Can We Make A £500 Bike Faster Than A £10,000 Superbike?

We found the best bike we could for £450 and now - we're attempting to make it faster than a £10,000 superbike. Will a £200 budget be enough to do the trick?
00:00 Can we make a budget bike faster than a superbike?
00:20 Our £500 Boardman and top spec £10,000 Orbea
01:24 Baseline run on the Boardman
02:58 What modifications are we doing to the Boardman?
04:46 Baseline run on the Orbea
06:09 Bike modification issues…
07:18 Second Boardman run
08:35 Controlled-environment testing in wind tunnel
09:20 The results!
11:13 What’s the takeaway?
Useful Links:
GCN Tech Uploader 👉 gcn.eu/techuploader
Everything Cycling. All In One Place 👉 www.globalcyclingnetwork.com
Visit the GCN Shop 👉 gcn.eu/gcnshop
GCN WhatsApp Channel 👉 gcn.eu/GCNwhatsapp
GCN Instagram Broadcast Channel 👉 gcn.eu/instagrambroadcast
What upgrades would you make to a £450 bike? 🚀
Let us know in the comments! 💬
Watch more on GCN Tech...
📹 Don't Fall For Scams With Our Top Tips 👉 • Don't Fall For Scams W...
📹 Watch our Editor’s Choice Playlist 👉 gcntech.co/EditorsChoice
📹 Watch the latest GCN Tech Show 👉 gcntech.co/GCNTechShow
🎵 Music - licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Careful Steps - The Fly Guy Five
Cash Register 10 - SFX Producer
Easy Living - Ryan James Carr
Epicness - Daniel Fridell
Formula Uno - Forever Sunset
Funk up the Magic - Andreas Dahlback
Human Crowd Studio 27 - SFX Producer
Make It Yellow - Andreas Dahlback
Pretty Paper (Extended Version) (Instrumental Version) - Tilden Parc
Right Down My Avenue - White Bones
Should I Let Go_ - oomiee
Shuffle Showdown - Aiyo
Swoosh 02 Short - Jon Bjork
Torch Swoosh 2 - SFX Producer
#gcntech #gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #biketech #superbike #budgetbike #budget #biketech #cyclingtech
📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sprint Cycling Agency
Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech is the only channel you need for all things bike tech - past, present and future.
Simply put, we’re obsessed with tech: we seek out and showcase the best in bikes, components, tech, accessories, upgrades and more from races and events, tech shows and product launches across the globe to bring you the best in road bike technology.
We’ve also got great maintenance videos to help you get the most from your bike; pro-bike tours from all the biggest races; special features and the weekly GCN Tech Show. We also take a deeper look into the future of cycling, apps, smart tech and virtual riding.
Join us on the channel and the GCN App to submit your content, vote on the latest tech and keep abreast of exciting new trends.
Thanks to our sponsors:
Pinarello Bikes: gcn.eu/Pinarello
Topeak Tools: gcn.eu/Topeak
Camelbak: gcn.eu/Camelbak
Canyon Bikes: gcn.eu/-Canyon
Pirelli Tyres: gcn.eu/Pirelli
Orbea Bikes: gcn.eu/Orbea
Vision Wheels: gcn.eu/Vision
Wahoo Fitness: gcn.eu/Wahoo-Fitness
Park Tool: gcn.eu/-parktool
Selle Italia: gcn.eu/SelleItalia
SiS: gcn.eu/ScienceInSport
Zwift: gcn.eu/Zwift
Silca: gcn.eu/Silca
MET Helmets: gcn.eu/methelmets
Strava: gcn.eu/strava
ShadowStand: gcn.eu/ShadowStand
Precision Fuel & Hydration: gcn.eu/precisionhydration
AGU: gcn.eu/AGU
Elitewheels: gcn.eu/Elitewheels
Watch our sister channels:
Global Cycling Network - / @gcn
GCN Racing - / @gcnracing
Global Triathlon Network - / @gtn
GCN Italia - / @gcnitalia
GCN en Español - / @gcnenespanol
GCN auf Deutsch - / @gcnaufdeutsch
GCN en Français - / @gcnenfrancais
GCN Training - / @gcntraining
Global Mountain Bike Network - / @gmbn
GMBN Racing - / @gmbnracing
GMBN Tech - / @gmbntech
Electric Mountain Bike Network - / @embn

[@gcntech]

What upgrades would you make to a £450 bike? 🚀

[@SrFederico]

Conti GP5000 (not TLR) with TPU tubes and a narrower handlebar with an aero shape.

