Upgrades for my Giant Cypress!

I finally got the cash for some serious upgrades that I was itching for the duration of a year. New tires, pedals, front light, and brakes. It's made a big difference.

Old parts: Kenda Hybrid tires (20+ years old, somehow barely dry rotting, 700 x 38c), FP-820 pedals, amazon cheapo crap brand front light, and mismatched Shimano rim brakes. I still need to replace the bottom bracket eventually, it's as old as this bike (early 2000's). Maybe I'll overhaul the drivetrain too, potentially getting a 1 x 9 or something instead of this 3 x 7.

New parts: Continental Contact Plus City (700 x 42c, had to file down the custom bracket for clearance), MZYRH triple bearing aluminum pedals, Magicshine Evo 1700, and Kool Stop dual compound rim brake pads.

Value wise, the best upgrade were the new pedals. These were $20 per pair on Amazon. People always scream to not buy bike parts from Amazon but these pedals are amazing. Getting the power down is so easy now.

The tires made a great difference as well. Technically they're not fast tires but they're smooth as butter and surprisingly absorb bumps well despite all that puncture protection. Easy to ride fast. My Kenda tires were usually at 70 – 75 PSI but I now use 60 PSI with these Continentals which feels great. They're very heavy though. I'm not an aggressive rider so I find more of the spinning mass to improve my stability when riding. They grip well, I hit my brakes earlier and the rear didn't slip. The main reason for getting it is flat tires, and my previous one damaged the rear rim.

The Magicshine Evo 1700 is a great light, but it needs improvement in the phone app department. My old light had a terrible bar mount that shook like crazy and the flimsy light quick-release wasn't fun to deal with. I had to move some of the cable housing but it seems fine where it's placed.

The bike feels fantastic now.