Very informative video and well done on testing those upgrades. I have a Hightower V2, recently upgraded the hubs to Industry nine and Stans Arch Mk4 wheelset. Makes very noticeable difference. A month later, upgraded the bearings on the bottom bracket and wheelset to ceramics. Makes even greater difference. I was very surprise that the Fox Live Shock makes such a big difference. Most of my ride buddies would do those upgrades as shown in this video. For now bearings is as far as my pocket allows me to do. At the end of these upgrades, the biggest difference that we can see is our bank account balance! Haha.
Would have been interesting to put it all back to stock at the end and have a final run to see how much of the gain was just improvement from repetition on the same day and conditions.
Strange, I completely agree with you, but I also remember that Anna was a professional rider before GMBN, and I think we can trust her to be consistent in her riding style throughout the day, particularly on a trail she says is one of her favorites.
i thought exactly the same! shame that was missed as im sure that would have made some difference, that said tiredness would have also slowed the runs down slightly
@@tonywilliams3812 Then it would also be nice to have your average mtb-er do the same. See how much they can win by upgrading and the day after back to stock and see how much they can win by training
Yup, exactly. For younger racers, you always hold back on the next upgrade until they hit the wall. Tell them they were .08 faster on the new stuff and you've broken the spell.
Very inconclusive. The baseline time is 202 seconds. So a 2 second change equals 1% which is well within normal variation, and is statistically insignificant. The fact that there is a general trend for improvement in time could be attributed to learning the course and conditions. I'm afraid a lot more runs are required!
Completely agree. One can never do trials with variations without several runs on each to get statistics. This channel would flunk a statistical analysis course with these conclusions. But that is how the "GxxxN" channels operate for views---as so many youtubers doing comparison tests. But I got to give them credit that even if they got those results, they basically concluded one is an idiot to spend that much for a few seconds out of a 200 second run. :D
Great comparisons! I'm not a big fan if "electronics" but I can definitely see that the rear shock might truly be very helpful. I have used ceramic bearings, and they definitely do make a difference. Thanks again for doing all of these tests,I think if folks have the $, it might just be a great option.
That shock is the first piece of electronic mtb technology I'd genuinely consider (not counting an e-mtb, obviously). Not just because it seems to work really well, but also because it looks like the only electronic component that works almost as well with a flat battery as it does fully charged, because once the battery dies it defaults to fully open, so you don't get the auto climb-switch any more, but it's still a fully functional Float X/DHX. If the battery dies on your electronic seat post and groupset, you're left with a ridged post and single-speed, and I'm not willing to spend thousands extra just for my bike to regress by decades just because I didn't charge a battery.
Good video. I find that the more runs you do the faster you’ll get. I wonder what would happen if you down graded from the good stuff to the base bike. I also wonder if the time changes would be as different in the other direction.
Honestly i have Shimano XT on my Trek Slash and Sram XX ttype on my Trek rail. I prefer the electronic shifting because the click makes it easier for the hand, but Shimano XT is better shifter, its much better on the trail because how smooth and fast it is in shifting. One thing i like about ttype is it shifts under loads better so its kinda better on technical uphills. I have shimano XT brakes on my Slash and Code stealth on rail and tbh i cant tell the difference, they both work just as good. I would give slight advantage to code because of good looks. Have carbon wheels on the slash and aluminium wheels on rail. Both are high end in their tier, but this is one thing i think is worth to upgrade. Dont know about others, but to me carbon wheels are just better. I could give more examples like suspension, but i think people understand it. Most midrange stuff this days are barely any different compared to high end. I have Rockshox Zeb ultimate on my slash and select+ on Rail and i feel literally 0 difference between them. I have rockshox deluxe Ultimate rear on slash and select+ on rail and i feel literally 0 difference between them. Maybe there is 1 percent difference. But i cant even feel it. I think there is a price point where the higher you go the less value you get, its the place where slick looks, shiny metals come in. Like forexample XX groupset looks great, but does it destroy shimano XT? Nope. Quite close actually.
It'd be interesting to see how putting in Berd spokes compares to a crazy expensive set of carbon rims in terms of compliance benefits. It'd also be nice to see how much of a hassle it is or isn't wrt hub and rim compatibility with Berd spokes.
Bearings for me! Another test that would be interesting to me would be a longer term test where maybe a new tech is used for many miles and many weeks so as to 'embed' in the expectations of the rider, and then have the rider switch back to the old tech and ask them what the experience was like with the old tech. However, I guess sending the same amount of money on a personal trainer would make a bigger difference.
No, wireless shifting does not use electrons to communicate. 😅 The communication between the shifter buttons and the derailleur is achieved through radio waves. These are electromagnetic waves. 😊 I was also a bit surprised you didn't upgrade the Grip damper to a Grip2 or Grip X2. Personally, I did upgrade my wheelset to Carbon Elitewheels pro 36 for 450 Euros (1.5 kg) on my Stumpjumper. Cheers from Switzerland
Great review Anna. Interesting how you found the wheel upgrade. I've recently upgraded the DTS wheels on my Blur to I9 and definitely noticed an improvement, more comfortable and less jarring to constantly being engaged and ready to transfer the power. I would certainly consider the shock upgrade also, but would like to see prices come down or other manufacturers pick up this tech. Keep up the great work 🌹
Anna Kuzmak , my Croatian friend , said , follow Adam Kerin from Zero Friction Cycling's suggestions . If they work , having seen one of his lectures on my phone . She said that Adam and I have obsessive compulsive disorder . Careful hub bearing preload/grease NLGI rating and setup as well as chain lubricants are the best areas for gains , as well as tyre selection and light weight components . TPU tubes have helped my "baby bike" feel a bit faster . I am "correctly biked" , and not over biked as too many people are .
