, you wonder why you waited so long.
So right. I really wanted/needed to get electronic shifters until my shop replaced all my cables and housings with top tier parts. Now I cannot justify a new bike.
@@johnleonard5936 Ironic, 35 years of 2x9 and 3x9 I just bought a bike with 1x12 e-shift. After riding it, I realized how hard my 3x9 was shifting and did a full cable replacement and now it shifts almost like an e-shift. I'm old school to the bone but can't express how GREAT the e-shift is.
@@johnleonard5936a good service makes a massive difference . Can feel better than new.
I always imagined that my midlife crisis would get me to buy a sports car but the more I get into cycling, the more I want to buy and relentlessly tweak a dream bike. So much more healthy and affordable!
Exactly that - £6k - £15k and you can be the proudest guy in town with your absolute baller of a dream bike ….. In the car World these sort of numbers are not getting you very far ….
I love cars and road bikes. Get both, if you can.
Unpopular opinion: Pedal bearings are almost as important as BB bearings. Both rotate the same rate, and both deal with very similar forces. Yet nobody is showing off how long their pedal spins, or buying ceramic pedal bearings. Losses under load is what matters, not unloaded viscous load of grease. Go back to your efficiency lab and compare actual BB losses with ceramic vs. steel, and grease vs. oil in the BB. It matters just so little, especially for punters that think nothing about baggy jerseys and wind sock jackets.
Performance tyres are good for racing but I prefer more puncture resistance for my training rides.
Used to ride Schwalbe Durano Plus on my bike for 4-5 years and didn't get a single puncture.
Now, I use Conti 5000s and I get a puncture every once in while. They're not terrible but don't give me the peace of mind I used to have with the extra puncture resistant tyres.
I enjoyed your opening chat, Ollie and Hank, and I think I'm ready for an alternate bike vault, one for daily drivers, filthy or trashy. I'd think my commuter would consider either to be a compliment. 😀
I think there was a GCN video not long ago about bottom brackets where you discussed that spinning the cranks with no weight and tension has little to do with the actual efficiency of the system 🤨
A small pouch for keeping a flashlight, batteries, maybe gloves etc. Flashlight for night and a good pair of fenders for those rainy days.Those are my "must have" suggestions.
Ceramic bearings' sorcery again? Time for a blind test!
I approve Ollie’s American 🇺🇸 👍🏼 🫡
Needs more emphasis on the G in BontraGer 😂
1) Has Ollie EVER rung the bell? 2) Amazing British non-actor doing an American accent - great job Ollie! 3) The hand was a great solution, saved the bike, etc. 4) Hank, what on earth was wrong with the Sup? Seriously, it's great to see the two of you together, especially when Hank hasn't been in so many videos lately.
Ollie does not ring the bell. But I think he must have at some point
After tyres I would say the most important upgrade is the bike fit. Ideally this should be done before purchase to ensure you have the right bike. My LBS would not let me order my new bike until they had checked my fit to ensure i could actually ride it (i am 66 and only been riding 5 years and so not super flexible).
2 things Hank, Sir Ollie and the wider GCN team.
1. Do comments only get read out if they’re a “Super thanks”?
2. The Superior bike was definitely a super nice. The bar tape colour matched the tyre sidewalls. Everything aligned. Nice background with good depth of field.
Super nice every day of the week!
Wow! I'm glad you liked my bike. You certainly have an eye for details. The lighting of the photo wasn't great, which means another nice detail got overlooked - the saddle is also a dark brown matching both the tyres and handlebar tape. Cheers!
Hi guys, "SinkingShip" here, thanks for the feature. That was awesome. The bike is a Chapter2 Toa, Kapua is the colorway. I'm not sure how you got the unedited version of that picture, but I thought I uploaded one without the "stick" in the background. Sorry about that!
You are correct sir! IMO it's a beautiful bike.
I used to reply on a bike mechanic until I realized I'm a Phantom Phixer, now I do all my own bike mechanicing. side note TH-cam makes it easy to phix your own bike.
When it comes to head units, I have to speak up!
I bought the Garmin EDGE 1050, their top navigation device, and discovered that it can't search for addresses.
I really regret choosing this model. So, for anyone planning to buy it and wanting to use it for map and address searching, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Their support team basically told me that it doesn't work for them either. Additionally, language-specific symbols only appear when you change the entire language of the device. So, if you're traveling, you have to learn another language just to find something.
Really a pain!
Thank you for the heads up. I almost got the 1050
If you use an iPhone you can use Apple Maps and send a destination to your edge, it will plot the bike route for you.
