$2000 MTB Upgrade Haul: Worth it? 

I thought long and hard about the upgrades I'd pick. I honestly felt the suspension was great as is. I couldn't think of anything else that would change the ride quality as much as carbon wheels.

i think rims are the best upgrade you can make

@@spencerfisher4080 definitely

Carbon wheels and enve bars for me too.

The problem is he chose a big name company when he could have easily paid half for the same thing from a reputable Chinese company

I agree and think that your proposed changes will have much greater effect than carbon wheels for 1600.

Hey thanks for the kind words!

+1 for the Nox Farlow rims. So much better (and cheaper) than Enve

Hey thanks. Glad you liked it. That’s a good point.

You can sell your old components

@@TheBlkzenki I like to hang onto mine so I can put them back on the bike when I sell it. That way I don’t have to buy my upgrades again.

@@bikersedge Thats what I usually do too,. Resell value isn't that good for used parts, at least before the pandemic.

@@aaritbabu3398 agreed. And your upgrades will add little to no value to the resale if you sell them on the bike.

Sounds like some solid upgrades.

love my vesper, i cant say it was worth the money. but the feeling it gives you is like nothing else.

I almost always swap out my contact points when I get a new bike. I dob't really see those as an upgrade, rather a comfit/fit swap. That's why I didn't include them here.

Ha. You are a lucky one. I’ve ridden up there a few times. It’s always amazing. We’ve got the desert though. That’s some solid riding too.

Hey thanks! Glad you liked it.

It's a weird skill I've had to learn.

I mean its already a big aluminum enduro bike. You can get some good aluminum rims for cheaper that are within less than 200g of carbon wheels and save more weight in other parts with the leftover money.

I just got a set of i9/nox wheels and while they are basically the same weight as the alloy wheels I’ve been riding for years the nicer hub and stiffer wheels make a difference on the trail. I still need to get more rides in but you can tell a difference

Hey thanks! Sounds like a rad bike.

Hey thanks!

I’ve done quite a bit of back to back with alloy and carbon wheels. I prefer carbon. They feel better. And to the durability point I’ve broken 4 alloy wheels and only one carbon. The carbon didn’t cost me anything to replace. The alloy did.

Carbon wheels for the win every bleeping time!

​@@johncoons1666 Only 1 in every 20 or 30 EWS pros are running carbon wheels for a reason. A quality allloy wheelset doesn't weigh any move than an equivalent carbon rim, except for XC race bike spec.

@@lenolenoleno It's different for EWS racers, as the way the carbon rims fail means their day is over. Plus I think there's a penalty for replacing some basic parts like wheels through the race. For this reason they prefer alu rims that deform rather than shatter, so with some "persuasion" they can be banged back to a usable shape. We don't know how many rims they go through a year though, given that at least half of them don't run inserts. For us mere mortals it's really a matter of budget. Would I go for a pair of carbon rims with a good warranty/crash replacement policy? Of course! Do I have the money to spend upfront? No, so I had custom alu wheels built and I run an insert at the rear for extra security.

@soulzerosix what you say is true. However plenty of EWS pros have gone on record to say they prefer alu wheels as they like how they flex. They don't chew through rims as much as you think (used to work for an EWS pro team brand). World Cup DH racers do thrash rims thoough. It doesn't take away from my point that carbon wheels vs. A high quality set of alloy rims is in the marginal gains territory. This video is about "bang for buck upgrades". Yet he spent majority of the $2000 budget on marginal gains carbon wheels and handlebars that are barely more compliant than a set of 31.8 alloy bars. Hell you'd rather go the OneUp carbon bar which is even cheaper if you want actual compliance. Could have easily spent $600 on some DT EX1700s and used the leftover $1000 on things that actually make a difference. What would you actually notice? Upgrades to suspension and brakes. Get rid of those Guides for some Code RSCs or Magura MT7s or TRP Quadiems or Hope Tech 4 v4 brakes. Suspension you'd get a Vorsprung Secus or Smashpot as the air spring is the biggest upgrade you can make.

