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BUDGET Upgrades That TRANSFORM Your Gravel Bike
Entry-level gravel bikes like the Base Specialized Diverge in this video are great out of the box, but can be transformed with a few budget-minded upgrades.
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Ritcheylized
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Haha nice
@themoodyteam
Жыл бұрын
Sponsorlized…
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
I can see how you’d assume that 😀
Very solid first round of upgrades. I'm intrigued by those wheels. Your friend is lucky to have an avid & informed tinkerer like you.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
😆🤘
Good rule of thumb for upgrading a ride: do the contact points first. Wheels & tires, bars, pedals, and maybe saddle.
Good vid, I agree with the wheels and tires upgrade, my bike is a totally new ride and feel. My Diverge went from 22 lbs to just 19.8 lbs with the change. Rides great and I glad because I beat the heck out of it riding on gravel roads here in Texas. Have fun you guys
Great! Loving seeing a little personalization to a person's bike from the stock option. Very nice!
I’d suggest also considering an affordable vanity upgrade for the smile factor. I got custom bar end plugs and headset cap, and it immediately widened my smile when riding my bike. The extra poke in my pedal stroke was definitely a performance gain, too. 😎
2021 diverge here. I upgraded the 38 pathfinder pros to Rene Herse Oracle Ridge 48s. Holy crap, way more confident descending gravel and somehow the ride feel is smoother feeling on all surfaces. Definite plus.
Love the Ritchey Bars & Gravel Kings tires. Have the 1st gen bars on my CX bike & the 2nd gen (wide) bars on my Poseidon Redwood.
Nice upgrades! First thing I upgraded on my gravel bike a few years ago was a dropper post. Was key for riding in western NC. Then came handlebar, suspension stem, wheels and tires, and wider range cassette.
@mattkavanaugh5623
Жыл бұрын
Ditto for me; dropper post = 1st upgrade (approximately $100) then flared drop bars (about $40) , with new bar tape of course :)
I just upgraded my diverge with those same stock wheels and roadsports to hunt wheels and Gravelking SK’s, haven’t taken it on the gravel yet but excited
Most awesome, agree those are the 3 best upgrades. Thanks!
Not on my gravel bike, but on my road bike, I changed the cassette from Shimano CS-5800 (11-28) to Shimano CS-M8000 (Deore XT, 11-42) and it just made the uphill climbs so much more manageable. On my Salsa Vaya gravel bike, I upgraded the saddle to Specialized Body Geometry (from the stock Volt). So much more comfortable. I also changed the pedals as you suggested. Big difference.
I have those one up pedals on my hardtail mtb, excellent choice for the price.
One thing cheap that I also did was replacing the original Claris 50x34 chainring with the Tourney 46x30.
Thank you. Very informative retrofit.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Thx Jeff!
Almost exactly what I did to my gravel. Except pedals - got shimano PD-EH500 hybrid flat/spd and I absolutely love them.
EXCELLENT VIDEO!!
The comp Venturmax and higher bars actually have a really nice ergo-aero profile on the tops with an indent underneath to better hide the cables. Its a great upgrade over just a standard round top profile like on the RL1...
@DilbertMuc
9 ай бұрын
Absolutely! I am not a fan of that basic Specialized road bar at all.
@MrMars121
7 ай бұрын
Do you stick with the regular width or go wider?
Nice 👌🏽 thank you 🙏🏽
Great Video. The Comp Zetas wcs are actually made by fulcrum.
Great ol PHIL! awesome!