[@matt_acton-varian]

I have done pretty much the full works on my old Boardman, an older model with Sora 9 speed. When things wore out I replaced the drivetrain with the most recent Tiagra 10 speed, worn out stock wheels replaced with custom hand-built wheels using Tiagra hubs and lightweight Kinlin alloy rims, tubeless winter tyres and narrower handlebars. It now also has mudguards and panniers because I have a nice carbon bike for the summer but the upgrades still make the bike feel much more modern and nicer.

[@___Bebo___]

Ryet 3D printed saddle, TPU tubes, Cinturato Velo tires, Ultegra level Shimano brake calipers. Maybe lace up a cheap set of Velocity rims if the rims suck, not sure if they do or not.

[@___Bebo___]

@@matt_acton-varian Yeah a nice flexy set of Kinlins on this would be super nice. That's why I picked Velocities to flex a bit and un harsh this Alu frame some.

[@nebulous962]

Same as you expect i would get Chinese tt bar+ chinese tt helmet. That combination cost the same as your used tt bars.

[@scottpardy990]

You could get a dura ace crank on the Boardman in the $200 budget, so long as it was already in your parts bin.

[@commenter6355]

I came here for precisely this comment,

[@___Bebo___]

They need to break out the perfectly unscratched Dura Ace 7700 track crank from the parts bin again.

[@HeibesHealth]

Shots fired! 😂

[@Tbo1235]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@FlourescentPotato]

With the dura ace crank probs would have been sub 20 mins

[@manfrommontreal]

Concur with other comments: the amount of restraint Alex showed not adding some Dura Ace cranks was insane!

[@gcntech]

He's got so many lying around right 😉

[@Mincher]

Alex should check out a recent GCN video on how to change a tyre.

[@Tbo1235]

😂

[@Epiqe]

😂😂😂

[@musclelessfitness2045]

He should check his own videos :D

[@user-er8fs7pz5o]

In Alex's defense, I did a Greek Cycle Tour riding a Boardman that the tour provided. On the last day, I got a flat. Like Alex, when trying to change the tubes, I broke a tire lever and ultimately pinched/punctured both spares since seating the tires was so hard. This despite having successfully fixed at least 150 flat tires in my lifetime (before going tubeless in 2014). The tour operator concurred that putting on tires on the Boardmans is ridiculously hard. It seems like the wheelsets on those Boardmans have slightly oversized rims (albeit with a relief channel) that make getting tires on them very difficult.

[@JiorujiDerako]

@@user-er8fs7pz5o Makes sense. Wheels and tires are both made to the same standards for size, _but_ that doesn't mean there isn't a bit of variation... and sometimes you get unlucky and it's the wheel on the larger end of the scale + the tire on the tighter end of the scale. (Or the other way around and your tire doesn't want to stay on the rim, had a couple of those so far too.)

[@MrChippinator]

They just proved that body drag is the number one thing you can improve on a bike. As Eddie Merckx once said, you don’t need upgrades, you just need to ride up grades.

[@bergbilch]

im kinda suprised they did a usefull test for once, the sponsors wont be happy all the kit, bikes and tech pales in comparison to body position its not even remotely close

[@MrChippinator]

@@bergbilch I think we’ve all known this for a long time now. There’s no need to buy a new bike before you work on fundamentals.

