Most Effective Performance Upgrades...On A Budget? | Cheap Performance Bike Upgrade Ep. 2

[@gcntech]

What's the best budget upgrade you've ever made to your bike?? Let us know! 👇

[@mvm9407]

It has to be the wheels. Replacing the original wheels on my budget bike with a Vision aluminium wheelset made a world of difference. Tyres are important, but they don't impact the ride as much as wheels do. A simple upgrade that makes a massive difference is the stem. I replaced the original 2-screw one with a 4-screw from a taiwanese brand (FK?), and there were some benefits; later, however, I found a great deal on the internet and bought a Deda stem. It completely transformed the ride: steering became more precise, and the bike is now much nimbler and more responsive.

[@zedddddful]

Wheels definitely stock wheels are shocking and very close second some decent tyre's those 2 things make the biggest difference.

[@BrianRPaterson]

Probably scoring a second hand Gen 1 Redshift Shockstop seatpost for my old CAAD3 framed roadbike. I got it for 60 quid in nearly new condition and it's really made a difference

[@chrisridesbicycles]

It has to be the saddle. Can transform a bike from unridable to really nice.

[@mlee6050]

I hope you let us know how it is, I been looking at £50 handlebars as worry £30 might be poor quality and fail

[@stuartfrancis519]

"Oh whats this under my work bench. It's a complete Canyon Ultimate"

[@andreirlmeier]

😂😂😂😂

[@poeryudo]

I get the concept, but I would like to see how you would go about upgrading on the cheap without using already owned parts...

[@Millicente]

Would cut into the video budget when they have the parts readily available

[@ranitbose9609]

he did deduct 300 for the wheels and 100 for the crankset to be fair, but he does seem to underestimate the price of both of these.

[@glenni249]

@@ranitbose9609 I've picked up a pair of 60mm deep wheels and a carbon crank for less than the equivalent price in Aussie dollars on marketplace. Those values are definitely doable.

[@neilk22]

Yeah, no ways is a dura ace 9100 crank priced at £100, those tubulars alone are £200, no ways are you buying a set of tubular deep section carbon rims with low mileage tires for £300. We need verified purchases to validate that budget, not self provided gifts

[@janeblogs324]

@@neilk22 9100s come up for $170au all the time, older 8000 for $50 with scuffs

[@ariffau]

Yup. Somebody new to cycling and is on a strict budget definitely have uber fast tyres mounted on carbon wheels and a wardrobe full of skinsuits lying around. Definitely “super relatable” 😉👌

[@savagepro9060]

Wow! Great comment! You are improving, surely!

[@NoInterleaving]

carbon wheels and a suit... come on nobody has this stuff lying around

[@thisnameisrandom]

He said he bought the wheels second hand for a previous video?

[@NoInterleaving]

@@thisnameisrandom yeah for only 300€

[@lucasbiaggini]

Also, most people getting started won't have 750 pounds to spend right away. Most people are living paycheck to paycheck.

[@doublejumpvideogames....]

Bought alu bike....found a carbon frame, stem ,wheelset and Di2 in the ice cream tub in the garage...best alu buy ever

[@KyleLanmon]

How to upgrade a bike on a budget: already own a super bike and use the parts from that bike!

[@NoInterleaving]

damn so I need an old super bike for spar parts now :D

[@pgesqsj1]

😂 yea that’s not really a realistic video …

[@ehrenfull]

Except for the crankset(which will really only be a super marginal gain), the prices shown at the end of the video are all fair imo. An older tubular carbon wheelset can be had for that price second hand. You could even save a bit more on the handlebars, Rose Bikes is selling "aero" handlebars which are 38cm on the hoods and 43cm in the drops for 20€ here in EU for example. Yes the saddle and pedals are super expensive, but a used base model SLR saddle (like in the video but with steel rails) can also be had for 20€ second hand.

[@jackshepark7229]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ZOB4]

Once again, “borrowing” and “finding”. That undermines the entire purpose of this type of series - you get comments every time you do this GCN, and still do it every time. We don't all have skin suits and carbon tubulars and spare stems (and on and on) laying around to use for our budget builds.

[@curiouscyclist865]

It's a bit ridiculous. The cranks alone are 70% of the budget very used here in Scandinavia..

