BUDGET Upgrades That TRANSFORM Your Gravel Bike

Entry-level gravel bikes like the Base Specialized Diverge in this video are great out of the box, but can be transformed with a few budget-minded upgrades.
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[@malcontent_1]

Very solid first round of upgrades. I'm intrigued by those wheels. Your friend is lucky to have an avid & informed tinkerer like you.

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆🤘

[@greggr1591]

Good rule of thumb for upgrading a ride: do the contact points first. Wheels & tires, bars, pedals, and maybe saddle.

[@nkantar]

I’d suggest also considering an affordable vanity upgrade for the smile factor. I got custom bar end plugs and headset cap, and it immediately widened my smile when riding my bike. The extra poke in my pedal stroke was definitely a performance gain, too. 😎

[@bulacanbikememes810]

Ritcheylized

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha nice

[@themoodyteam]

Sponsorlized…

[@TheBikeSauce]

I can see how you’d assume that 😀

[@rudyelizondo1935]

Good vid, I agree with the wheels and tires upgrade, my bike is a totally new ride and feel. My Diverge went from 22 lbs to just 19.8 lbs with the change. Rides great and I glad because I beat the heck out of it riding on gravel roads here in Texas. Have fun you guys

[@pauloschmitt9328]

One thing cheap that I also did was replacing the original Claris 50x34 chainring with the Tourney 46x30.

[@RMtex]

2021 diverge here. I upgraded the 38 pathfinder pros to Rene Herse Oracle Ridge 48s. Holy crap, way more confident descending gravel and somehow the ride feel is smoother feeling on all surfaces. Definite plus.

[@williamlebron9873]

Love the Ritchey Bars & Gravel Kings tires. Have the 1st gen bars on my CX bike & the 2nd gen (wide) bars on my Poseidon Redwood.

[@jasonisaac1]

Nice upgrades! First thing I upgraded on my gravel bike a few years ago was a dropper post. Was key for riding in western NC. Then came handlebar, suspension stem, wheels and tires, and wider range cassette.

[@mattkavanaugh5623]

Ditto for me; dropper post = 1st upgrade (approximately $100) then flared drop bars (about $40) , with new bar tape of course :)

[@woduk]

I have those one up pedals on my hardtail mtb, excellent choice for the price.

[@NickM86]

I just upgraded my diverge with those same stock wheels and roadsports to hunt wheels and Gravelking SK’s, haven’t taken it on the gravel yet but excited

[@rextrinidad6646]

Not on my gravel bike, but on my road bike, I changed the cassette from Shimano CS-5800 (11-28) to Shimano CS-M8000 (Deore XT, 11-42) and it just made the uphill climbs so much more manageable. On my Salsa Vaya gravel bike, I upgraded the saddle to Specialized Body Geometry (from the stock Volt). So much more comfortable. I also changed the pedals as you suggested. Big difference.

[@ritcheydesign]

Great! Loving seeing a little personalization to a person's bike from the stock option. Very nice!

[@wazzup105]

Bike: 1300,- Wheels: 400:- Tires: 90,- Handlebars: 40,- Pedals: 40,- That's nearly half the price of the bike on budget upgrades.... If you buy that bike I don't think that's a budget upgrade (well it wouldn't be for me...) Anyways I would reverse the order 1 - Pedals .. definitly (maybe clipless even depending on the terrain) 2 - Tires (if you find your current tires are insufficient) 3 - Handlebars (when you need to) 4 - Wheels (when you win the lottery) and yes saddle if you can't resolve your discomfort with a proper bikefit. Personally I would buy pedals (spd or indeed a proper set of platform pedals) and some 28mm road tires because that way I can use it as a road machine as well... I mean how often do you really get to ride a proper challenging gravel ride? (way not enough for me, but maybe you live in an area with more opportunities you lucky ******** ;-) )

[@gpeaes]

The comp Venturmax and higher bars actually have a really nice ergo-aero profile on the tops with an indent underneath to better hide the cables. Its a great upgrade over just a standard round top profile like on the RL1...

[@DilbertMuc]

Absolutely! I am not a fan of that basic Specialized road bar at all.

[@MrMars121]

Do you stick with the regular width or go wider?

[@erehr4623]

Almost exactly what I did to my gravel. Except pedals - got shimano PD-EH500 hybrid flat/spd and I absolutely love them.

