8 Of The Most Underrated MTB Products
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- Not everything has to be flashy or expensive to be the best. Sometimes, it’s the things that quietly do the business, never go wrong and cost a little, not a lot, that we covet most.
In this video, we give our thoughts on eight of our favourite underrated MTB products. The Bernardo Silvas, Nico Hulkenbergs and Richie Portes of the mountain bike world.
From budget but brilliant gloves to the most unassuming of comfortable saddles, you’ll be glad you didn’t overlook these components and accessories that will make your riding experience a whole lot better.
What are your favourite unsung mountain bike heroes? Let us know in the comments!
#underrated #MTB #unsungheros
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:28 Shimano Deore
01:41 Fox/Marzocchi Grip/Rail damped forks
03:07 100% Brisker Gloves
04:00 One Up Components V3 Dropper Post
05:47 Madison Crypto sunnies
06:36 SDG Bel-Air saddle
07:40 SRAM HS2 Rotors
08:47 Mid-range DT Swiss hoops
09:49 Outro
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What are your favourite unsung mountain bike heroes? Let us know in the comments!
Epitome - pronounced
"Ep-it-a-mee"
Suntour suspension at the higher end is supremely underrated
Well it's not priced way under the competition, it's a hard sell ...
Yep, and Manitou as well!
I have a 2014 Auron RC2 which I picked up for £150 and the performance is really not far behind my 23 Lyrik Ultimate. Or 21 Pike Ultimate which were considerably more expensive.
@@LaurentiusTriarius at least where I'm from, they're priced way under the competition. The Fox 36 Factory is discounted to $634, while the SR Suntour Durolux EQ R2C2 is priced at $205. More than 3x cheaper.
I got with Deore XT shifter and RD I go with deore caseete and cranks. i just cant comprehend shifting this good and this cheap. MTB have gotten good over the years.
You might even upgrade on the cassette and chain to improve shifting further and downgrade on the shifter an RD to save some money (in case they need to be replaced)
@@wannesstas6182 but i love the XT double release cant live without it.
Sounds like a good setup, though I'd say an XT shifter and cassette and Deore everything else would be a smidge better in performance terms, but more expensive to replace the cassette.
Swings and roundabouts!
I think you forgot to highlight the cross compatibility between Shimano's components of groupset belonging to different tiers. One can get the XT's shifter paired with other Deore's components, best bang for the bucks.
Very true, but the same can be said for SRAM; all it's Eagle components are cross compatible. Great to have the choice to mix and match
I have 4 bikes, they all have Shimano 12 speed drivetrains, mix of different derailleurs including Deore, SLX, and XT. Same with cassettes. They ALL have the XT shifter however, and that’s the heart of the drivetrain and shifting. They all pretty much feel and perform the same to me, which is excellent.
When I built up my Orange, I went full Deore everywhere except for an XT shifter. It’s been great.
All shimano (and I believe SRAM) use the exact same standard that they've used for decades now. They're completely cross compatible. If you really wanted to you could pair a 90s Altus shifter with a dusty SRAM derailleur and modern deore cassette
Deore + Fox Rhythm = not the lightest, but performs just as good
Absolutely!
advent x, it was like 80 quid for the entire group set on sale and all you need, lighter than XT too
Good option on a budget!
Great vid!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
I used to run 6100 2 piston Deore brakes on my MTB. Seriously good stopping power.
They are impressive for a budget brake, especially a 2-piston one!
Shimano brakes are BEST 😎🔝
Truly the Brembo of mtb
The weight difference between the Deore and SLX crank is the only item that you should consider upgrading on. The rest of the range is almost on par and amazing value.
Indeed the crankset is lighter by a decent margin but the rest is very close!
I have two pairs of wheels with DT Swiss rims (26'' and a 27.5'').
I paid $25 apiece. We ride them on a tandem. They look great and seem to be invincible.
A Deore rear brake caliper is the only one I know that does not require a "banjo" hose.
DT Swiss rims are pretty solid as per Gwin's proof!
You're right on the calipers, anything above Deore level uses a banjo fitting
Sun glasses, specsavers, no seriously 😆 buy one get one free
Pedals, nukeproof evo composite are the go-to on cheap in my circles
Jackets with pit vents are a must 👍
Great shout on the pedals!
Reminds me, I need to get my eyes checked!
Cheers!
Tom
Onza tires, and yes, Deore is a steal!
An under the radar fav = STEEL CAP SPORTS SHOE with a hikers tread , for those of us who dont want broken or damaged toes from narrow single tracks .
I want steel toe cap with cleats attachment for this reason
I use steel toe caps on the horrible leather football too, I prefer plastic football as I only kick with my toes
Is that a thing? 😂
@@LaurentiusTriarius as far as I know they won't make them but as advantage of steel toe caps is they protect you from electrocution and chemicals as two I remember but with the cleat it basically won't have those
Nice to have the protection, but I can't imagine they'd be at all grippy on the pedals?!