@@lukasbaran4225 Yes, that's true, it works with Apple Maps. I use Google Maps, and it doesn't work there. Anyway, I still think it's a fail when navigation can't search.
Ollie's American accent somehow covered every dialect we have in about two sentences.
I agree with the tires upgrade for sure. Put new tires on my gravel bike and made a huge difference. Also upgraded to the Redshift suspension seat post and stem - for a more comfortable ride. And thanks guys for that comment review. You guys are doing a fantastic job!!
I agree with the bottom bracket upgrade but that’s because I have two Cannondales 😂. CBear bottom brackets saved me, shout out to them.
4:39 a hundred percent! There’s like 20 bike shops within a 20km radius where I live but I only trust two. They are more expensive than the others but they just get the job done right all the time.
You guys need to come to New Zealand. Get the GMBN team and come for the roads, gravel and mountain biking… maybe ride the ‘sound to sound’
in current world where everything is 50 shades of grey, i love that my Dogma is bright yellow, that bike pops everywhere, it just looks so damn good :D
I'd argue that getting a frame faced and any misalignment sorted is more important than installing an expensive BB.
You talked about switching to 32s for the British winter. I got into cycling in Japan, in an area where the roads are pristine. I recently moved to the UK and live in an area where the roads are awful! Since moving, I usually ride a gravel bike with 40s, purely for comfort reasons. Now I get why you love gravel bikes so much 😆
I switched to the elliptical machine, swimming, jogging, climbing, floorball, tennis and a dozen other sports instead of cycling. Far better for the health, far less dangerous, far more versatile exercise, far more comfortable.
@@pistonburner6448 true, but none of those things are fast.
@@JCleggy You think you're 'fast' on your bike? Just ride a scooter or any cheapest grocery-getter car to those sports venues to be 'faster' then... Or take the bus to achieve much higher speeds.
I've never in my life ever heard anyone say they do cycling because of the thrill of speed.
Now I get why you love gravel bikes so much 😆
I don't wanna ride on anything narrower than 38 mm these days for the same reasons! "Gravel" bikes are now my road bikes unless they're vintage ones for when it's time to kit-up in wool.
@pistonburner6448 talking out of your backside, never experienced the thrill of a fast winding descent or chopping turns in a chaingang with your mates? You can't say cycling isn't fast just because you haven't cycled fast!
I'd add a couple of good basic coaching sessions - it prevents bad habits and gives you confidence. Probably more relevant in my world (mtb) but road going riders would most likely benefit from early experience of a good road coach.
Ps. Si did an Icelandic tour with Neil from GMBN a few years ago.
Improving my fitness 😊
After tires I think the best upgrade is carbon wheels if your bike has alloy rims.
1:28 Surely those would be rental bikes with the shops skimping on wearable components
Why not both?
Came here to say that. Rental bikes often come with sturdy tyres.
For me, the biggest advantage of a head unit is that I can plot myself a route, usually somewhere I've not been before, or for joining the dots between known areas and get discovering what's around, rather than sticking to the same old routes.
Love me some tech show!
When you have an excellent local bike shop and you take it in for good service, everything regreased, new cables etc. feels incredible when you ride it home from the workshop. 😊
Bottom bracket spin really means 2 things. Very light grease in BB or bearings that dont have seals or not properly sealed. Ok for racing in a pro team, not so much for real world.
OMG! I'm rolling on the floor laughing at Ollie's attempt at speaking without an accent.
Attempt? He's nailed it!!
@@contactking yes, he did. The point was, they have an accent and we (assuming you’re a fellow American) do not have one. But it was “spot on”. Hehe
@@SpecialeyesRider And yet every region in the country has a different accent.
You guys featured my bike 🤩🤩
Glad you liked my Superior even though it wasn’t a ‘bell ringer’.
+1 for the bottom brackets. But for the stifness. it's always a mystery for me that the crank spindle actually crushes bottom bracket first then the actual BB hole. What's the point of all the improved stiffness of the BB area on the frame while the BB itself is noodle ??? This needs to be addressed in the bike industry.
You can feel the difference between a nice BB and a clapped out, dry BB. I'd upgrade tires, saddle, bars, and pedals before buying a bling BB
I think the Canyon shoes look mint! Look a lot cooler than most other SPD shoes
I like that we have the "Kings of Epic Challenges" hosting the tech show together. :D As for tires, I just put some 32's on my Viathon R1 and I definitely enjoy the difference over my 28's. Certainly slower, but noticeably 'cushier'. I also went with a more endurance-oriented tire, so I'm expecting more puncture protection.