[@bergbilch]

@@MrChippinator sadly the basic consumer doesnt know and it pisses me off seeing the cycling industrie pushing crap down theire throats while all those nice old handcrafted bikes gets neglected or land on the landfill while all they needed in most cases is a bit of oil and grease - and for race bikes maybe a new set of wheels

[@MrChippinator]

@@bergbilch yep but that’s like anything else. You realize pretty quick that a lot of people are stupid

[@christopheroliver148]

@@bergbilch Nice handcrafted race bikes sadly tend to be collectors items, and they still sell for nosebleed prices. I have a couple of nice custom bikes, but I'd love a rosso corsa DeRosa with Campag 10 Ergo. That sort of thing still costs an arm and a leg 'cos other nostalgic fools have the same idea. I have a similar lust for a classic red and white Richard Sachs, R. Brian Baylis, or one of the disco paint-job Zunows. Why yes, I do have a small fetish for fine steel rigs with pretty lugs. Guilty as charged.

[@Spacemonkeymojo]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="210">3:30</a> Ollie walking in and out of the shot and constantly interrupting was hilarious LMAO

[@englishdecorator]

Takeaway is don't buy 10 grand bike.. .

[@gk5891]

I'm trying to figure out what they have against old Nissans... The GT-R isn't that slow.

[@samfrombelgium]

I would say more overpriced. The cheap bike looks cheap and ugly. A 10k bike or even 3k bike looks alot nicer.

[@godlikecat]

2k usd giant tcr is so enough

[@gk5891]

@godlikecat I've seen a preowned CAAD 12 with Ultegra for $1,000. I think that is a lot of bike for the price point.

[@questgivercyradis8462]

The cheaper bike didn't look bad - just plain. It was a functional bike doing bike stuff. It wasn't the bike equivalent of the moronic Cybertrucks that are going around.

[@jamesbland8919]

Alex and Ollie remind me of an older and younger brother working on a project together.

[@gcntech]

Hahahah that's the sort of energy we love to see 🙌 These two are like kids when they get to tinker with bikes 🤣

[@joegiro4433]

Ollie’s Wahoo interruption got me belly laughing 😂 😂

[@gcntech]

That's what we like to hear 🙌

[@kschnorr]

The budget bike had reflectors mounted in the spokes and the Orbea not... Has anyone looked at the watt difference of wheel reflectors vs. none?

[@IIISentorIII]

Yes, there is noticeably less reflecting light on key areas from the Orbea.

[@yourdeadjack]

It’s the tri-bars

[@mitchellsteindler]

Its like a partial disc wheel. Much faster!

[@ebikescrapper3925]

Reflector's are not aero, one cyclists safety item is another cyclists burden.

[@mitchellsteindler]

@@ebikescrapper3925 no dude they are. They create vortices which help the air stay attached to the tire-wheel interface. Especially if you have 3 of them.

[@matthewtaylor7877]

It would be good to see a systematic comparison with different upgrades done one at a time and compared: inner tubes alone, tyres alone, wheels alone, groupset. It could give a pecking order of which upgrades give most bang for buck. Most of us who have been riding a long time can make educated guesses but actual data would be good, and it would make a good upgrade guide.

[@algmusicuk]

I agree, the tubes would make no practical difference. Tyres really help. Certainly 2nd hand wheels

[@wazzup105]

The difference between budget and high end is way less than I expected.

[@timshel1429]

Especially if you consider that it would have been even faster with just the tire upgrade. But I guess this way they couldn't have made the conclusion mostly on the fact that aero bar are not uci legal, instead of focusing on the fact that paying 9000£ more might have been only 10s quicker ...

[@StuntpilootStef]

It's called the law of diminishing returns. The first 100 spent on an upgrade get you way more than the last 100.

[@squngy0]

@@timshel1429 They actually managed to upgrade the tires, just not the tubes (latex)

[@jiggamanjnu1on1]

Until you go up steep hills….

