6 of the worst bike upgrades that cyclists still end up doing

As cyclists, we're all fans of tinkering with our bikes, often making all sorts of upgrades and additions that we think will make us go faster, or at least make us feel faster, or even just cooler. With so many little changes you can make to a bike, why not customise it to make it exactly what you want it to be?

Here at GCN, we too love an upgrade, but even we can’t pretend that all upgrades are equal in worth. Many things, like a better fitting saddle or some lighter wheels, are legitimate upgrades that will improve your riding, but there are also plenty of things that won't do much, and might cost you quite a bit along the way, too.

To delve into the world of upgrades, we tasked Manon Lloyd and Alex Paton to come up with six of the worst or least cost-effective upgrades they could think of. This is far from exhaustive - and even Manon and Alex couldn't actually agree on all of them - so we'd love to hear what you think, and which upgrades you think are worth it. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Super light bottle cages

As far as bang for your buck is concerned, super light bottle cages are one of the worst upgrades you can fit to your bike. The amount of weight you are able to save is only a handful of grams, but they can cost more than five times the cost of a regular plastic cage. Even so, plenty of us - including Alex - find ourselves unable to resist adding even more carbon fibre to our bikes.

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Super light carbon bottle cages are one of the most expensive ways to save a few grams on your bike

Although they might get you some kudos at the cafe stop and they might make your bike pop that extra little bit on Instagram, in reality, super light cages add very little in terms of performance, unless you're the most serious of cyclists. In fact, some super light carbon cages are terrible at holding bottles. In pursuit of the ultimate weight savings, they lose any retaining force, meaning any bump in the road can see your bottle tumbling out and across the road. Not a good upgrade, in our mind.

Custom paint jobs

This one is sure to divide opinion out there depending on what type of rider you are. Custom painted frames are cool, no one is denying that, however, as far as upgrades go, they sit a long way down on the list. For the most part, getting a frame custom painted is one of the most expensive upgrades you can do to a bike.

In terms of the benefits on offer, custom paint provides no performance gains at all. Unless you have upgraded most other things on your bike already, the cost of a custom paint job could be better spent on other things. If, however, bikes are like art pieces to you and top of your priority list is for them to look unique with your own design, then this might just be the best upgrade for you. For most, though, your money will be better spent somewhere else.

• Read more: Is this the world's lightest functional gravel bike?

Bolt upgrade kits

If you were to take all the bolts on your bike and weigh them, the total would come to under 100 grams. Stainless steel bolts are hard-wearing and relatively cheap, making them the perfect stock choice to come on bikes.

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Titanium finishing bolts are a hard cost to justify as far as upgrades go

Therefore, replacing all of these bolts with either lightweight titanium or anodized aluminium ones is another upgrade that has almost zero tangible benefits. This upgrade might be the finishing cosmetic touch to colour-coordinate the look of your bike but for the cost and effort, we think there are better upgrades out there.

Top-tier chains

Anything in cycling that is top-tier is going to cost an arm and a leg, but we think some things are really just not worth the cost. One of those things is top-tier chains. Yes, they may be a little bit lighter than the tier below and they may also have an ever-so-slight performance benefit in shifting, but they are still a consumable part.

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Top-tier chains have very little performance benefit over a mid-tier offering for nearly double the price

Chains wear out and the difference in life between a mid-tier chain and a range-topping one is negligible. The idea of spending over £/€/$80 on a consumable item doesn’t sit all that well with us, and if you are looking to save weight there are better ways of going about it. Using an Ultegra or 105 chain for Shimano and Force or Rival for SRAM will save you a considerable amount of money for no real disadvantage.

• Read more: How to replace a bike chain

Ceramic bearings

There is no disputing that ceramic bearings can offer a marginal gain that is worth exploring when you find yourself at the pointy end of professional racing, because they do roll faster and smoother. However, much like everything else on this list, the cost of changing to ceramic bearings can be astronomical and for most of us out there, the benefits just aren’t big enough.

Ceramic bearings do last a lot longer than typical steel bearings, however this is only if they are properly maintained. This requires regular servicing to keep them clean and well-lubricated. If you fail to do this, your very expensive bearings won't last much longer than a cheap set of steel ones. The added hassle and cost make this upgrade a potentially costly downgrade if you aren’t prepared to put in the work to keep them in pristine condition.

Name stickers on your frame

Lastly on our list is another one that had Manon and Alex divided. Pro riders have name stickers on their bikes so that when all the team bikes are lined up before a training ride or race they can find theirs. Unless you ride in a group where you all ride exactly the same bike, this is unlikely to be an issue for you on the cafe ride.

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Alex seemingly hates name stickers but they can be a nice pro-feeling finishing touch to your pride and joy

However, it can be a nice touch to have a bit of personalisation on your bike, and who are we to tell you that you shouldn’t add a name sticker to your bike? Especially when they're zero downside to doing this. You’ll have to let us know in the comments section down below if you agree with Alex or Manon on this one.

• Read more: 5 things cyclists shouldn't do... but do anyway

As much as we may think these upgrades are far from a priortiy, here at GCN we are as guilty as anyone for still doing them anyway. The reality is, cycling is supposed to be fun and however you choose to express your passion for this sport, no one can tell you that you’re doing it wrong.

Make sure to let us know what upgrades you do to your bike knowing full well they don’t serve a purpose in the comments section below. For more advice on what upgrades you should be looking to do to your bike, make sure to head over to our whole section on buying advice.