Properly studded tyres are a must for winter cyclists in the Finnish capital area. So many icy and slippery weeks unless you want to be a pedestrian with sticky boots. Me and my 17-year-old noname bike.
Ollie's next epic challenge. I vote for the Tour d'Ollie. Fully supported but following the 25 Tour schedule/route including TT and rest days.
- How many rainbow bands do you want?
- Yes.
also, white shorts. And this is the guy who tells others how to wear their sunglasses
Biggest change for me recently, changing pedals. I’ve ran SPD-SL, Speedplay and most recently, Look Keo Blades.
I lost patience with Look. Very good pedals, cleats are easy to setup but I’m so so sick of the bloody squeak as they rub. You get a rubber patch in the cleat rubbing on the metal plate on the pedal. The bikes running smooth. The chain and running gear are silent but the pedal noise. It’s distracting. So now I’m back on Dura Ace pedals. Silence and joyous riding.
...maybe Ollie should have a conversation with Calvin at Park Tools about bottom brackets with ceramic bearings
I’m an American and nearly fell out of bed laughing at Ollie’s American accent impression. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing! Although, I think I know some people who sound like that.
I learned so much from this episode. It's always room for upgrades, thanks! 😊
Take whatever you learned with a pinch of salt. This is primarily a marketing channel.
Both Superior Bikes and Polygon are becoming popular brands here in Australia, they are amazing value for money but put out performance models that could compete against the best of the best
Chapter 2 also, they are from New Zealand and are a dream bike of many people! Always look clean!
Absolutely. My Superior cost me 1800€ full carbon, full 105 groupset.
I kind of love the hand. And the bike too
Just invested in a Wahoo.. after seeing all the GCN reviews! I had an older unit made by another company, but now I have this, and it’s just fab!
We’ve always been very pleased with our Wahoo devices! Thanks for the comment 👍
I love it when the US accent is featured. I'm from Vermont. Whenever I listen to GCN my wife refers to you all as the "Aluminum Guys" pronounced as you do... In related news, I just mounted some FENDERS for winter riding. 🎉
Totally agree about tires. Putting nice tires on my bike probably made as much of a difference than putting nice wheels on, and the tires are a LOT less expensive.
Right on
Bike fit above everything. Comfort is key to enjoying cycling. The relationship between cost and fun is not a linear one. Spending more money on these parts does not equal more fun. A bottom bracket upgrade is not sensible. Agree with tyres, but other than that I struggle to see it. If you’re seeking performance gains for competition, then fair enough. Otherwise, just ride and have fun.
Thanks!
Wow thanks for the support! 🔥
Tires & tubes, wax, chain, shoes. Probably in that order. And I've been watching GCN for years and never realized how much Ollie and Hank look a like. Long lost cousins?
A good quality bib shorts for the wife. She now rides more and look from the back - worth every dollar
good hack 😂
Super thanks you all! This is in appreciation of Ollie’s US accent. Will double the next super thanks if he does an enter show that way.
It looks like we have a new challenge ahead! 🤣 Thank you for the support on behalf of the team! 🫶
Ollie, just a suggestion.....I know how much you like upgrading and matching items, so why don't you sport some light weight carbon and rather dapper black ear rings to go with your hair band?
Best upgrade is a floor pump for support vehicle
HANK, LOUD AND PROUD! I AM WITH YOU ON THAT ON... HAVE SPECIALIZED ALLEZ SPRINT ALL IN YELLOW... VERY LOUD! HANK, YOU WOULD LIKE IT, DID SUBMITTED IT TO THE BIKE VAULT... CHCK IT OUT:)
THANK YOU FOR AWESOME CONTENT!
Wow chill with the all caps brother
@@YouOnlyLiveHans I like it, deal with it :) BRO…
As an American, Ollie that was hilarious. Thank you 😂
The last point may be the most important one. A well fitting shitbox bike can do tons more then a not suitable one, even if would be a magnitude "better". Then tires.
As an American, I literally laughed out loud and was caught completely by surprise hearing Ollie flip a switch speaking like an American. 😂 Just a clarification though, we do not speak with an 'American' accent; we just speak English. You English speak with an 'English' accent! 😉
I always go back to my Schwalbe pro one, because everything faster always punctures on the first ride.
