was buying cheap kenda tires at 10 euro , and buy some 25eu continetal ,,, yee the continetal was nice and soft with better grip ,,, but after a year they became as hard or harder than the cheap kenda , and my cheap kenda don t have change they fell the same ,
Splash the money on tires, good comfy aero kit(clothing, helmet, etc), light wheels(under 1500 grams, maybe used), 3D printed saddle, good bar-tape. Slap it all on an entry-mid level mechanical 105 equipped bike.
Ultimate Upgrade Simulator save reread print tell others. Govs, organizations. Hang up in room. Reread. Pump oxygenate device. No die, health ext. Special in simulator only reminder agreement and training class teaching to keep in simulation only. Thousand mountain generator quintillion mph generator ship secret training tool mountain Island and half planet sized advanced unit generator. Continual training tool ai. Each advanced unit creates mountain sized citizens each citizen creates populations of advanced cities interspecies each member of each advanced city creates populations repeatedly continually with a quintillion mph speed vehicle generator each ship produces advanced cities mountains and mountain sized units repeatedly continually. Generator speed controller Holograms only. Fake dolls and props only. Future generation reminder. Population communication tool in staged area only each cell in each body becomes a new species in the future. Simulator is disguised hidden as other game inside a game bundle paid to play.
Neither - I'm holding on to my old bikes for as long as I can. Cycling has become a rip off - look at how many cycling retailers, manufactures and suppliers are going out of business! The cycling industry needs to wake up and us as consumers need to force this by buying less overpriced products. The percentage increase of bikes over the last 10 years is a joke!
I totally agree with Alex about tyres: always buy the nice ones. Yes, they are kind of expensive, and they are totally consumable, but nice tyres, dollar for dollar, are probably the most effective way to upgrade your bike and improve the quality of your riding experience. Better tyres for $160-180 a pair may actually make as much of a difference as splashing $1600-2000 on a new wheelset. Overall, I think more expensive tech is actually much better, i.e., more fun, but returns for your money diminish pretty dramatically as you go up the price scale. A $3000 bike is significantly nicer than a $1000 bike; it may in fact be 3 times better. A $12,000 dollar bike, on the other hand, is of course quite a bit better than a $3000 bike, but it's not 4 times better. $12,000 is also an insane amount of money to spend on a bicycle, even if you can afford it. If you're THAT concerned about speed and not a professional cyclist, just buy a motorbike.
As a 65 year old, 102kg rider who is not interested in racing again, but rides for fun and health, I would say it’s worth it to put money into what makes getting on the bike more fun, safer, and less hassle. For me, that has turned out to be a great smart trainer and Zwift/Strava membership. I’ve put over 8000 miles on it so far this year, over 14,000 miles last year, and haven’t had to replace my tires once, haven’t been hit by a car, dealt with headwinds, rain, punctures, traffic, dogs, etc! And I get to ride and chat with great friends from around the world on a regular basis! I don’t need to worry about aero, either! Sorry, Ollie!
Great points, technically. But you're missing the thrill of taking what Mother Nature throws you way. There's nothing more inspiring than climbing that mountain under your own power. Those 14,000 miles would have been much harder and more complex, on the road, and you would have learned survival skills from them. To each his own. I'd find pedaling stationary bikes incredibly boring, as well as harsh on equipment that is no longer moving with you, to me, the essence of cycling.
@@paulmcknight4137 As I said, I've put in years of riding, and racing over the decades, and I can say that the "thrill" of being run off the road, or actually hit by thoughtless or angry drivers while alone on the road in the middle of nowhere, or the "joy" of having to find and patch a sliced or punctured tire in the pouring rain, or roaring headwind when I'm out of water, food, and bonking badly... Well, I'm well over that! Endangering my life or suffering for no reason is pointless in my mind, and I truly enjoy riding the roads, mountains, etc that the creative minds at Zwift have created, with friends around the world, still under my own power... Watts are watts, whether on my smart trainer or on the road. I could take my bike outside again, but the hassle of it all truly isn't worth it to me anymore, and isn't at all tempting! I often ride Centuries on Zwift, and enjoy every minute, whereas my IRL centuries only had moments of enjoyment sprinkled in with lots of frustration and just trying to get through. Don't need that stress in my life!
If the aero improvements only make a difference if you are averaging 40 kph, why worry about it if, like me, you're averaging 20 kph? Although I live where I can do a lot of climbing, people who live in areas that are largely flat have no worry about weight. This makes steel even more real. Electric shifting may work better than manual shifting but so little as to not be worth the trouble. Disc brakes on a road bike are junk. Campy is more and more becoming the manual groupset of the people. 12 speeds are unnecessary, but a 34 tooth cassette is. That is what destroyed the worth of the Campy 10 speed group. I am presently riding Dura Ace 10 speed group with a 105 medium arm rear Derailleur and an 11-36. But I am 80. I ride a Colnago Dream HP in the hills and a Basso Loto on the flats. The Basso rides better despite claims that frame material makes no difference.
Tools. Never skimp on tools. The first time you round a bolt from your dollar store Allen keys being soft, you'll wish you had nice ones. Anything else, if you have to pay for it, you don't need it, the pros do.
As you all know, the correct number of bikes for a cyclist is n+1. The individual price depends on the wifes divorce threshold. This threshold needs to be tested empirically by careful probing. Greetings from Germany
Spending more on roadbikes get you very, very little. Slightly better weight (which will affect you almost not at all), slightly better shifting, etc. Spending more on mountain bikes gets you a lot more - better dampers in your suspension, for example. It's worth going for the cheap road bike and spend on the MTB. And always get the best tires you can.
I think that the major component makers have killed themselves with electronic shifting. Yes, it does shift slightly better, but ANY company can make an electronic group, and I have no interest in getting back from a ride and plugging my bike in.
To be fair, the innovator for drop handlebar mountain bikes on Leadville was Dylan Johnson of RUclips fame. I believe he did it last year and talked a lot about why he thought it was a good idea for that course.
Several riders have tried it over the years, but it isn't common because it isn't advantageous on most MTB courses. Leadville is somewhere between a gravel course and an XC marathon course, and so a hybrid MTB/gravel setup makes sense.
Yesterday I got asked "What kind of bike do you have that you're able to do all these long rides?" I replied "Oh it's a cheap cyclocross I bought used in 2017 for 400€." I mean I do WANT something fancier, but it doesn't mean my cheap bike hasn't lasted 7 years and doesn't show any sign of failing.
When it comes to aero, you can often go for the "cheaper" version of a bike frame and get the same profiles, but will have to pay more for wheels. But you always pay for less weight, and quite a bit.
Rim brakes are better than disc brakes. The only reason people think discs are better is because they are all mostly hydraulic. Hydraulic rim brakes would be better, its physics. The tide will start to turn again. The market has been demanding rim brakes for years, and for good reason
@@justim4545rim brakes (whether hydraulic or cable) limit tire clearance and rim width, wear away the structural integrity of your wheels, and apply braking on an easily wet/dirtied area. Hydraulic rim brakes would still have all these issues. Move on.