Sound and editing next level. Maybe a cheap upgrade for video skills next👍🏽
That bar tape looks splendid
@erichoonmin
Жыл бұрын
Super comfy
Ritchey Zeta wheels cost EUR 400,- at discount retailers and save how much on grams compared to Axis Sport wheels (2077g per set)? 200 grams? I think unless one wants to go tubeless (Axis Sport are not tubeless) and really sporty it is not really worth to swap the wheels. Just swap the tires and maybe the handle bar. Those earlier generation Diverge (up to 2020) were actually more Allroad bikes with road bike geometry and road bike systems (Claris, Sora, Tiagra) that were capable to ride light gravel. Only newer Diverge models really changed everything towards heavy duty gravel. 🧐👆
New wheels are great but if one doesn't have the money for new wheels, I'd suggest checking the spoke tension on the existing wheels you have. If you've got some more skills, perhaps rebuilding the wheels with butted spokes if they came with straight guage and use aluminum nipples for the front wheel and rear non drive side spokes.
Same upgrades but me only the innertube sinece i dont have budget then the handle bar for gravel its outward and longer then i upgraded to 1by crank set. Panning to change wheel set someday and the groupset
Would the Ritchey ZETA wheels also be a great upgrade for a Specialized Sirrus X 4.0? That bike seems to share some similarities to the diverge. If not, any suggestions for alternative wheels? I prefer lighter wheels while keeping durability.
Bike: 1300,- Wheels: 400:- Tires: 90,- Handlebars: 40,- Pedals: 40,- That's nearly half the price of the bike on budget upgrades.... If you buy that bike I don't think that's a budget upgrade (well it wouldn't be for me...) Anyways I would reverse the order 1 - Pedals .. definitly (maybe clipless even depending on the terrain) 2 - Tires (if you find your current tires are insufficient) 3 - Handlebars (when you need to) 4 - Wheels (when you win the lottery) and yes saddle if you can't resolve your discomfort with a proper bikefit. Personally I would buy pedals (spd or indeed a proper set of platform pedals) and some 28mm road tires because that way I can use it as a road machine as well... I mean how often do you really get to ride a proper challenging gravel ride? (way not enough for me, but maybe you live in an area with more opportunities you lucky ******** ;-) )
I have to have some kind of defense against flats built into the tire, using continental gatorskin now, did fix a flat the other day but its rare
Nice job.... How come shop built bikes always come with the levers misaligned 😕
What size is that bar length??
Omg, exact bike that I have. I’m definitely gonna do this. I was thinking of doing the Sram Apex group set upgrade coz it’s way cheaper than the GRX 😊
@MimichBask
11 ай бұрын
Have you done it ? I’ve got the exact same bike and found it not perfect as I want it to be (especially the brake, gosh they are terrible…) ?
@Hubertalcala
11 ай бұрын
@@MimichBask i have not but will be in the winter. I called Specialized and was told that the Sram Apex will fit and work without even upgrading my wheel set which is currently an 8 speed. So you did it and it sucks?
@MimichBask
5 ай бұрын
Sorry for my late reply. No I haven't done it, just looking for a way to replace that rubbish Shimano claris brake... and don't know really where to go without spending billions ahah @@Hubertalcala
@tp1802
Ай бұрын
@@MimichBaskI’ve done a little research because I also want to replace the tektro mira brakes. They’re not great. I’ve got cable-actuated tektro spyres on my touring bike, so I’ll probably go with those. They’ve been great, even when the bike is loaded up and going downhill.
Thank you very interesting, I just bought a divergent elite E5 2023 do you have any suggestions and any upgrade I can do?
@e.con0210
7 ай бұрын
I bought the same bike, exactly because of the value for money. Tpu tubes and gk or continental tires for the biggest difference. Takes a pound (about 2kg) of weight off at the part you feel the most and makes a more compliant ride (run at lower psi)
What's width size of that handlebar?
Loved your review of the Ritchey Outback as a standard gravel bike for most occasions. Including race and long distances? Also, what is your take on the Velo Orange Passhunter for the same reasons, i.e., solid all purpose gravel bike? Would you want to do a build for the Velo Orange Passhunter as an all purpose gravel bike? I would be interested in your opinion.
@TheBikeSauce
10 ай бұрын
Thx! I probably wouldn’t race the Outback. I’ve actually never raced.. 😆 it’s great for everything else! The VO pass hunter has always intrigued me. Really low trail, but kinda long rear end. I’d imagine the steering feels quick, but the bike itself may not feel super nimble. All speculation - I’ve never ridden one. Cheers!