[@DilbertMuc]

Ritchey Zeta wheels cost EUR 400,- at discount retailers and save how much on grams compared to Axis Sport wheels (2077g per set)? 200 grams? I think unless one wants to go tubeless (Axis Sport are not tubeless) and really sporty it is not really worth to swap the wheels. Just swap the tires and maybe the handle bar. Those earlier generation Diverge (up to 2020) were actually more Allroad bikes with road bike geometry and road bike systems (Claris, Sora, Tiagra) that were capable to ride light gravel. Only newer Diverge models really changed everything towards heavy duty gravel. 🧐👆

[@flying_brick9756]

Definitely a good idea to get those tires out first! I'm a bit sceptical if those wheels are a good upgrade, they are less wide and only 50g lighter if at all depending on where you look, and for $400... The specialized diverge is a capable bike in it's original form, especially what ride feel components are concerned. If you want weight, i'd go for the square taper crankset, and off course the pedals.

[@malcontent_1]

How is your buddy adapting to the modified bike fit, since the wider bars effectively increase the reach?

[@TheBikeSauce]

He seems pretty pumped on the improved handling. Hasn’t commented on fit.

[@malcontent_1]

@@TheBikeSauce 👍 I'm shopping for an affordable higher-volume-tire bike for my crappy SF Bay Area roads. Currently on a steel single speed Wabi Classic, which is awesome.

[@Fatbutnotflat]

Maybe shorter stem if necessary

[@malcontent_1]

@@Fatbutnotflat 👆 that's what I was thinking. But it seems like his buddy hasn't noticed the difference & I _presume_ hasn't had a bike fit yet. As long as he's functional comfortable, it's all good.

[@edm8508]

What size is that bar length??

[@PaulBeiser]

Most awesome, agree those are the 3 best upgrades. Thanks!

[@josecaraballojr.2287]

Would the Ritchey ZETA wheels also be a great upgrade for a Specialized Sirrus X 4.0? That bike seems to share some similarities to the diverge. If not, any suggestions for alternative wheels? I prefer lighter wheels while keeping durability.

[@lolbubs11111]

Wheels and tire upgrade makes a lot of sense. But wide, flared bars are unergonomic and a step in the wrong direction. Most dropbar bikes come with excessively wide bars already. Also, repositioning the handlebar (rotation) and controls in an appropriate place is pretty tricky and not the easiest process I'd recommend to a beginner.

[@Scheeringiscaring]

This, i actually went narrower on the bars, went from a 44 to 40cm flared bar with a bit of rise and it feels much more ergonomic

[@TheBikeSauce]

Depends on what you want from the bike

[@Scheeringiscaring]

@@TheBikeSauce i disagree, if you want to ride technical terrain, where you need a lot of control through the handlebars a gravel bike is simply the wrong choice, get a mountain bike. Gravel bikes are supposed to be similar to a roadbike but slightly rougher terrain. Longer hours and distances in the saddle and that means comfort, overly wide handlebars are just not comfortable or ergonomic

[@tomas7403]

I had that bike and it was fine except for the mechanical brakes, they were just not enough, and the investment to upgrade them was very expensive so I sold it.

[@wildmoe5016]

Seeing the breaks, I would get them to hydraulic first. Changing tires (not rims) can be a very wise decision

[@Mensajeromaranatha]

Thank you very interesting, I just bought a divergent elite E5 2023 do you have any suggestions and any upgrade I can do?

[@robertkowton5875]

EXCELLENT VIDEO!!

[@SurpriseMeJT]

New wheels are great but if one doesn't have the money for new wheels, I'd suggest checking the spoke tension on the existing wheels you have. If you've got some more skills, perhaps rebuilding the wheels with butted spokes if they came with straight guage and use aluminum nipples for the front wheel and rear non drive side spokes.

[@Hubertalcala]

Omg, exact bike that I have. I’m definitely gonna do this. I was thinking of doing the Sram Apex group set upgrade coz it’s way cheaper than the GRX 😊

[@MimichBask]

Have you done it ? I’ve got the exact same bike and found it not perfect as I want it to be (especially the brake, gosh they are terrible…) ?

[@Hubertalcala]

@@MimichBask i have not but will be in the winter. I called Specialized and was told that the Sram Apex will fit and work without even upgrading my wheel set which is currently an 8 speed. So you did it and it sucks?