Acktchually, Ferdinand Porsche was borderline frantic about having multi-purpose parts. A brake disc is single purpose. A rim brake is multi-purpose. Also rim brakes have the very porsche-like advantage of taking load off the wheel. The spokes of the front wheel never have to take torque. So I'm pretty sure Porsche would try to engineer their way out of the technical issues of rim brakes. I could see them come up with a porsche ceramic coated brake rim that basically lasts forever (and costs 10000€ for a single rim) and some smart braking surface cleaning tech. Also this comparison is stupid because disc brakes are used in sports cars for their superior heat dissipation. Rim brakes have better heat dissipation than brake discs.
If speed is the metric, the order of importance is: position, wheels, kit, tires. The frame almost doesn't matter compared to these things. One could build an extremely fast and very inexpensive bike this way. In terms of things you can't buy, fitness is actually the biggest factor.
I can´t really understand why the C68 rim brake version gets that much attention. It´s not like Wilier, De Rosa, Passoni, Heroin, Sarto, Condor, Stelbel, Victorie, Time and more ever stopped making bikes with rim brakes. They all offer it. Campagnolo still offer all the groupsets with rim brakes, Jost not as electronic groupsets.
I'm happy to spend money on reliability. Getting 40 miles from home on the road bike or 15 miles into the woods I don't want any failures. I think Sram T-type is a paradigm change in reliability / shifting. My trail e-mtb has 1,100 miles and I haven't touched the shifting since it was new.
I guess I would have to say that a saddle is a piece of equipment I'm ready to spend extra money on because I did. And I'm quite happy about that (Selle SMP Nymber). I also did buy expensive tyres but this didn't go well for me. Honestly, I don't know what else I would be ready to spend extra money on. While I like improving my performance, this is not my main objective on the bike. I ride for adventure, exploration and fun. So I value durability and reliability the most. Relatively cheap equipment often is quite good in this category.
A "105 level" bike, upgraded with some 32mm GP5000 tires and latex/tpu tubes, clipless pedals(cheap SPD M520's suffice), and a chinesium 3D-printed carbon saddle that feels comfortable to YOU(Chinese 3D saddles are cheap enough to let you experiment), are an ideal recipe. That combo is all the bike anyone will ever need, and would only be fractions of a second behind a top-spec bike in 99% of scenarios. If you want aero, buy aero kit/clothing/helmet/etc, and adjust your position(may require a stem or handlebar change, which is relatively affordable). Super expensive 60mm+ carbon rims, and an aero frame, are HUGE expenses that only benefit people who do 4+ hour rides on flat terrain at a 40kph+ average, which most people don't/can't do.
Chinese cheap enough to experiment. I love that Some of it is absolute junk. But after experimenting you eventually find some excellent products. I love experimenting 👊
Do I think bike tires are ridiculously expensive? yes. compared to their automotive cousins they are orders of magnitude more costly on a $/mile basis especially. HOWEVER, and people can fight me on this one they want, they are the NUMBER ONE influence on how a bike rides, handles, and in general just feels. They're the thing in contact with the road, so their contribution is the most important. So while it sucks spending more on a pair of bike tires than a really good road tire costs for one of my cars, they're the thing keeping me riding and rolling along properly.
I agree always used GP4000/ 5000s on my bike but recently got a new bike that came with Pirelli Cinturato Velo which are basically winter tyres and the difference is like night and day.
Tires, tools, chain (wax) are where I spent the most. Also, very nice seeing Mark on. Maybe mix in some GMBN guys on too, next time Ollie gets sick or something.
While the braking on disc is clearly better and personally I'm confident I avoided one crash this year because of disc brakes, the best advantage is allowing bigger tires. Currently on 32c and wouldn't want to go down to 28c
To me, better is a bike that needs less work, less overall maintenance, less hardware to go wrong and with all that, I kick speed off to the curb. I think reliability is better. That's what makes a great bike. I have two single speeds; one's a road, one's a klunker. They have their purpose and function. Does a guy really need a super bike? I guess if you can afford that kind of bike, you have your level of "better". I spend my money on the points of contact; the seat and grips, tires. With single speed bikes, the mechanical maintenance drops way off to the side. And that is absolute genius. The Dutch have it made and I am following their cue of reliability.
I pulled a cube aerium pro frame and forks out of a skip. Had it checked over and got the all-clear. Its got rim brakes. Im gonna fix it up and enter a london to brighton or southend... I do mtbs normally, so this is gonna be interesting. Im told its actually a good 1st bike.
Been riding for decades. Used to race. Just purchased an early 1980's Schwinn race bike, full Campy. The cost was $150.00 at a charity used bike shop. Bought a set of nice tires and adjusted the derailer. I'm never buying a new bike again.
Last bike I bought, I saved on groupset (Rival instead of Force or Red) and saved on the saddle by picking steel rails instead of splurging on extra light. Everywhere else I picked the higher end choices. One really nice thing is just the fashion statement of having nice bike
Bronze tarnishes, it won’t rust away, it’ll just dull in the same way as all other bronze you’ve ever seen! The only mistake would be not treating them or sealing, but that would wear off eventually too.
I have an older bike 21 years Giant TCR-1 performance, it has rim brakes , and do the job pretty well but on a long fast downward section , stopping can take time …… and Mavic wheels , so the great comment saying it’s harder getting wheels etc that are rim brake oriented.. will be looking to get a new bike soon…. 69 years young…
The medals are not corroding. They are reacting to the moisture and salts of the hands. That is normal for copper. Polish it and give it a thin layer of clear lacquer and the problem has gone.
If you want your sports car to handle as a minivan, put on cheap tires. Since tires effects, acceleration, braking, and turning, why ever go cheap. All this applies to a bike with the added problem of only having 2 of em. Get the best tire you can find.
I spend money on tyres for safety reasons. The last thing I want it an issue riding on a dodgy tyre going down hill over 60km per hour. I use a lower level chain and cassette than my Dura Ace group set. It depends on your priorities. I just bought some TPU tubes and some expensive tyres for races but not all races, just the ones that are important to me. I have not spent the money on carbon plated running shoes though because I would rather spend that money on making me lighter and improving my body rather than saving a few seconds. Good discussion.
I recently surrendered to my ego and bought a GRX equipped bike. Honestly other than a bit of weight savings (somewhat immaterial considering my fitness level) I'm not sure - no! let me change that - I AM sure there's not a whole lot of gain over my Tiagra equipped bike. My ego's happier but my wallet isn't.
@@_Tp___ The point is that he was a MTBer who used drop bars. You're treating biking as if we should just forget the past. It's like seeing Pogacar win his third TdF and completely forget that Greg Lemond did the same thing. Don't forget history!
splurge on: inner tubes tires saddle that works well for you hydro brakes a tight fitting jersey inner sole to avoid foot pain go cheap on: Frame (get a cheap carbon, not expensive one) groupset (mechanical tiagra will almost just as fast as ultegra di2) gels, you can replace expensive gels with any cheap sugar product bottlecages, just get plastic ones chain oil
Haha, I use my spouse's bike when mine is waiting on new parts. Her bike has Tiagra and it works so well and quite durable. I also completely agree on sport nutrition. I just eat cheap candies and have never bonked.