Smoothest BB that i currently run, actually similar to the effortless spin in Ollie's DA/Pinarello demo in this video, is a my2007 XTR (non-ceramic, i think) in my Bianchi Oetzi / Julian Absalon model mtb hardtail...amazes me...can feel the difference every ride. Also, too, i've always had the question...ceramic BB bearings or ceramic wheel bearings, which delivers more measurable "feel" ??? Still don't have an answer.
idk I would LOVE to see Dr. B doing some more crazy shit
For me, the best upgrade, when it comes to tires, is tough tires that can survive being ridden over broken shards of glass, flatless, for tens of years 😅, that are fast as hell 😐🤔🤪
Week 83 of asking for a "The UCI has no jurisdiction here" t-shirt
Why the hell do you need a chain break in device. like wtf. Run it through something thrice and then put it on.
I know right? Put it in the bike and ride around the block a couple of times
Moar shite two bye.
Once you sell a chain break-in device, you can sell a power meter for it. That way, you’ll know exactly when the chain is broken-in. LOL.
Loved the American accent Ollie! I’m guessing most of us Americans will agree!
I saw a couple at they 70 probably on two Dogma X in similar yellow, probably custom, climbing TDF route to the San Marino this year. Stunning view.
Ollie for the win....upgraded to an Endura bottom bracket...it will likely out-last the bike itself.
Superior is a Czech brand 🇨🇿, love to see it make it to the vault.
Glad that you liked my bike ;)
11:19 how does Pogi look so fresh?! It looks like he’s just cycled a mile to the local shops not a gruelling bike race 😮
OMG! Ollie! Your American (actually Californian) accent was mint! Love it! Wicked pissa! - Don in Boston
@21:49 Biggy Smalls fail. Just Nice ;)
I've heard and read that a "high price" bottom bracket makes verry little to non sense for the costs they come with. Like 2 watts for 500€/$
Yeah, how unloaded bearings turn isn't particularly meaningful. I'm willing to bet almost no one can resolve the tiny power savings gained from a higher end BB and a medium range BB. Our brains are good at being biased and detcting things that aren't actually being detected.
When my bike feels good and is running flawlessly, it leaves me the headspace to think about how lousy I feel about not being able to pedal faster :)
Tires are the biggest thing. Upgrade first!!!! There are only 2-3 go-to models, GP5000, Schwalbe Pro One, people like some others too.
Valeu!
Obrigado! 🔥
I take all my bikes to my LBS for a post winter pre summer full service
Also for this winter on my winter bike I've fitted some 32mm conti Gatorskins They are bullet proof tyres but give a nice ride
Medioker tyers are more durable and more puncture resistant, so until u don't race, u dont need fast but fragile tyers.
There are heaps of shoes available for bike packing. Any enduro or dh MTB shoes with cleats!
Moar Olliewood Accents!!! (From *new* England)😅
New Yorker here. 10/10 American accent, Ollie.
My Orbea Rallon is HIGHLY destinctive. You may have seen it when Blake Samson Pinkeye took to the GMBN Super Megabase Alpha.
From America. Love the American accent 😂 that was hilarious.
@25:05 it's a shadow hand.
Those 5 upgrades could total over a Grand
👏👏👍👍
A free spinning bottom bracket is nice to look at but if you ride all year, you want some good grease in there, that can keep water out and still rotate with some dirt coming in and then it won't spin but will be more suited to you everyday use.
A mechanic?? Do you own maintenance and use money on some basic but good bike tools.
this is the kind of guy who brings in his botched DIY maintenance project to the shop (mechanics hate this person)
@@TheTrailRabbit What ever tells you that I am not a qualified mechanic? Because I grease the box??
At this time I have 14 bikes, all restored and maintained by me!
I think some people consider accents to be offensive, I on the other hand think they are hilarious. As an American I think American accents are especially hilarious because it's rare that I get to here one and Ollie nailed it. That gave me a good laugh while enjoying my morning cup of coffee! 😀
Thank you, we'll keep practising other accents!
Ollie’s “ american accent “ sounds like Uncle Tony, the tiktok guy with the LED signages. 🤣
Other than the tires, the others seem more like nice to haves, rather than must haves or good deals. Wheels, its always wheels, since most entry to mid level bikes save on wheels.
I think a Finnish Scandinavian Gravel would be great to see from ye guys ... just think about the scenery/woodlands in the WRC Finland Rally
Helmet! You can't put a price on your noggin, and you only ever get one of them! And more expensive doesn't always mean better - go with a reputable brand and look up Virginia Tech helmet ratings (or similar) for objective comparison. And make sure it's the right shape for your head and is fitted to your head.
32s are so so nice it is like floating on air 😂