Liam is joined by the rest of the BikeRadar tech team to talk about the cycling products that are not worth investing in.
These products are too expensive and don’t improve performance enough to make them worth your hard-earned money. Top-end cycling computers, carbon fibre wheels, Shimano Dura-Ace, and 3D-printed saddles all come under the microscope.
But even so, we can’t help but want many of them. Do you agree? And what cycling kit is on your do-not-buy list? Let us know in the comments! 👇
#cycling #dontbuy #expensive
00:00 Intro
00:23 Helmets Costing More Than £150
03:02 Carbon Wheels
05:07 Cycling Nutrition
09:19 Expensive Shoes
12:02 3D-Printed Saddles
14:15 Expensive Overshoes
16:41 Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
18:43 Top-end Bike Computers
23:37 Top-end Clothing
26:36 Fancy Bottle Cages
28:16 Top-end Smart Trainers
30:50 Premium Pedals
Don’t Spend $700! See How Your Phone Stacks Up
→ https://youtu.be/okKYEwjiV1g
Don’t Waste Your Money – Power Meter Pedals RATED
→ https://youtu.be/fjW40siZA5Y
Road Bike Upgrades You DON’T Need
→ https://youtu.be/uOPhhcRua2Y
Top 5 Aero Upgrades You Don’t Need
→ https://youtu.be/nbSSc8Rq_hQ
Don’t Waste Your Money! Best Value Aero Upgrades
→ https://youtu.be/SMCL-PWzNaQ
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27 Comments
What did we miss and what gear do you still want despite the price tag? Are you a magpie like Liam? 👇
Cyclist spend what they can afford.Why buy a £12,000 bike when a £3000 bike can do the same job,the answer is because some cyclist can afford it.Plus there is alot of snobbery in cycling.Pay what you can afford,
Endura work for me.
I you can afford it, but what ever you like. There is a difference between rational and emotional choices. No one needs a high end bike with high end gear but damn it looks good and makes you feel the boss cycling on it.
Everything Silca markets is stupidly overpriced.
The ultegra pedals are often on sale for £50, which is not much more than their basic ones. The kicker is you can service the ultegra pedal bearings with a 10mm wrench, but need a special wrench for the basic ones.
I don't watch podcast type videos but this one held my attention. Good job on the structure and the time spent on each discussion
Where is the video referenced for the sub 1000 pound carbon wheel set test?
Gore C3 clothing works for me, a ‘little’ over weight, the cut is forgiving and it works well.
I’d rather save on all that and splurge on the nicest tires I can get. 😌
RE Pedals costing too much, Am I weird for sticking with MKS Silvans with toe clips and nylon straps so that I can just stick with my regular sneakers? 3 minute 50 miles suggests that going with cleats probably isn't worth it for my fitness level.
How about multiple bikes of the same type. One road bike at a time. Mountain is a bit different based on terrain.
How many riding bikes are actually racing them? Sure we all like to go faster, but mainly most of us just want to have an enjoyable ride and challenge ourselves? I wonder how much more enjoyment I would get upgrading my stock wheels with a $1000+ pair of carbon ones.
Van Rysel for Helmet
Skins/Van Rysel for clothing – skins costs a lot when not on sale but I’ve had a pair of shorts over 13 years that never ripped.
One piece carbon handle bar – Ali Express….works great and looks great (pick one with many many pic reviews)
Saddle – bane of my existence, generic giant saddle was so painful after only 20mins cycling. Selle Italia SLR had the perfect shape but I bought wrong size which caused discomfort but I could cycle 30mins before pain…Fizik Argo 3D printed was not noticeably softer when cycling on trainer but was far more comfortable cycling 1hr 30mins …only issue is adjusting position at times to find sweet spot.
Carbon rims – Elite Marvel 50 is doing me well at the moment, very very light compared to giant PR2 and I got upgraded Sapim spokes to reduce 250grams …full cost €700…downside is cross winds, just wow it’s scary to get winds when above 35kph as bike is so light below now.
Bike computer – Garmin Edge….basic version but has a nice size, ok battery life for maybe 4-5hour cycle …only downside is directions don’t show other roads so easy at times to follow wrong road if close to another road.
Why is the tone of these so weird.. its like these guys are some cycling gods educating everyone.. BROS.. you write articles and review free crap from brands.. stop this elitism tone and talk about what works for you rather than this elitist feel of the chat…
Good idea, I might try adding a bit of salt to my bottle which has orange juice… Also my inexpensive pre race breakfast is 3 large cookie and a chocolate bar… Works pretty well!
Too late for me. S-Works Tarmac SL8 with Shimano Durarace Di2. S-works shoes and helmets. 3D printed saddle with carbon rails. Garmin 1050. Gu and chews in my bag. Cheaper kits from Amazon and china so my cheap kits are cheaper than yours. S-Works bottle cages because they look nice. No regrets. Sometimes you see a sale.
Before I had kids and a mortgage, I treated myself to some CarbonSports Lightweight carbon wheels and while they were stupidly expensive, I have never ridden more solid wheels in my life. I am a heavy rider but when I rode them on my Dogma 2 on a race track, the power transfer was awesome and not a hint of flex. I have not ridden another wheel that feels that good under full out-of-the-saddle sprints!!
The magnesium food supplements… Common, we surly don't need that much of a magnesium??
Awesome video guys, it’s actually rare to hear this honesty and it helps a lot!
Most of the suggestions were about saving cash, so a final suggestion would be to look around for offers, discounts, etc. I’ve saved so much by timing my purchases
I still run edge 800…the only thing I miss is connection to the radar!
I'm a sinner in each of these categories to the extreme.
Bikes that cost a lot, biggest win you can make is getting fitter yourself.
Same with all the light weight stuff, just loose a couple of kilos.
Other thing is worth your money, Castelli Perfetto is really great!
One-piece carbon handlebar, Integrated routing. Makes things hard to fix for both home mechanics and shops.
And bike companies should stop using aero seatposts for mid-range endurance bikes.
Specialized Propero, MIPS an got it for 139-€ (instead of 199, that´s about 150 pounds)
Even 105 DI2 is not worse than Dura Ace and looks great.