Every upgrade is very affordable in the longrun. Id expect most people would realistically be more likely to buy one of these upgrades once every few months instead of buying a new bike every few years. After a year of upgrades youll have a better bike than a top spec if you started eith a bottom or mid spec.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do a High/Low series like Donut does! The two folks at GMBN Tech each get to build a bike, one with cheap parts, one with high end parts... and compare the difference it makes. I especially want to see $500 of brake caliper vs $120 of bigger rotor!
I don’t really believe these videos on “how much faster will this make you”. There are a lot of other factors like the 2nd run, you’ll be more familiar with the trail. It would be better if the video focused on if they made the ride that much more enjoyable to make the cost worth it
Nice idea, but a flawed test, as the times show the more you rode the track the faster you got, so one could just as easily argue that it wasn't the components that made a difference to the times, it was simply more track time, you really need to ride the track 5 times without making any changes to the bike to see if you get any faster.
@@benjy288 go film yourself running your favorite trail at your local park. Then ride it r more times and see if you can pick up 13 seconds. Do you honestly think that race teams would spend this money on things when it all can be avoided by just telling their rider to just ride the trail 4 more times?? Come on dude. Think for a minute. This may not be the answer to picking up 10+ seconds of your trail runs but there is no denying that bike modifications improve performance. There was some guy running his mouth the same way you are when disc brakes were first put on a mountain bike. Now look where we are.
This would have been a better test on an XC bike, as the higher end gear will typically reduce weight as well (which is important on XC). Also you started with 2nd best gear so the improvements were always going to be minimal. I bought the cheapest Scott Spark 970 and have upgraded the whole bike to my preferred components, gone from 15.3kgs to 12kgs, and the bike is ALOT faster, lighter and more fun.
I just bought the previous Sram GX upgrade set here in UK for £435 and can run with my 12s XT cassette just now that to me is just fine I can wait another year for the T type to be at same price! They have replaced the paddle shifter to the newer 2 button pod in older version upgrade set when it arrives so that was nice to see in the box!
Thanks Anna, very interesting topic and results. What is your take on electronic suspension in regards to overall ride quality? Do you think it is better than traditional and is it worth the price?
speed is fine, but sometimes I wish the channel covered bikes like i.e. the Elops LD (Long Distance) 900 , a super useful bike from decathlon, or the Riverside Touring 520, also super useful, both are like your every day bike and they are beautiful in their own way. Bikes like those two and any similar bike from Canyon, Giant, etc etc.
Interesting video but equally as interesting is if I spend a day doing the same run I get faster because I get more confident and find better lines, less braking and all it costs me is energy and a good lunch in the middle. Some routes I've done I've shaved minutes off times and the biggest change that's helped is the weather and conditions not spending thousands of pounds ta 🙃
One day I was riding my motorcycle threw a nice twisty bit. Some guy in a ratty scooter came flying past me like a bat out of hell. That was the day I learned, skill > tech
So, apparently, AXS shifts at the speed of electrons. Well, the signal may transmit to the RD at the speed of radio waves, which in this context is similar enough to the speed of electricity... but then you still have the massively slower physical movement of the mech, and then worst of all, you have to wait for the next ramp on the cassette to come around to the chain. The dominant delay in rear shifting is the speed at which your wheel is rotating. Oh, and as well as the shifting being electronic, there's also the T type mount. Are we to believe this speeds up shifting? As i said, the dominant delay is the rotational speed of your rear wheel. Consider this: if you are stationary, your chain will not shift, no matter how your RD is mounted, or how quickly you can make your RD move.
The obvious answer is yeah, kinda. If you start with a budget bike like a Vitus Nucleus (RIP) You'll get less than ideal tyres, forks, brakes and wheels. Better, grippier tyres will allow you to carry more speed. More responsive forks with help keep the traction higher. Better brakes let you go faster for longer on approach to braking zones. A better wheelset often rolls faster, can take more abuse and likely has wider rims which help the tyres perform better. A £100 stem or £50 seat clamp won't do anything a cheaper part can't but the active parts absolutely can make all the difference.
Great video, thank you. Tyres and brakes are probably the main upgrades i can feel make a difference. Suspension doesn’t seem to, I have Rockshox super deluxe ultimate on one bike and select + on another and really can’t tell the difference between them when riding… though the electronic shock sounds appealing if only to stop me forgetting to turn off the lock out at the top of a climb. I can’t see the benefit of electronic groupset unless the price was equal, even then I’d probably prefer not to maintain more batteries. The time savings are impressive but I’d spend that time and then some recovering from the crash I’d have from riding too fast 😜
I guess some of my beef with these comparisons is that they are using the absolute top of line stuff that few can or should afford that and we already know isn't going to provide a meaningful improvement over having the right and best bang for the buck upgrade based on your bike and your riding style. On one bike I never had to touch the brakes or the front fork. However I had to upgrade my rear shock because it wasn't right based on what I was doing and made a world of difference. Upgrading wheels and Transmission were both nice and noticeable upgrades but again I went for best bang for the buck and it's been great.
