Best Components For MTB Cycling
Having the right components when out riding your bike makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to mountain biking. The right tools for the job could be a new personal best on that trail or a win in a race.
In this article, we will be telling you about some of the best components for your mountain bike and why you should use them next time you hit those trails or go on an adventure.
Coming straight out of the Rotor Bike catalog, here’s what you need to know. These are not just going to help your performance but also are going to improve the reliability of your cycling. Here’s what you need to know.
A Powermeter
Then, we have powermeters, which can upgrade the cycling experience to a whole new level. A power meter is a device that has the ability to tell you the amount of watts you are generating while cycling. This is done through strain gauge technology, and professionals wouldn’t be seen without one.
A powermeter is an incredibly valuable tool. It can not only help you with training loads, but it can help with pacing, and looking back on the data can give you an incredible insight into your ability as a cyclist.
Powermeters are one of the pricier upgrades but not one that many cyclists ever regret, and once you start training with power and see the extra ability it can give you, it’s difficult just to go back to heart rate and speed.
Ceramic Bottom Bracket
If you are looking for an upgrade that can hide in plain sight, consider a ceramic bottom bracket. They come with many advantages that can make a big difference to your riding.
Ceramic bearings can reduce friction on the crank, are generally lighter than your typical steel bottom brackets, and are much more durable, lasting much longer than a typical bottom bracket.
There are a huge amount of different options when it comes to bottom brackets from Rotor. Not only MTB, but you also get road and even track bottom brackets. They offer something that will work for nearly every bike. The Rotor BB4224 MTB bottom bracket comes in at only 118g. It’s very durable, comes in a 24mm spindle size, and even has extra protection to stop dirt and water from getting inside. This is called the Labyrinth. Find out more here on Rotor's Bottom Bracket Page.
Q Rings
Next, we have Q Rings. These are a big favorite of mountain bikers because they work excellently with 1X systems and can offer the mountain biker some excellent advantages over their competitors and for their own performance and recovery.
Q Rings are a chainring which, instead of being round, are oval. This is specially designed to remove the flat spots on the pedal stroke. They take minutes to change over, and they don’t just work with Rotor products but other top brands, too.
They can help a more efficient pedal stroke, reduce fatigue, improve power, and even help create much better cadences on loose terrain to help with traction.
Giant Cassette
If you love mountain biking but want some extra ability to your Rotor Groupset, consider a larger cassette to send you motoring up those steep hills with loose terrain. Regarding cassettes, Rotor offers some excellent options for mountain biking, road cycling, triathlon, and gravel. You get a cassette as small as a 10-36 going all the way up to an incredible 10-52.
By upgrading your cassette, you have the ability to get lower or higher gear ratios, and this makes a lot of difference on a trail or even in a competition. We highly recommend making the swap and also advise that you change the chain at the same time. For more information, check out Rotor Cassettes.
Performance Crankset
A bike crank makes a big difference to your bike. Unlike other upgrades, they can completely change the way the bike feels to ride, help improve comfort, and even help reduce fatigue.
If you upgrade to a Rotor Crankset, you can tailor it to you and your riding style by choosing different crank arm lengths, chainring sizes, and even shaped chainrings such as the legendary Rotor Q Rings we discussed earlier.
Not only will you get a superior lightweight crankset compared to other brands, but they are incredibly durable. If you want to protect them further, you can even add some Bumper eKapics to the ends too.
A Final Note
If you want to have a better experience and step up your mountain biking, upgrading is a great way to go. You can become faster, more comfortable, and some upgrades, such as Q Rings, can even help reduce fatigue and help recovery.
Rotor offers some excellent upgrades, which are going to work for nearly all bikes. We highly recommend checking out our upgrades and investing in a brand that can offer much more than others.
Happy Riding #ROTORian
