What is a Cycling Upgrade?

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[@steve-d0]

Damn i do love me a good Veloharmony rant video :) You are a man of much wisdom. It's a shame more people cant be this genuine/honest.

[@Veloharmony]

Thanks Steve. It’s so much easier to make a video as a conversation between friends. No script, no agenda: just call it like it is.

[@adammillsindustries.]

This is the best US cycling channel. Don’t buy upgrades ride up grades.

[@Falcon900EX]

Reminds me of my Shimano 105…it’s like an old reliable friend. It may not win me cool points on group rides but it never let me down!

[@Veloharmony]

Exactomundo.

[@ShawnStradamus520]

Spot on with your comments on the importance of durability and reliability for the enthusiast. I also run Campy on my bikes, all the way down to the pedals, which are great…ebay is a clutch source! For non-pros it is generally better to go down a level or two from the top tier…so for Campy I prefer “Record” or “Chorus” over “Super Record”, for Shimano “Ultegra” over “Dura Ace”, for Specialized “Pro” over “S-Works” etc.

[@Veloharmony]

Agree. The problem I had with pedals doesn’t appear to affect Ultegra.

[@TheThinkingandTheDoing]

"If you can't fix it, you don't own it." I feel this in my bones about electronic shifting, hydraulic discs and frames that have a shelf life. ✌🏼

[@Veloharmony]

Well said. I can fix my steel or titanium frames and their ride is blissful. They can keep those short lifespan overpriced plastic frames.

[@reginaldscot165]

Wasn’t expecting to hear my name. 😅 Yeah, I agree with the general sentiment of the video. Most newer tech is just a good way to spend more of your time with the bike in the shop getting fixed. 😄

[@Veloharmony]

Amen to that.

[@HunterAtheist]

@@reginaldscot165 It's a vicious cycle. The UCI dictates what manufacturers can and can't do with their bikes if they want to play by the rules and race their bikes. This stifles real innovation. Therefore, manufacturers are left to "innovate" in different ways. Ways to make higher profits. Lighter = faster is a great marketing term, but too often the lightest material for a given component means a shorter life for said component. Great for the manufacturer. Bad for the consumer. There is a middle ground as he says in the video where you have proven components that aren't meant to be the lightest or the fastest, so they can be made to last longer, even if the planned obsolescence creep is still there to a degree. I feel like they realized in the late 90's that the bikes they were making were TOO reliable, so they all conspired to the market we have today. Prove me wrong.

[@christopherharmon9336]

@@HunterAtheist I think a lot of this is the fault of the consumer. Years ago, I was riding with a group, and a guy was on a brand new carbon bike, with 10-speed Ultegra or Dura-Ace. He couldn't WAIT to sell his bike, admit he'd lose thousands of dollars to buy the new-shiny-object, the 11-speed Ultegra or Dura Ace equipped bike. He HAD to do it to get the "best." I'm sure that person has repeated the process with road disc, and again with road 12-speed.

[@HunterAtheist]

@@christopherharmon9336 Why do they feel the need to upgrade? Because they see the pros using the new stuff on TV.

[@hondasaurusrex6998]

Good solid video! Love your approach to upgrades, main thing is practicality which means to me longevity. I have a mix bag of Campagnolo parts on my 87 Atala and it still rides like a dream.

[@Veloharmony]

Yeah the new stuff is designed to have a shorter life.

[@crivera2025]

It’s been a while El, you’re still the best!

[@Veloharmony]

Thanks my brother..

[@TESTA-CC]

👍👍 Nail on the head, The Truth. This is why I've gone back to vintage Road bikes.

[@Veloharmony]

I only refurbish Vintage bikes for the resale part of my shop. Pure simplicity; as the bicycle was meant to be.

[@georgehinds9104]

Great information, I will do some upgrades, but only on wheels.

[@Veloharmony]

Amen my brother. Protect your hard earned dollars and time.