Cycling is an outdoor sport, and the bike of which a scratch doesn’t haunt one’s soul is definitely better. If it does, then the bike may be too expensive for you.
Problem Statement: Comment of the week winners only receive 1 water bottle. Please reference Rule #52: “Bidons should match each other…” supported by Alex pointing out in this video a mix matched bottle infringement at 21:35. Solution: Please reward winners with matching bidons. Thanks!
So, cool that Conolgo has a rim brake option but it's not exactly a bike "for the people." Would love to see more options that make a quality cycling experience approachable to the masses. A 105 rim brake, aluminum/steel frame offering could still be leaps and bounds better than any department store bike. If the cycling industry brought back bikes like this that hover around $1,500, more people would get into cycling and probably eventually upgrade. (I just got some Elite Drive Wheels no thanks to you all)
I love the shirts GCN are producing! But if you would make the logo text smaller compared to the designs it would make it wearable while my girl is watching!
@@mb10kx that's a myth or even rather a reflection of old ignorance. Impact resistance and wear resistance that make a durable tyre rely on construction and material properties different from hysterisis responsible for rolling resistance. Now, grip requirement has a lot of conflicting features with durability and fast roll, but even then it's way better understood and designed past decade.
The thing I get in all my bikes is Hunt's carbon wheelsets (road or gravel) feels great I feel faster and they are great value for money regardless if it is top spec
You know where I save money on? I don’t have any power meter, any chest-strapped heart rate monitor. And for a long time, I didn’t have a bike computer. You know what, I still have a very very good bike and I can ride as fast as I like on beautiful roads with wind on my face and sun on my back. On the other hand, whenever I had to rent an inferior bike, the one thing I missed the most by far was electronic shifting
The Leadville race is a mix of long stretches of tarmac mixed with sections of very technical terrain. It's a bit too difficult on even the burliest gravel bike and the bigger suspension platform has the advantage. However with the tarmac sections standard XC flat bars give quite a bit of a drag penalty. It doesn't surprise me that drop bars have an advantage here.
I spend quit a big amount of cash on GCN Gear and the included ridiculous high import taxes , I could have spend that on Power Meter Pedals but I feel faster with GCN written on my bum. :)
@@gcntech I have seen no other biker yet with a GCN outfit. :) actually AGU is from the Netherlands (DE ALKMAARSE GROOTHANDELS UNIE) it should be possible to get it over here saves me some import tax :D
When you look at bicycle recalls it tends to be more complicated expensive bikes like failing carbon fibre forks or very lightweight cranksets. Typically performance components are more likely to fail, don't last as long and of course more expensive to replace and even setup most of the time. A carbon fibre bike will go straight to landfill it is non recyclable. A Ferrari might be fast but its very expensive, very unreliable and even has a habit of bursting into flames and not ideal for doing your Tesco shop or leaving in a car park where youths walk by. A Toyota Corolla is probably good for 15 years of heavy use. Also isn't the average price of a bicycle sold in the world less than $200. To a person in Africa a Buffalo bike could be their ideal bike. For many people a cheaper bike will be more suitable, safer and more reliable and have a lower environmental impact. It's just the better option just like a Toyota Corolla is a better option than a Ferrari. The UK has a huge trade deficit and consumers seem to be still happy to export a huge amount of their income and yet according to the tax payer's alliance calculations there is about 180k of debt for every single person in this country from a baby just born to a a person on their death bed and there are similar debts in many other countries like Italy, France, USA etc. Extreme consumerism is just madness especially when we have global warming. We should be re-using older products as much as possible and buying products that are simple to manufacture and long lasting, not £15k plastic bikes which are easy to break and expensive to maintain. Also companies like Halfords buy directly from factories and retail directly and don't really spend much on marketing. The logistics is very simple and Halfords operate on a slim margin compared to most bike brands. You don't need to buy from a big brand you can buy a bike of the same quality for far less if you don't care about if the brand has won any races or you see the brand advertised. If you see factories in China like fuji-ta they are making bikes for all brands be it Specialized, GT, Bianchi etc as well as the shop brands. The bike industry is a bit like the cosmetics industry its all about lifestyle and perceived value rather than the product itself. A carbon fibre frame from China with a factory door price of $120 in my opinion is not worth the $4k price when it has been painted in Italy with an Italian brand on it.
Hi. Bike tires are very good example. Definitely worth investing more here. The absolute amount one can spend on these is relatively (comparing to drivetrain components) low. Also wheels in general. Investing in an even slighter upgrade to the stock version of a cheap side of bike spectrum, will pay off, if you are looking for increase in your PBs. I am speaking about amature level or beginner turning amature, ofc. I believe, that professional cyclists do get the best out the tech from sponsored equipment.
I'm seeing this 2 ways. I'm 60 and had 2 strokes so I've started with a new £140 bike, I didn't know if I'd be able to balance on it so it might have been a waste of money. It turned out that I can ride it but I get exhausted quickly. So it'd be worth getting something expensive and lightweight, I like the idea of aero but so far I'm needing an upright position to balance. Not sure which way to go but the cheap bike is really helpful in working stuff out. Cheers
You'll still get exhausted on the lightweight bike, until you get strong enough to say on top of the gears. I'd go for strength and durability rather than lightweight. When you're 40 miles away, it's reassuring to know you'll make it home.
On cycling there is usually good mid ground where performance is good enough for weekend warrior. I have bought the best frame I can stretch my budget with cheap but good enough drivetrain. Mechanical mid tier drivetrain is on my opinion the best for my use. On tires and chains there is markable difference between cheap and expensive. When you now what you want there is good value on cheaper items but it varies by the product you’re buying.
i do think the world have to just understand that, any thing on a race platform is going to cost more and not last the same as a normal. it just the way it works.
I usually only replace parts on the bike with the same ones that it came with. Like, putting the serial number into the amazon search. And since my bicycles are my car replacement, even splurging a tiny bit doesn't move the needle, really.
possibly a controversial take - tools. When you buy a new tool, buy the cheap one... you're not a pro mechanic and the cheap one will do fine when you use it once or twice. If it turns out you *do* use it as much as you convinced yourself that you would, it's worth buying the expensive version.
Don't skimp on tools. Dollar store Allen keys will round over a bolt so fast..... anything else, if you're paying for it, no one thinks you're fast enough to need it, that's why they aren't paying you to use it.