[@MimichBask]

Sorry for my late reply. No I haven't done it, just looking for a way to replace that rubbish Shimano claris brake... and don't know really where to go without spending billions ahah @@Hubertalcala

[@tp1802]

@@MimichBaskI’ve done a little research because I also want to replace the tektro mira brakes. They’re not great. I’ve got cable-actuated tektro spyres on my touring bike, so I’ll probably go with those. They’ve been great, even when the bike is loaded up and going downhill.

[@p49N]

Great Video. The Comp Zetas wcs are actually made by fulcrum.

[@MrFrescocotone]

Great videi! Still using the Ritchey Outback?

[@TheBikeSauce]

100% !

[@MrFrescocotone]

@@TheBikeSauce amazing bike

[@lichray]

That bar tape looks splendid

[@erichoonmin]

Super comfy

[@ShouldaWaved]

I have to have some kind of defense against flats built into the tire, using continental gatorskin now, did fix a flat the other day but its rare

[@jeffreyrule8143]

Thank you. Very informative retrofit.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx Jeff!

[@eddiea5076]

Great ol PHIL! awesome!

[@philipbyrne3037]

Sound and editing next level. Maybe a cheap upgrade for video skills next👍🏽

[@EscMoto]

Same upgrades but me only the innertube sinece i dont have budget then the handle bar for gravel its outward and longer then i upgraded to 1by crank set. Panning to change wheel set someday and the groupset

[@Fatbutnotflat]

Nice backwards rear wheel spin to hear disc rub without the sound of the freehub

[@TheBikeSauce]

They only way 😀

[@Rrr-rz1pg]

Nice 👌🏽 thank you 🙏🏽

[@stuartpotter4923]

Nice job.... How come shop built bikes always come with the levers misaligned 😕

[@mellissanash7517]

I'd upgrade gearing first as stock is not enough for where I live. I need at least a 40t out back 2x or 48t 1x.

[@TheBikeSauce]

I think that may be next on this bike. Cheers!

[@Barefeet200]

Replacing wheels is too costly. Pedals make a huge impact. Stock tires are Loud and heavy, but decent tires are well over a hundred dollars each here in Canada. Changing mine over also made a huge impact on ride. My upgrades cost 300 dollars over the sale bargain price of 1300 I paid for the bike. Cheap gps cat eye computer was another 200. As much as I would love having two sets of wheels with aggressive tires on one and slicks on the other, just can’t find them in a price range I can afford.

[@mellissanash7517]

@@TheBikeSauce The cool thing is you can easily just add a GRX 10 or 11spd RD depending on the shifter and not need to swap anything else out.

[@florindodan1848]

Salut..ce dimensiuni are ghidonul ?

[@MrMars121]

Hello, I saw a lot of your videos on gravel handlebars. I'm confused about one thing. My shoulder width is 42 cm. My gravel bike came with a regular road drop bar of 42 cm. When I upgrade to a gravel handlebar, do I still stick with the 42, or do I go wider? Thank you

[@scopie49]

This is late but it depends on your comfort mostly followed by what riding you do. Another video I watched (and comments) often say bikes come with handles that are often too wide. Shoulder width should be measured from shoulder bone to bone. Not the outer edge of the muscle. On drops you generally want to keep your arms as straight in line with your shoulders as possible. If your bars are too wide it can cause a sort of kinetic chain that forces your neck to tilt upward and the ergonomics will be really bad. That all being said, wider bars can give you more steering control which can be helpful on more difficult gravel areas but if something is too difficult for normal gravel bars you'd probably want a mountain bike anyways.

[@jamesh.4448]

What torque wrench are you using? So far I've tried 2 different ones specifically for my bike and either the click didn't sound /feel right, handle was too small, or just had no "response"whatsoever (and had to get a bottle cage rivnut drilled and replaced by the LBS). Thanks for the video, that handlebar upgrade looked intriguing

[@TheBikeSauce]

I use the Park tw5.2, but even that isn’t as clicky as it used to be

[@StephanieHughesDesign]

Loved your review of the Ritchey Outback as a standard gravel bike for most occasions. Including race and long distances? Also, what is your take on the Velo Orange Passhunter for the same reasons, i.e., solid all purpose gravel bike? Would you want to do a build for the Velo Orange Passhunter as an all purpose gravel bike? I would be interested in your opinion.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Thx! I probably wouldn’t race the Outback. I’ve actually never raced.. 😆 it’s great for everything else! The VO pass hunter has always intrigued me. Really low trail, but kinda long rear end. I’d imagine the steering feels quick, but the bike itself may not feel super nimble. All speculation - I’ve never ridden one. Cheers!