[@ebikescrapper3925]

Can we have a build where GCN presenters dont find and use old parts. If somebody new to cycling is buying this to upgrade they probably won't have old parts lying about. We all have Dura ace cranks lying about, bought a set from IKEA with some teaspoons, long shot on 3T, maybe a sponsor.

[@BRMCaptChaos]

The Stem is fair game, there are a few 3T Aptos etc out there that are cheap second hand. But the crank........🙂

[@ebikescrapper3925]

It would been more realistic if he bought a matching Shimano stem with the handlebars and added the cost

[@jsphblw]

To be fair, if you’re new to cycling, there’s a good chance don’t know enough to try to upgrade your bike to a high end spec bike. Having said that, 100 pounds for a dura ace 9100 crankset in that condition is unreasonable. He can’t get it for less than 200 pounds.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

The cranks are super overkill. For stem and seatpost, just ask at your local bike shop. Normally, shops have loads of used ones around and especially on the older diameters are happy giving them away.

[@gonzalezgaraypablo]

Really tired of this too

[@lenolenoleno]

As always, the GCN Tech procurement skills is all over the shop. Who on a budget wants to faff around with tubular tyres and spend 30 GBP on a bottle!? What's the point of the new stem (the old stem is better as it is a 2-bolt attachment to the steerer)? With realistic prices (dreaming if you think a Dura-Ace crank is worth only 100 GBP), this exercise it close to 1,000 GBP. You can literally just buy an off the shelf rim brake Ultegra or SRAM Red 2nd hand for that kind of money without going through all this faff. It would weigh very similar, be better specced and have better resale value than an old as OCR with a random assortment of parts.

[@lenolenoleno]

@diesel A part of me feels like GCN Tech pumps out these inane/logical fallacy builds just to get a rise out of people/because they've run out of ideas. Damn it worked.

[@stuartpotter4923]

Ahhh... of course! I can't believe I never thought to dip into my box of old race kit and dura ace components I have lying about when building up my budget bike to get into racing.

[@tobysmith4662]

Stuart, some other cool upgrade hacks that have worked for me 1) Check your grandma's junk drawer - I guarantee she has some Dura Ace components in there 2) Clean under your bed - 90% of people have a Canyon Speedmax CFR under their bed and they don't even know it 3) Rob a bike shop - if you threaten the employees with a gun, they'll literally just give you whatever you want. Hopefully GCN will include these cool tips in their next video!

[@nsrikumaran]

The top comment from the first video was pleading you to not use “leftovers” and literally the second part is one..

[@MrKOenigma]

Dura-Ace crank for 100pound, I don't believe that

[@GatorDevastator]

no chance

[@schrodingerthecat]

More like 300£+ for a used one, not even looking as good as that one. I searched ebay immediately when he said he was going to use it.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

Not Dura Ace but for a 11 speed Ultegra R8000 which is almost the same (maybe 14 grams heavier) I found even cheaper offerings.

[@GatorDevastator]

@@chrisridesbicycles ultegra crank is about 65g havier

[@chrisridesbicycles]

@@GatorDevastator You are correct. More than I expected. I guess most people will that that over 250 money units more on a budget build.

[@oliverbodeker4178]

I stopped at 9:30. Many people did see exactly that coming. Oh, there is a DuraAce crankset lying around. 😮

[@bryanthomas3687]

How to upgrade a cheap bike using only the fancy expensive parts you have lying around from when you were a pro. 😂

[@DouglasSimkin]

I think this is over complicated. Last year I bought a used 2014 specialized allez for 350 Euros. I stripped it back completely and bought a 105 mechanical groupset for 450 Euros, some vision 35mm aluminium wheels for 200 Euros, and a used deda superzero cockpit for 100 Euros. The bike rides great, it's quick, fun and cost barely 1000 Euros. It's not that hard and I think it's cutting corners to pick up stuff you have just lying around.

[@dominishka3]

I had liked this video until @ 6:46 when Alex decided a takeback of his charitable donation to a hardworking kid was a good idea. Even if you're "paying" yourself for them by deducting the cost from your budget, that's cold.

[@Sprocketboy1956]

Without wanting to add to the chorus of voices saying this build should not be done with parts sitting around or off of higher-end bikes (although I agree!), rather than buying a 200 GBP old bike and spending a lot more than that on better parts, it might have been more financially sensible to buy a newer bike with more up-to-date bits for, say, 1000 GBP as the starting point as at the end I am not sure the old bike is going to work out cheaper.

