Great advice throughout. I've actually done all of these things on bikes, and they can all turn an average bike into a pretty nice bike all at once. I was particularly surprised by how much difference a narrower handlebar with a smaller reach can make. I was experiencing some neck and shoulder pain on longer rides (>3 hours), and switched from 44cm to 40cm bars with a much shorter reach; now I can literally ride all day without any discomfort at all. (Except for burning legs, bonking, feeling sorry for myself and bitter about getting older, etc.)
I switched to Tubolitos last year and have to say I didn't really notice any difference. Instead of switching tubes/going tubeless I would just upgrade saddle to something with pressure relief channel. On the other hand for a mountain bike going tubeless is probably the most important upgrade you can make! Other then that great video as usual. :)
I'm surprised you didn't notice different going from normal butyl tubes to TPU/latex inner tubes. The rolling impedance resistance is quite large and makes for a big difference in takeoffs.
I swapped from my old, stock Bontrager tires and butyl tubes to GP 5000 S tires and latex tubes and the difference was *massive.* Definitely the best and easiest upgrade I could have made.
Let me guess Bontrager r1 tires on your stock trek bike? I felt the same thing although I upgraded to continental ultrasports 3, which is a bit of a budget tire but still drastically better than the stock tires that came on my trek
I'm going to use 32c and I will probably use the bigger (gravel) RideNows. The Revoloops (18-28) I'm using have not been great in the rear 28c tire (front has been fine). Tires measure almost 30mm (21 mm ID rim) so I think the TPU material is on the limit. I prefer a few grams penalty if I can get them to last longer. I don't really trust RideNow claims that their inner tubes can go from 18 to 32, that is too much.
At the moment in my gravel I have continental 4 seasons 32mm, with another AliExpress TPU inside - Cyclami. The problem with these is that the material is sticky and I got many punctures while mounting the tire back onto the rim. Otherwise the feeling is nice and smooth. RideNow and Pirelli are so far the best.
Number one upgrade for me (for touring) is Schwalbe inner tubes with removable valve cores - and don’t forget the lithium grease. Why? Well if you have a puncture (unlikely in my experience with Marathon tyres) then you can remove the core, inject Dr. Blue, pump up and be on your way. Game changer. Why the grease? Well, I’ve found that the cores leak a little air - but if you remove them, grease them, and reinstall them then they’re airtight. I did LeJog - and I had zero punctures and I didn’t need to pump up my tyres from one end of Great Britain to the other.
You should take into account with going tubeless, you need a way of inflating the tyre to "pop the bead". A normal handpump wont be able to do that. Seeing as this video was made for beginners, a pump with a pressure chamber should be accounted for in the costs. Something I have found to be great upgradewise is pedals, chain and/or sadle. Especially the sadle makes a big difference! Great video though. Love seeing Francis do mechanic stuff. Something relaxing about how methodic he is!
@@BrightLight105 That is interesting. Having never run anything other than innertubes, I would have thought that it didnt matter what tyre your are using. That said, I have only watched videos of people seating beads on gravel/mtb tyres that are much wider than your average road tyre. Thanks for the imput! :)
You can also get something like the airshot canister, which you pressurise with a floor pump. Then flip the switch to the dump all the air at once into the tyre.
I reckon Saddle has to be up there! They're often not nearly the same level of inexpensive - but look around, wait for a summer sale, and you can find some really nice saddles with things like a pressure relief channel for £50 or less. End of the day the bits of you in-contact with the bike are the bits that tend to suffer most, so a good saddle can make a world of difference. Only tip is to try before you buy. Bit tricky I know - but go to a bike shop and ask to just sit on few and see how they feel, ask your mates to ride their bike for a couple of miles, if you can even see if you can trial a saddle for a bit - a friendly local bike shop might be able to lend you an old display model in exchange for a packet of biscuits and a security deposit!
On the orignal review of this bike the rear cassette was spoken about and said to not be ideal for the average rider due to limited gearing selection to tackle hills etc. I was wondering did you ever change the cassette on the bike, and if you havent, could you recomend one that will work with the orignal rear derailleur? Thanks in advance, and thank you for the fantastic channel.
Anatomic handlebars are excellent, if the reach is too far in the drops your stem is probably too long or angled incorrect to your fitment requirements
2 good upgrades ive done is superslick/thin stainless gear cables as mine came kinked from new and some hope jockey wheels as mine were just a bush in a plastic wheel made my cheap bike feel much more premium
Thank you, thank you and again thank you! You literally saved me with the suggestion regarding a handlebar with a reduced reach. Even after two bike fittings I still had numb hands. A shorter stem did not solve my problem, because whereas it was comfortable in the position "on the hoods" it was uncomfortable "on the tops" - and vice versa with a longer stem. Now, thanks to a handlebar with a 70mm reach my bike position is perfect in both positions and I have no more numb hands!
I'd ditch the tubeless setup and spend the money on a decent saddle instead. Much more important to have comfortable contact points than ever so slightly better performing tire setups.
Your tyre is a contact point, the most important one, where the bike interacts with the ground. If you can run at a comfortable pressure rather than the one dictated by the minimum pressure of your tube then you will be more comfortable. I say that as someone who hasn't made the switch yet, running 28s at 75 and dreaming of cushy 65. A saddle is just a personal preference thing, something you'll probably have to change out at some point anyway, so it's factored in at point of sale. When I got my Audax bike second hand it had the most plush armchair saddle on it. I immediately swapped it for my brooks C15. Now looking at Selle Italia boost since apparently I need a cutout. All in all I will have spent a lot more on saddles trying to find the perfect fit than I ever would have if I went tubeless. I don't understand why it's an "either or" as well. Surely they're two separate aspects of the bike that you're thinking of upgrading separately. One is inevitable, the other is "when I have time/cash/equipment".
@@hendrixinfinity3992 It's not an "either or" in a real world scenario, it is just in the context of this video. If you're working with a fixed 100 bucks spending limit then a comfy saddle would be a priority upgrade over a tubeless setup for me personally. A couple of reasons why tubeless shouldn't be a priority for someone buying an entry level bike and looking to upgrade: 1.) Relative cost: Tubeless setups are expensive. Tubeless ready tires, rim tape, valves, and sealant all add up to a chunky bill. Run off the mill tubes are a fraction of that. 2.) Entry level bikes like the one in this video, rarely come with tubeless ready wheels. They are becoming more and more common, but they are still not the norm. So people buying those bikes gotta make sure their wheelsets are compatible to begin with and if they're not, they might have to invest half the bikes price in a new wheelset, which makes little sense if you're just getting into the sport. 3.) Know-how and tools are not readily available for everyone. Tubeless setups require you to learn a decently complex mechanical process and to be in the possession of specific bike tools. If you do not meet these requirements yourself, you gotta get a bike shop to do the deed for you, which means blowing out the budget limit. I don't mean to discredit the advantages of tubeless setups, but for what's being presented in this video it's a debatable "upgrade", that ignores many of the associated costs outside the acquisition of tubeless ready tires, sealant, and valves.