Drop bars: just what is the point, on any bike? GCN often tells us riding on the hoods is more aero than on the drops. So why? I might use them once a year down a super steep descent for max braking power... but cut those drops off and fit TT brakes and you can get max braking from a hoods type position. Surely these things are yet more antiquitated s**t from misunderstandings of aerodynamics and should be consigned to history :)
cheap can be good or not (sometimes) but its exactly the same thing with expensive things - i bought an expensive french press coffeecan that was horrible in quality... and my garmin watch lasted very little time - never buying garmin again - worst watch i have ever owned, and ive owned many smartwatches
Clothing, people spend 100’s on bibs and everything for fashion. Theres nothing wrong with decathlon and saving some pennies. And then second hand bike computer. Still just as good as brand new and can save a few 100 pounds at same time
Amazing, rim brakes, vee brakes and cantilever brakes were perfectly sufficient for decades, now if you don't have hydraulic disc brakes your a chump. That's the exact attitude why so many bike companies are going bust. We don't all need a Ferrari. Most people drive a ford, Kia, Peugeot etc. yes of course the Ferrari is better but the others are perfectly fine. We're constantly being bombarded with £5000+ bikes when most bikes sold cost about £500 from Halfords. The bike industry needs to take notice.
Many expensive bikes have proprietary components, which reduces the repairability and longevity of the bicycle. And I would consider that to be straight downgrade, no matter how faster it makes you. But let's be honest, the watt savings from having specially shaped seat post is minuscule.
About the drop bar MTB - old news! Doesn't anybody remember the legendary John Tomac, MTB racer in the late 1980s/early 1990s. He used drop bars on his race MTB back then. About cheap versus expensive: Quality has its price, cheap and high-quality are usually mutually exclusive. Think mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes for example. At some point it can't become any better though. A 15000 €/$/£ Pinarello is not three times as good as a 5000 €/$/£ Bianchi, Giant etc. it's just three times as ugly.
Redshift's new stems is the biggest news for me in a long while. Due to my short torso, I always have to resort to using shorter stems. Really looking forward to see some reviews on that before buying at least 2 of those stems.
going to tell you a quick tale regarding 3 years of stupidity. for the past 3 years - across 2 smart trainers - i have wondered why my bike would become loose if i put in a hard effort (ie. the bike frame would loosen by the quick release and tilt laterally side to side). If I tightened the QR skewer enough - then the pedalling became very tight and it wasnt possible to back pedal. Finally figured out the problem after abandoning a race tonight in madeira. - I had been using the through axle adapters with the QR skewer - i had just learned to accept the fact that this was normal. 3 years of being afraid to get off the saddle for sprints or climbs because i worried that the bike would tilt over and snap the carbon. yeah. im an idiot. Feel free to ridicule me
The Colnago, not so much an inferior braking system, more so an inferior wheel package system..... Disc brakes aren't about stopping or modulation, rim brakes do that well
Just got back into riding. Spend. Saddle / Shoes + pedals / handlebar and tires / Kits / training app of choice / bike service (save my time and support local shops) Save. Cheapest frame with features needed. Wheels (training) group set.
Turns out ny "polishing a turd" entry to the bike vauly was fairly on topic. Its a bike i built myself originally to be a town hack bike but is now mostly 105/ultegra, carbon mono bars, carbon rims, tpu tubes in tubeless tires (still hate the fitment) and it runs really well. Spending money on the touch points is the way to go but still doesnt mean you have to spend a fortune on brand new kit. Think ive spent about £600 on my current build.
Cycling technology is so outdated compared to cars. We want heated seats / steering wheel, lane assist, automatic transmision, head-up display and so on... Can you do an episode on that?
Do you splash the cash for a new bike or bike accessories? 💰🚲
was buying cheap kenda tires at 10 euro , and buy some 25eu continetal ,,, yee the continetal was nice and soft with better grip ,,, but after a year they became as hard or harder than the cheap kenda , and my cheap kenda don t have change they fell the same ,
Like most parameters, "better" has a curve. At one end is unridable and at the other is divorced.
Splash the money on tires, good comfy aero kit(clothing, helmet, etc), light wheels(under 1500 grams, maybe used), 3D printed saddle, good bar-tape. Slap it all on an entry-mid level mechanical 105 equipped bike.
Ultimate Upgrade Simulator
save reread print tell others.
Govs, organizations.
Hang up in room. Reread.
Pump oxygenate device.
No die, health ext.
Special in simulator only
reminder agreement and
training class teaching to keep
in simulation only.
Thousand mountain generator
quintillion mph generator ship
secret training tool
mountain Island and half planet sized
advanced unit generator.
Continual training tool ai.
Each advanced unit creates mountain
sized citizens each citizen creates
populations of advanced cities interspecies
each member of each advanced city creates
populations repeatedly continually with
a quintillion mph speed vehicle
generator each ship produces
advanced cities mountains and
mountain sized units repeatedly continually.
Generator speed controller
Holograms only. Fake dolls and props
only. Future generation reminder.
Population communication tool in
staged area only each cell in each
body becomes a new
species in the future.
Simulator is disguised hidden
as other game inside a game
bundle paid to play.
Neither - I'm holding on to my old bikes for as long as I can. Cycling has become a rip off - look at how many cycling retailers, manufactures and suppliers are going out of business! The cycling industry needs to wake up and us as consumers need to force this by buying less overpriced products. The percentage increase of bikes over the last 10 years is a joke!
Thanks Mark for stepping in with your carbon plated shoes to cover for Ollie.
Mark literally "stepped-in" with the carbon shoes! 🤣
I totally agree with Alex about tyres: always buy the nice ones. Yes, they are kind of expensive, and they are totally consumable, but nice tyres, dollar for dollar, are probably the most effective way to upgrade your bike and improve the quality of your riding experience. Better tyres for $160-180 a pair may actually make as much of a difference as splashing $1600-2000 on a new wheelset.
Overall, I think more expensive tech is actually much better, i.e., more fun, but returns for your money diminish pretty dramatically as you go up the price scale. A $3000 bike is significantly nicer than a $1000 bike; it may in fact be 3 times better. A $12,000 dollar bike, on the other hand, is of course quite a bit better than a $3000 bike, but it's not 4 times better. $12,000 is also an insane amount of money to spend on a bicycle, even if you can afford it. If you're THAT concerned about speed and not a professional cyclist, just buy a motorbike.
As a 65 year old, 102kg rider who is not interested in racing again, but rides for fun and health, I would say it’s worth it to put money into what makes getting on the bike more fun, safer, and less hassle.
For me, that has turned out to be a great smart trainer and Zwift/Strava membership. I’ve put over 8000 miles on it so far this year, over 14,000 miles last year, and haven’t had to replace my tires once, haven’t been hit by a car, dealt with headwinds, rain, punctures, traffic, dogs, etc! And I get to ride and chat with great friends from around the world on a regular basis! I don’t need to worry about aero, either! Sorry, Ollie!
Great points, technically. But you're missing the thrill of taking what Mother Nature throws you way. There's nothing more inspiring than climbing that mountain under your own power. Those 14,000 miles would have been much harder and more complex, on the road, and you would have learned survival skills from them. To each his own. I'd find pedaling stationary bikes incredibly boring, as well as harsh on equipment that is no longer moving with you, to me, the essence of cycling.