[@PCXMODSGR]

GCN over the years has shown some amazing things but durace cranks in a plastic box ?whaaaaaat ?Also the most important thing in buying a cheap bike of the internet is SIZE ! Not money !Also you have more chances being safer being aluminium (have seen badly welded frames but in general) frame ! In addition, since you are in the UK, buy the 105 groupset and there you go a perfect bike ! You have the wheels use the crankset and groupset job done !

[@scarlettmojito]

Might need to rename this as upgrading a bike with a whole pile of stuff I all-ready had . You too can do this on a budget if you go shoplifting at your local high end bike shop 😂

[@K1AYE1xRigamortus]

😂

[@lemonshire1]

No way DA cranks cost £100 used on eBay, and way too excessive for this bike anyway

[@soulscreamz]

In what World do you get a slightly used Dura Ace 9100 Crankset for 100 pounds ?

[@meneldil7604]

Can't get Ultegra for that

[@ariffau]

*Something worth mentioning is before anyone starts a project like this, at least know your numbers like stack, reach.* Other stuff like saddle height and seatpost angle is an added bonus.

[@savagepro9060]

"added bonus"

[@ariffau]

@@savagepro9060 the sentence "Other stuff like saddle height and seatpost angle is an added bonus" is grammatically correct. the grammatically incorrect one was my SVA where it was supposed to be "Other stuff like saddle height and seatpost angle *are* an added bonus." instead of "Other stuff like saddle height and seatpost angle *is* an added bonus."

[@savagepro9060]

@@ariffau Google “added bonus”. It is redundancy

[@savagepro9060]

@@ariffau You should say--> ‘another bonus’. BONUS means something added. Therefore, added bonus means an added added thing. I know what I’m saying.

[@ariffau]

@@savagepro9060 you are trying to correct my English when you miss the elephant in the room, Subject Verb Agreement. Correcting redundancy before SVA is like telling a cyclist to ride an aero bike when bro rides on the tops with spacers taller than Burj Khalifa

[@zukzworld]

That’s a bloody 3T stem - lying around, those wheelsets - no comments, and a DA9100 crankset from the lucky box; And rests, what to say 🤓 … Such upgrades are only possible if you live/work in a bike channel. 👍🏾 Two years ago I bought a DA9100 wheel-sets which were from 2019 season and hence got some discount, still over two grands. And then custom for importing from USA, DHL charged their agent fee for custom clearance, that discount disappeared completely. 🤓🤓 so… I always say, their is no budget limit for your hobby. ❤️✌🏾

[@simalpas]

"I'm going to reuse this old stem I've got knocking about," Fair enough I thought, my first bike got some upgrades from mate's parts bins. [paraphrase]"As for wheels I'm going these carbon fibre ones I bought last year and give myself a discount." yeah whatever Alex guess i'll look for a different video on building up an old bike

[@Dreamweaver94]

I like the idea for this video, but it's definitely cheating to use nice parts that you have laying around already. It's much more interesting to see what offers the most performance for the dollar, vs the simple "I just happen to have one of the best, lightest cranksets money can buy laying around, let's throw it on the budget build!". The Dura Ace crankset is really silly, that has no spot on a budget build, is worth like half the bike's cost new, and no way is worth only £100, for that price I'll buy it right now lol.

[@scottishjason]

Great concept, but once again disappointing - most people don't have Dura ace parts just sitting around.

[@willbowen3101]

I’d love to know where he went to get a £100 price for a DA crank!! I appreciate that they are trying to manage production costs but this episode doesn’t correlate with most people’s experience of upgrading their bike. Most people won’t have skinsuits, stems, wheels etc laying around. Maybe they need to find an inexperienced rider and support them on their upgrade journey.

[@mx5moon]

I would like to have seen you source all your parts the proper way and not just raid your personal and extensive parts bin. Most of us don’t have access to such a stash. Enjoying the series nonetheless!

[@eagerbob]

i'd put a pair of sora/tiagra shifters on it to get the brake cables underneath the bar tape.

[@davidkitheka7597]

You should set a baseline time on a specific route with the budget bike before any upgrade. Then take the same route later with the upgraded bike and then the high end (fancy) bike.