Not sure what Shimano have been smoking when they released their 4-pot brakes, but I'm very underwhelmed. I have M8100 brakepumps, M8120 calipers, icetech rotors and finned pads. The wandering bitepoint sure is relatable, and I heard someone say that the calipers can start leaking if you store the bike hanging from the wheel(which I am).
I will be doing a full service and new pads before the coming season, but still. They have lacked confidence since day one, and it's just a meh type of experience. I'd expect a bit better from this pricepoint, and I hoped I would get a bitepoint much further out that I do with these, but no.
They simply lack the punch I thought they would have.
I have deore 2 piston brakes on my chromag. So ridiculously impressive. I run xt 4 pots on other bike and have tried many sram setups.
They're so good for the price and seemingly one of the few Shimano brakes not to be susceptible to the wandering point issues
Blown away by the Deore lineup. Mine shifts amazing. Weight doesn’t matter to me since I’m not racing. I also have a bike that has full XT drivetrain and higher end components that make the bike almost 1kg lighter but I can’t tell the difference when riding.
It is very good, even better when you mix in an XT shifter. Try it and you'll love it!
Galfer and even Uber components both do very good 2mm rotors too and not at the price of SRAM!!
Galfer's are a great shout, but we haven't tried them yet. We really rate the HS2
only available in UK I saw and heard a lot in the last months. would be nice to see all of the good british bike products back on the european markets 🤟
We wish there was more of it available outside the UK too!
The quads of the Deore and the non series are practically the same and performs just about the same as well as its higher end siblings
Yep, they are so good for the money!
I'm debating buying between the Specialized Tero 3.0 vs the Canyon Neuron 5. Which would you choose? I'm a beginner BTW
Very different bikes! As a mountain bike, the Neuron will be far better; the components are of a much higher spec and it will be way more capable on trails.
Even as a beginner, you would find the limit of the Tero's capabilities pretty quickly. If you want a casual, easy ride with few tech features, it'll be a good bike.
But if tackling technical terrain and want to improve your skills, get the Neuron
@@bikeradar thank you!
Nukeproof evo pedals, Charge Spoon saddle - got both on all my bikes.
The Spoon is a great choice for a saddle and was on my bikes for many years too. That new Bel Air though... ❤️
Watching this next to my bikesdirect Ti hardtail sporting a few D2C Chinese brands they’d never let you try.
We'd love to build a full bike with all chinese components, watch this space!
@@bikeradar Would love to see it. Many of my scores are a bit dated now, but the Ryet 3D printed saddle with carbon rails is a recent standout that I'd recommend to be on it - I put added one to every bike I have.
There's a new generation of manufacturers that have really upped their quality, and if they keep it up there's going to be LTWOO and ICAN all over your local group rides.
Also the mtb itself was $2k, ORA Titanium with perfect welds, GX and a Pike Select+ in 2020 on bikesdirect. Can't get it for that now, but y'all slept on the deal of a lifetime.
I looked at v3 dropper and ended up getting v2 for $100.00 cheaper on sale. I would step up to slx with xt shifter. Price isnt much more, but weight difference is the greatest between the groupsets as you step up.
The V2 is a great post, time will tell how the V3 compares!
Some great weight savings to be had with SLX for sure, the cassette in particular. If properly pressed for budget though, I'd still go Deore and spend the difference elsewhere on the bike
Agree with most of this. Galfer rotors and green pads are incredible though. Ive used the sram and the galfers are better imo. On the expensive end north shore billet dameon flat pedals. You gotta pay around 220 a pair to get them in to the uk but they are an absolute game changer. Make other pedals seem like pedals off a kids bike
Would like to try the Galfer rotors and pads!
Those NSB pedals do look interesting, and I'm keen to try their cranks too. As a clipless user, I'd like to give Chromag's Pilot pedals a try too
Yeah the NSB cranks look sweet. If you try galfer pads get the green ones, you dont even have to bed them in. Im running them on saints and the power is mind blowing but they feather really well and no amount of water or mud seems to make a difference to performance
I'm running rear deore mech + microshift cassette (11-48, 400 ish grs) + deore i spec ev shifter....it works very well and it's light and inexpensive.
Sounds a great setup!
Bollé Contour tinted safety glasses. ESP/ Polarised. ESP cost ~ £13
shimano deore derailleur, change pulley wheels for shimano xt's sealed bearing ones ($15), put it with an xt shifter = xt performance
After I lost a Giro Blaze glove, I got a pair of Briskers. I'm still looking for my Giro Blaze.