@@paulmcknight4137 As I said, I've put in years of riding, and racing over the decades, and I can say that the "thrill" of being run off the road, or actually hit by thoughtless or angry drivers while alone on the road in the middle of nowhere, or the "joy" of having to find and patch a sliced or punctured tire in the pouring rain, or roaring headwind when I'm out of water, food, and bonking badly... Well, I'm well over that!
Endangering my life or suffering for no reason is pointless in my mind, and I truly enjoy riding the roads, mountains, etc that the creative minds at Zwift have created, with friends around the world, still under my own power... Watts are watts, whether on my smart trainer or on the road. I could take my bike outside again, but the hassle of it all truly isn't worth it to me anymore, and isn't at all tempting! I often ride Centuries on Zwift, and enjoy every minute, whereas my IRL centuries only had moments of enjoyment sprinkled in with lots of frustration and just trying to get through. Don't need that stress in my life!
Have to agree with you but I can put it even more simply, I'm happy to pay for anything that makes getting older more fun.
If the aero improvements only make a difference if you are averaging 40 kph, why worry about it if, like me, you're averaging 20 kph? Although I live where I can do a lot of climbing, people who live in areas that are largely flat have no worry about weight. This makes steel even more real. Electric shifting may work better than manual shifting but so little as to not be worth the trouble. Disc brakes on a road bike are junk. Campy is more and more becoming the manual groupset of the people. 12 speeds are unnecessary, but a 34 tooth cassette is. That is what destroyed the worth of the Campy 10 speed group. I am presently riding Dura Ace 10 speed group with a 105 medium arm rear Derailleur and an 11-36. But I am 80. I ride a Colnago Dream HP in the hills and a Basso Loto on the flats. The Basso rides better despite claims that frame material makes no difference.
Tools. Never skimp on tools. The first time you round a bolt from your dollar store Allen keys being soft, you'll wish you had nice ones. Anything else, if you have to pay for it, you don't need it, the pros do.
Nothing worse than spending an hour trying to remove a screw
Without damaging the frame.... It can be a painful job....@@gcntech
The person with the most tools when they die wins.
Totally excellent advice
Why would a premium bolt strip from a soft key? I think you’re confusing concepts. It’s the cheap bolts that strip easily.
When I suffered a shoulder injury, after a car pulled out on me, a Redshift stem really helped to reduce the pain when riding.
Week 75 of asking for a "The UCI has no jurisdiction here" t-shirt
As you all know, the correct number of bikes for a cyclist is n+1. The individual price depends on the wifes divorce threshold. This threshold needs to be tested empirically by careful probing. Greetings from Germany
Horses for courses. Example, the best tires for my road bike: GP5000. The best for my commuter: Schwalbe marathons.
The best is what’s specific to each terrain and type of bike
You tried the Goodyear eagle f1s?
I reckon they R better than the 5000s
What's your thoughts?
Totally agree with marathons for commuting.
Jesus they could stop a broken bottle.
Literally my set up too 🙌
Spending more on roadbikes get you very, very little. Slightly better weight (which will affect you almost not at all), slightly better shifting, etc. Spending more on mountain bikes gets you a lot more - better dampers in your suspension, for example.
It's worth going for the cheap road bike and spend on the MTB. And always get the best tires you can.
Sure, if you have both and spend equal amounts of time on each. Why, though, would I spend bigger money on the steed I do 10% of my time on?
I think that the major component makers have killed themselves with electronic shifting. Yes, it does shift slightly better, but ANY company can make an electronic group, and I have no interest in getting back from a ride and plugging my bike in.
To be fair, the innovator for drop handlebar mountain bikes on Leadville was Dylan Johnson of RUclips fame. I believe he did it last year and talked a lot about why he thought it was a good idea for that course.
He’s probably wishing he kept quiet, as now the likes of Keegan are doing it, how long before many others follow suit.
Maybe not Leadville, but didn't John Tomac run drop bars on his MTBs?
Tomac did it years ago. It's hardly novel.
@@Philatlondon1 I seem to remember Jacquie Phelan also ran drop bars on her MTBs.
Several riders have tried it over the years, but it isn't common because it isn't advantageous on most MTB courses. Leadville is somewhere between a gravel course and an XC marathon course, and so a hybrid MTB/gravel setup makes sense.
Yesterday I got asked "What kind of bike do you have that you're able to do all these long rides?"
I replied "Oh it's a cheap cyclocross I bought used in 2017 for 400€."
I mean I do WANT something fancier, but it doesn't mean my cheap bike hasn't lasted 7 years and doesn't show any sign of failing.
I walked away for 10 seconds to the fridge and came back to see a running shoe. Is GTN slowly taking over?? 😂
😂
When it comes to aero, you can often go for the "cheaper" version of a bike frame and get the same profiles, but will have to pay more for wheels. But you always pay for less weight, and quite a bit.
I can’t wait for Porsche to come out with a drum brake version of the 911.
Humorous statement but if you’re more than half serious then you’ve lost the plot
Rim brakes are better than disc brakes. The only reason people think discs are better is because they are all mostly hydraulic. Hydraulic rim brakes would be better, its physics. The tide will start to turn again. The market has been demanding rim brakes for years, and for good reason
@@justim4545 Yes, wearing out expensive rims with super efficient rim brakes beats changing out a disposable brake rotor any day of the week 😂
@@justim4545rim brakes (whether hydraulic or cable) limit tire clearance and rim width, wear away the structural integrity of your wheels, and apply braking on an easily wet/dirtied area. Hydraulic rim brakes would still have all these issues. Move on.
Acktchually, Ferdinand Porsche was borderline frantic about having multi-purpose parts. A brake disc is single purpose. A rim brake is multi-purpose. Also rim brakes have the very porsche-like advantage of taking load off the wheel. The spokes of the front wheel never have to take torque. So I'm pretty sure Porsche would try to engineer their way out of the technical issues of rim brakes. I could see them come up with a porsche ceramic coated brake rim that basically lasts forever (and costs 10000€ for a single rim) and some smart braking surface cleaning tech. Also this comparison is stupid because disc brakes are used in sports cars for their superior heat dissipation. Rim brakes have better heat dissipation than brake discs.
If speed is the metric, the order of importance is: position, wheels, kit, tires. The frame almost doesn't matter compared to these things. One could build an extremely fast and very inexpensive bike this way.
In terms of things you can't buy, fitness is actually the biggest factor.
And unfortunately genetics.
Defo better spending money on yoga lessons than a new frame.
Yes "genetics" is why the top pros produce ludicrous amounts of Watts for hours.
No vitamin pills involved at all
I can´t really understand why the C68 rim brake version gets that much attention.
It´s not like Wilier, De Rosa, Passoni, Heroin, Sarto, Condor, Stelbel, Victorie, Time and more ever stopped making bikes with rim brakes.
They all offer it.
Campagnolo still offer all the groupsets with rim brakes, Jost not as electronic groupsets.
Better marketing department
@@larrylem3582 Yeah UAE does the marketing
The problem is that the C68 rim brake is electronic only - very soon there won’t be any C68-worthy ($$$) electronic/rim brake groupsets available.