[@patrikhalen460]

Yes!! I have had an itch ever since I started watching these vids. You put the finger on it that is exactly what is missing!! 🙂

[@rumplerino]

And use the same aero sensor as peak torque to calculate any effects from the weather on each day.

[@IIISentorIII]

Video starts @ 3:06 😉

[@peterharrington8709]

Why not pop the perennial Dura Ace crankset on an EBay buy it now for £100, then go see what you can actually buy for the money? And let's pretend that like most people you weren't an ex pro who generously decided to give his old kit to a young racer just to have to give it back again because GCN aren't getting their big sponsor bucks for this.

[@danielgarrad]

Did feel sorry for the guy 😭.The shame of it.

[@eayzgaj]

As if you could buy that dura ace crankset for 100 quid. If you lie about the value of parts it renders the whole video series pointless

[@A.H.59]

If you're changing a triple crank to a double crank, wouldn't the shifter and possibly front derailleur need to be changed also?

[@FurySpyder]

Good to see these types of 'real world' videos and I love building up my own bikes. The sense of achievement when you've successfully used a part that has been sat in your spares box for years is unrivalled 😅. Just a couple of points 1) I think I'd rather spend £17 on a genuine Shimano Ultegra threaded BB from a known retailer than £18 on a no-name part from Amazon, even though it's blue! And 2) if someone is genuinely trying to scrape together parts to breathe new life into an old £200 aluminium road bike, are they really going to have a top of the range Selle Italia saddle and speedplay pedals from 'their other bike' ? 🤔

[@bingus9963]

jsut another "let me find a really cheap frame and build it up with parts i have in my garage" video.. i mean what did i expect when gcn had done this over and over again smh

[@jackriley1989]

Are you going to run a triple front derailleur and shifter with a double crankset? That feels like a recipe for a bad time.

[@gordonmarshall7743]

Mate, I don't think you've convinced to many people about the cranks. 🤔My argument with the seat and peddles would be that you would hardly be taking them off what would obviously be a better bike, and putting them on a lower end bike. Look forward to seeing the build though.

[@rob-c.]

Also love how Alex excuses it by saying you already have helmet and shoes - trying to ride the bike without a saddle and pedals is not the same as trying to ride it without a helmet and cycling shoes. The whole premise of the video is rendered ridiculous

[@brittle1]

There's a big difference between just looking up used prices and actually going out and buying. It's probably closer to a £1000 build cost

[@MrAyley7]

I love how the comments from the 1st video actually happened on the 2nd episode like the “Spare dura-ace lying around the shed” comments 🤣

[@luukrutten1295]

So there is still budget to find some 10sp older 105/ultegra derailleurs. Or even a sensa empire alixpress groupset.

[@zedddddful]

The sensah stuff looks interesting I'd be intrigued how it holds up over the long term it looks very SRAM.

[@dexterx55]

@@zedddddful been using the sensah empire (alu) groupset for like 6000km on my bike with a 105 crank, chain and casette. Not a single issue so far, great shifting.

[@Philatlondon1]

​@@zedddddful it's a SRAM copy, as they apparently have lots of ex SRAM engineers working for them. Quality probably won't be quiet as good, but the price is amazing.

[@hossromani]

Alex is the best for repair stuff; did first tubeless setup in a cinch myself yesterday and thanks GCNTech this is great videos - please do more of These

[@Mclovinthedank]

I came across a 2011 Fuji Roubaix, aluminum frame, carbon fork, 9 speed tiagra for $180 and its a bike someone never used. It is a about 2 pounds lighter than my more modern gravel bike. I was going to just get road wheelset for my gravel bike, but this was much cheaper and will be perfect for my zwift bike in the winter.

[@G60syncro]

Awesome series!! I got a good deal on a Performance (???) road bike with and alloy frame and a carbon fork and a Tagra groupset. It was only missing a saddle, pedals and a set of wheels. I'll be downgrading it over the summer!! I've gotten the missing bits scrounged from another bike and a tune up and it rides just fine as is but the fork can't take the winter tires I'm using... So over the summer I'll strip it down, give it a rattlecan paint job and go from there. I'll just take the fork and drop bars off as a unit and store them, do the same for the mechs and replace them with anything cheap that fits. I'll need side-pull brakes, a fork with more clearance and I'm eyeing a cheapo set of bullhorns because nobody gets on the drops in 10cm of snow!! Looking at my current alloy winter wheels I recon a set might last me 2 seasons... Winter here in Canada is brutal with the road salt and grit they spread everywhere!! That said, when summer comes, I can always swap all the Tiagra stuff back on and have a spare bike for the summer!!