[@gmivisualsjason3729]

@@jiggamanjnu1on1pedal harder

[@user-er8fs7pz5o]

I'm surprised they didn't slam the stem on the Boardman as a improvement, especially since the stem on the Orbea was slammed. That modification would have cost 0£.

[@davewilson7762]

Pinch flatting not one but two inner tubes, blimey that's surely a record. Presumably Alex did put some air into the new tubes? Surely he didn't pinch them putting on the tyres using a tyre lever? Piece de la resistance, the second tube letting go on camera, pure gold 😂😂😂

[@WarHammerWH]

That’s latex for you. Happened to me more than once.

[@anthonykidd6595]

@WarHammerWH should have went tubulitos

[@WarHammerWH]

@@anthonykidd6595 yep, that’s what I’m using now.

[@Kendoji1]

So many good reasons to not bother buying a super expensive bike.

[@gcntech]

Are you a big fan of upgrading your bikes? 🔨

[@Kendoji1]

@@gcntech Sort of - but I am mostly a fan of great bang for buck mid range stuff. I ride a mid-range steel bike and it is quite lovely. I’ll take the 6k I didn’t spend on it and instead have a nice holiday.

[@christopheroliver148]

@@Kendoji1 Having the money left over to take your bike to nice places is probably a better idea than having to always ride the same roads 'cos the holiday is no longer in the budget.

[@radfahrer875]

That is one nice aluminum frame with external cables an threaded bottom bracket. Looks stiff, too. Worthy enough to build it with good parts and wheels.

[@gcntech]

Do you think that aluminium frames are underrated? 👀

[@Penalist]

@@gcntech Please stop with these questions that you pose only to get the comments-section going. It's so fake.

[@radfahrer875]

@@gcntech From a racing performance point of view one has to go with carbon frames, there is no denying it. But aluminum frames are more robust against abuse and mishaps, they are often less expensive, they can be recycled. This particular Boardman frame has also a no nonsense vibe with it's threaded bb and fully external cables (I hate semi-internal cables coming out at the bb, so stupid).

[@anthonykidd6595]

@gcntech I love my dolan gxa alloy gravel bike. Also bought an alloy merida reacto road bike a few years ago just because I love upgrading bikes as much as I do riding them and to see how good I could make it, with carbon wheels, race tyres decent tubes etc it was just as quick as my 7.1kg focus cayo apart from the steep hills.

[@tonyBobb5209]

Kudos guys and the wider GCN Team. This is the content we like. Displaying that if you want to get into the sport as a newbie then don't go out and purchase a top end bike, purchase a budget bike and invest in reasonable upgrades. More content like this please.

[@gcntech]

Thanks Tony! You really don't need all the gear, it's all about the engine at the end of the day 😉

[@sean9820]

Or just buy a used rim brake 7kg bike for peanuts!

[@markstone722]

Easiest way would be be pay a Pro the money to ride the Boardman.

[@gk5891]

Pro? A half decent amateur on a decade old aluminum bike would slaughter me. That's okay, I'm still having fun.

[@AstroLaVista]

In a weirdly similar coincidence, I've just last week bought a second hand Boardman Team Carbon for 200 quid, and immediately upgraded with tri bars, P-Zero TT tyres and TPU innertubes for an up coming Triathlon. Thankfully the upgrades went a bit more smoothly, I felt for both of your there 😅

[@gcntech]

Wow what a coincidence 🤯 We must have spies 🔮

[@PaulTheCyclist.]

Dr Evil Bridgewood with that cackle, Sorry, but your average rider would not invest £££ in tri bars.

[@amishrider]

31 secs over 16km... expected a lot more tbh. Fun vid though gents. Idea for a vid..... Use this orbea and lap time as a baseline. Swap out one component for a budget component and ride the course. Replace the original part. swap out a different component, rinse and repeat. The aim being to find out the percentage difference each conponent makes. Tyres, wheels, handlebar, seat post, groupset, ospw etc

[@gcntech]

That could be interesting! 👀 What part do you think would the most bang for buck upgrade?