@@litespud well that only makes my point then.
This C68 isn’t worth making a fuzz about.
I'm happy to spend money on reliability. Getting 40 miles from home on the road bike or 15 miles into the woods I don't want any failures.
I think Sram T-type is a paradigm change in reliability / shifting. My trail e-mtb has 1,100 miles and I haven't touched the shifting since it was new.
I guess I would have to say that a saddle is a piece of equipment I'm ready to spend extra money on because I did. And I'm quite happy about that (Selle SMP Nymber). I also did buy expensive tyres but this didn't go well for me. Honestly, I don't know what else I would be ready to spend extra money on. While I like improving my performance, this is not my main objective on the bike. I ride for adventure, exploration and fun. So I value durability and reliability the most. Relatively cheap equipment often is quite good in this category.
I can buy all the aluminum rim brake wheels I want. You guys are obviously living large.
A "105 level" bike, upgraded with some 32mm GP5000 tires and latex/tpu tubes, clipless pedals(cheap SPD M520's suffice), and a chinesium 3D-printed carbon saddle that feels comfortable to YOU(Chinese 3D saddles are cheap enough to let you experiment), are an ideal recipe.
That combo is all the bike anyone will ever need, and would only be fractions of a second behind a top-spec bike in 99% of scenarios.
If you want aero, buy aero kit/clothing/helmet/etc, and adjust your position(may require a stem or handlebar change, which is relatively affordable).
Super expensive 60mm+ carbon rims, and an aero frame, are HUGE expenses that only benefit people who do 4+ hour rides on flat terrain at a 40kph+ average, which most people don't/can't do.
Chinese cheap enough to experiment.
I love that
Some of it is absolute junk.
But after experimenting you eventually find some excellent products.
I love experimenting 👊
Do I think bike tires are ridiculously expensive? yes. compared to their automotive cousins they are orders of magnitude more costly on a $/mile basis especially. HOWEVER, and people can fight me on this one they want, they are the NUMBER ONE influence on how a bike rides, handles, and in general just feels. They're the thing in contact with the road, so their contribution is the most important. So while it sucks spending more on a pair of bike tires than a really good road tire costs for one of my cars, they're the thing keeping me riding and rolling along properly.
I agree always used GP4000/ 5000s on my bike but recently got a new bike that came with Pirelli Cinturato Velo which are basically winter tyres and the difference is like night and day.
At home laughing out loud from Alex's comment to mark about storing his flippers in the top tube bag. solid quip
Tires, tools, chain (wax) are where I spent the most. Also, very nice seeing Mark on. Maybe mix in some GMBN guys on too, next time Ollie gets sick or something.
I like my "cheap" bike. And now when I look at what I "want" its way to expensive and way to hard to work on. #Make Bikes Great Again!
While the braking on disc is clearly better and personally I'm confident I avoided one crash this year because of disc brakes, the best advantage is allowing bigger tires. Currently on 32c and wouldn't want to go down to 28c
Currently on 33mm, with rim brakes altho, I do have to deflate the tire if I want to remove/ install the wheels lol
What frame and wheelset are you on?
@@shindi2222 a 1981 fuji america with 2003 bontrager wheels and 105 groupset from a trek pilot 2.1 that failed.
John Tomac rode drop bars on his Yeti in 1990. Everything old is new again. Ask your colleagues at GMBN!
So did Jacquie Phelan as I recall.
To me, better is a bike that needs less work, less overall maintenance, less hardware to go wrong and with all that, I kick speed off to the curb. I think reliability is better. That's what makes a great bike. I have two single speeds; one's a road, one's a klunker. They have their purpose and function. Does a guy really need a super bike? I guess if you can afford that kind of bike, you have your level of "better". I spend my money on the points of contact; the seat and grips, tires. With single speed bikes, the mechanical maintenance drops way off to the side. And that is absolute genius. The Dutch have it made and I am following their cue of reliability.
I pulled a cube aerium pro frame and forks out of a skip. Had it checked over and got the all-clear. Its got rim brakes.
Im gonna fix it up and enter a london to brighton or southend...
I do mtbs normally, so this is gonna be interesting. Im told its actually a good 1st bike.
For my commuter, definitely ease-of-maintenance and puncture-resilience define better. "Better" depends not only on the person, but also on the bike!
Just wanna say the Donatello bike was sick, loved it.
Been riding for decades. Used to race. Just purchased an early 1980's Schwinn race bike, full Campy.
The cost was $150.00 at a charity used bike shop. Bought a set of nice tires and adjusted the derailer.
I'm never buying a new bike again.
Drop bar MTB? Salsa Cutthroat has been around for nearly a decade already 🤙
Last bike I bought, I saved on groupset (Rival instead of Force or Red) and saved on the saddle by picking steel rails instead of splurging on extra light. Everywhere else I picked the higher end choices. One really nice thing is just the fashion statement of having nice bike
In 2017, as a triathlete myself, I rode my Santa Cruz Highball with shorty aero bars and went sub 9!
Bronze tarnishes, it won’t rust away, it’ll just dull in the same way as all other bronze you’ve ever seen!
The only mistake would be not treating them or sealing, but that would wear off eventually too.
I have an older bike 21 years Giant TCR-1 performance, it has rim brakes , and do the job pretty well but on a long fast downward section , stopping can take time …… and Mavic wheels , so the great comment saying it’s harder getting wheels etc that are rim brake oriented.. will be looking to get a new bike soon…. 69 years young…
The medals are not corroding. They are reacting to the moisture and salts of the hands. That is normal for copper. Polish it and give it a thin layer of clear lacquer and the problem has gone.
If you want your sports car to handle as a minivan, put on cheap tires. Since tires effects, acceleration, braking, and turning, why ever go cheap. All this applies to a bike with the added problem of only having 2 of em. Get the best tire you can find.
I still have rim breaks on my 3 bikes. When I’ve crashed over the years it’s never because I couldn’t stop!!
Although it sounds like those crashes resulted in broken rims? Sorry I'll show myself out.
Maybe it’s because you can’t spell and it exposes other mental deficiencies for a guy your age.
@@thepandaman never because of braking. Mostly ice 🧊
Get well soon Ollie
I spend money on tyres for safety reasons. The last thing I want it an issue riding on a dodgy tyre going down hill over 60km per hour. I use a lower level chain and cassette than my Dura Ace group set. It depends on your priorities. I just bought some TPU tubes and some expensive tyres for races but not all races, just the ones that are important to me. I have not spent the money on carbon plated running shoes though because I would rather spend that money on making me lighter and improving my body rather than saving a few seconds. Good discussion.
Interesting setup you’re using, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I recently surrendered to my ego and bought a GRX equipped bike. Honestly other than a bit of weight savings (somewhat immaterial considering my fitness level) I'm not sure - no! let me change that - I AM sure there's not a whole lot of gain over my Tiagra equipped bike. My ego's happier but my wallet isn't.