[@mad4461]

I had an OCR3 back in the noughties; the triple crank-set may be uncool but it's an excellent option. Even with just 8 speeds and a fairly close ratio cassette you still have a wide range of gears. Plus you get to use cheap and durable 8 speed chains, I wish this system was still available on road bikes.

[@Abra089]

I have a 15 year old Schwinn prelude from target. It’s actually a nice little aluminum frame. I upgraded it and it got 2 Kg lighter. I bought: Super team carbon wheels Continental 500 tires Tubolito TPU tubes Carbon seatpost Aero carbon bar/stem unit ISM saddle changed to 50/34 T in front Shimano 105 front derailleur Ultegra 11 speed cassette Ultegra derailleur Micronew STI shifters KMC hollow pin chain The bike feels and looks great. For Some of the carbon components I chose to go with the off brand/Chinese stuff since it seems to be good quality, at half the price. All of this I bought for roughly $1200 USD. The bike is now 18 LBS, and I could still switch to a modern bottom bracket and ultegra crankset, and carbon fork. If I did all that I’m sure I could get down near 16.5-17 lbs

[@stanschmenge1965]

for a true budget build, how about using a Sensah groupset? Oh, right, sponsors might be a little ticked off. Then how about using an older 105 crankset instead of the Dura Ace that you just "happened" to have in your garage? It'd be more in keeping with what regular folks would be able to track down.

[@The123fiona]

This comment deserved many more kudos.

[@AliAdam80]

good series so far, excited to see the rest of the build! well done Alex!

[@neilsmyth1812]

I have been building my project for the last 3 months since my frame arrived. I bought an Orbea Orca frame in my size, found some Campagnolo wheels from long ago, but they were swapped out from the start and didn't get used. and lastly a Campagnolo 8x2 groupset that was also a swap out and sat in a cellar for a long time. . I've spent just over 500 euros on total as I am getting my local bike shop crew to do the cabels for me and that has put me over the 500 euros that I wanted, but peace of mind is priceless. . In total. Carbon frame 150 euros, Groupset complete 200 and 40 for the wheels. . add a second hand saddle, handle bars and pedals where I had lots of luck on eBay, then I know it is possible to have a cheap fun bike that is like no other out there.

[@davidadamus177]

I missed who makes those pulley wheels, what is the brand and model?

[@fomrug]

I missed the part where its explained why the aluminum stem and handlebars are replaced with their identical new equivalents.

[@absandlittleabs1952]

I am assuming the angle/length of the stem and width of the bars to get lower and narrower

[@davidhenry5925]

Best budget upgrade for me. I upgraded a 1992 Cannondale R1000 that I bought at a garage sale for $60 using parts that I had removed from other bikes that I owned (and upgraded). My 1992 R1000 now has 2x10 Shimano R5700 group set with Shimano RS70 wheels and Cannondale aluminum stem and handle bars. All from parts in my garage. I did buy a carbon fiber front fork with 1" steering tube on-line (about $50 from China). So I have about $120 in a really great bike. Started at 9.88KG now about 9.0KG, but more important it has STI shifters and 10 speed cassette which is much ore rideable.

[@CaptainRon956]

I have a 2004 Giant OCR2 which is nearly identical. I want a set of carbon aero wheels for it however I discovered that the slots in my rear QR dropouts are 9.5mm. I picked up a set of Mavic quick release wheels and the rear axle is 10mm. Won’t drop in. What carbon aero wheel has 9.5mm rear axle?

[@julianallen515]

What chainrings are going on the 12 speed DA crankset?

[@abosworth]

I wish I had some Dura Ace cranks just laying around. 😂

[@jragonwriter6316]

I've cobbled together a "like new" Ultegra 2x11 groupset for just over $300. Are these parts too good to use on my 2003 Trek 1000 aluminum frame?

[@stanlee9513]

Love these build episodes

[@leonbroekx]

You need shifters, deraillers and a chain. I would start with that. And don't use stuff you can find at GCN base, that's not what viewers can do. Also mixing components of different groupsets can be done, but it's ugly.