[@amishrider]

@gcntech safe to assume tyres will always be the biggest upgrade but beyond that I'd have no idea how they all rank

[@gator3-234]

This is the type of comparison I need.

[@ejtorrefiel2768]

Alex's superb mechanic skills 🤣🤣🤣

[@gcntech]

We all have our off days 🤣

[@84imreplica]

What's really cool about this video is it looks like you two are having a heck of a good time. Well done, lads.

[@joaomiiguelcosta]

Great video! This is the content I subscribed for! Love this type of content you guys make

[@sherab2078]

So again this all comes to the question of what we want vs what we really need. Taking Boardman without the upgrades, it is just about 2% slower than Orbea. If this was a 16 km loop, then on a 100 km ride the Boardman would be about 4 minutes slower than Orbea. Of course, reality is more complex, but I guess this gives a rough comparison. If someone is racing, this 4 minutes is a world. But for me, this is definitely not worth spending 10,000 pounds on Obrea.

[@Dhamirs]

Best and logical comment. If your aim is to get fitter, any sub 1,000 quid bike can do it and you will stay healthy and fitter around the block every week.

[@JanKowalski-pe9lo]

Take on account that if you race you don`t want to be on the front unless escape window opens. I remember when I used to race back in the 90`s. Never me or anyone I knew of tried bashing rig for eventual loss unless mechanical. Ask pros and they`ll tells you the same. Simply speaking... At 2k level bikes become very good and would advise strongly to spend money into coach and training sessions instead.

[@cruachan1191]

If only Cuthbert was giving us useful tips each week like "make sure you use a torque wrench". Mind you last time he said that he'd just sheared a bolt, then kept going on the rest without a torque wrench....

[@andreemurray7039]

I up graded my son's broadman sorry and he loves it

[@ianmarcar3129]

The reflectors on the wheels are Very hypnotizing! 😵‍💫

[@jamesthehondaman]

Best video the two of you have made to date…..hilarious…..well done…….👍

[@rudolphpyatt4833]

I get the tri-bars for the wind resistance reduction in the test. But at least in the conditions I ride in, they are useless. The Boardman seems like a good bike overall.

[@alexmondz3103]

The takeaway is aerodynamics (rider position) and rolling resistance (tires/tubes/wax) is more important than overall weight.....on that course anyway. Would have been interesting to see the difference with just the changes to the rolling resistance.

[@simonrooney817]

Love the banter between the two of you 😁!

[@vodizzzle]

Orbea with Chinese rims is now a 10000 GBP dream bike 😂😂

[@cribbi]

Takeaway you can save even more by buying only 1/2 clip on aero bar extension and use the monobar. 2nd take away don't let your friend maintaine your bike. Do it yourself. Looking at you olli :D Seriously, great video. Thanks. Was looking for a break down of the individual adjustments, like only new tires, only aero bars, only waxed chain and the sum afterwards. But I think you already have those in older videos anyway.

[@ZOB4]

Alex - equally skilled at math, "looking around and finding deals", tightening bolts, and changing tires.

[@anthonykidd6595]

I picked up the boardman 8.9 carbon last year for under £1k. It felt like shit, but a change of wheels to some reasonable campagnolo scirocco, with conti gp5000 28m tyres and some tubilito tubes and it now feels amazing.

[@njmoddjobs]

Surely Alex just needed to watch his own video about fitting difficult tires from about 11 months ago. 😂

[@smAshomAsh]

Lol, maybe remove the reflectors? Just wow on this mechanical debacle.

[@a1white]

Aero reflectors!

[@smAshomAsh]

@@a1white They only cost $400 each! Thanks, man!

[@Aniqa101]

Refreshing uprofessional video!

[@Harley_Gauge]

Love a Boardman. I have the 8.9 SLR 105 version and honestly so much bang for your buck. Cant wait to see the 8.6 up against the big boys

[@tinglydingle]

Ollie channelling his inner Devvo caught me off guard!

[@andyfairchild2383]

Right, I’m putting tri-bars on my Brompton tomorrow!