Relax people, this is not serious, this just for funs, for content. No one in his right mind would take such a test seriously. It's like an episode of TopGear... sort of.
In my case, upgrades to ride faster downhill at speed, and hitting hard chuck definitely made a difference. It took about 3.5k U.S. dollars. I wouldn't change any upgrades I made.
I think only two of the upgrades are worth the money. The bearings and the suspension. The bearings are something I plan to do when I need to replace my bearings, whether it will be ceramic bearings. This will all depend on my budget. The suspension, I have never been a lover of this electronic computer controlled stuff. But the suspension I am interested in. I would love to see how it performs on a gnarlier ride , something with big drops and jumps, etc. To see if it is better than a properly setup bike.
The wheels can make a difference l, and you can make an effective upgrade much cheaper. I found my stock DT Swiss wheels on two of my bikes to be quite harsh. I swapped them for a pair of Hunt aluminum for around $500 and noticed a change in compliance and upgraded the hub engagement which helps in the techy rocky stuff. Hunt also has carbon wheels between $1-1.2k
I can tell you from experience that going from a steel bottom bracket to a ceramic bottom bracket will make your peddling smoother, which will increase your torque output from your legs.. upgrading the electronic rear shock. I can’t see that making a huge difference unless you paired that with electronic fork
all I knew was 3x9 for years, if it ain't broke don't fix it. but I bought an e-fat tire a month ago, that came with electric shift sram GX 1x12 and now I wish I could convert all my old bikes I still ride.
Having owned a Rallon R6 myself, I can firmly affirm the only upgrade made to that bike which may be notorious is the wheelset. What’s the point to put ceramic bearings and OSPW on a 15 kg bike with a damn Fox 38 😂
If that autonomous rear shock is 165mm i'm in. Might be ideal for my e-scooter. Fed up checking air pressure in both the main and the negative chambers before every off-road or fast 40k city ride. As much as id like many of the new components, I'll stick with a basic 12x1 XT equipped hardtail when riding with mates. Although ive just bolted on a pair of lovely blue Rockshox SID SL's, rebuilt the wheels with triple butted spokes, xt hubs and very light disk specific alloy rims. I've even added an Ultegra casette to reduce to weight, but it will mean that i have to work even harder up those long climbs. It really is a blast to ride because its uncomplicated and i can do the repairs myself. There is also the cost of high tech parts.... which for me are still way too high. In 5 years?
Never mind the sport. I, and 95% of bike riders just wanna get faster to work, and substitute the car in a super reliable way. Some of us become quite nerdy about bike tech in that quest, but it seems like most gear (and you tube) videos are made for the small percentage hiding out in the forest;-) Daily, fast (e-)urban commuting is very demanding and tends to share most components with mountain bike type bicycles, but so much of it are focused on actual mountain and forest biking. I believe someone is missing out some opportunities.
Nice video, but your mods should always be matched to the conditions that you ride. If you ride relative flat terrain, that fancy shock isn't going to provide sustainable gains.
All of this depends a great deal on the riding environment. Where I we have a mix of flow and slow tech. I'm much more of a variable on the slow tech than the bike is. Then again, I'm not that speedy on the flow either😂.
I'm curious how much difference more compliant rims make vs the spoke tension in the wheel build. I would have thought the latter would have more effect than the former? Then again I've never ridden really swanky wheels!
The differences in times are meaningless, there are too many variables not accounted for - improved time seems to be a GMBN obsession. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but my upgrades are about a better ride.
That is a general gripe I have with any GMBN/GCN/ videos that try to work out the gains of different bikes, tires, parts on the trails resp. on the road (often in back to back runs): lack of consistency! Trail conditions change, line choice is never a 100% the same, and riders do get tired, so I hear. 😉 Anyone who has any clue about scientific experiments (in whatever area) knows that repeatability is the key to enlightening results. Don't get me wrong, I still watch and like these vids. 😊
Checking points of engagement on a downhill run seems a little bit silly, if you really want to see the difference that it makes ride it uphill, and even more so technical uphill
Some are just gimmicks...Even if I could afford AXIS ,I wouldn't get any,XT is just as good,and I don't have to worry about it Batteries getting nicked off my bike..ha!!
Anything to delete the suspension set up process only needs to be cheaper for mid level and beginners! I'd say that's more their market for these shocks people that don't want to mess around for days getting that set up right it puts alot new riders off so take the gravel bike route!
I switched from deore to XT , the deore shifting was annoying me. Next is a hub with better engagement my current one it takes about 15 degrees before engaging and I notice that and that annoys me everytime I’m doing a steep climb.