[@postbump4085]

Please tell me where i can get a dura ace 9100 crankset for £100?! Seems a little cheap!

[@_Zane__]

Unrelated note, Manufacturers that make handlebar stem front plates without windows to align and center the bar are animals.

[@mauricetremblay1324]

I am eager to see where you go with the upgrades. I might just start a similar project. Cheers

[@ellipticalsoul]

Older generation 105 rear derailleurs are very good value second hand, I wouldn't bother changing the pulley wheels, stem or aero bottle

[@rob-c.]

“Some people are going to hate on me for this” - yeah because it’s dumb and you clearly know it is, otherwise you wouldn’t have said it, or tried to excuse it with a stupid comparison to helmet and cycling shoes, which are A. not part of a bike build, and B. not required to ride a bike.

[@Pratalax]

Remember guys! It's NOT about the bike, so the fact he's pulling parts out his backside like he robbed a dentist doesn't actually mean anything!

[@vidstjepanvlahovic856]

i would really like to find that bike for sale somewhere i have same one but in red/pink t-mobile version , love it really !

[@ltrtg13]

Alex. How does paying £30 for an aero water bottle and cage equal free speed. I know my maths isn't that good. But this equation does seem a bit off.

[@wenlambotomy6231]

If these are realistic upgrades just lying around for second hand bike owners of a £300 bike then Im not Napoleon.

[@savagepro9060]

you're Napoleon's wife

[@simontyreus6501]

Dear GCN, This is not a budget build, because having old parts lying around doesn't count. Also, 'deducting from the budget' isn't that believable. Please redo this series properly. Thank You.

[@R20VT100M]

Best budget upgrade I did to mine was fit a longer stem. It’s made me more comfortable in an aerodynamic position and let’s me lean further forward when up on the pedals. 2nd best upgrade was tyres, 3rd best latex tubes.

[@barrysmith9154]

Poor young lad starting out had wheels took back.. Not a good look for the program. GCN should helping young people.

[@DeStraatz]

I still think that increasing the initial purchase price from 200 to 400 or 500 would give a much better bike and groupset to build on. Also less parts would need 'upgrading'

[@huntos83]

You could literally just spend the whole £1000 budget on a bike that was ready to go. For that you can easily find a nice carbon frame bike with a decent tier 11 speed groupset and reasonable wheels etc

[@richardpolidore1702]

How are you going to get a 3x shifter to work with a 2x group set?

[@Philatlondon1]

It's not hard. Just wind in the screws so it only changes on the outer and middle rings.

[@richardpolidore1702]

That's not going to help. They use different spacing for shifting.

[@thebigg2345]

If changing the crankset, doesn't this need a new front shifter?

[@janeblogs324]

No

[@thebigg2345]

You can run a double chainset with a shifter for a triple?

[@Philatlondon1]

​@@thebigg2345 yes.

[@prestachuck2867]

Alex, you are going to have to change out the front derailleur and left shifter in order to convert that bike from a triple to a double crankset. Great video! Cheers!

[@Milk_Bag67]

Love it when I find a Shimano Dura ace groupset under my couch, totally makes the spending lower

[@CM-fi6tu]

First time i dislike a GCN (gcn tech/ gmbn/ gcn italia) video. You finally made it guys! Everytime I'm so hyped for these kind of series and everytime I get disappointed.

[@larrylem3582]

Albert's old stem looked to have the same length or angle when he placed it on top of the one on the bike. Was the bar diameter different? Did he drop 5 grams?

[@MiceSkillz]

These videos are entertaining! But it’s becoming a meme that you make this video over again and again with the same parts that lie around the gcn shop.. not realistic at all

[@savagepro9060]

You stole my thought, but thanks

[@gregfields293]

#gcntech love these serieses:). Purely for my own edification (and not hating), why did you opt to not upgrade the derailleurs or shifters?! Have you found the performance/weight/visual upgrade value to be minimal?!

[@neilk22]

An entire post to discuss the challenge, another entire post to reveal the parts you gifted yourself, and a future post to actually build the bike, and probably a seperate post for the actual challenge. GCN are having a laugh, click bait content with drawn out engagement. There are KZbinrs working there arses off to deliver real content of this ilk. Raise your game!

