I definitely agree on the front derailleur setup. If you ever go to a 1x I would recommend getting a slightly smaller chainring like a 32t just for some extra climbing help
I really appreciate how you, upfront in the video, share how much you spent for the bike and how much spent on upgrades. So many folks here go upgrade crazy, but never share how much the upgrades cost. Nice job!
I have one too but I took it out of the case. The case is cool but it can pop open during big jolts. Maybe stuffing a piece inter-tube inside to keep the tool from bouncing around would solve that. Or a fat rubber band. : )
Just got this bike delivered last week. I immediately swapped to a 1x with new cranks, changed bars and stem, and swapped to some metal platform pedals. I am going to get a bigger rear cassette and rear deraileur/shifter. I am having problems with both front and rear brakes. They are rubbing on the pads now matter what adjusting I do. It is the only flaw so far but it is a big one. I also took the whole bike apart including the bottom bracket and headset. I am very glad I did, as zero grease was used by whoever assembled it at the factory. When I saw it would be delivered with "assembly required" I was hoping that meant it would come completely in pieces. Would have made upgrades as well as my trust in the build much easier. I trust my own work way more than an unseen worker at the plant.
Those are some smart upgrades! Usually someone at Dicks installs the bike and they ship if from a store.. usually not the best mechanics work there haha. Enjoy the bike!
Cool man. I like the derailleur delete! . I should of done that sooner since it eliminates a lot of the chain slap but I ended up going with the ixf everyone is using. Makes the bike a little lighter too!
Yes, large tires can fit on the bike frame, but watch out since the stock rims are very narrow. I wouldn't recommend larger than 2.4 tires on the wheels the bike comes with.
2:09 brake rotors can easily be trued, even on the bike, but in a truing stand with a rotor truing add on it can be much easier. rotors will get bent, and need truing, in most cases there is no reason to buy new, but if they snapped or are kinked, folded, then that's new rotor time.
Truing wheels and brakes is a little complex for me. I've tried the "bike hacks" version of truing a wheels but never a rotor. Ordering new disks solved my problem quicker and faster than a bike shop could! Thanks for all the tips btw
@@alexpennie truing rotor is easy, just use a adjustable wrench. Truing wheels is easy too just do it by half turns, and eventually quarter turns, little by little, I true my wheels regurally it's a must, to not get them out of true too much, which takes longer to true, by doing it more often you save time, money.
@@alexpennie I have done that before I had a truing stand, but so much better to do it with a truing stand, I have several wheels so I swap wheels if wheel get out of true too much, or more things are wrong, then I fix the wheel later, little by little, I tend to warp tyre, wear out beads, so I need to swap tyres too sometimes, when that happens I just take wheels off, tyres off, tyre insert, clean, it true it, put new tyres on, true rotor if needed, with a wheel in the bike. So truing stand allows truing the wheel without the frame.
@@alexpennie a bikeshop can take longer than doing the job yourself, that's true, but get tools you need to work on the bike, you don't need a special tool for rotor truing, I've used adjustable wrench for years, with perfect results.
0:34 and 1:42 put the quick release lever so it is infront of the fork close to the leg but not touching, for correct tention, you should get an imprint in the palm of your hand, with levers like these it's best to go by feel cus the actuation might be different with other models and with shimano classic style the clamping is not offset, so 90 deg/straight out it should start to clamp. also put the brake hose at on the other side of the fork leg towards the wheel, not on outside of leg, do this to protect the brake hose in a crash.
@@alexpennie good i forgot to mention having quick release the correct way, keeps it away from branches that can get stuck for example or big rocks, less risk of it opening gin a crash too.
Awesome bike. I just wanted to know how you removed the front chainring protector on your bike because I can't seem to find any screws to remove them on my GT Aggressor Pro. Thanks!
Do you mean the plastic part ? If so that part broke off on accident, the chain fell from the largest ring and got wedged in between. I just ripped off the rest of the plastic after that
Hello out there! What a great video clean content love the video quality and sound quality as well. I actually have the same exact bike brand new in stock condition I purchased it ended up never using it since I got an electric bike and got lazy if anyone’s interested in purchasing it, let me know. I’m in the Portland area.
2:34 and can be a death trap. Wake handlebars can vary in roundness, thickness inside, and can too small diameter at the clamping area. you should avoid all WAKE products. this video by TCBOT explains and shows that pretty well: ruclips.net/video/qqMMNOnPxdA/видео.html these bars are known to snap. stems can have burrs, due to worn out machining tool, and not de-burring it, which can cut a carbon handlebar so it fails.