Nice backwards rear wheel spin to hear disc rub without the sound of the freehub
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
They only way 😀
Definitely a good idea to get those tires out first! I'm a bit sceptical if those wheels are a good upgrade, they are less wide and only 50g lighter if at all depending on where you look, and for $400... The specialized diverge is a capable bike in it's original form, especially what ride feel components are concerned. If you want weight, i'd go for the square taper crankset, and off course the pedals.
Seeing the breaks, I would get them to hydraulic first. Changing tires (not rims) can be a very wise decision
Salut..ce dimensiuni are ghidonul ?
How is your buddy adapting to the modified bike fit, since the wider bars effectively increase the reach?
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
He seems pretty pumped on the improved handling. Hasn’t commented on fit.
@malcontent510
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce 👍 I'm shopping for an affordable higher-volume-tire bike for my crappy SF Bay Area roads. Currently on a steel single speed Wabi Classic, which is awesome.
@Fatbutnotflat
Жыл бұрын
Maybe shorter stem if necessary
@malcontent510
Жыл бұрын
@@Fatbutnotflat 👆 that's what I was thinking. But it seems like his buddy hasn't noticed the difference & I _presume_ hasn't had a bike fit yet. As long as he's functional comfortable, it's all good.
What torque wrench are you using? So far I've tried 2 different ones specifically for my bike and either the click didn't sound /feel right, handle was too small, or just had no "response"whatsoever (and had to get a bottle cage rivnut drilled and replaced by the LBS). Thanks for the video, that handlebar upgrade looked intriguing
@TheBikeSauce
11 ай бұрын
I use the Park tw5.2, but even that isn’t as clicky as it used to be
Have exact same bike. Upgraded handle bars. Happy with it. Will do wheels next. Any new updates with your friend’s bike?
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
He’s been riding it in this form. Drivetrain and brake likely next
@MimichBask
11 ай бұрын
Hi ! Do you recommend any brake change ? Coming from hydraulic on MTB found them a real disaster…cheers for you reply !
I had that bike and it was fine except for the mechanical brakes, they were just not enough, and the investment to upgrade them was very expensive so I sold it.
Wheels and tire upgrade makes a lot of sense. But wide, flared bars are unergonomic and a step in the wrong direction. Most dropbar bikes come with excessively wide bars already. Also, repositioning the handlebar (rotation) and controls in an appropriate place is pretty tricky and not the easiest process I'd recommend to a beginner.
@Scheeringiscaring
Жыл бұрын
This, i actually went narrower on the bars, went from a 44 to 40cm flared bar with a bit of rise and it feels much more ergonomic
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Depends on what you want from the bike
@Scheeringiscaring
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce i disagree, if you want to ride technical terrain, where you need a lot of control through the handlebars a gravel bike is simply the wrong choice, get a mountain bike. Gravel bikes are supposed to be similar to a roadbike but slightly rougher terrain. Longer hours and distances in the saddle and that means comfort, overly wide handlebars are just not comfortable or ergonomic
Great videi! Still using the Ritchey Outback?
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
100% !
@MrFrescocotone
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce amazing bike
suspension stem/post
one other thing that works damn well for very little money is upgrading claris RD for altus/acera RDs. they work with STIs and are much quieter and easier to shift under pressure.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Right on! The Claris fd could really use an upgrade as well
@amitkumar-wj8gn
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce yup. I have been using sora for five years and they are pretty good for the price. Tiagra hits the spot for budget upgrades with good mech disc brakes and compressionless housing.