Maybe we should do a head to head time trial with Ollie and Mark.
Better is what makes me happy
Shout out Dylan Johnson who's been doing the drop mountain bike stuff for ages!!
I think John Tomac did that long before.
@@christopheroliver148 Well that's a different era and I'm not entirely familiar but was he doing extremely long distance gravel/trail races?
@@_Tp___ The point is that he was a MTBer who used drop bars. You're treating biking as if we should just forget the past. It's like seeing Pogacar win his third TdF and completely forget that Greg Lemond did the same thing. Don't forget history!
splurge on:
inner tubes
tires
saddle that works well for you
hydro brakes
a tight fitting jersey
inner sole to avoid foot pain
go cheap on:
Frame (get a cheap carbon, not expensive one)
groupset (mechanical tiagra will almost just as fast as ultegra di2)
gels, you can replace expensive gels with any cheap sugar product
bottlecages, just get plastic ones
chain oil
As long as the carbon frameset isn't cheap to the point it's dangerous, OK. I've seen carbon frames that are too cheap to be able to pass QC.
Haha, I use my spouse's bike when mine is waiting on new parts. Her bike has Tiagra and it works so well and quite durable. I also completely agree on sport nutrition. I just eat cheap candies and have never bonked.
Cycling is an outdoor sport, and the bike of which a scratch doesn’t haunt one’s soul is definitely better. If it does, then the bike may be too expensive for you.
Problem Statement: Comment of the week winners only receive 1 water bottle. Please reference Rule #52: “Bidons should match each other…” supported by Alex pointing out in this video a mix matched bottle infringement at 21:35. Solution: Please reward winners with matching bidons. Thanks!
So, cool that Conolgo has a rim brake option but it's not exactly a bike "for the people." Would love to see more options that make a quality cycling experience approachable to the masses. A 105 rim brake, aluminum/steel frame offering could still be leaps and bounds better than any department store bike. If the cycling industry brought back bikes like this that hover around $1,500, more people would get into cycling and probably eventually upgrade. (I just got some Elite Drive Wheels no thanks to you all)
I love the shirts GCN are producing! But if you would make the logo text smaller compared to the designs it would make it wearable while my girl is watching!
Tyres for sure are not an area to skimp. By tyres that are durable, good grip and low rolling resistance. All of those are vital for a decent tyre.
Durable tyres don't have low rolling resistance
According to BRR analysis, Cinturato Velo has the best RR while being a bombproof tire. Personally, I have had zero puncture in 3 winters.
@@mb10kx that's a myth or even rather a reflection of old ignorance.
Impact resistance and wear resistance that make a durable tyre rely on construction and material properties different from hysterisis responsible for rolling resistance.
Now, grip requirement has a lot of conflicting features with durability and fast roll, but even then it's way better understood and designed past decade.
@@feedbackzaloopHe is probably talking about wired tyres. Those tyres are bombproof but way too heavy
@@mb10kx hence you find a good balance that works for you. I personally use GP5000.
4K!?! Finally!!! Good to see GCN!
That’s right, calling ourselves tech, it was about time 😎
Not even about speed but my conti go 5000s make my bike feel LUXURIOUS and I'm riding a circa 2009 alu road bike!
So chain waxing now involves Cows or zip ties 🤔 😂
The thing I get in all my bikes is Hunt's carbon wheelsets (road or gravel) feels great I feel faster and they are great value for money regardless if it is top spec
You know where I save money on? I don’t have any power meter, any chest-strapped heart rate monitor. And for a long time, I didn’t have a bike computer. You know what, I still have a very very good bike and I can ride as fast as I like on beautiful roads with wind on my face and sun on my back. On the other hand, whenever I had to rent an inferior bike, the one thing I missed the most by far was electronic shifting
The Leadville race is a mix of long stretches of tarmac mixed with sections of very technical terrain. It's a bit too difficult on even the burliest gravel bike and the bigger suspension platform has the advantage. However with the tarmac sections standard XC flat bars give quite a bit of a drag penalty. It doesn't surprise me that drop bars have an advantage here.
I spend quit a big amount of cash on GCN Gear and the included ridiculous high import taxes , I could have spend that on Power Meter Pedals but I feel faster with GCN written on my bum. :)
All the cyclists in your area will be jealous! Thanks for the support ❤️
@@gcntech I have seen no other biker yet with a GCN outfit. :) actually AGU is from the Netherlands (DE ALKMAARSE GROOTHANDELS UNIE) it should be possible to get it over here saves me some import tax :D
When you look at bicycle recalls it tends to be more complicated expensive bikes like failing carbon fibre forks or very lightweight cranksets. Typically performance components are more likely to fail, don't last as long and of course more expensive to replace and even setup most of the time. A carbon fibre bike will go straight to landfill it is non recyclable. A Ferrari might be fast but its very expensive, very unreliable and even has a habit of bursting into flames and not ideal for doing your Tesco shop or leaving in a car park where youths walk by. A Toyota Corolla is probably good for 15 years of heavy use. Also isn't the average price of a bicycle sold in the world less than $200. To a person in Africa a Buffalo bike could be their ideal bike. For many people a cheaper bike will be more suitable, safer and more reliable and have a lower environmental impact. It's just the better option just like a Toyota Corolla is a better option than a Ferrari. The UK has a huge trade deficit and consumers seem to be still happy to export a huge amount of their income and yet according to the tax payer's alliance calculations there is about 180k of debt for every single person in this country from a baby just born to a a person on their death bed and there are similar debts in many other countries like Italy, France, USA etc. Extreme consumerism is just madness especially when we have global warming. We should be re-using older products as much as possible and buying products that are simple to manufacture and long lasting, not £15k plastic bikes which are easy to break and expensive to maintain. Also companies like Halfords buy directly from factories and retail directly and don't really spend much on marketing. The logistics is very simple and Halfords operate on a slim margin compared to most bike brands. You don't need to buy from a big brand you can buy a bike of the same quality for far less if you don't care about if the brand has won any races or you see the brand advertised. If you see factories in China like fuji-ta they are making bikes for all brands be it Specialized, GT, Bianchi etc as well as the shop brands. The bike industry is a bit like the cosmetics industry its all about lifestyle and perceived value rather than the product itself. A carbon fibre frame from China with a factory door price of $120 in my opinion is not worth the $4k price when it has been painted in Italy with an Italian brand on it.
Hi. Bike tires are very good example. Definitely worth investing more here. The absolute amount one can spend on these is relatively (comparing to drivetrain components) low. Also wheels in general. Investing in an even slighter upgrade to the stock version of a cheap side of bike spectrum, will pay off, if you are looking for increase in your PBs. I am speaking about amature level or beginner turning amature, ofc. I believe, that professional cyclists do get the best out the tech from sponsored equipment.
