One of the most common questions that crops up on the BikeRadar forum is: 'what’s the first thing I should upgrade on my new mountain bike?'.
This prompts all kinds of responses. Wheels are often mentioned, due to the understanding that rotational weight has a bigger effect on a bike's handling than static weight.
In reality, the difference between these two types of weight is negligible, at least in the context of cycling. What does have more of an impact is unsprung weight — the parts of your bicycle that are not supported by the fork and rear shock, such as wheels, tires, inner tubes, axles and suspension fork lowers. Excess weight in this area can hamper your bike's suspension performance, and therefore handling.
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However, wheels are an expensive upgrade, especially if you've just forked out for a new bike, and there are other areas where a smaller outlay will bring you big performance benefits. Suspension forks and/or rear shocks tend to crop up in upgrade discussions, as budget units tend to be heavy and poorly controlled, but replacing these can be very expensive and a bit of a minefield for the uninitiated.
When it comes to cheaper options, people will generally mention things like lighter quick-release skewers – okay, the latest carbon/titanium/alloy options may look bling but a semi-enclosed Shimano QR still offers just about the best performance – and talk about titanium bolts – fine if you’re a sponsored racer and get them for free, but a good way of blowing lots of cash for minimal weight savings for the rest of us.
Taking control
So what’s the answer? Saving weight isn't the be-all and end-all. Rider weight is so much higher than bike weight that saving a few grams here and there makes very little difference, and even if you manage to save a few pounds, it's only on the climbs that you'll really notice the change. Comfort and performance upgrades will make a much more significant difference.
Ditch an uncomfortable saddle
Cockpit changes – bars, stem and grips
Tyre choices
Drivetrain upgrades
Tubeless conversion
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