The Blaze is a great glove! I do love the Briskers for winter, but most of my summer gloves are Giro. Ironically, another overlooked product, as the DND is a great glove!
Cheers and happy trails!
Tom
HS2 rotors, for me, were the worst money I've ever spent. non-noticeable stopping power differences on G2RSC brakes, yet the harmonic shudder they had with my calipers literally sounded like a trumpet and shuddered so badly it felt like the entire brake caliper was going to shear off the fork lower.
Wow, something sounds amiss there!
I first used them on G2 Ultimates and noticed a difference straight away; reduced lever throw (even with the Contact Adjust wound all in) and a bit more power from the top of the lever stroke.
Out right stopping power wasn't much more, but they transformed the initial bite of the G2's for me!
Cheers and happy trails!
Tom
The briskets glove have a new version which is waterproof and warmer
They sure do, we have the Extreme's in for review, so stay tuned to the website
8:30 subject to greater rotor trueness .
deore series is underrated , beemn riding deore 3x9 7 years on the same crank and casette!
Still going strong!
Deore is not the one to get, it's slx. Almost the same price, but lighter hallowtech crank, lighter cassette and more robust derailleur.
Otherwise 100% agree with all of these recommendations.
I would add Magura or Shimano Deore 4 pot brakes.
They are lighter, but all the small extra costs add up over a whole groupset.
Magura brakes are a good shout, the entry level MT5 is a good brake, but still more expensive than Deore
Tifosi Sledge sunglasses, 3 lenses for under £50 and a crash replacement scheme
Ohh nice shout, thanks for the heads up
Shimano spd m520 or m540. Unbeatable.
Can't beat them! We were sad to see the M530 be discontinued!
As I always say: Shimano Deore is BEST for 99% of people out there 😎🔝
Sadly, I’m told that most of DEORE is being replaced by CUES.
The quality will still be the same though, just renamed most likely
£800? I been seeing the Sram axs dropper being just £450 lately
Some deals around if you can find them, but for time sensitive reasons we'll usually go with RRP for pricing.
10 years working in retail showed me how quickly sale pricing changes! 😳
Cheers & happy trails, Tom
@@bikeradar that cool, hope still here, I'm checking something for a gravel bike, it is BSA bottom bracket shell but looking to swap to SRAM so wondering is gxp good enough to use or splash out more for dub if works? Boardman Adv 8.9, I don't like Shimano shifting for mechanical so looking to put SRAM mechanical on it
The mountain bike I'm looking to build I know what would work, just trying to keep gravel bike as like a budget bike (I got a full groupset but not compact crankset)
I would call Shimano's Hollowtech cranks infamous not legendary
Maybe over on the road, the MTB ones always seemed pretty solid!
The V3 dropper and DT Swiss wheels are NOT underrated. They are generally accepted at great products for the £€$.
They are great for sure and arguably not underrated at all as you say, but they don't get as much attention as carbon wheels or a fancy Fox factory post.
not sure why these items would be considered "underrated" .
We just don't think they get the recognition they deserve, as they're great products that get put in the shadow by the "latest and greatest"
The grip damper and deore drivetrain are rather over rated in my opinion.
Nothing wrong with Deore. Been mtbing 33 years and its never let me down. Just upgraded from 10 to 12 speed Deore and it shifts like butter.
@@johndef5075 I didn't say that there was anything wrong with it, although I find it a bit weak and fragile. It's just overrated in my opinion.
Not heard that before! We've had good luck with recent Shimano Deore derailleurs
@@bikeradar I guess it comes down to personal preference.
Deore is amazing!!! (For the price) like a honda civic it just keeps on working
If you think Shimano shifts smoothly, you haven't ridden a good drive train. And if your reasoning for a low-end damper is that people are too lazy to learn how to set up a much better damper that's a sad statement on humanity, and if you think a rythm 34 is 95% of a factory 34 I question your ability to test products. You did mostly ok on the rest of the stuff, the brisker gloves are great! There are better wheels and hubs at better prices than the DT's but they are an 800lbs gorilla so I see why they were included, got to pay those bills, but I've seen too many taco 1700's and shattered star ratchets to recommend them. If you want bombproof Spank 359's and their Hex J hubs are super durable, have higher engagement and are easy to service.
So Shimano drive trains dont shift smoothly😂. Please.
We're not saying people are too lazy to learn how to setup suspension, just that it can be a minefield for a lot of riders, even experienced ones.
It's why even WC DH racers have suspension techs on hand to help with their setups and they are the best riders in the world.
Guys please don't buy deor I took a 6 ft drop (pretty smooth) and I bent the crank arm and shattered the chain ring I went straight to x01 afterwards like the rest of my enduro bikes and not single problem since
Sounds like you were unlucky! We've had great luck with deore in the past and other Shimano cranks