Hello!
I got myself a Giant Revolt half a year ago, and have been absolutely loving it and thrown myself into the sport of cycling in general.
I would like to do some upgrades on my bike, but am looking for suggestions of which upgrades are worth the effort and money, as I would otherwise probably just end up doing upgrades based on wanting to look cooler than I am 😅
Context: I commute by bike 3-5 days a week (15 km each way, so 30km total), and also do 1-2 longer rides of 40-60 km in the forrests on a mix of gravel and dirt paths and mountainbike trails.
by LuckAdministrative23
16 Comments
You are off to a great start! Upgraded wheels and tires are a good performance upgrade.
Tires, then wheels.
Wheels are generally the best thing to spend money on upgrading, going from your current alloy wheels you’ll get a decent weight saving even with a budget carbon wheelset and they’ll look good to. I’d recommend the Elitewheels SLR Gravel set from their AliExpress store – I have a set and they’re great for the money. A little heavy compared with more expensive carbon wheels but still over 500g lighter than your current wheels so you should notice the difference.
If you have the budget I would run them as a second set of wheels (rather than transfer over your current rotors, cassette and tires). Keep you existing wheels for your road commute and put nicer off road tires on your new wheels (possibly something like the Schwalbe RS Pro, which is a fast rolling tire). Run them tubeless to.
As for other stuff depends really, if you find anything uncomfortable (saddle, bars etc.) then look at changing those (or for bars better bar tape and maybe gel pads underneath it). Suspension stem & seat post would be other considerations.
If you ride mostly in the dry then chain waxing doesn’t just mean less dirty gunk to deal with but also extends the life of your chain and cassette. Ideally you want to start the process with a new chain though so check how worn your current one is but maybe keep using it until it’s worn to the point it should be replaced (but before it damages your cassette) and switch to waxing then. If you ride a lot in the wet though don’t bother waxing.
Wheels and tires.
A couple of kettle bells for strength training. You won’t notice the wheels as much as you’d think. Maybe tyres depending on what your bike came with but don’t just do it because the money is burning a hole in your pocket.
I found the redshift suspension stem to make quite a difference in irritation in my wrists on heavy constant gravel.
In addition to wheels and wheels, see if the seat is comfortable. You’ll be riding sitting most of the time on long rides. If the seat is not comfortable you might not enjoy the ride. Try the stock seats for a couple of rides. If you’re not comfortable, or are in pain, go to a bike shop and they’ll help with a good seat.
Enjoy your rides!
Touch points are the best bang for the buck. A comfortable bike is something that’s just 🤌 Bike fit, saddle that works for you, and nice plush tires. Might have to change bars/stem based on bike fit. I would upgrade in that order. The other stuff, depends on your budget and needs. I would upgrade as things wear out.
Wheels and bike fit
If you don’t know what to upgrade you probably don’t need an upgrade. If you must I’d focus on where you touch the bike or where the bike touches the ground (grips, saddle and tires), maybe a dropper post depending on the type of riding you do.
Lots of parts of a bike naturally wear out, it’s most cost effective to let them do so and then upgrade.
Tires are the best bang for your buck by a long shot. Maybe get fitted for a nice saddle too.
Tyres and saddle, every time.
Tires, wheels, gas tank bag, half frame bag. I love on bike storage. Tailfin, relevate, rogue panda, ortleib all fantastic.
Tufo thundero with roval terra c is the best upgrade I’ve ever done.
If anything is uncomfortable like your handlebars, saddle, etc look into options that might help you.
Nice, compact tools to carry with you.
Nice bag(s) that compliment your bike and style. Your bike would work well with a half frame bag and a saddle bag probably. I personally like [Atwater Atelier](https://www.atwateratelier.com) (and you could get matching set) but there are more affordable options. To me bags are the best way to splurge because they can be very functional.
Other people mentioned wheels. To me the return is not worth it, but you also probably won’t regret it.
The tires that come on a bike usually aren’t the best so it’s good to replace them, but also not a rush IMO. I would wait until the current tires need to be replaced unless you have a strong desire to change the handling characteristics.
Not cheap but a bike computer with maps/nav is nice for exploring. I sometimes run it without even tracking rides since it’s nice to see the streets and trails around me. Comes in handy if a street is congested or closed too as I just look at the map and quickly detour without having to stop.
“I would like to do some upgrades on my bike, but am looking for suggestions of which upgrades are worth the effort and money, as I would otherwise probably just end up doing upgrades based on wanting to look cooler than I am 😅” — clearly you don’t need any upgrades then, just keep riding.
MIPS helmet 🤙