[@artystafoto_2904]

What's width size of that handlebar?

[@elachichai]

It's time bike companies give drop down options to customise at sale. Almost everyone changes the saddle, some change handlebar, and some tires. Wider flared handlebars are always more safer in terms of control and so safety. Same goes to clip pedals. Platform pedals are safer and offer micro feet position adjustments. Aerodynamics are overrated stats for most people. Could you compare salsa cow chipper , redshift kitchen sink, and ritchey 36mm flare handlebars?

[@KahluaBomb]

You said the wheels don't matter for tubeless, its the tires? Is this for real? Can I put tubeless tires on my not "tubeless ready" wheels?

[@cjohnson3836]

No. Rims actually do matter as rims designed for tubeless have a different shoulder/bead seat profile. Though, you can coerce a non-tubeless rim to work tubeless with enough tape and the right technique. Though that will still depend on the tire you try to mate to it as certain combos work better than others. You're also more likely to unseat a tire on a non-tubeless if you go hard into a corner at lower pressure (which is one of 2 major reasons why you would even run tubeless to begin with).

[@KahluaBomb]

@@cjohnson3836 that's what I thought, I was very confused but don't know enough about bikes to really be sure sure

[@hannahisraelsen6816]

Would have loved to see prices on all these! Seeing as how people who by budget bikes care about.. well, budget.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Links are in description. I don’t like stating exact prices, since they change over time

[@mervdove5901]

Have exact same bike. Upgraded handle bars. Happy with it. Will do wheels next. Any new updates with your friend’s bike?

[@TheBikeSauce]

He’s been riding it in this form. Drivetrain and brake likely next

[@MimichBask]

Hi ! Do you recommend any brake change ? Coming from hydraulic on MTB found them a real disaster…cheers for you reply !

[@Pleasure_Baron]

Great video and demo! For the love of consumerist nightmare we live in, show your mother some love- earn your upgrade, cupcake. wear what you have out before “upgrading.”

[@TheBikeSauce]

I like cheesecake

[@Pleasure_Baron]

@@TheBikeSauce that’s awesome, cupcake. I thought you were going to say landfills 🙃

[@volition5559]

You sure the disc brake mounting system has to be the same? Center lock doesn't seem bike or even brake specific, but I could be wrong. I thought disc was simply disc. clarification: I know that six bolt and centrelock mount differently onto the hub. What I thought he meant was that bikes are six bolt or CL specific. Which to my knowledge they are not. He could've just purchased new, CL rotors. More convenient than six bolt imo.

[@Digi20]

you can mount 6 bolt rotors to a center-lock wheel using an adapter, but not the other way around.

[@tinglydingle]

You can fit 6 bolt discs to centrelock wheels with an adapter, but the opposite is impossible; they are separate standards and you should check compatibility before you buy.

[@volition5559]

@@Digi20 I know that six bolt and centrelock mount differently onto the hub. What I thought he meant was that bikes are six bolt or CL specific. Which to my knowledge they are not. He could've just purchased new, CL rotors. More convenient than six bolt imo.

[@volition5559]

@@Digi20 I know that six bolt and centrelock mount differently onto the hub. What I thought he meant was that bikes are six bolt or CL specific. Which to my knowledge they are not. He could've just purchased new, CL rotors. More convenient than six bolt imo.

[@lolbubs11111]

I think he just really wanted to reuse the 6-bolt rotors instead of buying new CL ones. I probably would have just switched to CL instead of seeking out a 6-bolt hub.

[@kiethpederson7558]

What is considered budget friendly last I checked tires I almost 70-80 bucks apiece and in some instances wheels, and cost more than a bicycle

[@TheBikeSauce]

All relative, I suppose. The gravelkings can be found for close to half of that

[@ngocchaunguyen6369]

sorry, may i know? how tall are you and what is the size of specialized ? Thanks and sorry for my question

[@TheBikeSauce]

Size 54, owner is 5’9”- 5’10” I think

[@mykgo3543]

Hi what kind of torque wrench did you use to tighten the stem? Thanks!