$6800 is a lot of money for 13 seconds. Think id spend the money on improving myself. (Cycling coach, gym training, proper nutrition and more seat time). After all, the bike dont ride itself. The most important component is the rider. 🤔
Now go do it again on another stock bike. Dh runs generally get faster towards the end of the day with warm up, rhythm, line memory/choice practice. Same happens with Moto. Generally fast laps towards the end of the moto. Same with MTB multiple runs.
My lord this was a science experiment designed by the placebo marketing monkeys. A ceramic BB allowing you to crank 2-3 gears harder? That is absolute coswollop to say the least. Even the best ceramic BBs have been independenly tested to be a 2-5w gain vs. A mid grade BB like a SRAM DUB. This takes the award for one of the worst desgined experiments on RUclips despite being the most heavily funded.
If you have all the money, why the hell not, I’d buy all of that lol If you don’t, you probably ain’t buying any of that to begin with lol I’d say the ceramic bearing are probably the most worth it overall as they do last longer and everything will just feel smoother all the time
I'm just wondering what people think about this ridiculous hub engagement, the O-chain device is growing in popularity so you add engagement with one and take it away with the other?
improvements on any bike should help it perform better, perhaps be a little faster, but the biggest variable is you. Again, the real question is how much are your willing to spend?
99% of the population dont have this bike , nor the upgrades. Wouldn't you think a bike that costs this much new would be impossible to upgrade. All those thousands of pounds spent just to chuck around in the rain and mud don't make no sense to me .
I somewhat recently bought a base FS XC bike. I upgraded the wheels, cockpit, brakes, drive-train and suspension. They all made a difference. The biggest for speed was almost certainly going from base sram to XT. It was much nicer, and I can not get my head around upshifting and down shifiting with my thumb so the option for index finger shifting got me in the right gear. Suspension was huge... It was harder to tell the wheels other than the more rapid engagement, though I am still running oe rubber. You can definitely tell on the scales where the bike is over 3kg lighter.
If you aren't a pro or aren't getting paid to go faster, I don't see why anyone would spend a week's pay on upgrading a bike that isn't a motorcycle. 🤷♂️
nothing at all to do with improvement through repeating the run, better line choice and placebo 'feels fast' effect the? honestly its much much more likely to be those things.
What's your favourite upgrade you have made to your bike and why?
I'd combine a o chain with that 690 POE hubs.
Trends trumps logic. Of course 😂
@@noke1785 rigid fork and a 2.6+ tire would be lighter 🤷🤣
Very informative video and well done on testing those upgrades. I have a Hightower V2, recently upgraded the hubs to Industry nine and Stans Arch Mk4 wheelset. Makes very noticeable difference. A month later, upgraded the bearings on the bottom bracket and wheelset to ceramics. Makes even greater difference. I was very surprise that the Fox Live Shock makes such a big difference. Most of my ride buddies would do those upgrades as shown in this video. For now bearings is as far as my pocket allows me to do. At the end of these upgrades, the biggest difference that we can see is our bank account balance! Haha.
@@LaurentiusTriarius you are so funny
Trail dog!
Would have been interesting to put it all back to stock at the end and have a final run to see how much of the gain was just improvement from repetition on the same day and conditions.
Strange, I completely agree with you, but I also remember that Anna was a professional rider before GMBN, and I think we can trust her to be consistent in her riding style throughout the day, particularly on a trail she says is one of her favorites.
Thanks for the confidence vote, Tony! It’s a good idea though, Jason, I’ll remember that for next time 😊
i thought exactly the same! shame that was missed as im sure that would have made some difference, that said tiredness would have also slowed the runs down slightly
@@tonywilliams3812 Then it would also be nice to have your average mtb-er do the same. See how much they can win by upgrading and the day after back to stock and see how much they can win by training
Yup, exactly. For younger racers, you always hold back on the next upgrade until they hit the wall. Tell them they were .08 faster on the new stuff and you've broken the spell.
As a non compettitive cycling enthusiast, durability and comfort is most important. More comfort leads to more confidence and speed
Save your money for uplift tickets! Riding makes you faster..
And Tires
No uplift is available everywhere, and just go down is no fun.
Absolutly! You can get about a month of enduro riding in a single day
100%
And if there isn’t an uplift..
Buy an emtb…
Very inconclusive. The baseline time is 202 seconds. So a 2 second change equals 1% which is well within normal variation, and is statistically insignificant. The fact that there is a general trend for improvement in time could be attributed to learning the course and conditions. I'm afraid a lot more runs are required!
Completely agree. One can never do trials with variations without several runs on each to get statistics. This channel would flunk a statistical analysis course with these conclusions. But that is how the "GxxxN" channels operate for views---as so many youtubers doing comparison tests. But I got to give them credit that even if they got those results, they basically concluded one is an idiot to spend that much for a few seconds out of a 200 second run. :D
Love Anna..another great video. Best upgrade after good tyres and brakes is coaching and riding more. Rest is miniscule
Thank you! And I totally agree 😊
Great comparisons! I'm not a big fan if "electronics" but I can definitely see that the rear shock might truly be very helpful. I have used ceramic bearings, and they definitely do make a difference. Thanks again for doing all of these tests,I think if folks have the $, it might just be a great option.
