What bike parts should you upgrade first? Cycling is a lot of fun, and there’s something very personal about the bike you choose and how it suits your personality. People often become attached to bikes and are more than just a few bike parts put together but more of a companion.
When it comes to making something really personal and unique to you, upgrades are a great route to go down. We are often asked here at buycycle about the best upgrades to make and which order you should do them in. But what bike parts should you upgrade first? Let’s explore the best options.
- Why upgrade your bike parts instead of buying a new bike?
- What bike parts to upgrade first?
- Should I upgrade my frame?
- Which bike parts will you upgrade first?
Why upgrade your bike parts instead of buying a new bike?
Upgrading individual bike parts can offer several advantages over buying a completely new bike. Here's why:
Upgrading your bike parts for better performance
Firstly we have better performance. If you upgrade bike parts to lighter ones or better functionality, you will get better performance. One of the best performance upgrades you can make is wheels.
Better components for comfort
Upgrading bike parts is not always about speed. Quite often, it is about comfort more than anything. If you are a long-distance rider, you might prefer a better saddle, lower gearing, or even a nice set of handlebars.
Keeps it fresh
It’s easy to get bored of riding the same bike. When that happens, upgrading bike parts can reignite your passion for cycling. A simple upgrade to bike parts can help you stay excited about the bike you currently have, without the need for a new one.
Upgrade your bike parts to suit a particular event
Sometimes, you might want to go to an event, and your bike might not be the ideal steed for the event. In this case, you can upgrade to help yourself. This could be a groupset with a lower range or even lighter, more aerodynamic wheels.
What bike parts to upgrade first?
Now for the exciting part! Let us discuss the best order to upgrade bike parts on your bike. This is an order we recommend, but we appreciate that depending on what you want to get out of your bike, it could be a very different order. These are the best bike parts to upgrade.
1.Seat
The first place we recommend starting before going anywhere else is the seat. This is to get the perfect comfort possible. You can upgrade all the other bike parts first, but if the seat isn’t right for you, then it’s going to be really difficult to stay on the bike for longer periods of time.
Finding the right seat can be one of the biggest challenges for a cyclist, but there are solutions with modern technology, such as pressure mats and even 3D printing. It’s important to understand that just because a seat works for you doesn’t mean it will work for everyone else.
Tom Owen
2.Wheels
Wheels are one of the most impactful bike parts to upgrade. Wheels are an amazing component upgrade purely because of the difference they can make to performance, handling, and looks on your bike. Typically, on mid-range bikes, they start by using quite cheap wheels because upgrades are often expected.
Going to carbon fiber wheels can save you a huge amount of weight. It also means you can use more aerodynamic profiles for speed advantages, and they are also much stronger. You can also get some amazing aluminum wheels at budget prices, which can be a big bike part upgrade.
The reason wheels are such a big component upgrade is not only because they heavily lighten the bike by often around a kilo. However, some research shows that lowering the rotational weight makes a big difference compared to stationary mass such as the frame.
Robert Ferri
3.Tires and tubes
A less obvious but equally important bike part to upgrade is your tires and tubes. Cyclists often heavily underestimate the difference a good set of tires can make alongside some performance inner tubes. Upgrading to tires that suit your riding more, for example, puncture protection or reduced rolling resistance.
Tires from top brands have a lot of research going into them, and they are designed to last for as long as possible. Another great component upgrade is TPU or Latex tubes. Not only do you save a huge amount of weight, but they can help with rolling resistance and puncture protection.
It is also good to mention tubeless. A tubeless system is one in which, instead of using inner tubes, you have a special tire that houses sealant. This sealant is light and has the ability to run lower pressures, and it can even self-heal when you get small punctures.
Sophia Willmes
4.Gearing
Next, we have gearing. It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting gears that will make you faster and run high ratios, but quite often, they offer very little advantage compared to gears that offer lower ratios. The time you spend on the climbs compared to the descents is vital to understand.
Going with lower gearing means you have more options for ratios on climbs, and you can also stop the fatigue on those heavy legs by spinning at faster cadences. You can upgrade the whole groupset or just even change the cassette or chainrings.
5.Clipless pedals
Pedals are a very personal choice, but if you ever fancy a change, it might be worth considering going to clipless pedals. These pedals give you the ability to clip into the pedals, which has a lot of benefits.
Firstly, you have better power transfer, it’s great for the bike fit, and you can start wearing shoes with a solid platform increasing comfort too. There are a few different types, but the most popular are SPD for mountain biking and SPD-SL for road cycling.
You could also consider investing in power meter pedals, which are going to throw data at you telling you exactly how much power you are producing, and twin-sided pedals will even tell you which side it’s coming from more.
6.Brakes
When it comes to brakes, they are very overlooked as a component upgrade, especially when it comes to mountain biking. Better brakes not only help you stop faster but also offer more function in controlling the brakes when it comes to avoiding locking up.
If you are still on rim brakes still, you can even invest in better cables and calipers with some performance pads, and the feeling when you brake will be completely different. It’s not the cheapest bike parts upgrade, but the difference it makes to the ride feel is huge, and it can save your hands from hurting from lots of braking.
Sophia Willmes
7.Suspension (Mountain Biking)
If you are riding a mountain bike, suspension is an amazing bike parts upgrade to make. Not only does it help smooth out the bumps, but it can also help you get over bumps more efficiently by reducing rebound and smoothing out the ride.
Top suspension is costly and brands like Fox and RockShox do make some amazing components upgrades. The best advice we can give you is if you are upgrading suspension, stay on top of the servicing more than anything.
8.Finishing kit
Finally, we have the finishing kit. The finishing kit is the bars, seatpost, stem, bar tape, and grips. Although these might seem like a cheap value-for-money upgrade, they don’t make a huge difference.
The weight you can save from switching from aluminum to carbon is minimal, but they do offer a better aesthetic and look to the bike. They can even help with comfort and help spice up how you feel about the bike.
Should I upgrade my frame?
You might have noticed the frame wasn’t mentioned in this article. The reason for this is that when changing the frame, it often changes it into a completely different bike. It’s still worth upgrading on a basic frame because you can move the parts on later to the next frame.
A lighter carbon frame offers many advantages, such as weight, better power transfer, improved aerodynamics, and comfort. Frames often come up at bargain prices, especially when newer models are released.
Which bike parts will you upgrade first?
Upgrading bike parts is an excellent way to personalize your ride, enhance performance, and improve comfort without needing to invest in a completely new bike. Whether you're upgrading your wheels for better speed, changing your saddle for more comfort, or fine-tuning your gearing for specific terrains, each upgrade can transform your biking experience. It keeps your bike feeling fresh and ensures you're always ready for your next adventure. buycycle now offers bike parts in the shop. You can buy and sell your bike components easily. Ready to give it a try?