Hey thanks! Glad you liked it.

I don't think the alloy NX build comes with RSC brakes. The carbon GX does. I don't remember what comes on the alloy NX build... but the Guide R that came on Spur GX build felt very sluggish compared to the Code RSC on my Scout. I actually bought a rear RSC lever for the Spur ($100) but ended up selling the bike before installing it.

@@daveharris39 As I stated, I bought the Sentinel Alloy GX, not the NX. The alloy GX comes with Code RSC on the blue and silver color (similar to the Carbon GX), and the green GX is spec’s with TRP DH-R EVO brakes (I can’t speak to this, since mine is blue). FYI, the Spec for the Alloy NX is Code R brakes. For the money, the Alloy GX has an amazing Spec. Fox Performance Elite Grip2 fork (Carbon GX has Lyrik Ultimate), Fox Float X Perf Elite shock, GX cranks, shifters, derailleur, and 520% Eagle, etc. The wheels were on the cheap, but I replaced those before buying.

I usually keep my stock parts so I can put them back on the bike when I sell it. Then I don’t have to buy all the upgrades again.

Any time you’re in Utah stop by. We’d love to see you at the shop. I filmed this one on bobsled. It’s about 5 minutes from downtown SLC. Great after work lap.

Hey thanks. I could dig into handlebar roll. I don’t know much about it. I run what feels comfortable and that’s about it.

Sure is. Tons of fun.

Thanks for the kind words. Could be heavy. I never took it off to weigh it. Rides great though.

its the less rotational mass that makes the big difference. 100grams shaved off of wheels feels like 1kg of bike weight. I'm very surprised he didn't feel that the bike goes way easier because of this on the uphill. but its probably because its not much lighter than the stock wheels

Yeah I’d say the more adjustable fork would be good. For me the stock one felt great. Honestly had no complaints. That’s why I went with the wheels instead.

Those are sweet hubs. I have them on a set of I9 wheels. So nice.

Stay tuned. Super top secret news gets declassified soon. The AM30s come with i9 101 hubs.

@@bikersedge I can't wait! Your shop seems to have the best secrets! So glad you are a stone's throw away from me.

Buy brand x carbon bars for $90. All the benefit of carbon bars for half the price.

@@jordanmackay3568 Not all carbon bars are created equal. Some might even feel worse than alloy. The best ones I've ridden so far are the Oneups and Enves. Never tried Brand X.

@@bikersedge I've used them for a month or so now. Was using alu 31.8 bars before and was getting savage arm pump. Not had it since getting them

It’s a blast.

Yes.

And 12 more seconds of hang time.

I run an external lav mic and then sync audio in post.

I have the AXS kit on my analog bike. So good.

How has it changed the game?

@@katietrotter9374 Reading comprehension is underrated.

People who think wireless shifting is a "game changer" either a) don't know how to tune a derailleur or b) are drunk on the marketing Kool-Aid. I've tested (and every major MTB journalist agrees) that Shimano Deore 12sp with HG+ shifts better than AXS from a fresh install. Even getting a Shim group at the same weight, an XT 12sp shifter + derailleur costs about 1/4 of the price of GX AXS. As far as bike upgrades go, suspension (especially fork), brakes and tyres are the top 3 that'll actually make a difference.

You said the one up bar has better compliance than the enve?

@@halnogaies1256 Yep, every Enve bar I have tried is stiff AF, the One Up was designed to have good vertical compliance with a 35 mm clamp.

@@paradox963 So there are none with a 31.8 clamp?

I prefer Code RSC or TRP DHR Evo. Personally not a huge fan of Shimano’s on/off feel. That’s just preference though.

It is. Stoked to have it in my backyard.

Yeah. Contact points are my first upgrade but for the sake of this video I didn’t make any. Those are so subjective that it doesn’t make a ton of sense to recommend any.

@@bikersedge yes, I take your point.