That shock is the first piece of electronic mtb technology I'd genuinely consider (not counting an e-mtb, obviously). Not just because it seems to work really well, but also because it looks like the only electronic component that works almost as well with a flat battery as it does fully charged, because once the battery dies it defaults to fully open, so you don't get the auto climb-switch any more, but it's still a fully functional Float X/DHX.
If the battery dies on your electronic seat post and groupset, you're left with a ridged post and single-speed, and I'm not willing to spend thousands extra just for my bike to regress by decades just because I didn't charge a battery.
Good video. I find that the more runs you do the faster you’ll get. I wonder what would happen if you down graded from the good stuff to the base bike. I also wonder if the time changes would be as different in the other direction.
Ooooh that’s an interesting angle. I like it 🙌
Honestly i have Shimano XT on my Trek Slash and Sram XX ttype on my Trek rail.
I prefer the electronic shifting because the click makes it easier for the hand, but Shimano XT is better shifter, its much better on the trail because how smooth and fast it is in shifting. One thing i like about ttype is it shifts under loads better so its kinda better on technical uphills.
I have shimano XT brakes on my Slash and Code stealth on rail and tbh i cant tell the difference, they both work just as good. I would give slight advantage to code because of good looks.
Have carbon wheels on the slash and aluminium wheels on rail. Both are high end in their tier, but this is one thing i think is worth to upgrade. Dont know about others, but to me carbon wheels are just better.
I could give more examples like suspension, but i think people understand it. Most midrange stuff this days are barely any different compared to high end.
I have Rockshox Zeb ultimate on my slash and select+ on Rail and i feel literally 0 difference between them.
I have rockshox deluxe Ultimate rear on slash and select+ on rail and i feel literally 0 difference between them. Maybe there is 1 percent difference. But i cant even feel it.
I think there is a price point where the higher you go the less value you get, its the place where slick looks, shiny metals come in. Like forexample XX groupset looks great, but does it destroy shimano XT? Nope. Quite close actually.
It'd be interesting to see how putting in Berd spokes compares to a crazy expensive set of carbon rims in terms of compliance benefits. It'd also be nice to see how much of a hassle it is or isn't wrt hub and rim compatibility with Berd spokes.
AFAIU I9 makes now a Berd-compatible hubset 😎
"lack of resistance in the bearings" lol. lmao
...that one got me too. I actually LOL'ed.
Hi Anna, good to see you on videos!
Thank you 😊
Love the program but why only downhill?
You had me right up until the CeramicSpeed cage improvement.
Your baseline bike is already higher end than anything I'd ever buy lol
look on used lol, got one for 1650 same spec
Bearings for me! Another test that would be interesting to me would be a longer term test where maybe a new tech is used for many miles and many weeks so as to 'embed' in the expectations of the rider, and then have the rider switch back to the old tech and ask them what the experience was like with the old tech.
However, I guess sending the same amount of money on a personal trainer would make a bigger difference.
You don't need expensive ceramic bearings and cages to have less friction. It's mostly the type of seals and grease that make difference.
Nice breakdown, good seeing them apply, we’re these included and used in the next ride, making your final run include all upgrades
It’s worth it for upgrades. Your confidence sky rockets also when hitting the gnarly trails! 🚲🚲🚲
No, wireless shifting does not use electrons to communicate. 😅
The communication between the shifter buttons and the derailleur is achieved through radio waves.
These are electromagnetic waves. 😊
I was also a bit surprised you didn't upgrade the Grip damper to a Grip2 or Grip X2.
Personally, I did upgrade my wheelset to Carbon Elitewheels pro 36 for 450 Euros (1.5 kg) on my Stumpjumper.
Cheers from Switzerland
Great review Anna. Interesting how you found the wheel upgrade. I've recently upgraded the DTS wheels on my Blur to I9 and definitely noticed an improvement, more comfortable and less jarring to constantly being engaged and ready to transfer the power. I would certainly consider the shock upgrade also, but would like to see prices come down or other manufacturers pick up this tech. Keep up the great work 🌹
This is one of your best videos Anna Cipullo thank you very much for your time and help have always great times🤗👌❤️✅🎁🙂
Anna Kuzmak , my Croatian friend , said , follow Adam Kerin from Zero Friction Cycling's suggestions . If they work , having seen one of his lectures on my phone . She said that Adam and I have obsessive compulsive disorder . Careful hub bearing preload/grease NLGI rating and setup as well as chain lubricants are the best areas for gains , as well as tyre selection and light weight components . TPU tubes have helped my "baby bike" feel a bit faster . I am "correctly biked" , and not over biked as too many people are .
Infinitesimal gains FTW!
When I was a teen working in a bike shop I was sure purple anodizing would make me podium 😅
At least look good on the podium, but that never happened 😂
I’m convinced green is the fastest colour 😉✅
Every upgrade is very affordable in the longrun. Id expect most people would realistically be more likely to buy one of these upgrades once every few months instead of buying a new bike every few years. After a year of upgrades youll have a better bike than a top spec if you started eith a bottom or mid spec.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do a High/Low series like Donut does! The two folks at GMBN Tech each get to build a bike, one with cheap parts, one with high end parts... and compare the difference it makes.
I especially want to see $500 of brake caliper vs $120 of bigger rotor!