I appreciate the heads up, based on the comments on the video most people haven't had an issues....yet. I don't ride anything too crazy but down the line i'll probably replace these with better and wider ones!
Hey man i just wanted to know if the handlebar is anygood cause I've seen couple of video people showing there wake handlebars just snapped off Btw i don't really do mountain biking i just go around the town with my friends
They’re fine for your purpose in my opinion. Yes I’ve seen some of those videos, but I bet 95% of people never have issues with them. I haven’t... yet.
@@alexpennie i found a second hand bitwin 720mm handlebar for the same price as these wake bars I'm gonna probably get that bitwin handlebar with a wake stem at least wake stems are safe
You don't have to drill out your rims buy a valve core removal tool take the valve core out and you can inject the Slime directly into the tire tube by drilling a hole wider and adding a Schrader valve you just weakened your rim
The tubes i have don't have a removable core, plus I haven't gotten a flat in 2 months since buying Maxxis tires. You may be right about weakening the rim, I bent my rear wheel pretty bad and had to replace it. Not sure if the drilling the hole bigger made a difference or not
@@Oper8or That was my very first change on this bike when I got it last week. I thought I had no idea too, but I bought a cheap bike tool set on Amazon, watched a few videos here, and everything went really smooth.
Question. How are those discs working for you? I bought my bike about a month or so ago and love it however, when I hit the brakes, I get a loud noise from them which is beyond annoying.
Mechanical disk break especially the cheap ones will squeal and when get really bad they will gobble some people say turkey gobble.The best upgeade look on ebay for shimano mt200 hydraulic brakes set front and back with disk for under 60 bucks will your best upgrade ever.
I have a similar model (Aggressor Expert). Do yourself a favour and get a deore 1x10 group set and a narrow wide chainring, or buy the parts individually (what I did and was cheaper). It really isn't that expensive and it makes just a difference on these bikes. With the shitty stock one i was constantly needing readjustments, was getting chain drops and nasty chain slap. Can easily do it yourself just using RUclips videos
@@alexpennie yeah it certainly does, chain drops are a thing of the past for me. I would definitely consider pairing it with a 10-12s casset designed for mtbing though. Deore is one option but there are other entry level ones around the same price. I think I read you were using it on roads as well as for climbing, and i'm assuming downhill? 1x8 will gimp you forever, will give you absolutely garbage cadence, make climbs way more difficult than they should be and wear much quicker as they aren't really designed for what we use mtbs for.
It’s easy and doesn’t need any extra mods. You have to take off your left handlebar grip to remove the shift lever. Then break the chain and take off the derailleur.
They definitely will help, but even though I did, I wouldn’t recommend drilling your rims. The problem for me was the stock tires. Haven’t had a flat since getting Maxxis tires and that’s with only a slime tube in the rear wheel
I was just curious, you said you paid $400 used? You can buy them new for $300, I think you might have been ripped off. Also I noticed your tires appear to be on backwards, Maxxis tires typically have the model on the drive side when mounted, just a heads up.
Oh damn that sucks they are not a $500 bike man. I just noticed that and had to check mine before I said anything didn't want to come off as a douche haha. Nice bike though man I just got done building mine and I love it!!!
Get rid of your drivetrain go to 1x12 the whole thing you have there is shit lose your stock bars get locked on grips and real pedals origin 8 titaniums and a Thompson stem
Nice upgrades man. It is always fun seeing what others have done to their bikes. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jeremiah, I appreciate it!
A trick : you can watch series on InstaFlixxer. Been using them for watching all kinds of movies lately.
@Rhett Kellen definitely, I have been watching on InstaFlixxer for since november myself :)
@Rhett Kellen yup, I have been watching on instaflixxer for years myself :)
@Rhett Kellen yup, have been using instaflixxer for years myself =)
When you lock your axle cams, point the levers up towards the forks. This keeps them from getting snagged on things and potentially causing a crash.
I got two slime tubes with the Presta valve. I had one flat and since have had none, jagged rocks and all.
I definitely agree on the front derailleur setup. If you ever go to a 1x I would recommend getting a slightly smaller chainring like a 32t just for some extra climbing help
Just upgraded to a 1x , went with a 34t and def felt a difference climbing!
Alex Pennie cool
I really appreciate how you, upfront in the video, share how much you spent for the bike and how much spent on upgrades. So many folks here go upgrade crazy, but never share how much the upgrades cost.