@@lanceflare but again, if I'm buying a bike then 90% of the time I will be changing the saddle. So it's not so much an upgrade as an inevitable. I would say the same for all contact points. As an example planet x don't supply bikes with pedals because they assume you're going to change them to the ones you like. I'm not saying it's for everyone or that everyone should go out and do it. I'm saying they're not comparable. Tubeless is always an upgrade whereas finding the right saddle, tape, bars, shoes and pedals is a process that will hopefully result in an upgrade. The bike fitter on this channel says that saddle choice is far less important than saddle position, and I tend to agree.
If you do tubeless, you need to ride your bike. Especially in a hit climate, they can dry up pretty quickly if the sealant doesn’t move. For this reason, my gravel tires are tubeless, but I use tubes for my road wheels because I just don’t use them as often
I got the carrera as a winter bike, I have put mavic wheels, conti tyres, zrace calipers, new rotors and carbon seat post and it feels and looks a lot better.
Road conditions of my location differs from really bad roads to off-road so I opted Vittoria cyclocross tyres in 31c: Terreno wet front/Terreno mix rear; and studded tyres in winter. And it feels just right. Also I agree you may have to choose handlebars with less reach and drop but huge flare (mine has 23 degree flare, that gives great control and confidence on rough terrain).
Looking forward to the tubeless video. Just spent the weekend trying to convert my gravel bike to tubeless using my tubeless ready stans wheels and gravelking tyres. Went through stupidly expensive rim tape before switching to gorilla tape, different valves and sealant before giving up and going back to inner tubes :( I just couldn’t get the valves/wheels to seal properly. What did work for me though was soaping the bead and using a cheap hand pump to pop the tyres on every time. Will give it another go after watching the new video.
you shouldn't add sealant until you have seated your tyre otherwise things could get very messy. Besides the soap did you try removing the valve core when seating ?
Yeah, its a bit of a dark art, but once you have managed tubeless set ups, then its less of a faff, than trying to avoid snake biting tubes. I have been running tubeless on the MTB for about 10 years. key things are making sure your beads and bead seats are clean, you have a decent pump to "pop" the bead on (Milk It do a pressurized bottle, which works well and is cheap). Once you have got your valve stems in and sealed, leave them alone. Note different rims work better with different valve stems.
Absolutely. A decent aluminum frame and decent aluminum wheels are the core of a bicycle that will provide a lot of enjoyment and utility for many years, even decades. Supple tires, a compliant seatpost, a proper saddle, and a professional fit can turn such a bike into a terrific bike.
5th _'cheap upgrade'_ would probably be brake pads for better braking performance. Although prices can vary from as low as a little under £10 to as high as £70-80. I ran cheap koolstop pads on my bikes for many years. Although they arent as readily available as they used to be before the pandemic hit.
I have muc-off tube sealant in my latex tubes and it works fantastically. They hold air much longer than stock and I have already had a pinch puncture seal beautifully.
@@abedfo88 I think it works particularly well with pinch punctures because the sealant adheres between the tire and the punctured tube. I have not had an actual puncture yet so I'm not sure how it will seal in that case. But I'm a big boy so pinch punctures are far more common.
Literally just changed the bars on my Domane SL6 to the Deda Zero 1 RHM. The difference in reach is 18mm. I constantly felt like I was reaching further than I wanted so the change in bars has been massive. Cost £18.50 from Merlin too, bargain!
That handlebartape is the best, I've discoverd it last year. I still have a set of lizard skin ready to try on another bike. Curious if I will like it better then the bbb one... I'm in the process of i stalling a new set of wheels (dt swiss rim brake) and had a set of tubolitos laying around. But the tires measure 29.5mm. Not sure now if I should use the tubolito's. Was also considering going tubeles but if you buy quality producs the costs quickly add up. Tires are also more expensive and you would need to buy a 'patch kit' for tubeless also. Thx for all the tips 😉
Flakjack tires I run 700x32 and they are great, but I got a specialized XL. It is my favorite bike I ever had. But I use latex inner tubes I guess cause I pump my bike almost every day…. But I got a tiny compressor that is good for a few days.
For added comfort, when you swap bar tape, add some gel pads to the bars first. I use Fizik ($30) but there are several to choose from, including Planet Bike ($15) who also make my favorite bar tape (Comfort Cork).
I would like to mention that going tubeless requires a tubeless tyre which is more expensive than a tube typ tyre, i.e. the Hutchinson 11 Storm TL is 50 € compaire to the Hutchinson 11 Storm that set me back only 33 €. I looking forward to you video about going tubeless with an non tubeless read tyre. As your are sponsored by Hutchision Tyres: the Hutchinson 11Storm Fusion 5 has printed a min pressure of 6 bar / 87 PSI on the side. That roundabout 1 bar above the tyre pressure given by the Silca pressure calculator. Do you recommend to go lower than the minimum tyre pressure given by Hutchinson for the tyre? Cheers from Berlin
Also tubeless ready wheels are often more difficult when it comes to change tyres... About pressure I think the manufacturers give the pressure for performance, maybe longevity, but just like for your car, you should follow the numbers given for the vehicle, not those written on the tyre itself (on mine they are 2.5 - 2.9 bars on the car, and 3-4 bars on the tyres, I used 3.5 bars until the mechanic told me to read the plate in the car instead)? For the bike, your weight, the road type and riding style are important. That said I never use the pressure calculator (I might try by curiosity), I just adapt the recommended pressure to my needs, e.g. I never pump my Michelin pro 4 to 110PSI, firstly it's really hard to do with my hand pump, and they are quite uncomfortable at this point! I'm not into competition... Edit : I just used the calculator, and it gives me exactly the numbers I use usually 85-90PSI, 6 bars!
Also very cheap and not so difficult: bearings, if the bike has lived a few years already, fresh headset bearings and wheel bearings will feel great. Bottom bracket as well if needed (but that is usually more obvious when bad).
I switched to Pirelli PZero TPU tubes last year, I like them but I've already punctured two of them and I don't ride that aggressively. Thankfully Pirelli makes a special repair kit for them that's a bit fiddly to use..
Did you try Pirelli cinturato velo tyres? They seem to be very resistant, although you might prefer really fast tyres, else these might be a good compromise...
I used to run stans tubless conversion kits back in the day on MTB, not sure if you can still get them. Down side is there very difficult to get the tier on without damaging the rubber strip and there hard to inflate because the tires grip to the rubber strip not impossible but hard. We use to do this with non-tubless tiers and used to work well once inflated. In al honesty id recommend latex tubes and proper high-end rubber, you can often find GP5000 on offer. And the puncture properties of latex tubes i can vouch for. Oh and zip sl70s have less reach and drop as another for some people
I ride tpu inner tubes now and they're certainly lighter lose pressure quicker than butyl tubes but overall coupled with a light wheel, they're a winner 👍
Very underrated part, which must be updated on almost every entry level bikes: Jockey wheels 9 of 10 bikes comming with these wheels with sleeve bearing, they not last long before You need cleaning and re-grease. Changing for ball-bearing type not ruin Your pocket and this is "do it once - and forget" job. Highly recommend.