I don’t really believe these videos on “how much faster will this make you”. There are a lot of other factors like the 2nd run, you’ll be more familiar with the trail. It would be better if the video focused on if they made the ride that much more enjoyable to make the cost worth it
Nice idea, but a flawed test, as the times show the more you rode the track the faster you got, so one could just as easily argue that it wasn't the components that made a difference to the times, it was simply more track time, you really need to ride the track 5 times without making any changes to the bike to see if you get any faster.
Considering this is her home turf. One would assume she'd already about as fast as she'll be on that trail.
Go out there yourself and do it the way "it should be done" then.
@@Turbalt141 I highly doubt that, she's not a machine
@@QuarterMileCrazy Why? I already know that generally you get faster the more you session the same track, anyone will tell you that.
@@benjy288 go film yourself running your favorite trail at your local park. Then ride it r more times and see if you can pick up 13 seconds.
Do you honestly think that race teams would spend this money on things when it all can be avoided by just telling their rider to just ride the trail 4 more times?? Come on dude. Think for a minute. This may not be the answer to picking up 10+ seconds of your trail runs but there is no denying that bike modifications improve performance.
There was some guy running his mouth the same way you are when disc brakes were first put on a mountain bike. Now look where we are.
This would have been a better test on an XC bike, as the higher end gear will typically reduce weight as well (which is important on XC). Also you started with 2nd best gear so the improvements were always going to be minimal. I bought the cheapest Scott Spark 970 and have upgraded the whole bike to my preferred components, gone from 15.3kgs to 12kgs, and the bike is ALOT faster, lighter and more fun.
I just bought the previous Sram GX upgrade set here in UK for £435 and can run with my 12s XT cassette just now that to me is just fine I can wait another year for the T type to be at same price! They have replaced the paddle shifter to the newer 2 button pod in older version upgrade set when it arrives so that was nice to see in the box!
Seeing this video but in a high/low budget comparison would be interesting!
super interesting to see the improvements!
Thanks Anna, very interesting topic and results. What is your take on electronic suspension in regards to overall ride quality? Do you think it is better than traditional and is it worth the price?
holy shit the sun does shine over there every once in a while.
speed is fine, but sometimes I wish the channel covered bikes like i.e. the Elops LD (Long Distance) 900 , a super useful bike from decathlon, or the Riverside Touring 520, also super useful, both are like your every day bike and they are beautiful in their own way. Bikes like those two and any similar bike from Canyon, Giant, etc etc.
I feel if the test was started fully upgraded then downgrade each run. The times wouldn't be as wide in the end
Maybe test something like bearings simply rolling down a hill, possibly even a paved road 🤔 An interesting topic definitely 👍
one of the easiest upgrades: Shimano rear mech (mechanical 11 or 12s) ! and Shimano brakes !
Interesting video but equally as interesting is if I spend a day doing the same run I get faster because I get more confident and find better lines, less braking and all it costs me is energy and a good lunch in the middle. Some routes I've done I've shaved minutes off times and the biggest change that's helped is the weather and conditions not spending thousands of pounds ta 🙃
One day I was riding my motorcycle threw a nice twisty bit. Some guy in a ratty scooter came flying past me like a bat out of hell. That was the day I learned, skill > tech
So, apparently, AXS shifts at the speed of electrons. Well, the signal may transmit to the RD at the speed of radio waves, which in this context is similar enough to the speed of electricity... but then you still have the massively slower physical movement of the mech, and then worst of all, you have to wait for the next ramp on the cassette to come around to the chain. The dominant delay in rear shifting is the speed at which your wheel is rotating. Oh, and as well as the shifting being electronic, there's also the T type mount. Are we to believe this speeds up shifting? As i said, the dominant delay is the rotational speed of your rear wheel. Consider this: if you are stationary, your chain will not shift, no matter how your RD is mounted, or how quickly you can make your RD move.
The obvious answer is yeah, kinda. If you start with a budget bike like a Vitus Nucleus (RIP) You'll get less than ideal tyres, forks, brakes and wheels. Better, grippier tyres will allow you to carry more speed. More responsive forks with help keep the traction higher. Better brakes let you go faster for longer on approach to braking zones. A better wheelset often rolls faster, can take more abuse and likely has wider rims which help the tyres perform better.
A £100 stem or £50 seat clamp won't do anything a cheaper part can't but the active parts absolutely can make all the difference.
Great video, thank you. Tyres and brakes are probably the main upgrades i can feel make a difference. Suspension doesn’t seem to, I have Rockshox super deluxe ultimate on one bike and select + on another and really can’t tell the difference between them when riding… though the electronic shock sounds appealing if only to stop me forgetting to turn off the lock out at the top of a climb. I can’t see the benefit of electronic groupset unless the price was equal, even then I’d probably prefer not to maintain more batteries. The time savings are impressive but I’d spend that time and then some recovering from the crash I’d have from riding too fast 😜
Good scientific approach to this. The only downside is your bike is too small for me to do a long term destruction test on.