Nice job!
Thank you! Definitely spent too much haha
Love that multi tool, got one for my birthday and I love it
I have one too but I took it out of the case. The case is cool but it can pop open during big jolts. Maybe stuffing a piece inter-tube inside to keep the tool from bouncing around would solve that. Or a fat rubber band. : )
Can you raise the handle bars on this bike.?
Just got this bike delivered last week. I immediately swapped to a 1x with new cranks, changed bars and stem, and swapped to some metal platform pedals. I am going to get a bigger rear cassette and rear deraileur/shifter. I am having problems with both front and rear brakes. They are rubbing on the pads now matter what adjusting I do. It is the only flaw so far but it is a big one.
I also took the whole bike apart including the bottom bracket and headset. I am very glad I did, as zero grease was used by whoever assembled it at the factory. When I saw it would be delivered with "assembly required" I was hoping that meant it would come completely in pieces. Would have made upgrades as well as my trust in the build much easier. I trust my own work way more than an unseen worker at the plant.
Those are some smart upgrades! Usually someone at Dicks installs the bike and they ship if from a store.. usually not the best mechanics work there haha. Enjoy the bike!
Cool man. I like the derailleur delete! . I should of done that sooner since it eliminates a lot of the chain slap but I ended up going with the ixf everyone is using. Makes the bike a little lighter too!
Thanks! That’s going to be my next upgrade along with an oval chainring
I would recommend taking off the unused chain rings on the front
I have the GT aggressor and I think that max you have fit on it is a 2.5 to 2.6 because I have 2.4 tires with a lot of clearance.
Yes, large tires can fit on the bike frame, but watch out since the stock rims are very narrow. I wouldn't recommend larger than 2.4 tires on the wheels the bike comes with.
You should make more videos on this bike!
I will soon. I have updated the fork and a lot of other things since these two videos.
your front tire is on backwards. Otherwise, Good Build!
IXF 1X Crankset Was A Breeze To install!
You’re right! Thanks. I also just ordered the ixf crankset, bb, and oval chainring. What tools do I need for the mod?
@@alexpennie Crank puller, bottom bracket wrench. got both on amazon for less than $25
@@alexpennie I did a 1x9 conversion in my GT Pantera with an oval chain ring. I noticed a big difference in right away.
Nice bike, I want to upgrade to one of these, I just bought the schwinn high timber 27.5, it's also nice bike .
Good choice!
Awesome video bro!
Best cassete upgrade for the cash is the Micro-shift advent X,
The wake handlebars have a tendency to break, so keep an eye on it
Thanks for the suggestion, that brand looks good and affordable. Nothing wrong with my cassette or derailleur though so probably won’t upgrade
@@alexpennieyou have the stock?
i saw the bars and immediately bought them because mine cracked from a crash and i haven't found any bars that a actually like
2:09 brake rotors can easily be trued, even on the bike, but in a truing stand with a rotor truing add on it can be much easier. rotors will get bent, and need truing, in most cases there is no reason to buy new, but if they snapped or are kinked, folded, then that's new rotor time.
Truing wheels and brakes is a little complex for me. I've tried the "bike hacks" version of truing a wheels but never a rotor. Ordering new disks solved my problem quicker and faster than a bike shop could! Thanks for all the tips btw
@@alexpennie truing rotor is easy, just use a adjustable wrench. Truing wheels is easy too just do it by half turns, and eventually quarter turns, little by little, I true my wheels regurally it's a must, to not get them out of true too much, which takes longer to true, by doing it more often you save time, money.
@@alexpennie I have done that before I had a truing stand, but so much better to do it with a truing stand, I have several wheels so I swap wheels if wheel get out of true too much, or more things are wrong, then I fix the wheel later, little by little, I tend to warp tyre, wear out beads, so I need to swap tyres too sometimes, when that happens I just take wheels off, tyres off, tyre insert, clean, it true it, put new tyres on, true rotor if needed, with a wheel in the bike. So truing stand allows truing the wheel without the frame.
@@alexpennie a bikeshop can take longer than doing the job yourself, that's true, but get tools you need to work on the bike, you don't need a special tool for rotor truing, I've used adjustable wrench for years, with perfect results.
Nice setup! Pretty sure I’m gonna get one of these bikes soon. I’ve been missing riding.
Thanks, they ride great right away.