Another informative revieiw. I've actually done all the upgrades menitoned in this video. The biggest one was actually the handlebars. My bike came wth a 15-mm riser bar with 75 mm reach. I've replaced it with a non-riser dropbar with 65mm reach. Now the ride is much more comfortable.
Anyone know if the Vanquish will fit 35 wide tyres? Thinking about a cheap second hand gravel build and feels like it could be a good starting point. Thanks!
Great review of sensibly costed upgrades👍. Don't forget you'll need a specific tubilito patch kit if you are going to use the tubilito inner tube 👍. Nice cameo from wor Jimmi at the end! 👍
@@EstelonAgarwaen Mine's one of their alu Van Rysels. Lovely thing. My only complaint is that I really like the stock saddle it comes with but it's gashed and used up sub-5k km in.
There is a major bike upgrade video missing from all of youtube, or lost deep in a thiccc stack of videos. What order to upgrade your bike in. Where to spend the money 1st to get the best benefit? I often hear you start with the frame, then its the wheels, but then where? The seat? The bars? I also hear drivetrains are so good that they should be the last upgrade? Im about to buy a bike and im wondering if i spend the $1,200 on the better model bike. Im looking @ the specialized Roubaix. I can get the base model for $2,800 (tiagra 10spd, futureshock 3.1, and formula wheels) or i can spend $4,000 on the same bike with upgrades (105 di2, futureshock 3.2, and dt swiss on specialized hubs) The main upgrades are the drivetrain and the futureshock being dampened hydraulically. But for $1,400 I can toss some ENVE foundation wheels on the low spec bike. And now here is where i think im starting to sell myself the low spec bike. Im really interested in running the bike with a 2x gravel drivetrain. I want to run my Roubaix with 40mm tires,GRX gearing for hills, and flared gravel style bars. I feel like the grx 820 or 825 di2 is my dream drivetrain. It offers that gearing iI want and the shifters for flared bars. Theres also some stuff im seeing about wear on shimano road cranks that doesnt happen with grx? Anyway, im just looking for help making decisions. Having the 105 di2 would be nice as i could slowly convert to grx di2 piece by piece over time, possibly saving money doing a bit of Frankensteining? Theres also the futureshock 3.3. Its in the top models and offers on the fly adjustment. Its a $400 upgrade.
Tried a lot of Tubolitos and they all went flat for no reason, even in a Schwalbe Marathon Plus. There were no punctures. The tubes lost air at the valve or just got holes. Much, much better experience with latex-tubes. You need some more pressure than tubeless, but it's much less of a mess.
Sounds like a real quality control issue. Had that happen on the tubes that came with cheap bikes. Trying to find the hole and hear it coming from the valve, no hole in the tyre.
Thanks for the video. Question: Is tubeless worth the trouble for a road bike in 2024 or can I get nearly all the benefits with less hassle by going for TPU inner tubes?
My hunt carbon wheels are tubeless, my tyres aren’t. I tried to get them to seal, but they never did. They’d lose too much air in 24 hours to be viable. But it cost me nothing to try, as I have a 2L bottle of sealant and loads of valves for my mountain bikes.
Carrera Vanquish or Triban RC120 Disc Edition? New to biking. Looking at entry level budget bikes that I wouldn’t mind spending a few bob upgrading down the line.
For a tyre as big as a 38mm, you'd be better off going for tubeless. Tubeless ride great and have much better puncture resistance than tubes. Once you've set them up once it's not difficut. They work particularly well on larger lower pressure tyres. I run tubeless on my 43mm gravel bike and 2.3" MTB. I took the MTB tyres off earlier in the year, as I had bought a new wheelset. Through the tyres were a total of 8 15mm long thorns, every one of which would have caused a puncture with tubes. I hadn't noticed and had no loss of pressure at all.
I upgraded first time ever my butyl inner tube to a Vittoria competition 30/30-622 latex inner tube (running 32mm Panaracer Gravelking tyres), to be honest other than they loosing air in a snap (within 40km it looses 1,5 Bar) I couldn't feel any difference nor improvement on speed/ride quality. What is your experience, guys? I am riding a Decathlon RC520 on stock wheels.
Is that the supple version of these tyres? Also I think you need light wheels to feel a difference, and I've read a few comments like yours, even under this video, btw, with different gear.
@@DR_1_1 I don't actually know about them being supple or not. 32mm version has an additional protection insert against punctures, 35mm doesn't. Yeah, running on original wheels. I domt know which upgrade I need to take to meet 6-spoke dosc break quick release shimano 11speed version of hub, etc
@@andras.89 I see 2 versions of these tyres, one would be softer, ie you can fold it a bit like a tube, the other less.. Anyway I don't think you will gain anything with latex or even tubeless, except extra work. It's either for high performance (Tour de France in mountains stages), or for MTB, maybe gravel bike competitions where tubeless have more adherence on bad trails, with lower pressure.
Hi brilliant videos 👌 you said your sponsored by Hutchison tyres and I’m looking at putting some winter tyres 28mm on my winter bike what Hutchinson tyre would you recommend ? Thank you 👍
Thanks a lot for your videos, they are enjoyable and plenty of good advices. Err... For the tires, I use Schwalbe brand on my bikes and I consider the brand as the best one (around 8000km / year).
I am upgrading my bars, I bought a second hand bike and it had narrower bars than my gravel bike, and I like it. I cracked the frame on that bike and it cost $180, so I have the narrower bars for my gravel bike, a bit expensive for aluminum bars tho...
Sealant in innertubes has worked a charm for me with city bikes especially. Many years, no flats, with the more dreadful dried our multi dozen patched tube you've ever seen. However...does latex sealent work in latex tubes...? I'm not so sure...
Am I not looking in the right places for tires? I can't find decent tires for less than $50 a piece. I am also looking for gravel tires not road. Is that my issue?
Awesome video y'all! Really useful for those that stuck to your budget bike recommendations! Would've loved to see a direct before:after test by Jimmy though.
What is you're bike shop round the corner? I think you're in or near Carliol Square and the only bike shop I know of round the corner there was FYEO and that burned down? 😉
I had 2 punctures in 4 months, although I also fitted them to nicer, but more fragile tyres. I don't think it had to do with the tube, but with the tyre casing. I patched them and they are still running well though. They feel nicer than butyl.
They're an okay brand, and they even make great high-performance tyres. Yet, in Europe most Kenda tyres are found on budget bikes, are therefore rather mediocre and their high-performance after-market tyres are hardly available here.