I don’t necessarily see Fox as being outright better. There are a lot of great suspension brands out there. I was pretty impressed with the RS 35 I rode. I’m a huge fan of my Zeb.

I would have done brakes if the stock ones were terrible. They weren’t bad but I felt they could be better.

One thing I’ve noticed about premium wheels/brands is the warranty and crash replacement programs tend to be better. I’m sure that’s factoring into the cost. I have a set of i9 rims I broke. I had a new wheel laced up within a week at no cost to me. Right there it was the couple hundred extra.

Just in case you screw up that drop.

It would help. I still think there's something to be said for carbon rims. A set of high end alloy wheels isn't going to be much cheaper than some of the newer carbon sets.

31.8 all the way.

@@bikersedge 100% agree. Plus with a 38 up front everything feels super precise without being harsh.

Those are also solid upgrades. These already had pretty decent alloy wheels. That’s why I went with the carbon.

@@bikersedge gotcha. Maybe just upgrade the hub if you wanna stay on budget and add some other goodies. Not having to mess with suspension leaves a lot of $ to play with on a $2k budget.

after a couple years and many, many upgrades on my Ripmo NX, I'm still riding the same old NX Eagle cassette with no problems

@@DavidLaburglier the cassette works pretty well. Is the derailleur that’s been known to not last a long time.

@@bikersedge ain't that the truth. I can count more broken derailleurs than times I've wished I had a 10t

Carbon wheels might help a bit. I don’t really buy them for the weight saving. Rather I buy them for the ride quality.

Hey thanks! I owned a sentinel for all of 2021. That’s why it’s in so many videos. But yes it’s one of my favorite bikes to date.

In my experience carbon wheels have held up better than alloy.

I’m with you on everything but the dropper. If I had to choose I’d take a dropper over rear suspension all day.

Onyx R hubs are silent (but expensive) if you end up rebuilding your rear wheel.

It's a rad trail. Much darker out than it looked in the video though. I brought the brightness up a ton so you could actually see, unlike me.

It is. It’s the one I stole a lot of parts from to do this video.

I usually take dry creek up.

I didnt put carbon wheels on here for the weight savings either. I did it for the ride quality. The marginal difference in weight is just a bonus. I would have done an M6 or M9 but I didn’t have enough budget to buy a 31.8 stem. Had to stick with the 35mm bar.

That’s pretty much exactly what I did in this video. I wasn’t just comparing before and after upgrades on the alloy frame. I was also comparing to the carbon GX kit. I still think you’re better off buying the nicer one to begin with if you can afford it.

@@erinb4919 oh gotcha. I get it now. That would be interesting to try.

Hey thanks. Stoked to check out your videos.

I get out to fish occasionally. Wish I got our more but bikes usually take priority in my free time.

Bobsled in SLC

I haven’t made one. If there’s enough interest I’d be happy to make one.

Haven't ridden one. Couldn't really say. We don't carry specialized at the shop so I'm contractually obligated to make fun of the red S.

Honestly, the suspension on this bike is pretty solid. Unless you need more adjustments (weight extremes, riding style extremes, serious racer), it feels pretty damn good. I would doubt most folks could tell it's a budget fork if they were blindfolded. I think the money is better spent on the wheels.

@@bikersedge Ok, but do you think the difference between alloy and carbon wheels are significant if they are around the same weight? The price difference would be huge.

@@johanrr4 yes. I don’t buy carbon wheels for the weight savings. I buy them for the ride quality.

I’ve gone back and forth between carbon and alloy wheels 5 times in the last 1.5 years. When it comes to alloy vs carbon anything, it’s not “better or worse” it’s just “different”. For $1600 he could have gotten factory level suspension. The difference between the stock wheels and the new wheels is greater than the difference between factory level suspension and the stock suspension.

They’re great. Right up there with my other favorites the oneup and new Santa Cruz carbon bars.

Too expensive for my $2000 upgrade budget.