[@jameslefleur1970]

Wheels are the best upgrade... the one that you will notice. Electronic shifting and hydraulic brakes is not going to make us faster. I never have issues stopping my bikes - going fast is my issue :-)

[@jameslefleur1970]

and sometimes just getting a faster tire makes a difference

[@departurexx1520]

Exactly!!!!

[@xVertOx]

Spot-on!

[@patrickparisienne1917]

Interesting video, and some good points. As for the Super Record cranks, I believe Campy made the mistake of using high friction seals on the outer side. I also have a set each of disc and rim Zonda wheels with CULT ceramic bearings, yet my new custom built wheels using NOS Record 32 hole hubs with servicable steel bearings spin for days….

[@Veloharmony]

Makes sense. I was not impressed with the feel of the Super Record bearings.

[@bb-r5710]

Good information ❤

[@Veloharmony]

Glad you think so!

[@nunu1871]

Thanks so much for the information... I rock campy Chorus 12 speed and its fantastic compared to my 11 speed Dura Ace.

[@Veloharmony]

That is awesome!

[@TESTA-CC]

Quality Dude🤙🤙 Vintage Road Bike For The Win 👍👍 I'm Back on Aluminium 14mm internal rim width 25c Tubular tyres 😁😁

[@Veloharmony]

Nice. I too ride tubular velocity alloys from time to time.

[@savagepro9060]

Eldred, Shimano did not make a super-expensive pedals by mistake. They know it's functional, bling-ish, and will 'deteriorate' in due time. This MEANS you will have to get a NEW one. It's called PROFITS!

[@Veloharmony]

Yes sad, but so true.

[@HunterAtheist]

@@savagepro9060 Yep. Just like many forms of racing, components that last years for the average person last only a single event or two for pros before they discard them in favor of a brand new one. Not everyone is sponsored though.

[@05ALT]

Great vid. What set of rim brake wheels would you consider to be a durable, long-lasting set?

[@Veloharmony]

Generally the well branded wheels tend to be consistently good. Wheels built with Sapine or DT Swiss Spokes are also very good but it depends on the wheel builder.

[@maritanonneman3333]

Very true

[@stefanomancini6569]

In my opinion disc break are an upgrade , the safety and breaking power is well worth the extra maintenance.

[@jameslefleur1970]

I still have mixed feelings about disc brakes (I own both rim and disc). Yes discs have better stopping power, but I never had issues with stopping with my rim brakes except when riding on heavy rain. Every time I switch wheels (disc version) I spend a couple hours tunning the brakes. Maybe I'm a bad mechanic :-)

[@Veloharmony]

@jameslefleur1970 no you’re not. I work on them in my shop weekly. They keep my lights on. As a mechanic , they’re good for business. They require time to tune them and we charge accordingly. Remove the wheel for any reason the disc rubs when you remount the wheel. These issues I see mostly with road bikes. The discs on MTB’s are more robust. Nothing I’ve seen from road discs, makes me want them on my bike. When I shop for bikes to refurbish for resale, I avoid the ones with discs.

[@jameslefleur1970]

@@Veloharmony haha no I didn't say they are an upgrade. I feel discs stop better (when tuned). I agree with the rest of you comment. I have 4 bikes and like to swap wheels depending on my ride and it is a pain like you said to center and fine tune. For someone with only 1 bike and only one type of riding they might be ok.

[@Veloharmony]

@@jameslefleur1970 my ‘no you’re not’ meant you’re not a bad mechanic. Discs require more time to tune.

[@jameslefleur1970]

@@Veloharmony I wish the rim brake frames that I own would take wider tires... The only reason I went disc on a couple of my bikes is because I do like the wider tire feel and the "rim brake" frames would only take a 25mm tire (not bad) but I like doing mix terrain and a 28-32mm is best for me.

[@cjfetters]

I recently upgraded to a 2022 bike from a 2000. It is a lot more comfortable to ride!

[@Veloharmony]

Thanks for sharing. Enjoy out there.