The best upgrade you can make is decent tyres. I wouldn't bother with tubeless starting out although it is VERY good. Latex is good but you need to blow up every ride they will loose loads of air in 24 hours. You also need to be careful not to get chain lube on them as it destroys the latex very quickly. Start with tyres get comfortable and confident and then start experimenting with tyre pressures. Never use 120psi start and 100 and work your way down so you can feel the difference. On tubes I sit at around 80 on a 28 but could probably go lower
Nice. I ride a hybrid-city bike whatever you want to call it, I run tubes in it mostly for the ease of fixing punctures but I would have no problems with tubeless I'm looking at getting a Trek FX Sport 4 and it comes ready for tubless I may have the shop do that when they do the setup. LOL I could do it myself but they offer free setup and I love supporting my LBS.
Over 2 decades ago, I did a bunch of MTB racing with non tubeless rims and tyres, tubeless. Results were MIXED. As in: incredible the moments it worked, and a bunch of DNF that sucked. Just popping off the rim, even on a training ride. Cross was even worse, I didn't get that to work. Eventually I gave up, and later rims and tyres got actually useful for tubeless but I was away from cycling then.
Nonsense. They have to fit the tyre, not the brake. Most of my road bike buddies who still ride rim brake bikes use these tubes, no issues whatsoever. I have them in reserve, but haven't had a flat since I bought them, so I have to wait until I can make my own experiences with them.
@einundsiebenziger5488 he doesn't mean about the tube not fitting the brakes lol He's talking about when the wheel rim gets hot due to heavy braking. Some people say it causes them to pop.
I think the BBB tape is very similar too (if not the same as...) the Fabric knurled tape. if that is the case, it's great value for money. I got over 10 000km out of my Fabric knurled tape.
Gatorskins are the most puncture resistant tires there is, hence the cost. Note that's with expense with their rolling resistance which is not that good.
@@JPatteri indeed, that was my experience on the past w/ them. Living in an urban area with predictably umm "spotty" roads, solid puncture resistance on this bike is important.
@@malcontent_1 Check Pirelli cinturato velo have slighty lower rolling resistance and better puncture resistance than Gatorskins, and Vittoria Randonneur 50% more resistant, but also 50% higher rolling resistance...
I have friends who are professional triathletes and they race on Gatorskins because if they puncture on race day they don’t get paid. Yes they are slightly heavier but they are amazingly puncture resistant
The lightweight inner tubes are a disaster waiting to happen. Despite being 'experienced', I fitted a set the night before a ride. The next morning I set off, and on a 17% descent right by my house the front deflated and I crashed at 35kmh, breaking my collar bone. I would not recommend them for someone new to the road.
Has anyone tried putting the tubeless sealant in an inner tube? I don't believe you "don't get punctures" with tubeless, I think they're just delt with instantly, so you don't notice them...
First thing i change is gears/brakes with Shimano 105 or Sora to save some more money. Tyre. Don't buy competition/fast tyre. It will 100% puncture! Buy tires with some "meat" on them. Inner tube i use Cyclami TPU, green color. I choose them because they have metal valve with thread and nut. 26 grams for road bike (700x28c). Now you will have a decent bike without selling a kidney.
ive used tubeless on my mtbs for 10 plus years by now and ill never convert my road bikes to tubeless, its way to muchh hassle for something that in my opinion is solved on road bikes with tpu tubes. Ive done the ghetto conversion, stans kit and tried milkit and dt swiss kits and ALL are a pain in the ass when changing tires and getting them to not leak. once done well,tubeless setups feel nice atleast on mtbs
Take Ridenow TPUs over tubeless any day. Sealant, TLR tyres, plugs, valves, rim tape... they have to all work well together. And they often don't. Too much mess on for road bikes IMO
TPUs are great spares to save space. Ride quality is not really that different, certainly not "significantly" (Pirelli TPU vs Pirelli lightest butyl, paired with P Zero 4s tyres)
1. Handle bars (shorter reach and drop)
2. Bar tape
3. Tires
4. Tubeless or lighter inner tubes
Great advice throughout. I've actually done all of these things on bikes, and they can all turn an average bike into a pretty nice bike all at once. I was particularly surprised by how much difference a narrower handlebar with a smaller reach can make. I was experiencing some neck and shoulder pain on longer rides (>3 hours), and switched from 44cm to 40cm bars with a much shorter reach; now I can literally ride all day without any discomfort at all. (Except for burning legs, bonking, feeling sorry for myself and bitter about getting older, etc.)
Don't blame your age, blame the age of your bike. 😆
Interesting, I was planning to reinstall my 44 cm handlebar on my next bike that comes with 42 cm... Might try some long rides before doing it.
My new bars arrive today . Shorter reach drop and (slightly )narrower. Here's hoping it makes things more comfortable on my old bike
I switched to Tubolitos last year and have to say I didn't really notice any difference. Instead of switching tubes/going tubeless I would just upgrade saddle to something with pressure relief channel.
On the other hand for a mountain bike going tubeless is probably the most important upgrade you can make!
Other then that great video as usual. :)
I'm surprised you didn't notice different going from normal butyl tubes to TPU/latex inner tubes.
The rolling impedance resistance is quite large and makes for a big difference in takeoffs.
@@neutronpcxt372 Takeoff? Like in accelerations, or MTB jumps?
What tyres are you using? I suppose you need soft tubeless ready tyres to see a difference...
I swapped from my old, stock Bontrager tires and butyl tubes to GP 5000 S tires and latex tubes and the difference was *massive.* Definitely the best and easiest upgrade I could have made.
Let me guess Bontrager r1 tires on your stock trek bike?
I felt the same thing although I upgraded to continental ultrasports 3, which is a bit of a budget tire but still drastically better than the stock tires that came on my trek
@@bm4122Hey! I did the same. I have a question tho i want to go for 700c x28 but im not sure it fits. You have any idea by any chance?
RideNow TPU are fantastic and can be used up to 32mm tire.
There's new ones that can take up to 43c
@@bonbonflippers4298 awesome, I'm riding Pirelli Smart Tube for wider tires, but great to know they're expanding their offer.
I'm going to use 32c and I will probably use the bigger (gravel) RideNows. The Revoloops (18-28) I'm using have not been great in the rear 28c tire (front has been fine). Tires measure almost 30mm (21 mm ID rim) so I think the TPU material is on the limit. I prefer a few grams penalty if I can get them to last longer. I don't really trust RideNow claims that their inner tubes can go from 18 to 32, that is too much.
At the moment in my gravel I have continental 4 seasons 32mm, with another AliExpress TPU inside - Cyclami. The problem with these is that the material is sticky and I got many punctures while mounting the tire back onto the rim. Otherwise the feeling is nice and smooth. RideNow and Pirelli are so far the best.
Number one upgrade for me (for touring) is Schwalbe inner tubes with removable valve cores - and don’t forget the lithium grease. Why? Well if you have a puncture (unlikely in my experience with Marathon tyres) then you can remove the core, inject Dr. Blue, pump up and be on your way. Game changer. Why the grease? Well, I’ve found that the cores leak a little air - but if you remove them, grease them, and reinstall them then they’re airtight. I did LeJog - and I had zero punctures and I didn’t need to pump up my tyres from one end of Great Britain to the other.