[@TheBikeSauce]

Just a 5Nm preset wrench from competitive cyclist.

[@mykgo3543]

@@TheBikeSauce thanks!

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

one other thing that works damn well for very little money is upgrading claris RD for altus/acera RDs. they work with STIs and are much quieter and easier to shift under pressure.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Right on! The Claris fd could really use an upgrade as well

[@amitkumar-wj8gn]

@@TheBikeSauce yup. I have been using sora for five years and they are pretty good for the price. Tiagra hits the spot for budget upgrades with good mech disc brakes and compressionless housing.

[@thedownunderverse]

@@TheBikeSauce by removing it entirely! 😊

[@TheBikeSauce]

Haha

[@kevngu7256]

Hi can I change my diverge carbon gravel into a road tire gravel bike?

[@TheBikeSauce]

Sure!

[@neilk22]

It’s a pity that Ritchie don’t make a 1x crankset to drop that FD.

[@ghjk193]

My first upgrade would have to go to the saddle

[@peterbouchard103]

Have the same bike, diverge 2018..I chances the brakes.. From the mechanics.. To hydraulics.... With new 105 shifters... Great different, buth e, expensive 😂😂

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

The best upgrade is a mountain bike 🤣🤣🤣

[@ws4827]

Where did he get that long bag?

[@TheBikeSauce]

I think that’s a Swift Industries frame bag

[@gcb2101]

Gravel riders and their drop bars. So funny. Let's make them a bit flatter and wider. Then even flatter and wider.... Just get it over with and put a flat bar on it!

[@_SpaceDad]

Ritchey doesn't make a carbon seatpost? The best compliance bang for your buck is swapping out the alloy seatpost for a carbon.

[@TheBikeSauce]

They do make a really nice one. Pretty pricey

[@marcel750p]

Can you review the ritchey corralitos

[@TheBikeSauce]

Planning to. They were out of stock a few weeks back. Will check again

[@marcel750p]

@@TheBikeSauce I have a set on my checkpoint there great just wanted to see your thoughts on the shallow drops

[@gerrygadget]

suspension stem/post

[@teddgram]

A nice set of wheels made a huge difference to my bikes. I don't think the stock pedals even left the shop. I had them take them off as I already had a set of Egg Beaters sitting at home.

[@GregFliesVR]

4:12 you missed a good spot to show us how to do this part here. But you fast forward. It would have been nice to see how this is done.

[@TheBikeSauce]

It gets pretty monotonous. I’ve got a dedicated video on bar wrapping though

[@FutureMark809]

Shame you didn’t get Eric riding and giving first impressions. The thoughts of a non-pro non-reviewer would be good to hear.

[@TheBikeSauce]

Good idea. Didn’t want to shove a camera in his face. It’s renewed his interest in gravel. Says he’s much more confident descending, which was his main apprehension.

[@RonBalone]

Bro didn't clean the cassette when transferring.... WHAT

[@Dreggz1312]

The pathfinders are better but in 700x42

[@TheBikeSauce]

Pretty subjective, but the sports are stiff. Tubeless pathfinders are better but more expensive

[@Dreggz1312]

@@TheBikeSauce oh I see yea I only have used the pathfinder pros and they're great. I would like to try pathfinder rear gravelking front. Obviously it's preference and terrain but I just wanted to rep the pathfinders haha

[@Spindatt]

My name is Eric

[@TheBikeSauce]

😆🤘

[@mleodailydrivers1867]

Come on ritchey is to expensive lol is not a budget

[@TheBikeSauce]

They have a budget line of components that's good value

[@mleodailydrivers1867]

@@TheBikeSauce hello thanks for the reply, the only expensive thing is the wheels, ritchey is a very good brand like you said 🚵

[@jonathanzappala]

That handeblar is a downgrade. Stretching your friend out like that is asking for trouble.

[@nassozeebo]

Budget upgrade. Changes wheels. Ok.

[@Tarmaccyclocross]

So called gravel (grovel) bikes not particularly good at anything

[@TheBikeSauce]

But kinda good at everything 😉

[@gabormolnar6126]

im sorry but how are the 400$ wheels and 100$ tires a (500$ overall) budget upgrade?xd

[@KarolKrasnopolski]

What frame bag is this and what frame size? It fits pretty nice on diverge.

[@erichoonmin]

Swift Industries Hold Fast Frame Bag 3.25L, Coyote