@@bikersedge got ya 😌

I prefer the pike over the 34. That’s preference though. It’s tough to make any 130mm fork feel really plush though. There just isn’t enough travel to work with. If you set it up soft you’re going to blow through all the travel easily. Especially on a tallboy. That bike rips.

I agree. I think a Pike upgrade won’t give you an omg wow upgrade increase in performance. I had to add an extra volume spacer in my 34 and run it at 20% sag so it’s not divvy and blowing through travel.

@@bikersedge I definitely love the bike! Maybe I'll throw a Pike 140 on it. Thanks for replying! I love your videos!

A good upgrade for you might be the Runt from DSD, one of the upgrades from vorsprung or something similar, it makes things a bit less harsh without compromising on the mid or end stroke.

You are confusing the NX cassette with GX/X01/XX1. NX cassette uses HG driver and GX/X01/XX1 uses the XD driver. The derailleurs/shifters are compatible through the entire line (NX-XX1.)

All 12 speed Sram stuff plays nicely together. NX and lower uses a different driver though.

That's a good way to do it. I prefer to keep my stock parts so I can just swap my upgrades from bike to bike.

@@bikersedge yeah makes sense to keep the stock parts too if you don't plan on selling it off as a frameset later on, but a full bike! Totally agree

Right on! Those are some smart upgrades.

Not saying I’m not a suspension guy. I always make sure to get my suspension dialed and set up correctly. What I’m saying is that for my weight, I fall in a pretty average range of suspension setup. I don’t miss the added adjustability of higher end suspension. I would argue that most folks would be just fine on mid grade suspension.

@@bikersedge thank you for the reply! Awesome content! ✊🏾

Specialised have recently done one but it’s a lot of $$$ still

I was honestly pretty stoked with the stock suspension. Didn't feel like it needed to be upgraded.

I was honestly so impressed by the Rhythm fork I didn't feel it needed an upgrade. Unless you really need the adjustability of the Grip 2, I don't think it's worth upgrading.

I’ve had pretty much the same experience.

I found the GX derailleur made a very marginal difference, but the shifter was a nice (and cheaper) upgrade.

That’s a good point. Although I don’t buy my bikes to sell them. I buy them to ride them.

When I did all the research, filming and writing for this the pair cost $150 is depending on where you looked. Looks like retail is now $174 for the combo.

It’s in north salt lake.

The wheels probably made the biggest difference but they’re also pretty spendy.

Actually, I am considering a new bike altogether. Mine has 67 degree HT angle 74 ST with 435 reach maybe for M. While my trails are pretty XC, I still want to ride gnar and hit some decent jumps. At 5'8 145 lbs and 42 years old I want a super light, playful bike. Considering Ibis Mojo or Stumpjumper. Any recommendations? Ride SE Michigan. Likely do the same idea ..buy in lower range and upgrade parts as I can.

@@mattgraves3709 What did you go with? Curious since I have Trek Fuels available locally, but I really would prefer a Spur but am looking for other country ripper options

That’s my daily driver so I’ve made a few upgrades. I’m running an Enve M9 bar, i9 carbon wheels, TRP DHR Evo brakes and an Absolute Black oval chainring.

@@bikersedge Thanks, I can't wait to get one of these bikes now!

Hey thanks. For me GX is the sweet spot for value. That’s the build I usually end up buying. I’ve got a set of AM30s I swap from bike to bike.

@@bikersedge Awesome! Thanks. Are the hubs on the AM 30 Schram or Shimano specific? Those bikers edge have the wheels in stock Or available for order?

@@rogerb3927 you can get the hub with either driver. Your best bet for inventory and ordering is using the webchat feature on our website. You’ll get the fastest and most up fo date response that way. Tell them you came from RU-vid!

@@bikersedge will do. Thanks!

For sure, I hate it when people up suspension without knowing how to dial in the base suspension good suspension is crap with out proper set up but to each there own

Never tried doing that. Could be interesting. I think I’d want my wheels to feel the same front and back though.