I'm seeing this 2 ways. I'm 60 and had 2 strokes so I've started with a new £140 bike, I didn't know if I'd be able to balance on it so it might have been a waste of money. It turned out that I can ride it but I get exhausted quickly. So it'd be worth getting something expensive and lightweight, I like the idea of aero but so far I'm needing an upright position to balance. Not sure which way to go but the cheap bike is really helpful in working stuff out. Cheers
You'll still get exhausted on the lightweight bike, until you get strong enough to say on top of the gears. I'd go for strength and durability rather than lightweight. When you're 40 miles away, it's reassuring to know you'll make it home.
@@paulmcknight4137 thanks
105 mechanical. Anything else is unnecessary for 95% of riders and way more expensive. Is slicker and quicker with a closer ratio better?
I believe the automotive equivalent of the £82.50 bike would be an 80s Yugo. 😂
On cycling there is usually good mid ground where performance is good enough for weekend warrior. I have bought the best frame I can stretch my budget with cheap but good enough drivetrain. Mechanical mid tier drivetrain is on my opinion the best for my use. On tires and chains there is markable difference between cheap and expensive. When you now what you want there is good value on cheaper items but it varies by the product you’re buying.
i do think the world have to just understand that, any thing on a race platform is going to cost more and not last the same as a normal. it just the way it works.
Rim brake wheels aren't hard to find; the ones which are, are disk wheels with QR.
"Better" in cycling is 'slips through the air easier'.
Cheaped out on a velocomp power meter. When you get past 65 it's not going to matter that much.
Bibs, spend as much as you can afford, tops, save a bit (within reason)
I usually only replace parts on the bike with the same ones that it came with. Like, putting the serial number into the amazon search. And since my bicycles are my car replacement, even splurging a tiny bit doesn't move the needle, really.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it or don’t change it in this case
possibly a controversial take - tools.
When you buy a new tool, buy the cheap one... you're not a pro mechanic and the cheap one will do fine when you use it once or twice.
If it turns out you *do* use it as much as you convinced yourself that you would, it's worth buying the expensive version.
Don't skimp on tools. Dollar store Allen keys will round over a bolt so fast..... anything else, if you're paying for it, no one thinks you're fast enough to need it, that's why they aren't paying you to use it.
the only part I spend more money on are tires, colorful limited edition tires. Not for performance but for colors.
Drop bars: just what is the point, on any bike? GCN often tells us riding on the hoods is more aero than on the drops. So why? I might use them once a year down a super steep descent for max braking power... but cut those drops off and fit TT brakes and you can get max braking from a hoods type position. Surely these things are yet more antiquitated s**t from misunderstandings of aerodynamics and should be consigned to history :)
cheap can be good or not (sometimes) but its exactly the same thing with expensive things - i bought an expensive french press coffeecan that was horrible in quality... and my garmin watch lasted very little time - never buying garmin again - worst watch i have ever owned, and ive owned many smartwatches
Clothing, people spend 100’s on bibs and everything for fashion. Theres nothing wrong with decathlon and saving some pennies. And then second hand bike computer. Still just as good as brand new and can save a few 100 pounds at same time
Cane creek ee brakes on the colnago would be the most logical.
Looking forward to you lauching GBBQN
Amazing, rim brakes, vee brakes and cantilever brakes were perfectly sufficient for decades, now if you don't have hydraulic disc brakes your a chump. That's the exact attitude why so many bike companies are going bust. We don't all need a Ferrari. Most people drive a ford, Kia, Peugeot etc. yes of course the Ferrari is better but the others are perfectly fine. We're constantly being bombarded with £5000+ bikes when most bikes sold cost about £500 from Halfords. The bike industry needs to take notice.
Many expensive bikes have proprietary components, which reduces the repairability and longevity of the bicycle. And I would consider that to be straight downgrade, no matter how faster it makes you. But let's be honest, the watt savings from having specially shaped seat post is minuscule.
I concur that BBQ from Argos is top tier...
About the drop bar MTB - old news! Doesn't anybody remember the legendary John Tomac, MTB racer in the late 1980s/early 1990s. He used drop bars on his race MTB back then.
About cheap versus expensive: Quality has its price, cheap and high-quality are usually mutually exclusive. Think mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes for example. At some point it can't become any better though. A 15000 €/$/£ Pinarello is not three times as good as a 5000 €/$/£ Bianchi, Giant etc. it's just three times as ugly.
Nobody seems to remember that. I helped out at a stage of the Grundig cup in '91 where many legendary names including Tomac raced.
Redshift's new stems is the biggest news for me in a long while. Due to my short torso, I always have to resort to using shorter stems. Really looking forward to see some reviews on that before buying at least 2 of those stems.
Comfort is what’s best for me and what I’d spend my money on. Tools are another. Cheap tools are a false economy
going to tell you a quick tale regarding 3 years of stupidity.
for the past 3 years - across 2 smart trainers - i have wondered why my bike would become loose if i put in a hard effort (ie. the bike frame would loosen by the quick release and tilt laterally side to side). If I tightened the QR skewer enough - then the pedalling became very tight and it wasnt possible to back pedal. Finally figured out the problem after abandoning a race tonight in madeira. - I had been using the through axle adapters with the QR skewer - i had just learned to accept the fact that this was normal. 3 years of being afraid to get off the saddle for sprints or climbs because i worried that the bike would tilt over and snap the carbon.
yeah. im an idiot. Feel free to ridicule me
Up to about $1000 it gets better and better. Up to $2000 and it's incremental. After that it's a waste unless you're a pro.
The Colnago, not so much an inferior braking system, more so an inferior wheel package system..... Disc brakes aren't about stopping or modulation, rim brakes do that well
canecreek eebrake + HED (with turbine brake track)
Just got back into riding.
Spend. Saddle / Shoes + pedals / handlebar and tires / Kits / training app of choice / bike service (save my time and support local shops)
Save. Cheapest frame with features needed. Wheels (training) group set.
Good luck with your training
@1:10 That's a non-neutonian material, and MTB kneepads have been using it for years.
For running, I have training shoes and race shoes.
Turns out ny "polishing a turd" entry to the bike vauly was fairly on topic. Its a bike i built myself originally to be a town hack bike but is now mostly 105/ultegra, carbon mono bars, carbon rims, tpu tubes in tubeless tires (still hate the fitment) and it runs really well. Spending money on the touch points is the way to go but still doesnt mean you have to spend a fortune on brand new kit. Think ive spent about £600 on my current build.
Girvin made flex-stems back in the 1990's and they were half weight of the "new" Redshit ones !
Drop bars on a Mountain Bike John Tomac comes to mind He rode drop bars at the highest level during the late '80s and early '90s...just saying!!
Tadej Pogacer has finally put his foot down and demanded rim brakes on his bikes! Good man, sir!
no way, not the way that mad man descends 😂
So in conclusion an aero barbecue with good puncture resistance that you can get a PB with is worth spending your money on?
Cycling technology is so outdated compared to cars. We want heated seats / steering wheel, lane assist, automatic transmision, head-up display and so on... Can you do an episode on that?
I mean in the case of the thumbnail, yes. One of the bikes has working brakes.
@gcntech Campagnolo still makes 12 speed mechanical super record, record and inferior groupsets with rim brake options