I'm noticing some things I'd love to upgrade or replace on my bike. Here's a quick list of the stuff I'd like to change, in possibly no order of priority.
- New front rigid fork. I'd like it to be black aluminum alloy with the aerodynamic shape. The biggest reason I'd like this is aesthetics. I've been seeing plenty of gravel bikes on social media that have the alloy colored frame with the black fork, though those bikes are usually titanium with a carbon fiber fork. Second reason I'd want a new fork would be to hopefully increase the wheelbase of my bike to hopefully improve the handling. Aside from this I do want to mount some old school fenders on my bike and with the current fork it just doesn't seem possible because with my current 700x38C tire there is probably less than 10mm of clearance already. It would also be nice if the front fork had mounting holes for bottle cages or bags or racks in the event that I actually end up going on bikepacking trips.
- New tubeless presta valve stems. Hopefully something better than my current valves. My previous post was about my tires losing air and I'm still not sure if it was because of the sealant drying up or the valves or the fact that I actually converted non-tubeless ready rims.
- Front and rear hubs. A front dynamo hub so I can have a steady power source for bike lights. I've also done a 180 on my opinion and I'd rather have a relatively more quiet rear hub. I used to like noisy freewheels like Chris King hubs but now I'd rather have quieter hubs.
- Better front and rear lights. Busch + Muller have these nice dynamo front and rear lights that both look good and have great visibility and illumination. Now I may not be brave enough to ride too far right now but I do want to eventually be able to ride long distances. Also I do have a front light and rear light but I'm not that happy with my front light, while it may be bright (200, 400, and 800 lumens) the focus of the beam isn't that great and I'm always concerned they may blind oncoming motorists and pedestrians.
- Old school fenders. For what? Again, primarily look and secondary function. Besides, the rainy season here in the Philippines nowadays accounts for almost half the year so at least I can still go out riding.
- A new saddle. The very first saddle I got was around 25cm and I was uncomfortable riding on my bike with it. The new saddle is better because it is longer, but it's just a wee bit too padded for me. Plus it looks dumpy like a marshmallow, yes a very shallow reason.
- A cyclocomputer with speed, cadence, and heart rate sensors. I want a way to track if I'm improving my performance on my bike. At the moment I'm using the adidas Running app and while it does log my distance, average speed, and average pace I would like to know more data so I know how much more I am improving.
- Bikepacking gear. Most likely a rear bike rack and panniers. Just enough to hold clothes, toiletries, and gadgets for a few days trip. I already have a handlebar mounted bag that contains tools and an air pump anyway.
Out.