[@kaltonian]

amazing the little differences you can do to things to help improve them,

[@TimR123]

Perfect Saturday video. Had the feel of to fools out playing. 😉

[@AlbertBuckinghamEllison]

I'm pretty sure this video was recommended in a comment at some point. Very good subject as people often want to take up road cycling but don't want to get into it for to much cash. With this, they can spend £400 on some good wheels, £70 on tyres and get an enormous improvement. Then change out the groupset, saddle, perhaps pedals. An ally frame can literally take you up to an amateur race with some upgrades over time.

[@MrPAB34]

I'm glad to see you struggle with those Pirelli tyres. I gave up trying to fit them (Race TLR's) to a pair of DT Swiss rims. Sticking with GP5000's that actually fit.

[@draugmithrin]

Big fan of German Conti tyres, tight enough fit, bead well, grippy, and still easy to change tubes if needed.

[@bubblesezblonde]

Felix fails lol!!!! Fun vid thanks.

[@joelaldridge3959]

As I commented the last video with the Boardman, the wheels are a nightmare to get tyres onto! I feel better about myself seeing Alex have the same struggle 😂

[@steveprice9737]

Haha, I won a race yesterday on a 1980s steel road bike against modern bikes. Obviously it was in my age category, but my bike would be 500 quid ish on ebay . Last new parts were Conti 5000s a couple of years ago. I'd upgrade the 12yr old Mavic Cosmic wheels if I could afford it. Shame I can't get 30mm tyres into the forks. Cheap bikes can be fast. Choose well and you get a quick bike. Mine is so good because it was built for racing and the only downside is it's not aerodynamic in anyway. If your cheap bike is aggressive and stiff it'll go quick, if your 10k bike is a bit stodgy despite being light and aero it's going to fail as a weapon. My carbon bike is very aerodynamic but isn't as quick as it looks..... There's lots of bling out there, most will be nice to ride but getting a bike with the edge is not obvious. Good vid guys.

[@emmabird9745]

You're quite right Ollie, the Orbea with tri=bars would be quicker. Why not do the same test without the tri-bars. Then you have a comparison for those who do want to (UCI) race on a budjet. Riding with tri-bars is an aquired skill which won't be much use in narrow twisty lanes. Have you ever tried Spinnaci bars (also UCI banned)? They would give some of the aero benefit without bending your back so far.

[@jigglypuff4227]

Great video to see Alex laughing to much in this one with Ollie, great dynamic between both of them!

[@michelletimmins9999]

It’s nice to see a pro struggle as well trying to fit inner tubes to a Boardman. It took 3 people 1 inner tube to do my daughter’s 8.6slr.

[@Gixer750pilot]

The bromance is getting stronger every week ❤

[@celsodossantosjr113]

I got a 2015 Fuji Roubaix 1.1 from Facebook Marketplace for U$386. It has a mix of Ultegra and 105, Aluminum frame, really aero carbon frame (since it wasn’t UCI legal) and I upgraded the wheels to some 60mm Elite tubeless for another 350, and fitted Vittoria TLR 25 mm tires running at 60psi. For less than 900, it rides really nice and It is as good to ride as my much more expensive SuperSix.

[@mrflaxtv81]

I'm glad it's not just me who pinches latex tubes with tight tyres / rims! I thought Alex was going to say the tri bars were from his spares cupboard!

[@julianbailey2749]

I have similar Boardman SLR wheels, now off the Boardman, but on another bike. They really need you to get the tyre bead into the trench and work from opposite the valve to the valve. Even with a decent tyre hooking tool, doing it any other way is painful. I replaced them with second hand Fast Forward carbon rims, a worthy upgrade.

[@kastor7338]

"sorry mate, I've forgot my wahoo", so dynamic, no need to cut it

[@Jonathan-ep3nx]

Great video, I noticed you’re using the Quarq D4 power meter but are you using 11 or 12 speed chainrings? Thanks👍

[@sofialofstrand6618]

Just started watching and can't wait for Alex to pull his Dura-Ace crankset out of his back pocket. The one he nicked back from that young lad!