[@JohnCondia-hn7en]

Two technical issues you may want to address: 1. Are you going to add carbon fiber rimbrake pads to the build? 2. The Sora cranks and front shifter are the 3x configuration. If you are replacing the 3x crank with a 2x crank, I would think you would be introducing front derailleur shifting issues?

[@richchilds8173]

I don't agree with not taking the bike to a windtunnel "because it's not in the budget". Windtunnel testing would be to verify upgrades and would not affect the cost of the build. Any testing, riding, etc... is part of the process, to ensure you don't go off in a bad direction. I would prefer testing different types of wheels, tires, etc...then take the best bang for the buck and put them on the bike, adding their cost to the build. What if a set of $150 aerospoked wheels performed 95% as well as the $300 wheels, and that other $150 could be used to improve other areas? That's what this series should be about. You have the parts and resources to test different avenues, and only those used on the bike should be included in the cost. This series isn't about acting as if you are a common bike enthusiast and have to make a decision and stick to it because you make a mistake in purchasing something that didn't work. I say the point is doing a lot of testing so we DON'T make that sort of mistake. Keep up the great work Alex, I'm here for the duration.

[@andrewmcalister3462]

Hey Alex. In line with the Budget Build theme, I'd love to see a video of you and Ollie "Chung testing" your builds, rather than expensive wind tunnel time.

[@huwsinclairsmith8892]

Ahh yes, I'll just go grab my skinsuit from when I raced for a UCI conti team and grab my spare dura ace crankset while I'm at it....

[@fa1coner]

How do you make a 2x crankset work with a 3x indexed shifter?

[@janeblogs324]

It works automatically. Its how shimano sold the original 105 up to flightdeck

[@fa1coner]

@jane blogs but isn't there a risk of dropping he chain f you shift into the 3rd position that isn't there?

[@Philatlondon1]

It's easy. Just use the adjustment screws to stop the front mech dropping into the small chain ring.

[@ukestjohn]

I've found that there are great deals available if you have patience, know what you're looking for, and buy when you get a great deal. On my Cannondale Synapse (2016) I've managed to get carbon bars, lightweight Hunt wheels, carbon seatpost, carbon railed seat, alloy stem and a SiSl2 crankset, all on deep discount or used. It now weighs 7.7kg, with pedals, and bottle holders. Cost was 550 CAD (425 USD)for all the upgrades.

[@HC-kn2sq]

I must admit I don’t get the concept. How many people at home have components around? I’d of thought a video like this would be aimed at people getting into cycling on a budget

[@gamecat1923]

Don't understand the whole bit about changing the stem, to another stem that looks the same.

[@HoudiniNL]

Getting a bit frustrated about the bike weight discussions.. If I really want to reduce a serious amount of weight, I should lose like 10kg bodyweight myself first! 😂

[@jason200912]

That bike needs the saddle tilted upwards. That spec is what they use for tiny front bars but it can sometimes actually reduce power despite being a bit more aero. The most ideal aero is a horizontal back and not butt sticking in the air with head down at the floor

[@thebudgetcyclist4310]

Dura ace cranks lying around

[@jonathanzappala]

This one had promise but you just went unnecessarily unrealistic with these parts you just have laying around. Why can’t you just not be lazy and buy it all for real?

[@MultiLuc28]

Wouldn't it be interesting to compare the bike to a superbike before and after the upgrades to see how much difference it makes? Then, you can use the delta between the budget bike and the superbike each time without comprising the result due to weather conditions or the legs on the test days.

[@drivemenuts3011]

I bought a mint Trek Domane 2018 carbon SL5 for £900 a year ago, off of ebay. This upgrade is really expensive.

[@terra-ball]

Oh look I just found a brand new S-works tarmac lying around the house. Guess that budget build is easier now.

[@thatguyjimbo]

I bought a cheap cadence/speed meter and I see myself looking at power meters and rims. Currently own a 14' Trek Madone 3.1

[@tflspitfire]

I find the part sourcing faily plausible as long as realistic prices are used in the calculation. interesting to understand the priorities and the thought process why and when to replace the respective components.

[@danalbert5785]

That bike is perfect, don't do anything but lube and pump and go for a ride!

[@lightningll2991]

What about the front Mech (Triple crank going to a double?).

[@howardkeylin5627]

Going from a triple crank to a double crank…gonna have to get some new shifters to make that work