@thedownunderverse
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce by removing it entirely! 😊
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Haha
My first upgrade would have to go to the saddle
Hello, I saw a lot of your videos on gravel handlebars. I'm confused about one thing. My shoulder width is 42 cm. My gravel bike came with a regular road drop bar of 42 cm. When I upgrade to a gravel handlebar, do I still stick with the 42, or do I go wider? Thank you
@scopie49
Ай бұрын
This is late but it depends on your comfort mostly followed by what riding you do. Another video I watched (and comments) often say bikes come with handles that are often too wide. Shoulder width should be measured from shoulder bone to bone. Not the outer edge of the muscle. On drops you generally want to keep your arms as straight in line with your shoulders as possible. If your bars are too wide it can cause a sort of kinetic chain that forces your neck to tilt upward and the ergonomics will be really bad. That all being said, wider bars can give you more steering control which can be helpful on more difficult gravel areas but if something is too difficult for normal gravel bars you'd probably want a mountain bike anyways.
I'd upgrade gearing first as stock is not enough for where I live. I need at least a 40t out back 2x or 48t 1x.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
I think that may be next on this bike. Cheers!
@Barefeet200
Жыл бұрын
Replacing wheels is too costly. Pedals make a huge impact. Stock tires are Loud and heavy, but decent tires are well over a hundred dollars each here in Canada. Changing mine over also made a huge impact on ride. My upgrades cost 300 dollars over the sale bargain price of 1300 I paid for the bike. Cheap gps cat eye computer was another 200. As much as I would love having two sets of wheels with aggressive tires on one and slicks on the other, just can’t find them in a price range I can afford.
@mellissanash7517
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce The cool thing is you can easily just add a GRX 10 or 11spd RD depending on the shifter and not need to swap anything else out.
Hi what kind of torque wrench did you use to tighten the stem? Thanks!
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Just a 5Nm preset wrench from competitive cyclist.
@mykgo3543
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce thanks!
sorry, may i know? how tall are you and what is the size of specialized ? Thanks and sorry for my question
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Size 54, owner is 5’9”- 5’10” I think
It’s a pity that Ritchie don’t make a 1x crankset to drop that FD.
Hi can I change my diverge carbon gravel into a road tire gravel bike?
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Sure!
What is considered budget friendly last I checked tires I almost 70-80 bucks apiece and in some instances wheels, and cost more than a bicycle
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
All relative, I suppose. The gravelkings can be found for close to half of that
Where did he get that long bag?
@TheBikeSauce
7 ай бұрын
I think that’s a Swift Industries frame bag
Great video and demo! For the love of consumerist nightmare we live in, show your mother some love- earn your upgrade, cupcake. wear what you have out before “upgrading.”
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
I like cheesecake
@Pleasure_Baron
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce that’s awesome, cupcake. I thought you were going to say landfills 🙃
You sure the disc brake mounting system has to be the same? Center lock doesn't seem bike or even brake specific, but I could be wrong. I thought disc was simply disc. clarification: I know that six bolt and centrelock mount differently onto the hub. What I thought he meant was that bikes are six bolt or CL specific. Which to my knowledge they are not. He could've just purchased new, CL rotors. More convenient than six bolt imo.
@Digi20
Жыл бұрын
you can mount 6 bolt rotors to a center-lock wheel using an adapter, but not the other way around.
@tinglydingle
Жыл бұрын
You can fit 6 bolt discs to centrelock wheels with an adapter, but the opposite is impossible; they are separate standards and you should check compatibility before you buy.
@volition5559
Жыл бұрын
@@Digi20 I know that six bolt and centrelock mount differently onto the hub. What I thought he meant was that bikes are six bolt or CL specific. Which to my knowledge they are not. He could've just purchased new, CL rotors. More convenient than six bolt imo.
@volition5559
Жыл бұрын
@@Digi20 I know that six bolt and centrelock mount differently onto the hub. What I thought he meant was that bikes are six bolt or CL specific. Which to my knowledge they are not. He could've just purchased new, CL rotors. More convenient than six bolt imo.
@lolbubs11111
Жыл бұрын
I think he just really wanted to reuse the 6-bolt rotors instead of buying new CL ones. I probably would have just switched to CL instead of seeking out a 6-bolt hub.