I’m super happy with latex tubes. Yeah, they lose pressure pretty quickly. But they’re fabulous to ride on.
You should take into account with going tubeless, you need a way of inflating the tyre to "pop the bead". A normal handpump wont be able to do that. Seeing as this video was made for beginners, a pump with a pressure chamber should be accounted for in the costs. Something I have found to be great upgradewise is pedals, chain and/or sadle. Especially the sadle makes a big difference!
Great video though. Love seeing Francis do mechanic stuff. Something relaxing about how methodic he is!
@@BrightLight105 That is interesting. Having never run anything other than innertubes, I would have thought that it didnt matter what tyre your are using. That said, I have only watched videos of people seating beads on gravel/mtb tyres that are much wider than your average road tyre. Thanks for the imput! :)
You can also get something like the airshot canister, which you pressurise with a floor pump. Then flip the switch to the dump all the air at once into the tyre.
You also need sealant every few months, clean, rinse and repeat...
@@DR_1_1 yeah but what you spend in sealant you'll save in inner tubes as you'll need less of them
@@ZanziBarroso Sealant is only a fraction of the extra costs of the tubeless "system", unlike tubes.
I reckon Saddle has to be up there! They're often not nearly the same level of inexpensive - but look around, wait for a summer sale, and you can find some really nice saddles with things like a pressure relief channel for £50 or less. End of the day the bits of you in-contact with the bike are the bits that tend to suffer most, so a good saddle can make a world of difference.
Only tip is to try before you buy. Bit tricky I know - but go to a bike shop and ask to just sit on few and see how they feel, ask your mates to ride their bike for a couple of miles, if you can even see if you can trial a saddle for a bit - a friendly local bike shop might be able to lend you an old display model in exchange for a packet of biscuits and a security deposit!
On the orignal review of this bike the rear cassette was spoken about and said to not be ideal for the average rider due to limited gearing selection to tackle hills etc. I was wondering did you ever change the cassette on the bike, and if you havent, could you recomend one that will work with the orignal rear derailleur? Thanks in advance, and thank you for the fantastic channel.
Always great to listen to this guy some great advice and his delivery is from sheer experience, great knowledge, and an honest approach. Thank youuuu
Anatomic handlebars are excellent, if the reach is too far in the drops your stem is probably too long or angled incorrect to your fitment requirements
2:29 one day I'll watch a youtube video where the link promised to be in the description is actually there.
This.
2 good upgrades ive done is superslick/thin stainless gear cables as mine came kinked from new and some hope jockey wheels as mine were just a bush in a plastic wheel made my cheap bike feel much more premium
Thank you, thank you and again thank you! You literally saved me with the suggestion regarding a handlebar with a reduced reach. Even after two bike fittings I still had numb hands. A shorter stem did not solve my problem, because whereas it was comfortable in the position "on the hoods" it was uncomfortable "on the tops" - and vice versa with a longer stem. Now, thanks to a handlebar with a 70mm reach my bike position is perfect in both positions and I have no more numb hands!
I'd ditch the tubeless setup and spend the money on a decent saddle instead. Much more important to have comfortable contact points than ever so slightly better performing tire setups.
Your tyre is a contact point, the most important one, where the bike interacts with the ground. If you can run at a comfortable pressure rather than the one dictated by the minimum pressure of your tube then you will be more comfortable. I say that as someone who hasn't made the switch yet, running 28s at 75 and dreaming of cushy 65.
A saddle is just a personal preference thing, something you'll probably have to change out at some point anyway, so it's factored in at point of sale. When I got my Audax bike second hand it had the most plush armchair saddle on it. I immediately swapped it for my brooks C15. Now looking at Selle Italia boost since apparently I need a cutout. All in all I will have spent a lot more on saddles trying to find the perfect fit than I ever would have if I went tubeless.
I don't understand why it's an "either or" as well. Surely they're two separate aspects of the bike that you're thinking of upgrading separately. One is inevitable, the other is "when I have time/cash/equipment".
@@hendrixinfinity3992 It's not an "either or" in a real world scenario, it is just in the context of this video. If you're working with a fixed 100 bucks spending limit then a comfy saddle would be a priority upgrade over a tubeless setup for me personally. A couple of reasons why tubeless shouldn't be a priority for someone buying an entry level bike and looking to upgrade:
1.) Relative cost: Tubeless setups are expensive. Tubeless ready tires, rim tape, valves, and sealant all add up to a chunky bill. Run off the mill tubes are a fraction of that.
2.) Entry level bikes like the one in this video, rarely come with tubeless ready wheels. They are becoming more and more common, but they are still not the norm. So people buying those bikes gotta make sure their wheelsets are compatible to begin with and if they're not, they might have to invest half the bikes price in a new wheelset, which makes little sense if you're just getting into the sport.
3.) Know-how and tools are not readily available for everyone. Tubeless setups require you to learn a decently complex mechanical process and to be in the possession of specific bike tools. If you do not meet these requirements yourself, you gotta get a bike shop to do the deed for you, which means blowing out the budget limit.
I don't mean to discredit the advantages of tubeless setups, but for what's being presented in this video it's a debatable "upgrade", that ignores many of the associated costs outside the acquisition of tubeless ready tires, sealant, and valves.
@@lanceflare but again, if I'm buying a bike then 90% of the time I will be changing the saddle. So it's not so much an upgrade as an inevitable. I would say the same for all contact points.
As an example planet x don't supply bikes with pedals because they assume you're going to change them to the ones you like.
I'm not saying it's for everyone or that everyone should go out and do it. I'm saying they're not comparable. Tubeless is always an upgrade whereas finding the right saddle, tape, bars, shoes and pedals is a process that will hopefully result in an upgrade. The bike fitter on this channel says that saddle choice is far less important than saddle position, and I tend to agree.
If you do tubeless, you need to ride your bike. Especially in a hit climate, they can dry up pretty quickly if the sealant doesn’t move.
For this reason, my gravel tires are tubeless, but I use tubes for my road wheels because I just don’t use them as often
good pointer! another reason for me to stick with tubes
... hot* climate. And right, as long as you have to mess with sticky sealant, tubeless is just impractical.
I got the carrera as a winter bike, I have put mavic wheels, conti tyres, zrace calipers, new rotors and carbon seat post and it feels and looks a lot better.
Road conditions of my location differs from really bad roads to off-road so I opted Vittoria cyclocross tyres in 31c: Terreno wet front/Terreno mix rear; and studded tyres in winter. And it feels just right.
Also I agree you may have to choose handlebars with less reach and drop but huge flare (mine has 23 degree flare, that gives great control and confidence on rough terrain).
Looking forward to the tubeless video. Just spent the weekend trying to convert my gravel bike to tubeless using my tubeless ready stans wheels and gravelking tyres.
