Tightarse performance upgrades <$100

Christo

Christo

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Because we can't all be Daver.

I'm sure it breaks several of the euro-cyclist's rules but I'm always on the lookout for cheap things that improve the performance of my roadie. Well in fact all my bikes but I've recently made some cheap 'upgrades' to my roadie that have had a big impact on performance, I thought I'd share them & ask for a few tips from others.

XTR inner cable - this $30 upgrade has my 105 levers punching above their weight, shifting has become smoother with much less effort to drag the front dérailleur up onto the big ring.

Odyssey Linear Slic housing - a $16 upgrade that has added noticeable power to my brakes, I can now pop endos on my roadie - it's the poor man's Nokan really, one 1.5m packet did both brakes with some spare & it comes in a heap of colours too.

Lightweight tubes - I'm using Vittoria EVO tubes at $12 each, I've dropped a fair few grammes of rotating mass.

Now I'm looking for brake pads, I've had good results with Dura-ace before but I'm thinking Koolstop salmon pads may be a winner, they're cheaper, apparently 'all conditions' and I've had good results with the thinline MTB pads.

Anyone else have any sub $100 upgrades to recommend?
 
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bumpygreen

Rate Cool
sub$100 upgrades

This may be slightly off topic but I found that if I hold off having a high fat meal on Friday night (Its Friday and who can be farked cooking on Friday night???) then I ride better on the weekend. Cheap upgrade!
 
Carlin

Carlin

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Apart from removing stickers, and shaving a few mill off your steerer-tube to save weight?

I reckon what you have mentioned is good, making what you have work better, so I think some advice on fit and setup would not be a bad way to spend $100 improving one's ride.
 
Daver

Daver

Kung Fu Panda
Christo said:
Because we can't all be Daver.
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Haha... anyway.

New tyres are the best upgrade you can do to any bike. OEM tyres are truly woeful on most bikes. While a good pair of tyres may be $70 each, it's worth it. Some shops may even have runouts on weird colours too. Even just on the front it makes a big difference, you can corner faster and brake better.

New bar tape is a comfort thing- makes a bike feel new again. Remember though, white tape can be a bit of a nightmare, although it is ubereuro. Fizik is reasonably cheap and lasts for a long time.

Swissstop pads are optimal, but before you rush out and by them there are a few good 'alternatives' that are actually the same pad... Not going to say what they are, but do have a look around- they exist for ~$10-15 (as opposed to $35+ for swissstop). I haven't tried Koolstops, although I can recommend the Bontrager 'Red' pads.

I'm not a fan of lightweight tubes, but thats mainly because Sydney roads are terrible. Seem to always flat on them. As far as tubes go however, Conti Race tubes allow you to remove the valve core. Why is this good? You can inject Stans or any form of liquid latex inside the tube, and then replace the core. Won't let you flat again. For the 20g weight, it's so much easier not having to worry about flats.
 
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Antsonline

Antsonline

Likes Dirt
If it is really just 'performance' you are looking for, rather than longevity, I know a lot of time trialists that degrease all their bearings (BB, hubs, pedals), dry them out, and then just lube them with a spray (WD40 style).

They spin like mad, but it will shorten their life. Maybe not for everyday riding.

You mentioned lightweight tubes, and I agree with Daver -lightweight butyl tubes are nonsense. However, if you replace with latex tubes you will get less punctures and rolling resistance in one go.
They do lose pressure over-night, so another sub 100 upgrade should be a good track pump! ;)
 
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Buriedpast

Likes Bikes
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Tyres....Attack/Force, GP4k, Corsa Evo, etc....

Proper bike fit...Moving my seat forward 15mm and having a very slight upward tilt on my bars with a -17Deg stem = no wrist pain sprinting from the drops. That was worth the time for me to go and do.

More pressure. See if you flat at 120, 125, 130, 135, 140 psi for a week each. When I'm sub 70kg I can run about 135psi happily in gatorskins with no issues...Use a good quality rim tape and you'll be fine.
 
MrSheen

MrSheen

Likes Bikes
Bike set up

Proper bike fit...Moving my seat forward 15mm and having a very slight upward tilt on my bars with a -17Deg stem = no wrist pain sprinting from the drops. That was worth the time for me to go and do.
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On that, can anyone recommend a good shop in Melb CBD to do a bike fitting?
 
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azicat

Likes Bikes
Heart rate monitor. You can get them for $50 or less if you shop around. Makes a great "rev counter" and training tool (if you don't already have one of course).
 
Mikka

Mikka

Squid
Nice ideas above. Truly appreciated.

Rear derrailleur sprockets spin at high RPM. Upgrading them to larger sprockets with sealed bearings seems a worthwhile investment. Quieter and smoother.
 
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alexb618

Likes Dirt
new bar tape
new cables
new socks
new gloves
new helmet pads
freshly lubed & cleaned drivetrain
clean your shoes
clean your bike properly
new cleats

all this stuff is super cheap and actually makes a difference to your riding experience, unlike a new stem or something which may save you 50g but actually does nothing. forget light tubes as rotating mass is over rated and fixing flats isnt fun.

another favourite, put your seat up 10mm and slam your stem on the headset. will make you feel fast and you might actually like the position.
 
A

a.davis12

Likes Bikes and Dirt
alexb618 said:
new bar tape
new cables
new socks
new gloves
new helmet pads
freshly lubed & cleaned drivetrain
clean your shoes
clean your bike properly
new cleats

all this stuff is super cheap and actually makes a difference to your riding experience, unlike a new stem or something which may save you 50g but actually does nothing. forget light tubes as rotating mass is over rated and fixing flats isnt fun.

another favourite, put your seat up 10mm and slam your stem on the headset. will make you feel fast and you might actually like the position.
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i agree but.
light tubes do make a difference if you are riding in the hills. otherwise heavier wheels roll better. and, the last bit is just wrong. if you put your seat up another 10mm and you hyper extend your legs, good luck to you. same with getting too low with your bars. get a bike fit.
 
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a.davis12

Likes Bikes and Dirt
alexb618 said:
you will find that 99% of people have their saddle too low and bars too high
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granted, but that leaves 1% who will fuck them selves over if the lift their seat more.

on this topic, i recently saw a guy riding a gian with an integrated seat post. it was too low. i laughed:)

{ScarFace} said:
Aww yeah, i loved seeing Contador flying down the mountain stages on 23c deemaxs


I'm interested what you're basing these claims on?
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heavier wheels take more effort to get up to speed, but stay at speed better.

its the reason why lightweight discs are pointless. discs are meant to barrel along and refuse to slow down, kind of like a road train.

this has to be put into perspective though, when i say heavier i mean ~16-1800g wheels of the same quality. not just any wheel that is heavier.

im certain that a pair of cheap "stars" ebay specials will roll like crap and make me want take to them with a hacksaw regardless of the fact they weigh about 3kg.
 
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