There are plenty of cheap bike upgrades that will ꦉmake your ride more comfortable or improve its performance, without buying a new bike or making a big ticket change like wheels or a groupset.&n🐼bsp;

There's a tendency to see one of the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best road bikes or a new set of wheels as the pana💫cea to solve all your current bike's deficiencies, but in reality, small changes can make a big 🍸difference, even if it's not obvious that your current componentry is subpar. They needn't cost a fortune either.

Bike brands fit one saddle model to every bike of a certain spec level, for example, regardless of the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best road bike saddle to suit a particular rider🌸. They don't have much choice when they're building a bike i♌n a factory for an unknown rider, but you do have a choice and a saddle swap may make you a lot more comfortable.

Bikes are usually built to a budget too, so the choice of items like bar tape might not be the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best bar tape available for comfortable riding. 

If you have a mechanical groupset or cable-operated brakes, cables can deteriorate quickly, particularly if you're 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:riding in the winter. A new set of gear or brake cables can make a big difference. Ditto new brake pads. They could cut down on longer-term repair cos🅷ts as well.

So with that in mind, here are our top suggestions forღ cheap bike ✤upgrades.

Tyres

Upgrading to a set of the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best road bike wheels or the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best gravel wheels w🅷ill likely be a significant investment. Despite this, it is possible to transform the feel of your bike, or significantly alter its capabilities in one area or another with a much cheaper alternative to new wheels: swap to a different set of tyres. 

Whether you're after 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best road bike tyres or the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best gravel tyres, the prices can be a tenth of a new ﷺwheelset, and they can improve the b▨ike's rolling resistance - making it faster - as well as providing a better balance of traction and speed when riding off road.  

While you as the rider make contact with the bike at five different points, your bike contacts the ground at only two. The characteristics of your chosen tyre c♈an genuinely elevate a lacklustre ride to something magical. Whatever rubber you chose to adorn your rims with there are a few factors to consider:

Rubber compound

A grippier tyre will allow you to corner with more confidence. The real-world grip is a function of the rubber compound, tyre width, tread and pressure but, in essence, a more tacky compound will improve your levels of grip. It will also wear faster, so maybe save the race🍰-day rubber for the weekends and not for the daily commute.

Width

The trend in both road and gravel is towards ever 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:wider tyres. Modern road bikes can now take tyres that arꦯe approaching the limit of legality for cyclocross. Maybe your frame can't take 33mm, but if you can squeeze a few millimetres more you'll be able to run them at lower pressures. This will give you a greater contact patch as well as greater levels of comfort without really sacrificing any speed either. 

Tread

Road-specific tyres, especially for summer use, are more or less totally slick in the centre, usually with some tread on the shoulders. The 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best winter road bike tyres give you some extra grip a🐠nd puncture protection without necessarily slow🌃ing you down too much. 

Gravel tyres are available in▨ such a dizzying array of options it's hard to keep track, but the trick is to really be honest with the type of surface you're riding on and pick a tread pattern accordingly. Torn between two options? Don't be afraid to mix treads; pick a more aggressive pattern for the front and something faster rolling at the rear. 

Rolling resistance

Rolling resistance is primarily a function of the tackiness of the rubber and the ability of the tyre carcass to deform. More supple casings, measured in 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:threads per inch 🔯(TPI)♔ will generally roll faster, but will be more expensive and usually be more prone to punctures.

Puncture resistance

Nothing ruins a ride quite like the increasingly bouncy feeling of a deflating tyre. It can leave you stranded or make you late for work. Particularly for commuting, where you may be riding through urban streets covered in glass and other sharp objects, upgrading to a set of tyres with additional protection will likely be a good idea. 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:Continental Gatorskin, or the Gatorskin Hardshell for even more protection✨, have become perennial favourites for commuters.

Tubeless

While not always possible without swapping to a set of tubeless compatible rims, making the leap to tubeless could help you avoid punctures thanks to the self sealing capabilities of the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:tubeless sealant sloshing around inside your tyre. For the curious, we have a thorough run through of the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:benefits of tubeless tyres to help you stay informed, and a roundup of the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best tubeless road tyres available. 

Weight

Weight has had to play second fiddle to aerodynamic efficiency in recent years. That being said, a heavier set of tyres will increase t𝓡he overall weight of the bike, particularly pertinent as it's rotational wജeight. While important, the factors mentioned above will likely play a greater impact in improving your ride than weight on its own.

Considering some new rubber? Head to our guides to the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best road bike tyres and the 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:best gravel tyres to find out what's what.