Went through stupidly expensive rim tape before switching to gorilla tape, different valves and sealant before giving up and going back to inner tubes :( I just couldn’t get the valves/wheels to seal properly.
What did work for me though was soaping the bead and using a cheap hand pump to pop the tyres on every time. Will give it another go after watching the new video.
you shouldn't add sealant until you have seated your tyre otherwise things could get very messy.
Besides the soap did you try removing the valve core when seating ?
Yeah, its a bit of a dark art, but once you have managed tubeless set ups, then its less of a faff, than trying to avoid snake biting tubes. I have been running tubeless on the MTB for about 10 years. key things are making sure your beads and bead seats are clean, you have a decent pump to "pop" the bead on (Milk It do a pressurized bottle, which works well and is cheap). Once you have got your valve stems in and sealed, leave them alone. Note different rims work better with different valve stems.
Absolutely. A decent aluminum frame and decent aluminum wheels are the core of a bicycle that will provide a lot of enjoyment and utility for many years, even decades. Supple tires, a compliant seatpost, a proper saddle, and a professional fit can turn such a bike into a terrific bike.
never had luck with tpu inner tubes with my grand sport. switched back to butyl and havent had any problems for 1k km.
5th _'cheap upgrade'_ would probably be brake pads for better braking performance. Although prices can vary from as low as a little under £10 to as high as £70-80. I ran cheap koolstop pads on my bikes for many years. Although they arent as readily available as they used to be before the pandemic hit.
Yes, you canget the parts to go tubeless for that price, but you also need the right pump if you want to install them without struggle.
I have muc-off tube sealant in my latex tubes and it works fantastically. They hold air much longer than stock and I have already had a pinch puncture seal beautifully.
ive always wanted to do this.... i run latex tubes on my gravel bike, ive never punctured but if i do that added protection
@@abedfo88 I think it works particularly well with pinch punctures because the sealant adheres between the tire and the punctured tube. I have not had an actual puncture yet so I'm not sure how it will seal in that case. But I'm a big boy so pinch punctures are far more common.
Literally just changed the bars on my Domane SL6 to the Deda Zero 1 RHM. The difference in reach is 18mm. I constantly felt like I was reaching further than I wanted so the change in bars has been massive. Cost £18.50 from Merlin too, bargain!
For cycling on city roads I’m loving my pretty cheap Hutchinson Challengers. Smooth and pretty fast running very durable tyres.
That handlebartape is the best, I've discoverd it last year. I still have a set of lizard skin ready to try on another bike. Curious if I will like it better then the bbb one...
I'm in the process of i stalling a new set of wheels (dt swiss rim brake) and had a set of tubolitos laying around. But the tires measure 29.5mm. Not sure now if I should use the tubolito's. Was also considering going tubeles but if you buy quality producs the costs quickly add up. Tires are also more expensive and you would need to buy a 'patch kit' for tubeless also.
Thx for all the tips 😉
Flakjack tires I run 700x32 and they are great, but I got a specialized XL. It is my favorite bike I ever had. But I use latex inner tubes I guess cause I pump my bike almost every day…. But I got a tiny compressor that is good for a few days.
For added comfort, when you swap bar tape, add some gel pads to the bars first. I use Fizik ($30) but there are several to choose from, including Planet Bike ($15) who also make my favorite bar tape (Comfort Cork).
I didn't think this was worth it at all. 90% of the time I'm on the hoods anyways.
Back in the day, just used to add a strip of bar tape to the top of the hooks b4 wrapping. Cheap and cheerful and more aero than a full double wrap.
I like to double wrap only the drops, makes you spend more time there when it feels like a sofa.
Makes them way to thick mayaswellnjust use cork tape or double up tape, I prefer thin feeling tape myself though
I would like to mention that going tubeless requires a tubeless tyre which is more expensive than a tube typ tyre, i.e. the Hutchinson 11 Storm TL is 50 € compaire to the Hutchinson 11 Storm that set me back only 33 €. I looking forward to you video about going tubeless with an non tubeless read tyre.
As your are sponsored by Hutchision Tyres: the Hutchinson 11Storm Fusion 5 has printed a min pressure of 6 bar / 87 PSI on the side. That roundabout 1 bar above the tyre pressure given by the Silca pressure calculator. Do you recommend to go lower than the minimum tyre pressure given by Hutchinson for the tyre? Cheers from Berlin
Also tubeless ready wheels are often more difficult when it comes to change tyres...
About pressure I think the manufacturers give the pressure for performance, maybe longevity, but just like for your car, you should follow the numbers given for the vehicle, not those written on the tyre itself (on mine they are 2.5 - 2.9 bars on the car, and 3-4 bars on the tyres, I used 3.5 bars until the mechanic told me to read the plate in the car instead)? For the bike, your weight, the road type and riding style are important.
That said I never use the pressure calculator (I might try by curiosity), I just adapt the recommended pressure to my needs, e.g. I never pump my Michelin pro 4 to 110PSI, firstly it's really hard to do with my hand pump, and they are quite uncomfortable at this point! I'm not into competition...
Edit : I just used the calculator, and it gives me exactly the numbers I use usually 85-90PSI, 6 bars!
Also very cheap and not so difficult: bearings, if the bike has lived a few years already, fresh headset bearings and wheel bearings will feel great. Bottom bracket as well if needed (but that is usually more obvious when bad).
I switched to Pirelli PZero TPU tubes last year, I like them but I've already punctured two of them and I don't ride that aggressively. Thankfully Pirelli makes a special repair kit for them that's a bit fiddly to use..
Did you try Pirelli cinturato velo tyres? They seem to be very resistant, although you might prefer really fast tyres, else these might be a good compromise...
for carrera vanquish can we swap the stock tyre to a 32 inch? or which would you recommend as the stock 28" feels less safe and stable.
I used to run stans tubless conversion kits back in the day on MTB, not sure if you can still get them. Down side is there very difficult to get the tier on without damaging the rubber strip and there hard to inflate because the tires grip to the rubber strip not impossible but hard. We use to do this with non-tubless tiers and used to work well once inflated. In al honesty id recommend latex tubes and proper high-end rubber, you can often find GP5000 on offer. And the puncture properties of latex tubes i can vouch for.
Oh and zip sl70s have less reach and drop as another for some people
I ride tpu inner tubes now and they're certainly lighter lose pressure quicker than butyl tubes but overall coupled with a light wheel, they're a winner 👍
Very underrated part, which must be updated on almost every entry level bikes: Jockey wheels
9 of 10 bikes comming with these wheels with sleeve bearing, they not last long before You need cleaning and re-grease.
Changing for ball-bearing type not ruin Your pocket and this is "do it once - and forget" job.
Highly recommend.
Another informative revieiw. I've actually done all the upgrades menitoned in this video. The biggest one was actually the handlebars. My bike came wth a 15-mm riser bar with 75 mm reach. I've replaced it with a non-riser dropbar with 65mm reach. Now the ride is much more comfortable.
