Best Way to Upgrade Your Mountain Bike Components

If you are into your mountain biking it’s likely that you will be, or have in the past, considered how to improve the ride and upgrade the performance you get from your mountain bike, allowing you to benefit from significant improvements in both bike performance, as well as bike comfort and reliability.

Once you have decided that you want to upgrade parts on your mountain bike, it’s a matter of choosing how and where to start - and in this post, we look at the order that we would take, and have taken in improving our mountain bike components and parts. This post runs through some of the most effective ways of improving your mountain bike, for all kinds of riding styles and requirements.

Prior to jumping into more complex mountain bike upgrades, it’s well worth looking at the comfort and fit of your mountain bike, and how it can be improved. One of the best starting points is changing and looking at new saddles and seats - which can provide extra comfort, as well as weight saving benefits. The second element to look at, is handlebars - finding the right set which as well as saving weight, provides the very best riding position and comfort for your riding style. Lastly, if your mountain bike does not already have a dropper seatpost, it’s well worth investing in one. Dropper seatposts allow the rider to change the height of your seat, easily - whilst out riding, allowing you to nail every trail, track and corner.

These three product groups are relatively inexpensive, and provide massive benefits for the pounds spent.

Mountain Bike tyres are placed under huge demands when out riding, and many customers choose to replace the rubber on their mountain bike in pretty quick order. It’s very difficult for bike manufacturers to choose the best tyre for every rider, so quite often - mountain bike tyres which are fitted to mountain bikes are not fit for all purposes. Think about what type of riding you do most, and choose a mountain bike tyre which suits your riding style and requirements.

If you are struggling to choose the right tyre for your mountain bike, you can always get in touch and we will be happy to run through some options which would suit.

Complimenting the above change, there are a massive array of upgraded wheelsets which are available. Those looking for quicker performance, will benefit from the addition of carbon wheels designed for covering cross country as quickly as possible. Those tackling trails and heavy drops - will benefit from a dedicated downhill set, designed for soaking up bumps and drops.

Everybody can understand the importance of brakes on a mountain bike, providing the right level of stopping power across different speeds, across all kinds of different terrains. As well as providing a key safety measure, brakes can actually quicken up performance and riding times. Most mountain bikes today, are fitted with hydraulic disc brakes - which can be quickly and easily upgraded to provide greater levels of control and modulation.

Suspension is one of the most exciting parts of a mountain bike, providing the cushioning and comfort which inspires confidence across a wide range of terrain. Be careful to look at what you are trying to gain from upgrading suspension components, as extra travel is not always the best route forward. Other reasons for a suspension upgrade include stiffening up the frame, as well as choosing suspension components which allow for greater on the fly adjustments, depending upon riding requirements.

Most customers choose to keep their mountain bike drivetrain stock, and only choose to upgrade and replace these parts when they wear out. In the real world, stock drivetrains have been designed to, and do a good job - with very few riders being able to distinguish between a stock drivetrain, and a custom/upgraded drivetrain.

At Westbrook Cycles, we know the importance of upgrading and changing parts on mountain bikes - allowing you to create a bike which is custom to you. Our inventory covers all kinds of upgraded mountain bike components, as well as a massive range of spare parts, and replacements parts which are completely stock, allowing you to replace parts on your bike when they wear out, with like for like parts and components.