Riding friends and Bicycling readers often ask me for advice on upgrades they can make to their bikes. Usually, the question about upgrades is prefaced or followed by, “I don’t have a lot of money to spend.” And I get it—bike gear ain’t cheap. But there are some cost-effective ways to make your bike ride better, be more comfortable, or simply look cooler than before.
The secret to better bike rides is often all the small things. And now that you have the classic Blink-182 earworm playing in your head, let’s dive into some of the little (and often overlooked) bits, bobs, and upgrades that can improve your experience on the bike.
Wash Your Bike
Washing your bike is the most cost-effective way to make your bike ride better! All you need is a bucket, hose, dish soap, and a sponge or rag. It’s easy to forget to wash your bike after a ride when you’re exhausted and just want to have some food, a shower, or a nap. But a clean bike is a happy bike, and it’s guaranteed to ride better after you give it some love.
Grips and Tape
If your bar tape or grips are worn, replacing them is a low-cost upgrade that improves your bike’s look and helps your hands. For riders with a road or gravel bike, bar tape can cost less than $10 or over $50 for premium quality tape. Our staff favorites include Zipp Service Course CX ($28), Fizik Classic ($24), and Wolf Tooth Supple ($40).
And if your bike uses a flat bar, consider replacing the grips, especially if they are turning on the bar, cracked, or the bar is exposed. Lock-on grips are a great option and are available for less than $10. If you want some style, check out ODI‘s Vans collab grips ($34) in the signature waffle-tread design with checkerboard accents. Other great grip options include Ergon grips ($40) for riders seeking to relieve hand pressure or ESI foam grips ($18) for a super lightweight option.
Personal Touches
Sometimes little things can personalize a bike and make it feel special, unique, or upgraded. And these touches don’t have to cost much to help improve your bike’s look and feel. After new grips or bar tape, custom top caps, headset spacers, or bar ends are an easy way to accessorize your bike—and there are literally hundreds of options out there!
KustomCaps offers dozens of stock design top caps, or pick your own words for $17. As a ska music fan, several of my bikes are adorned with the brand’s Walt Jabsco-themed top caps ($15). Wolf Tooth’s Anodized Bling Kits ($35) are another way to add a splash of color to your ride. These kits include matching top caps, headset spacers, and bottle bolts.
Speaking of caps, Mugshot NYC sells super cool, 3D-printed, coffee-themed valve caps ($15)—including a collab with Brooklyn-based King Kog bike shop of the legendary New York diner cup.
Water Bottles
If your bottles are worn, fading, or getting pretty grody, picking up some new ones is a must. Watrbodl ($14) put out some of our favorites, with cheek cycling riffs on classic mainstream brands. For a cycling-specific take on popular stainless insulated bottles, check out Bivo’s latest 21-ounce ($49) offering.
Gloves
While fancy or expensive clothing isn’t required to ride a bike, many riders like wearing cycling-specific clothes for comfort or fashion. Gloves are good for both. And regardless of the clothes I’m wearing, I like to punch up my look with flashy gloves. My current favorite gloves are from Handup ($29); with over 30 different colors, almost anyone can find a pair that suits their fashion sensibilities. For chilly rides, Gorewear’s Zone Thermo ($60) gloves are a dependable choice.
Vests and Arm Warmers
Heading into shoulder season is a good time to dig out arm warmers and cycling vests. Both are versatile pieces of kit and are particularly useful for rides with changing temperatures where you might want to be a little warmer or cooler, but don’t want to wear long sleeves or bring a bulky jacket.
If you’re like me and always seem to lose one of your arm warmers, plan ahead and purchase a new set now so you have them ready for that first chilly morning ride. Pearl Izumi currently has its $40 Elite Thermal Arm Warmers on closeout for less than $8.
There are lots of great vest options out there for as low as $25. But if you want to splurge, Rapha has its $90 Men’s Core Vest marked down to $49, and Maap has its Women’s Prime Vest, normally $175, on sale for $87.
Tubeless Sealant
When was the last time you checked the sealant in your tubeless tires? If your answer to this question is, “You’re supposed to check your sealant?” then it might need to be replaced or topped up. Sealant dries out over time, especially in hot, dry climates. Orange Seal ($12) offers a bottle with a handy applicator that makes topping off sealant as simple as removing your valve core. And speaking of valves, if yours are gunked up with dried-out old sealant (or you just want to add a color hit to your bike), pick up some fresh replacements. Muc-Off ($30) offers several colors and lengths; plus, the valve cap has a built-in core remover.
Replace Your Chain
After a long summer of riding, you should consider replacing your chain. The easiest way to test for wear is a chain checker tool ($17). But you can also use a ruler. A fresh chain measures 12 inches from pin center to pin center. If it measures more than 12-¹⁄₁₆ inches, change your chain. Chains can cost anywhere from less than $15 for a basic 8-speed chain to over $100 for some 12-speed ones.
Cables and Housing
If your bike uses good ol’ mechanical shifting and/or brakes, it’s always a good time to check your cables and housing. If you ride frequently, I recommend changing your derailleur cables twice a year and your housing every year. Basic Shimano SIS derailleur cables ($7) are a dependable replacement. Or if you need to replace housing as well, a Dura-Ace cable and housing set ($32) is a great choice for road bikes.
And if your bike is equipped with SRAM AXS wireless shifting, a great upgrade for your home or shop is SRAM’s new 4-battery quick charger ($120). While this charger perhaps isn’t a “cheap” upgrade, it’s particularly useful for folks with multiple AXS-equipped bikes in their fleet or if two or more riders in a household have AXS derailleurs on their bikes.
Clipless Cleats
For clipless pedal riders, cleats are an often overlooked part of your ride. It’s easy to put cleats on your shoes and forget about them for a full season (sometimes years for mountain bike cleats). Using new cleats helps reduce unwanted rotation or rocking at the pedal interface. New cleats also reduce the risk that your foot will release at an inopportune moment (such as in a town line sprint or when bunnyhopping a log).
Personally, I stick to the manufacturer’s specific cleats because they don’t cost much more than third-party replacements. I use Shimano SH-11 ($22) cleats for the road and Shimano SH-51 ($16) for mountain biking and cyclocross, but purchase cleats that match the brand and style of pedals you use.
As Deputy Editor, Tara Seplavy leads Bicycling’s product test team; after having previously led product development and sourcing for multiple bike brands, run World Championship winning mountain bike teams, wrenched at renowned bicycle shops in Brooklyn, raced everything from criteriums to downhill, and ridden bikes on six different continents (landing herself in hospital emergency rooms in four countries and counting). Based in Easton, Pennsylvania, Tara spends tons of time on the road and trail testing products. A familiar face at cyclocross races, crits, and bike parks in the Mid Atlantic and New England, on weekends she can often be found racing for the New York City-based CRCA/KruisCX team. When not riding a bike, or talking about them, Tara listens to a lot of ska, punk, and emo music, and consumes too much social media.
