It happened. It finally happened! After squirrelling away your hard-earned dollars (or begging and pleading with your fabulous loved ones) you have a new—or new to you—mountain bike. Your shiny rig is truly awesome, but like all one-size-fits-many products, there are lots of ways to make your bike yours with fit, form and style. To help you determine what MTB upgrades you deserve next we’ve created a list of parts from the biggest bang for your buck to the most drool-worthy of components. Treat yourself or make the day for a mountain biker in your life with the gift of gear.
Pedals
Your feet are arguably the most important body part that touches your bike. In turn, pedals are one of the most personal preferences of mountain bikers. This is one of the reasons bikes on the showroom floor don’t necessarily come with pedals; there are so many opinions out there and mountain bikers will usually switch to their preferred brand, style and colour. From the durable, high-value composite Chester pedals up to the grippiest if bomb-proof alloy options like Atlas, if you ride flats, Race Face has a pedal you’ll fall in love with.
Grips
Another important touchpoint, grips are a great way to personalize your bike’s look and feel. Whether you prefer the slim sub-30mm diameter or the beefy 33mm for bigger mitts, dual lock or single lock, Race Face offers a range of sizes, shapes and plenty of colourways to clad your bar in customization. From Grippler to Getta to Love Handles, there’s a grip option for you that won’t break the bank!
Handlebars and Stems
Customizing your cockpit is a perfect way to make a bike yours while solving another need – fitment. Stem length is a critical change for most riders to help match the bike to their height and reach. Choose from Turbine R, Atlas, Aeffect R and more, and that’s just in our 35mm diameter lineup. Similarly, choosing a bar with more—or less — rise can assist with your steering and pressure control. Wider bars and shorter stems tend can help riders looking for more precise control, but comfort over the course of a long day of riding should be considered. If you’re a smaller rider, you can benefit from purpose-made narrower bars, saving you the hassle of cutting bars down to fit. From our alloy Atlas and Turbine R lineup to our flasghip carbon Next R, Next and Next SL bars, there are more than a few options to switch up the feel and look of your bike.
Cranks and Chainrings
Cranks are often overlooked by many riders but are a great way to personalize your bike’s fit and feel. Switching up the crank length off a stock build can help you optimize the pedaling style for your height. While you’re at it, toss in a chainring that better matches how hard you like to mash the pedals. With lightweight yet durable carbon options like our new Era crankset or the burly aluminum workhorses in our Turbine and Atlas lines, you can pick a crank to perfectly suit your needs and wants. Just determine what bottom bracket you might need via your frame manufacturer's website and touch base with our customer service staff via Online Chat if you have any questions!
Wheels
Wheels can be an incredible upgrade, especially on a new-to-you bike. They change not only the appearance of the bike, but can affect the ride feel significantly. If you’re working with a new bike with a satisfactory spec, the upgrade may look more like moving from Alloy to Carbon, or finding a more style-specific wheel; like moving from Trail to a more bomber Enduro wheels like Next R or Turbine R. If you’re updating a used bike, a reliable option to upgrade that less-than-true wheel with roached hub bearings is our Aeffect R wheel. You can reference our handy wheel selection guide to get the line on what Race Face wheels will fit your bike.
No matter how fresh your bike is, there are always options for upgrades—large or small—that will help your rig feel like it’s yours. With a Lifetime Warranty on almost all of our hardgoods (inclusive of crashes), you can rely on Race Face for kitting your bike out for the long term.