[@richardharrison4446]

Great video, really helpfull !! genuine question..... would you do this video again with a gravel bike (tri bars) on the road against a road bike? would really like to see this video. keep up the great content all at GCN...cheers Rich

[@shermer75]

This was a really good one! So interesting to see the time differences (or lack of!) I wonder what the time difference of tyres alone would be? 🤔

[@svenlima]

I'm a slow cyclist on a very cheap bike with tri-bars. I use the tri-bars only when I have massive headwind and then it helps a lot !

[@julianallen515]

Did Alex have too much coffee before filming> He's buzzing!

[@FrenchSquareDancer]

Hey didn't Alex do a "No more tire frustration!" video 11 months ago? He seemed pretty frustrated in this video.😄

[@danc1829]

Just goes to show, great video guys

[@fluketennis]

I put latex inner tubes on my old tarmac SL2 really made the difference

[@__uorson]

best video you guys have ever put out. bravi.

[@peterslater7791]

guys, this was hilarious. next video - alex installing a big turbo on a nissan??

[@paul1340]

Love this video. Fun.

[@ishanpatel8602]

HEY! That's my Bike!

[@gcntech]

Which one? 🕵

[@Stirling1989]

That segment when Alex is talking about how they've spent with Ollie interrupting is reminiscent of the Chuckle Brothers

[@peroperic3692]

Aerobars need some blue threadlocker! Always!

[@irfuel]

no

[@jochem1986]

Depends if they are on a circular profiled drop bar or not.

[@homerunhomeshow7201]

ha ha, Alex. Mad tech skills. Good vid.

[@dylanmcgowan791]

I'm surprised they didn't opt for second hand carbon wheels given the low cost of rim brake carbon wheels nowadays and then some second hand tyres?

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

TL tires are always heavier. Pirelli doesn't have tube type?

[@a1white]

I was wondering the same. I think they do. They’d also probably be cheaper and easier to fit

[@petetrundell5454]

I remember the first time I fitted tri-bars as being the day I could completely ignore all the TT times I had set up to then. For years I had been chasing seconds then saw whole minutes dissappear in one ride.

[@bikeanddogtrips]

pretty sure that Boardman used to sponsor triathlete legends alistair & johnny brownlee and of course Chris was the greatest time trialist of all time - in my opinion; so it stands to reason that the boardman can be improved by such a huge margin

[@jochem1986]

The bike is just a generic bike with a logo slapped on it. That's the thing about budget bikes. Bike companies can only make very distinctive feels and features on expensive bikes, because they are using fewer interchangeable 13 in a dozen parts.

[@ebmike8]

I’ve only been riding on Conti GP5000 for almost two years now and I’ve had to change the tires out 3 times. Can confirm each time is a mega pain the a$$. Other brands I’ve used are crazy easy compared to Contis. I have to sweet talk the contis and promise to take them both out to dinner during the whole install haha.

[@surferjay70]

You two are brilliant 😂

[@garysladek9110]

I also gave up trying to get latex into Conti 5000's.

[@Aniqa101]

That Pirelli even was a TLR tyre. They should have used the standard tube type.

[@ballisticviii]

I have latex in non tubeless Conti 5000's, no issues at all. Maybe your rims just don't have enough relief in the center?

[@garysladek9110]

@@ballisticviii Possibly, but the rims were HED Belgium with 21 internal width. Tires Conti GP5000 tubed, clincher. I ended up with TPU. I am a huge fan od latex though. Cheers

[@mommamooney]

Alex and Ollie are the best comedic pair. I’ll also note that Ollie did that fastest time in his third lap

[@ahnilatedahnilated7703]

I purchased a 2022 Giant TCR Advanced disc pro 2 and had a puncture in the 25 mil tires within 2 weeks, center of the tread and unsafe to patch. Switched from the 25mil tires to a set of 30 mil GP 5000's and got a much more comfortable ride for $200.