Can you review the ritchey corralitos
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Planning to. They were out of stock a few weeks back. Will check again
@marcel750p
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce I have a set on my checkpoint there great just wanted to see your thoughts on the shallow drops
It's time bike companies give drop down options to customise at sale. Almost everyone changes the saddle, some change handlebar, and some tires. Wider flared handlebars are always more safer in terms of control and so safety. Same goes to clip pedals. Platform pedals are safer and offer micro feet position adjustments. Aerodynamics are overrated stats for most people. Could you compare salsa cow chipper , redshift kitchen sink, and ritchey 36mm flare handlebars?
You said the wheels don't matter for tubeless, its the tires? Is this for real? Can I put tubeless tires on my not "tubeless ready" wheels?
@cjohnson3836
Жыл бұрын
No. Rims actually do matter as rims designed for tubeless have a different shoulder/bead seat profile. Though, you can coerce a non-tubeless rim to work tubeless with enough tape and the right technique. Though that will still depend on the tire you try to mate to it as certain combos work better than others. You're also more likely to unseat a tire on a non-tubeless if you go hard into a corner at lower pressure (which is one of 2 major reasons why you would even run tubeless to begin with).
@KahluaBomb
Жыл бұрын
@@cjohnson3836 that's what I thought, I was very confused but don't know enough about bikes to really be sure sure
A nice set of wheels made a huge difference to my bikes. I don't think the stock pedals even left the shop. I had them take them off as I already had a set of Egg Beaters sitting at home.
Have the same bike, diverge 2018..I chances the brakes.. From the mechanics.. To hydraulics.... With new 105 shifters... Great different, buth e, expensive 😂😂
Would have loved to see prices on all these! Seeing as how people who by budget bikes care about.. well, budget.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Links are in description. I don’t like stating exact prices, since they change over time
Ritchey doesn't make a carbon seatpost? The best compliance bang for your buck is swapping out the alloy seatpost for a carbon.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
They do make a really nice one. Pretty pricey
4:12 you missed a good spot to show us how to do this part here. But you fast forward. It would have been nice to see how this is done.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
It gets pretty monotonous. I’ve got a dedicated video on bar wrapping though
Gravel riders and their drop bars. So funny. Let's make them a bit flatter and wider. Then even flatter and wider.... Just get it over with and put a flat bar on it!
Shame you didn’t get Eric riding and giving first impressions. The thoughts of a non-pro non-reviewer would be good to hear.
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Good idea. Didn’t want to shove a camera in his face. It’s renewed his interest in gravel. Says he’s much more confident descending, which was his main apprehension.
The pathfinders are better but in 700x42
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
Pretty subjective, but the sports are stiff. Tubeless pathfinders are better but more expensive
@Dreggz1312
Жыл бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce oh I see yea I only have used the pathfinder pros and they're great. I would like to try pathfinder rear gravelking front. Obviously it's preference and terrain but I just wanted to rep the pathfinders haha
My name is Eric
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
😆🤘
The best upgrade is a mountain bike 🤣🤣🤣
Bro didn't clean the cassette when transferring.... WHAT
im sorry but how are the 400$ wheels and 100$ tires a (500$ overall) budget upgrade?xd
Come on ritchey is to expensive lol is not a budget
@TheBikeSauce
6 ай бұрын
They have a budget line of components that's good value
@mleodailydrivers1867
6 ай бұрын
@@TheBikeSauce hello thanks for the reply, the only expensive thing is the wheels, ritchey is a very good brand like you said 🚵
Budget upgrade. Changes wheels. Ok.
That handeblar is a downgrade. Stretching your friend out like that is asking for trouble.
So called gravel (grovel) bikes not particularly good at anything
@TheBikeSauce
Жыл бұрын
But kinda good at everything 😉
What frame bag is this and what frame size? It fits pretty nice on diverge.
@erichoonmin
Жыл бұрын
Swift Industries Hold Fast Frame Bag 3.25L, Coyote