I guess some of my beef with these comparisons is that they are using the absolute top of line stuff that few can or should afford that and we already know isn't going to provide a meaningful improvement over having the right and best bang for the buck upgrade based on your bike and your riding style. On one bike I never had to touch the brakes or the front fork. However I had to upgrade my rear shock because it wasn't right based on what I was doing and made a world of difference. Upgrading wheels and Transmission were both nice and noticeable upgrades but again I went for best bang for the buck and it's been great.
Relax people, this is not serious, this just for funs, for content. No one in his right mind would take such a test seriously. It's like an episode of TopGear... sort of.
So building a fast set of wheels with sale parts, and suspension revalving/tuning are the best value upgrades. 😊
In my case, upgrades to ride faster downhill at speed, and hitting hard chuck definitely made a difference. It took about 3.5k U.S. dollars. I wouldn't change any upgrades I made.
I think only two of the upgrades are worth the money. The bearings and the suspension. The bearings are something I plan to do when I need to replace my bearings, whether it will be ceramic bearings. This will all depend on my budget. The suspension, I have never been a lover of this electronic computer controlled stuff. But the suspension I am interested in. I would love to see how it performs on a gnarlier ride , something with big drops and jumps, etc. To see if it is better than a properly setup bike.
The wheels can make a difference l, and you can make an effective upgrade much cheaper. I found my stock DT Swiss wheels on two of my bikes to be quite harsh. I swapped them for a pair of Hunt aluminum for around $500 and noticed a change in compliance and upgraded the hub engagement which helps in the techy rocky stuff. Hunt also has carbon wheels between $1-1.2k
I can tell you from experience that going from a steel bottom bracket to a ceramic bottom bracket will make your peddling smoother, which will increase your torque output from your legs.. upgrading the electronic rear shock. I can’t see that making a huge difference unless you paired that with electronic fork
all I knew was 3x9 for years, if it ain't broke don't fix it. but I bought an e-fat tire a month ago, that came with electric shift sram GX 1x12 and now I wish I could convert all my old bikes I still ride.
Having owned a Rallon R6 myself, I can firmly affirm the only upgrade made to that bike which may be notorious is the wheelset. What’s the point to put ceramic bearings and OSPW on a 15 kg bike with a damn Fox 38 😂
A frame with a electic motor would be faster and cheaper ;)
😂
Since this was about a (mostly) downhill section, bolting a few kilograms of lead onto the frame would be cheaper still. 😉
If that autonomous rear shock is 165mm i'm in.
Might be ideal for my e-scooter.
Fed up checking air pressure in both the main and the negative chambers before every off-road or fast 40k city ride.
As much as id like many of the new components, I'll stick with a basic 12x1 XT equipped hardtail when riding with mates.
Although ive just bolted on a pair of lovely blue Rockshox SID SL's, rebuilt the wheels with triple butted spokes, xt hubs and very light disk specific alloy rims.
I've even added an Ultegra casette to reduce to weight, but it will mean that i have to work even harder up those long climbs.
It really is a blast to ride because its uncomplicated and i can do the repairs myself.
There is also the cost of high tech parts.... which for me are still way too high.
In 5 years?
I9 Hydra is so draggy because of the high engagement, I've changed to DT240 with 54 ratchet , better rolling and good enough engagement
Courage is the largest contributing factor to speed
I personally think most of these upgrades would benefit climbing more than descending.
👍if money was no object, then i would not hesitate, and have the best and the latest kit on my bike😎👍
Never mind the sport. I, and 95% of bike riders just wanna get faster to work, and substitute the car in a super reliable way. Some of us become quite nerdy about bike tech in that quest, but it seems like most gear (and you tube) videos are made for the small percentage hiding out in the forest;-) Daily, fast (e-)urban commuting is very demanding and tends to share most components with mountain bike type bicycles, but so much of it are focused on actual mountain and forest biking. I believe someone is missing out some opportunities.
quite surprised there wasn't a tyre upgrade too.
I think I don't need all that upgrades, i always ride a hour.
I would put my money on upgrades that increase efficiency, such as bearings or lighter wheels. If I was rich, however, I would do it all. lol
Spoiler: won’t make you faster 😅😂 I put a lot of money in upgrades on mine but just because I liked them lol
Exactly 💯
Nice video, but your mods should always be matched to the conditions that you ride. If you ride relative flat terrain, that fancy shock isn't going to provide sustainable gains.
All of this depends a great deal on the riding environment. Where I we have a mix of flow and slow tech. I'm much more of a variable on the slow tech than the bike is. Then again, I'm not that speedy on the flow either😂.
I'm curious how much difference more compliant rims make vs the spoke tension in the wheel build. I would have thought the latter would have more effect than the former? Then again I've never ridden really swanky wheels!
Hmm, on test tracks like this: if you think, something makes you faster, it probably make you faster.
The differences in times are meaningless, there are too many variables not accounted for - improved time seems to be a GMBN obsession. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but my upgrades are about a better ride.
That is a general gripe I have with any GMBN/GCN/ videos that try to work out the gains of different bikes, tires, parts on the trails resp. on the road (often in back to back runs): lack of consistency! Trail conditions change, line choice is never a 100% the same, and riders do get tired, so I hear. 😉
Anyone who has any clue about scientific experiments (in whatever area) knows that repeatability is the key to enlightening results.