Change to a 1x8, on Amazon they have a budget bottom bracket with crank arms for 50$ and you’d need a 34T front sprocket and total is less than 100$
That’s my next upgrade, probably going with an IXF crankset and chainring + BB.
Bad advice. 1x8 offers terrible range and isn't worth it in the slightest. Get a deore 1x10 groupset new or second hand, cheap and designed for mtbing
Nice video! That bike is a Looker!
Thanks!
0:34 and 1:42 put the quick release lever so it is infront of the fork close to the leg but not touching, for correct tention, you should get an imprint in the palm of your hand, with levers like these it's best to go by feel cus the actuation might be different with other models and with shimano classic style the clamping is not offset, so 90 deg/straight out it should start to clamp.
also put the brake hose at on the other side of the fork leg towards the wheel, not on outside of leg, do this to protect the brake hose in a crash.
Thanks for the tips, just made the changes.
@@alexpennie good i forgot to mention having quick release the correct way, keeps it away from branches that can get stuck for example or big rocks, less risk of it opening gin a crash too.
0:00 you’re welcome!
Nice i buy one 240 but nead the real rin
Nice job! Did you stick with this bike or have you moved on to something else?
Really late on this question - do you recall what size stem you used - 60mm??
31.9 x 45mm Wake Stem
Awesome bike. I just wanted to know how you removed the front chainring protector on your bike because I can't seem to find any screws to remove them on my GT Aggressor Pro. Thanks!
Do you mean the plastic part ? If so that part broke off on accident, the chain fell from the largest ring and got wedged in between. I just ripped off the rest of the plastic after that
Get Schramm level breaks the whole setup too
Love these channels.
MULTI TOOL AND THAT SLIME TUBES!!!
Hello out there! What a great video clean content love the video quality and sound quality as well. I actually have the same exact bike brand new in stock condition I purchased it ended up never using it since I got an electric bike and got lazy if anyone’s interested in purchasing it, let me know. I’m in the Portland area.
Sweet bro! I just got that bike! Mine is stock though!
Have fun with your upgrades!
2:34 and can be a death trap. Wake handlebars can vary in roundness, thickness inside, and can too small diameter at the clamping area.
you should avoid all WAKE products. this video by TCBOT explains and shows that pretty well: ruclips.net/video/qqMMNOnPxdA/видео.html
these bars are known to snap. stems can have burrs, due to worn out machining tool, and not de-burring it, which can cut a carbon handlebar so it fails.
I appreciate the heads up, based on the comments on the video most people haven't had an issues....yet. I don't ride anything too crazy but down the line i'll probably replace these with better and wider ones!
Hey man i just wanted to know if the handlebar is anygood cause I've seen couple of video people showing there wake handlebars just snapped off
Btw i don't really do mountain biking i just go around the town with my friends
They’re fine for your purpose in my opinion. Yes I’ve seen some of those videos, but I bet 95% of people never have issues with them. I haven’t... yet.
@@alexpennie i found a second hand bitwin 720mm handlebar for the same price as these wake bars
I'm gonna probably get that bitwin handlebar with a wake stem at least wake stems are safe
Just bought this bike,, lmoa
my cables are popped out how do i fix that
You don't have to drill out your rims buy a valve core removal tool take the valve core out and you can inject the Slime directly into the tire tube by drilling a hole wider and adding a Schrader valve you just weakened your rim
The tubes i have don't have a removable core, plus I haven't gotten a flat in 2 months since buying Maxxis tires. You may be right about weakening the rim, I bent my rear wheel pretty bad and had to replace it. Not sure if the drilling the hole bigger made a difference or not
Nice upgrades dude!
Thanks!
Im surprised you didnt change to a 1x setup instead of just taking the derailleur off, but if it woks it works.
At the time I didn’t know enough about bikes to upgrade, but now I have a 1x and new bottom bracket & cranks
@@alexpennie Dont get me wrong.. i have no clue how to do it. I'm still new to it.
@@Oper8or That was my very first change on this bike when I got it last week. I thought I had no idea too, but I bought a cheap bike tool set on Amazon, watched a few videos here, and everything went really smooth.
How tall are you and what is the size of the bike? if I may ask. Looking at a sport model but can't decide what size I need
I just picked up this bike by chance have you noticed if the handle bars can be raised
Question. How are those discs working for you? I bought my bike about a month or so ago and love it however, when I hit the brakes, I get a loud noise from them which is beyond annoying.
The disks are great. Yours may be dirty, get some rubbing alcohol and wipe em clean and they shouldn’t squeal!