[@christopherharmon9336]

I'm trying to NOT be an old curmudgeon-but when I look at the total range and durability of my Shimano (Deore) & SRAM (X9) 9-speed, mountain triples, I think they're hard to beat. They work EVERY time I ride one of my old bikes. When I compare these drivetrains to a new 13-speed, 1x cassette that is $600, I have to wonder. Is the $4300, 13-speed, 1x gravel drivetrain system "better?" I understand, for a competitive pro-racer the electronic-shifting, 13-speed gravel groupset that is thousands and thousands of dollars could make the difference between 1st and 5th at Unbound. I get it. Milliseconds add up to seconds which adds up to 2-3 minutes over 200 miles. Their gear technically needs to make it through (1) race. For recreational cyclists? Personally, I'd rather have a bike that is 1.5-2 lbs heavier which is optimized for durability. I also own a 2011 aluminum Cannondale Synapse (rim brakes), equipped with a 105 triple drivetrain and Tiagra 50-39-30 crank, coupled to an 11-34 cassette. For me, living in Colorado? This is the perfect road bike. Upgrade? Upgrade to WHAT? I'll go out and ride 30-40 miles any day of the week, but I'm not fast enough for a $7500 bike to make a difference!

[@Veloharmony]

The new stuff is not better. About the only sensible thing they’ve done was moving shifting off down tubes, which makes it more convenient. Everything else is marketing to fleece those who don’t educate themselves.

[@savagepro9060]

By 'upgrade' most people mean . . . BLING! For example installing Over-Sized-Pulley-Wheels. There are NO significant gains, except . . . aesthetics.

[@Veloharmony]

Lol yes like ‘Ceramic Speed’

[@HunterAtheist]

@@Veloharmony Ceramic Greed*

[@Veloharmony]

Well put.

[@zedddddful]

Oversized jockey wheels also look embarrassingly crap.

[@DJJPlus4]

I have never fallen for the illusion of upgrades and quality that's so prevalent in the industry. I'm the only person in my group still on aluminum frames. They are rock solid and give me no problems at all. I just don't have a reason to "downgrade" to carbon.

[@jameslefleur1970]

"My $5000 bike upgrade makes me 1 minute faster over a hundred mile ride and looks cool" - My friend Bob

[@Veloharmony]

🤣

[@n22pdf]

Your explanation here is spot on.. sometimes upgrades are not as good as what you had before.. great content dude.. Pete 🚴🏻👍

[@Veloharmony]

Thanks Pete. I am constantly talking my recreational or non avid cyclist customers out of unnecessary upgrades.

[@Vena23]

*Italiani* hi from Italy

[@Veloharmony]

Grazie

[@adammillsindustries.]

Which SMP saddles are they and what width?

[@Veloharmony]

SMP Dynamic. 138mm

[@wolfk1]

06:22 Not necessarily. An upgrade can also be when you have more fun having a particular item, regardless of money and time. Extreme example: buying a Ferrari and selling the VW Golf for that is an upgrade, even if you have to invest more money and time.

[@Newtttton]

Money and time are more precious than "fun" therefore I wouldn't call something an "upgrade" if it's an endless money pit and a time-consuming burden. Plus what you call "fun" is short-lived and it's replaced with "stress". As the saying goes, 'A wise man does at the beginning what a fool does at the end.'"

[@wolfk1]

@@Newtttton That's your opinion. Maybe you, like most, have not been very successful in life. I can afford to have fun, so my opinion is different and I'm not going to change it.

[@Newtttton]

@@wolfk1 a fool and his money are soon parted

[@jameslefleur1970]

What is your opinion on carbon parts and frames? I think they are disposable and if one isn't racing I don't see the point. I have a carbon frame and I always have this paranoia that it is going to fail me or break on some fast descent...

[@jameslefleur1970]

I read somewhere that most of the pros replace their carbon frames each season and the top teams might use new frames every tour (but of course they are sponsored, so why not)

[@Veloharmony]

That’s why I don’t ride carbon. They are overpriced, fragile, age poorly and they don’t last.