Anyone know if the Vanquish will fit 35 wide tyres? Thinking about a cheap second hand gravel build and feels like it could be a good starting point. Thanks!
That BBB tape is awesome, I use the Gravel version as its a bit thicker
Great review of sensibly costed upgrades👍. Don't forget you'll need a specific tubilito patch kit if you are going to use the tubilito inner tube 👍. Nice cameo from wor Jimmi at the end! 👍
What were you guys riding before 25mm?
Im pretty sure my old 70's schwinn had at least 25mm tires.
Awesome video, groovy music. Puts me in my happy place 😌
Alternatively titled, How to Make Your Bike-Shaped Object into a Proper Bike
Really, that’s all they need sometimes
Decathlons bike is a bike imo
@@EstelonAgarwaen yes they are. I have one.
@@Relevant_Irrelevance my commuter is a riverside 720tr. Solid bike. Even took it on vacay last year.
@@EstelonAgarwaen Mine's one of their alu Van Rysels. Lovely thing. My only complaint is that I really like the stock saddle it comes with but it's gashed and used up sub-5k km in.
There is a major bike upgrade video missing from all of youtube, or lost deep in a thiccc stack of videos.
What order to upgrade your bike in. Where to spend the money 1st to get the best benefit?
I often hear you start with the frame, then its the wheels, but then where? The seat? The bars? I also hear drivetrains are so good that they should be the last upgrade?
Im about to buy a bike and im wondering if i spend the $1,200 on the better model bike. Im looking @ the specialized Roubaix. I can get the base model for $2,800 (tiagra 10spd, futureshock 3.1, and formula wheels) or i can spend $4,000 on the same bike with upgrades (105 di2, futureshock 3.2, and dt swiss on specialized hubs) The main upgrades are the drivetrain and the futureshock being dampened hydraulically. But for $1,400 I can toss some ENVE foundation wheels on the low spec bike.
And now here is where i think im starting to sell myself the low spec bike. Im really interested in running the bike with a 2x gravel drivetrain. I want to run my Roubaix with 40mm tires,GRX gearing for hills, and flared gravel style bars. I feel like the grx 820 or 825 di2 is my dream drivetrain. It offers that gearing iI want and the shifters for flared bars. Theres also some stuff im seeing about wear on shimano road cranks that doesnt happen with grx?
Anyway, im just looking for help making decisions. Having the 105 di2 would be nice as i could slowly convert to grx di2 piece by piece over time, possibly saving money doing a bit of Frankensteining?
Theres also the futureshock 3.3. Its in the top models and offers on the fly adjustment. Its a $400 upgrade.
Thanks for this one. Lots of lovely tips that I will employ
Deda is also the only brand to make modern shaped bars for a small diameter stem that are perfect for gripping the center of the bars.
What about TPU tubes? I'm hearing a lot of great feedback about them over tubolito/latex and standard tubes but yet to try them.
Tried a lot of Tubolitos and they all went flat for no reason, even in a Schwalbe Marathon Plus. There were no punctures. The tubes lost air at the valve or just got holes. Much, much better experience with latex-tubes. You need some more pressure than tubeless, but it's much less of a mess.
Sounds like a real quality control issue. Had that happen on the tubes that came with cheap bikes. Trying to find the hole and hear it coming from the valve, no hole in the tyre.
Thanks for the video. Question: Is tubeless worth the trouble for a road bike in 2024 or can I get nearly all the benefits with less hassle by going for TPU inner tubes?
My hunt carbon wheels are tubeless, my tyres aren’t. I tried to get them to seal, but they never did. They’d lose too much air in 24 hours to be viable. But it cost me nothing to try, as I have a 2L bottle of sealant and loads of valves for my mountain bikes.
Carrera Vanquish or Triban RC120 Disc Edition?
New to biking. Looking at entry level budget bikes that I wouldn’t mind spending a few bob upgrading down the line.
Classic Francis vid. Love it all
Beginner question: Are latex tubes a good idea (possible even) for 38mm tires?
For a tyre as big as a 38mm, you'd be better off going for tubeless. Tubeless ride great and have much better puncture resistance than tubes. Once you've set them up once it's not difficut. They work particularly well on larger lower pressure tyres. I run tubeless on my 43mm gravel bike and 2.3" MTB. I took the MTB tyres off earlier in the year, as I had bought a new wheelset. Through the tyres were a total of 8 15mm long thorns, every one of which would have caused a puncture with tubes. I hadn't noticed and had no loss of pressure at all.
I upgraded first time ever my butyl inner tube to a Vittoria competition 30/30-622 latex inner tube (running 32mm Panaracer Gravelking tyres), to be honest other than they loosing air in a snap (within 40km it looses 1,5 Bar) I couldn't feel any difference nor improvement on speed/ride quality. What is your experience, guys?
I am riding a Decathlon RC520 on stock wheels.
Is that the supple version of these tyres?
Also I think you need light wheels to feel a difference, and I've read a few comments like yours, even under this video, btw, with different gear.
@@DR_1_1
I don't actually know about them being supple or not. 32mm version has an additional protection insert against punctures, 35mm doesn't.
Yeah, running on original wheels.
I domt know which upgrade I need to take to meet 6-spoke dosc break quick release shimano 11speed version of hub, etc
@@andras.89 I see 2 versions of these tyres, one would be softer, ie you can fold it a bit like a tube, the other less..
Anyway I don't think you will gain anything with latex or even tubeless, except extra work. It's either for high performance (Tour de France in mountains stages), or for MTB, maybe gravel bike competitions where tubeless have more adherence on bad trails, with lower pressure.
i was wondering. if you replace the rc120 handle bar, does it make it more aero?
Really good, honest and balanced recommendations!
Wondering if the Deda handlebars fit normal stems as they are .1 mm thicker in diameter
Hi brilliant videos 👌 you said your sponsored by Hutchison tyres and I’m looking at putting some winter tyres 28mm on my winter bike what Hutchinson tyre would you recommend ? Thank you 👍
you forgot to include the link to the handlebar setup vid..!
Thanks a lot for your videos, they are enjoyable and plenty of good advices. Err... For the tires, I use Schwalbe brand on my bikes and I consider the brand as the best one (around 8000km / year).
Flexribbon bar tape is the best stuff I ever used, very cheap comparing to other brand and it look the business when wrapped tightly
I can't go back from tubeless. I have the Pirelli Cinturato set up tubeless and they ride like a dream.
I am upgrading my bars, I bought a second hand bike and it had narrower bars than my gravel bike, and I like it. I cracked the frame on that bike and it cost $180, so I have the narrower bars for my gravel bike, a bit expensive for aluminum bars tho...
Sealant in innertubes has worked a charm for me with city bikes especially. Many years, no flats, with the more dreadful dried our multi dozen patched tube you've ever seen. However...does latex sealent work in latex tubes...? I'm not so sure...
sealant*
Hi Francis what is Hutchinson equivalent to Conti GP5000 not sure if you will reply great content though.
