As the discipline of gravel cycling has exploded, so has the range of bikes on offer and of course the amount of upgrades that you can buy for said gravel bikes. However, what are the best value gravel bike upgrades? We explain what our favourite best value gravel bike upgrades are and why you should pay attention to these things before anything else.
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00:00Perhaps you've just bought your first gravel bike, or maybe you've been a drop bar knobbly
00:04tyre convert for a while. Either way, I think we can all agree that if you're not out riding on
00:09the trails, then thinking about how you can improve your ride is the next best thing.
00:14Now, unless you're one of those very lucky people that's got thousands to spend on their bikes,
00:19then you, like the rest of us, will be after the upgrades that deliver the biggest bang for your
00:24buck. Although in the title we did say five best upgrades, it's more five best upgrade
00:29areas. So, without further ado, let's jump in.
00:37Tyres are something we would recommend as being one of the best value upgrades for road bikes too.
00:42But for gravel, your choice of rubber takes on a whole new level of importance beyond just
00:47rolling resistance, puncture protection, and weight. Having the right set will completely change your
00:52ride. First off, there's the tread pattern. Are you going to be riding mainly hard pack gravel roads,
00:58or are your trails more loose and muddy? In the first case, you'd want to go with a semi-slit casing
01:03with more prominent shoulder knobs for grip in the corners. In the second, you'd be needing something
01:09more aggressive with the height and spacing between the knobs getting taller and wider.
01:14And then there's the width. Depending on the impacts you expect and the comfort you want,
01:19you might be best suited with anything from a 35mm all the way up to a 54mm.
01:24Then there's the difference between price points. More expensive tyres can be lighter and use more
01:30advanced compounds. Now, this is particularly important if you ride where there are wet,
01:34slabby rocks, as it's not the knobs that provide the grip, as there's nothing for them to dig into.
01:39It's actually the compound of the rubber. Clearly, there's a lot of things to consider when buying tyres.
01:45I think my key piece of advice is to really learn the terrain you're riding on and then buy the tyre
01:51that is best suited to your surroundings. Because buying too early and maybe not spending quite enough
01:57could mean that you miss the mark entirely.
02:04Handlebars are the headline component here, but really, this is about making sure that your contact
02:10points are as comfortable as they possibly can be. Now, whether your riding is about laid-back exploring
02:17or ultra-distance epics or just blasting around as fast as you can, you'll enjoy it more and perform
02:23better with a bike that fits you properly. The cheaper and simpler options, which are arguably
02:29the highest value, include your stem and your bar tape. Now, bar tape is a pretty obvious one.
02:35Tackier and more cushioned options deliver better grip for control as well as greater comfort.
02:40So, it's a win-win. The stem relates to your bike fit and it's about finding the balance between not
02:45being super stretched out, but also not being too cramped up. Now, you can get models with different
02:50angles as well to help you further adjust the height of your handlebars too. We do have content
02:56surrounding how to get your bike set up, so it's worth watching that first. But once you do know what
03:01you're after, a stem that sorts your bike fit is arguably one of the best value upgrades that you can
03:06make. Coming back to the handlebars themselves, there are so many different options, which is great
03:11because it means that you will likely find something that works for you. But it's also a bit of a pain
03:16because it means a fair bit of looking. There's the width to consider, there's the flare, and there's
03:21also the drop. Now, in terms of value, the aspects that relate to the fit are definitely the most
03:26important. And in most cases, you will also have the option to look at carbon versions as well.
03:32However, this does reduce the cost effectiveness of the upgrade.
03:40On to the brakes, and this is one for the budget gravel bikes, which have mechanical disc brakes
03:45fitted rather than hydraulics. Now, it is true that hydraulic disc brakes do offer better modulation
03:51compared to their mechanical counterparts. But it's also true that mechanical disc brakes can be
03:56unfairly abused because in being specced on cheaper models, other spec choices are made that do then
04:03hamper their performance. Essentially, mechanical disc brakes can have the potential to be much better
04:10than their stock setup. Most important is actually upgrading the outer cable housing. Cheaper housing
04:17compresses when you squeeze the brake lever, which leads to a spongy feeling brake. However,
04:22more expensive housing gives a much more direct braking feel, and this helps with modulation and
04:27also means that much more of the power is going to the brake rather than being wasted in the housing.
04:34£40 or $50 may feel like a lot of money to spend on brake cables, but considering what an effect it has,
04:42it's one of the best value upgrades you can make. The same goes for your brake pads. You don't need to
04:47go for a ludicrously expensive set with cooling fins and all the rest. It's about the compound of the
04:53pad, and that's what matters. And really, it won't take too much to make a big step up from the budget
04:58pads that were probably fitted at stock. Not specifically an upgrade for your bike per se,
05:07but it's something you'll use out on the trails, so we think it's fair game. There's two common
05:12mistakes to make. First one is going for a multi-tool that packs on a whole raft of features,
05:18but in such a small and intricate way that it's a massive pain to actually use. Now,
05:23perhaps that's fine as a safety net on short rides, but for anything more, and it gets frustrating
05:29really quickly. The other mistake to make is actually going for a tool with too few features,
05:34which can actually leave you caught short when you're out on the trails. The bits we look for
05:39are a complete set of Allen keys from 2mm all the way up to 8mm, at least a T25 Torx head, a flat head
05:46and a Phillips screwdriver. A chain tool and a valve core tool and a spoke tool are nice extras to have.
05:53Now, in terms of things that we'd actually bring with us, a Quicklink and tubeless plugs are an absolute
05:58must, but we also like to bring tire levers, a good old-fashioned inner tube, and of course, a pump.
06:09Finally, in a similar vein to the multi-tool, this isn't specifically an upgrade for your gravel
06:14bike, but it's one that can transform your gravel riding, so we think it's a worthwhile inclusion.
06:19Although there's a lot to be said about developing a mental map of your local trails, a head unit with
06:24mapping can help you explore further afield in the confidence that you're not going to get lost.
06:29Getting to explore new areas is a huge part of the fun of gravel riding, and easy mapping
06:35really helps with that. Of course, this doesn't have to be done with a bespoke cycling computer.
06:41There are plenty of mapping applications on your phone that will do an excellent job. Plus, depending
06:46on what you already own, the setup might not have to cost much at all. The key things that you'll need
06:51are of course your phone, a road bus mount, a battery pack for charging your phone, and of course,
06:56some form of handlebar bag to carry that battery pack. I think whichever way you look at it, when
07:02you start to use mapping, you'll wonder how you ever rode before. So those are our tips for the best
07:08value upgrades that you can make to your gravel bike. If you've got some which you think we missed,
07:13then drop them down in the comments below. If you enjoyed the video, drop a like, subscribe to the
07:18channel for more content, and I'll see you again very soon.