[@nativezero]

I have a broadband slr 8.9 the wheels and tyre were awful but soon as I changed those out the bike has been brilliant for me, will be doing my first 100mile ride this weekend. Also changed the pedals for 105, I plan to change the crank to 105 and brakes so it's 100% 105.

[@oblivionapproaches5790]

I was just watching David Millar missed the time trial finish in a GCN video. I thought why does something always go wrong with GCN? And then I watch this and more problems arise.

[@johnkim3858]

Finally, GCN stopped shilling for sponsors.

[@Noddingdog63]

Amazing comedy duo.

[@francescosaturnino113]

Why put a TLR tire on a non-tubeless setup? It's almost 100g per tire heavier. Edit: The thicker sidewalls also increase rolling resistance.

[@6F2]

"Good cos I've been waiting ages in this car park" ........"heheheh, right, well, anyway" We were all thinking the same thing Ollie. Content suggestion, Al goes on a Cytech course, learns about changing tyres and torque settings and then has to look after his own bikes for 6 months without them falling apart.

[@fabianbinder3681]

This is the reason why I switched from latex to TPU. 😂

[@DanTuber]

tpu bust even worse than latex

[@fabianbinder3681]

@@DanTuber really? I often ruined my latex inner tube putting them on, didn’t have the problem with TPU. Well, maybe my technique has improved. 🤔 I’m not gonna miss daily pumping, though.

[@AndrewShakespeare]

The tri-bars are cheating. I was expecting a lighter crank as a simple way to save weight, but not dura-ace, obviously.

[@axelmogr]

@@DanTuber bollocks. been riding chinese TPUs forever (25mm tyres) in mexico aka the land of endless potholes, zero punctures or trouble installing them. last tubes I had before switching to TPU punctured day 1

[@Korkinator17]

Not only are tribars not allowed in any kind of non-time-trial-race, even most group rides will not accept them. Sorry, this is not an "upgrade", but just a feature for riding alone. Then, 200W is not really an area where anything but weight on the uphill and rolling resistance really comes into place as long as you get your position at least similar. However, I agree: tires and tubes make the most significant difference and the greatest bang for your bucks. If you have cheap wheels, getting on the tyre sometimes is a big hassle, and that makes installing latex inner tubes difficult. You should never put them on using a tire lever.

[@jochem1986]

I think you're underestimating the amount of people looking at getting into cycling that will never consider any racing, or joining group rides.

[@carl90210]

Question for GCN Tech - if I wanted to buy sealed headset bearings for that Boardman (to replace the caged ones), which are the right bearings?

[@user-sx6dr1cw8y]

that is a question for your local bike shop

[@THEoldgreydude]

I'm sure GCN have done a video about fitting new tubes You should watch it Alex 😂

[@homersadiarin9299]

Will have to try latex or TPU tubes then. I use butyl with tyre liners for extra protection on a vittoria 28C Rubino Pros. Tyres is one of those upgrades that can make you faster by the way.

[@homersadiarin9299]

I feel like putting those reflectors as well. Three on the back wheel.

[@eliotspecht]

Measuring the effect of tri-bars at constant power might be misleading. The tucked posture lowers drag, but it also reduces the rider's power output.

[@philippannawitt3606]

To be fair to Alex, I got the same Pirelli tires and tried to fit them onto my carbon wheels and I had the exact same issues and also wracked a TPU tube. They are just a nightmare to fit (though role very nicely).

[@christophermee5214]

I have a boardman 8.9c. Tubless set up. Think I'll get a pair of tri-bars. And some eagle f1 tyres.

[@martynfairclough5013]

Slick video guys . Like watching a bad audition

[@CarmineEspositoIT]

Riding with aero bars in a bunch is quite sketchy (and not allowed by many groups)

[@wrwicky]

I’m interested in the perceived effort in the aero position. What did it feel like producing those 200 W on the bars and on the hoods