Am I not looking in the right places for tires? I can't find decent tires for less than $50 a piece. I am also looking for gravel tires not road. Is that my issue?
Awesome video y'all! Really useful for those that stuck to your budget bike recommendations! Would've loved to see a direct before:after test by Jimmy though.
What is you're bike shop round the corner? I think you're in or near Carliol Square and the only bike shop I know of round the corner there was FYEO and that burned down? 😉
Where is the link for changing the handlebars?🕵♀
Maybe changing of rear derailleur's Jockey Wheels to ones with ceramic bearings?
My TPU inners were both destroyed within 2 rides. Felt awesome, but I HATE flat tires, so .. not sure if I am willing to try those again.
I had 2 punctures in 4 months, although I also fitted them to nicer, but more fragile tyres. I don't think it had to do with the tube, but with the tyre casing.
I patched them and they are still running well though. They feel nicer than butyl.
I have question 🙋♂️
Is kenda tire agood brand or not?
If I recall correctly, most butyl inner tubes are manufactured from Kenda, even if on the outside the packaging says otherwise.
They're an okay brand, and they even make great high-performance tyres. Yet, in Europe most Kenda tyres are found on budget bikes, are therefore rather mediocre and their high-performance after-market tyres are hardly available here.
What trackpump is Francis using?
Was the sound issue my PC or your video?
same hear ;) must be the video
The best upgrade you can make is decent tyres. I wouldn't bother with tubeless starting out although it is VERY good. Latex is good but you need to blow up every ride they will loose loads of air in 24 hours. You also need to be careful not to get chain lube on them as it destroys the latex very quickly.
Start with tyres get comfortable and confident and then start experimenting with tyre pressures. Never use 120psi start and 100 and work your way down so you can feel the difference. On tubes I sit at around 80 on a 28 but could probably go lower
There's no link to handlebar set-up video in the description
I bought a Vanquish earlier this year. I've swapped out everything but the wheels, fork, brakes and seatpost. Waiting on the £250 China rim update.
I should probably point out that I already had 105 r7000 on my 20yo Raleigh Zwift bike.
Nice.
I ride a hybrid-city bike whatever you want to call it, I run tubes in it mostly for the ease of fixing punctures but I would have no problems with tubeless I'm looking at getting a Trek FX Sport 4 and it comes ready for tubless I may have the shop do that when they do the setup.
LOL I could do it myself but they offer free setup and I love supporting my LBS.
Over 2 decades ago, I did a bunch of MTB racing with non tubeless rims and tyres, tubeless. Results were MIXED. As in: incredible the moments it worked, and a bunch of DNF that sucked. Just popping off the rim, even on a training ride. Cross was even worse, I didn't get that to work. Eventually I gave up, and later rims and tyres got actually useful for tubeless but I was away from cycling then.
Handlebar bar tape, saddle and tyres is definitely top 4 choices. Not likely one can stretch the budget for tubeless tho.
... bar tape, saddle and tyres are* top-4 choices.
I've heard Tubolitos aren't suitable for rim brakes - is that true? My road machine is a rim brake hold out :D
Nonsense. They have to fit the tyre, not the brake. Most of my road bike buddies who still ride rim brake bikes use these tubes, no issues whatsoever. I have them in reserve, but haven't had a flat since I bought them, so I have to wait until I can make my own experiences with them.
@einundsiebenziger5488 he doesn't mean about the tube not fitting the brakes lol
He's talking about when the wheel rim gets hot due to heavy braking. Some people say it causes them to pop.
I think the BBB tape is very similar too (if not the same as...) the Fabric knurled tape. if that is the case, it's great value for money. I got over 10 000km out of my Fabric knurled tape.
... similar to*
Curious about BBB vs ZIPP Service course. Never tried BBB
I exclusively use schwalbe pro one tube type tires. Anyone able to compare them with the ones mentioned in the video?
Very useful!
Will those handlebars be good on a gravel bike?
Of course! Dedicated gravel bars are a fad, anyway. Maybe go one size wider for gravel than for road.
Glad to hear the Hutchinson Fusion 5 is cheaper than the Continental Gatorskin tires I was considering. I may check them out for my next purchase.
Gatorskins are the most puncture resistant tires there is, hence the cost. Note that's with expense with their rolling resistance which is not that good.
@@JPatteri indeed, that was my experience on the past w/ them. Living in an urban area with predictably umm "spotty" roads, solid puncture resistance on this bike is important.
@@malcontent_1 Check Pirelli cinturato velo have slighty lower rolling resistance and better puncture resistance than Gatorskins, and Vittoria Randonneur 50% more resistant, but also 50% higher rolling resistance...
I have friends who are professional triathletes and they race on Gatorskins because if they puncture on race day they don’t get paid. Yes they are slightly heavier but they are amazingly puncture resistant
@@davidtydeman1434 I've since purchased a replacement set of Gatorskins (Black Edition) - because they just _work_
The lightweight inner tubes are a disaster waiting to happen. Despite being 'experienced', I fitted a set the night before a ride. The next morning I set off, and on a 17% descent right by my house the front deflated and I crashed at 35kmh, breaking my collar bone. I would not recommend them for someone new to the road.
Did it puncture and how would it differ for sombeody new/old to road cycling? I run tubless but bought some RideNow as my backups to get my home
Has anyone tried putting the tubeless sealant in an inner tube? I don't believe you "don't get punctures" with tubeless, I think they're just delt with instantly, so you don't notice them...
First thing i change is gears/brakes with Shimano 105 or Sora to save some more money.
Tyre. Don't buy competition/fast tyre. It will 100% puncture! Buy tires with some "meat" on them.
Inner tube i use Cyclami TPU, green color. I choose them because they have metal valve with thread and nut. 26 grams for road bike (700x28c).
Now you will have a decent bike without selling a kidney.
ive used tubeless on my mtbs for 10 plus years by now and ill never convert my road bikes to tubeless, its way to muchh hassle for something that in my opinion is solved on road bikes with tpu tubes. Ive done the ghetto conversion, stans kit and tried milkit and dt swiss kits and ALL are a pain in the ass when changing tires and getting them to not leak. once done well,tubeless setups feel nice atleast on mtbs
I will not go tubeless for a while, that's for sure. I should change saddle instead.
5:26 If that's true I'm so sorry for the ppl in britain... although I doubt you've been in extremadura
Is the music a 2nd Life Bikes shoutout?
Take Ridenow TPUs over tubeless any day. Sealant, TLR tyres, plugs, valves, rim tape... they have to all work well together. And they often don't. Too much mess on for road bikes IMO
yeah bar tape definitely added 50 watts power to my bike
TPUs are great spares to save space. Ride quality is not really that different, certainly not "significantly" (Pirelli TPU vs Pirelli lightest butyl, paired with P Zero 4s tyres)
Love cork bartape.
If you buy a bike and upgrade every single component on it can you still call it the same bike?
Ahh the old ship of Theseus paradox.