Mechanical disk break especially the cheap ones will squeal and when get really bad they will gobble some people say turkey gobble.The best upgeade look on ebay for shimano mt200 hydraulic brakes set front and back with disk for under 60 bucks will your best upgrade ever.
just wondered whats shifters it came with, we often get a different set up in Australia...
Shimano Acera
I have a similar model (Aggressor Expert). Do yourself a favour and get a deore 1x10 group set and a narrow wide chainring, or buy the parts individually (what I did and was cheaper). It really isn't that expensive and it makes just a difference on these bikes. With the shitty stock one i was constantly needing readjustments, was getting chain drops and nasty chain slap. Can easily do it yourself just using RUclips videos
I have upgraded to a 1x with new bottom bracket and 34t oval chainring. Makes a huge difference
@@alexpennie yeah it certainly does, chain drops are a thing of the past for me. I would definitely consider pairing it with a 10-12s casset designed for mtbing though. Deore is one option but there are other entry level ones around the same price. I think I read you were using it on roads as well as for climbing, and i'm assuming downhill? 1x8 will gimp you forever, will give you absolutely garbage cadence, make climbs way more difficult than they should be and wear much quicker as they aren't really designed for what we use mtbs for.
Nice
How did you do the derailleur delete. Did you have to switch any parts out of just take the derailleur off
It’s easy and doesn’t need any extra mods. You have to take off your left handlebar grip to remove the shift lever. Then break the chain and take off the derailleur.
Having the same problem, getting a lot of flats. Is switching to slime better?
They definitely will help, but even though I did, I wouldn’t recommend drilling your rims. The problem for me was the stock tires. Haven’t had a flat since getting Maxxis tires and that’s with only a slime tube in the rear wheel
Any issues with Bent Axle's on your Aggressor?
None so far!
Just happened, Front axle bent on the clamp side of the axle after a fall.
@@alexpennie Yeah, its very fustrating... Ive had a few now.
Can you put a 2.5 wide on this bike I have one and I wanted to put a 2.5
I wouldn’t go above 2.4. The stock rims are very narrow.
Can you upgrade the regular GT aggressor with the 27.5
Yes
I was just curious, you said you paid $400 used? You can buy them new for $300, I think you might have been ripped off. Also I noticed your tires appear to be on backwards, Maxxis tires typically have the model on the drive side when mounted, just a heads up.
Where I live Dicks hasn’t had thembelow $479 since this virus stuff began, it was barely used and still had warning stickers and stuff
Yea I think the front tire is backwards but I have been too lazy to change it
Oh damn that sucks they are not a $500 bike man. I just noticed that and had to check mine before I said anything didn't want to come off as a douche haha. Nice bike though man I just got done building mine and I love it!!!
@@jakehaines8380 They are definitely a $500 bike now. That's Capitalism! Just finished putting mine together and made a few upgrades as well.
Thank you Joe Biden now they’re $500 and $2000 bikes are now $3000 so it’s all relative..
Are the maxxis tires on the stock rim or did you got another ones ?
I had maxxis tires on the both stock rims for a while. Over time both wheels/rims bent so I’ve upgraded them. I’ve always run tubes
how do you get the stock grips off?
Pour some rubbings alcohol in-between the grips and bars, use that and a screw driver to pry them off.
How’s the chain tho any chain fall off when using it for aggressive rides
Chain drops are very very rare, this chainring has held up very well
@@alexpennie thank you I just bought one
How do I replace the derailer
Why you against the colour scheme of your bike,red ugh,against yellow and gray and blue
I painted some of the logos red and now it looks much better, about to post a new video
Get rid of your drivetrain go to 1x12 the whole thing you have there is shit lose your stock bars get locked on grips and real pedals origin 8 titaniums and a Thompson stem
Whoops. Almost forgot to sub.
Thank you!
Sorry to tell you you over payed I got my new for 300
Where I live there’s a high cost of living, this bike hasn’t been below $480
Sorry to tell u but u both overpaid I got mine for £20 only had a snapped rear derailleur hanger 🙃
@@alexpennie covid
@@weirdworldofyoutube9392 I got my pivot firebird a 8,000 dollars for 1,200
No I over payed 750$ in total at sportscheck 🤣😎 but all well for what I use it for it was wroth it plus I will get my money use out of it.
do not trust those bars
Haven't died yet ;)
@@alexpennie just time asshole hang in there you're going to go