Don't get me wrong, I still watch and like these vids. 😊
Checking points of engagement on a downhill run seems a little bit silly, if you really want to see the difference that it makes ride it uphill, and even more so technical uphill
Some are just gimmicks...Even if I could afford AXIS ,I wouldn't get any,XT is just as good,and I don't have to worry about it Batteries getting nicked off my bike..ha!!
Recently they introduced a high end (Bio/Acoustic/Analogue!) MTB that had 9(NINE!) batteries!
Can anyone imagine to babysit that many batteries?
Anything to delete the suspension set up process only needs to be cheaper for mid level and beginners! I'd say that's more their market for these shocks people that don't want to mess around for days getting that set up right it puts alot new riders off so take the gravel bike route!
I switched from deore to XT , the deore shifting was annoying me. Next is a hub with better engagement my current one it takes about 15 degrees before engaging and I notice that and that annoys me everytime I’m doing a steep climb.
All feels the same as expensive golf clubs making you better. Practice and fitness make you faster but those things are hard 😂
Was expecting to see the SRAM flight attendant/ ride attendant, not the fox alternative
Did the test go from aluminum to carbon rims? Seems like the hubs are being oversold as the big improvement wrt to wheels.
This upgrades matters in xc , where you put an athletic effort to move...I guess:)
$6800 is a lot of money for 13 seconds. Think id spend the money on improving myself. (Cycling coach, gym training, proper nutrition and more seat time). After all, the bike dont ride itself. The most important component is the rider. 🤔
Feel just riding the same trail back to back , you will get faster with the upgrades or not
Surprise. Price matters a lot. But I don’t have to make my bike this fancy. It’s nice enough for me😊
Now go do it again on another stock bike. Dh runs generally get faster towards the end of the day with warm up, rhythm, line memory/choice practice.
Same happens with Moto. Generally fast laps towards the end of the moto. Same with MTB multiple runs.
My lord this was a science experiment designed by the placebo marketing monkeys.
A ceramic BB allowing you to crank 2-3 gears harder? That is absolute coswollop to say the least. Even the best ceramic BBs have been independenly tested to be a 2-5w gain vs. A mid grade BB like a SRAM DUB.
This takes the award for one of the worst desgined experiments on RUclips despite being the most heavily funded.
Body else notice how wide those bars are for her?
My bike is faster when it’s clean
If you have all the money, why the hell not, I’d buy all of that lol If you don’t, you probably ain’t buying any of that to begin with lol I’d say the ceramic bearing are probably the most worth it overall as they do last longer and everything will just feel smoother all the time
I don’t think I’d want auto lockout even on a coil shock. I don’t like air for the most part.
@AnnaOnTheBike If you had to pick one of those upgrades just for how it made the bike FEEL, which would it be?
I'm just wondering what people think about this ridiculous hub engagement, the O-chain device is growing in popularity so you add engagement with one and take it away with the other?
Great content...i can't afford to feel that kinda difference...but i still wanna ride with you...😊🤭🚲❣️
save your money for a half-decent bike (whatever that looks like for you) and have a good time with what you can afford.
if i cant manage sub 3 minute runs next year after putting 15k€ on a bike i might just quit at that point
improvements on any bike should help it perform better, perhaps be a little faster, but the biggest variable is you. Again, the real question is how much are your willing to spend?
My 2015 e bike had electric rear suspension
99% of the population dont have this bike , nor the upgrades. Wouldn't you think a bike that costs this much new would be impossible to upgrade. All those thousands of pounds spent just to chuck around in the rain and mud don't make no sense to me .
Tune the fifer not the fife. 😁
I somewhat recently bought a base FS XC bike. I upgraded the wheels, cockpit, brakes, drive-train and suspension. They all made a difference.
The biggest for speed was almost certainly going from base sram to XT. It was much nicer, and I can not get my head around upshifting and down shifiting with my thumb so the option for index finger shifting got me in the right gear.
Suspension was huge... It was harder to tell the wheels other than the more rapid engagement, though I am still running oe rubber.
You can definitely tell on the scales where the bike is over 3kg lighter.
Moral of the story; those with the means can save seconds off the clock. Those without, get wrecked. 🤭
Yes and no, assuming both test subjects have the same fitness level yes maybe 😂
Or they just get hench 💪 😉
Only usefull upgrade for normal ppl are wheels, other things are non important.
Why wheels?
@@Jens329upgrading the tyres make the greatest difference 😊
If you aren't a pro or aren't getting paid to go faster, I don't see why anyone would spend a week's pay on upgrading a bike that isn't a motorcycle. 🤷♂️
@KermitOfWar most people can't ride a motorcycle beyond the limit of the stock parts
@@Jens329 Bcs with lighter wheels you can feel that bike ir more lighter, agile and easier to accelerate.
nothing at all to do with improvement through repeating the run, better line choice and placebo 'feels fast' effect the? honestly its much much more likely to be those things.
Check out 'Evans MTB Saga' - he has a heap of videos like this.
Bonus points for having dirt all over your face! Go Anna go!
A true mountain biker!
Maybe try upgrading brakes? More powerful brakes allow you to brake later and carry more speed…….
It was on the list but we ran out of time sadly 😢