The MTB Britain Best Components Awards Back to Awards Page
These are the best components we've ridden with in over ten years of mountain biking. I know there are other great components out there. Some of you will have different priorities set by your budget and/or style of riding. This may lead you to disagree with our choices, to you I say 'tough'. Drop me a line and have your say by all means though. For those without opinions cast in titanium, all of this kit is well worth the cash and will reward your purchase with top performance and value. We've been riding in the worst conditions the UK has to throw at you, from deep snow to deep water, in acres of truly foul and sticky mud. The choices here reflect this experience, Time Atac pedals for instance are the only ones I know that won't freeze solid in snow when it's well below zero.
The prices are the lowest I could find on the web and in the magazines at time of writing (August 2000)
The five star
awards go to the best of the best.
Headset WTB Momentum
This is the worlds best headset because it's the only one at this price that can be re-greased from a gun without disassembly. The gun should cost around £15 e.g. Dualco. In itself the gun is a much cleaner and simpler way of dispensing grease and a worthwhile addition to your tool box. The lower race is the one that usually dies on a headset. Water and grease can get in here after a few wet rides and the fate of the headset is sealed. A few pumps of grease pushes crud out and can keep this headset going almost indefinitelyHandlebar Easton Monkeylite
The de-facto standard these days since the demise of the Answer Hyperlite. We all have them and they are worth the money. You don't have to buy the top of the range carbon bar as the EA70 is extremely good.Easton XC EA70 Approx £32.99
Bottom Bracket Shimano XT ES70/1 Bottom Bracket - Octalink
Sealed bottom brackets are a major blessing. they do wear out and can't be serviced, but they last a long time and are cheap enough to chuck when the time comes. Recommended unless you love maintenance to pieces.Chainset Shimano LX or Deore Holowtech
I haven't ridden with the Holowtech. However they're just too good to miss. All the features of my favorite LX chainset, only lighter and stiffer. If you're on a budget consider the non-Holowtech LX, it's a bargain. At these prices it's hardly worth changing rings, just buy a new chainset! (replacing your chain before it's too worn will considerably extend the life of your chainset rings)Pedals Crank Brothers Egg Beater
For the serious all-weather riders amongst us there's really only one pedal to consider. All the others will lock you in or out (or both!) at some point. Downsides of the Egg Beaters are the shorter life of their brass cleats.Saddle WTB SST K Titanium
A great saddle for longer rides, also has the drop nose which allows seated steep climbing (although this can be a bit uncomfortable!) A good weight and an amazingly low price at the moment.Seat post Thomson Setback or Race Face XY
I have the Thomson Setback. In the Race Face range get the XY post (the one with lay back) unless you have a very short upper body.Stem Kore Lite 3
When choosing a stem the most important thing is the length and rise. Take care not to choose a short upright stem as well as a riser bar, or your climbing will suffer.Grips ODI Lock On
If you can afford them, and you really should, the Lock-On grips from ODI are the very best there is. Getting other grips to stay put long term in our British weather is a real challenge. We like the narrow Ruffians best but they are NOT the hardest wearing.Approx £16 with locking collars, £11 for replacements thereafter.
Dual
density grips stick better on your bars and give unparalleled grip.
Stick them on with hair spray or if you suffer slippage, some spray
paint or car touch up paint. If you use a lot of these latter two,
the grips may need to be cut off to replace.
Approx £3.99
Rear Mech Shimano XT or LX
What can I say about these superb components? You can use the new 9 speed capable versions with an 8 speed block. It's the shifter that makes the difference.Front Mech Shimano XT/LX
The key thing with these is to order the correct type and size. If you're unsure it's probably better to get a shop to do it for you.Brakes XTR V Brakes or Hope Hydraulic disks
I think the XTR are better than the new XT as they seem to squeal less. Up front this may well depend on the brake boss spacing of your fork. If you have a wider spacing as is the case with many of the newer forks, the XT should be OK.Hubs Shimano LX or XT
Not much difference between these in practice. The XT's are lighter. Both need re-greasing manually every few months especially in winter. Check the drive side of the rear hub first.
Spokes DT Swiss double butted, brass nipples and Velox rim tape
Double butted spokes are stronger than plain gauge. The double butted part refers to a progressive thinning of the spoke shaft along it's middle section. Alloy nipples seize over time and will therefore not allow further re-truing of the wheel.
Inner tubes Specialized
Light and high quality.
Tyres Specialized Enduro Pro
These are aggressive tyres and will hum on the road. Kevlar tyres are worth the extra money. If you shop around you can find an aggressive tread Kevlar tyre (2.0 or 2.125) for as little as most wire beaded ones.Approx £19.99
Rims Mavic X717
Mavic make the best rims by far. Just don't buy any one else's, and say we told you so. They stand up to the rocky abuse I like to deal out better than any we've tried.Chain Sachs/SRAM PC69 9-spd chain
We like the Sachs chains best as you can use the special gold links to replace those you bend. It's also much quicker on the trail than the Shimano black pin.Approx £21.99
Brake levers Shimano XT
These (Shimano) have longer adjusters than most, a big plus with V brakes as they pull more cable and the blocks wear quickly, meaning more frequent adjustment.Shifters Shimano XT or LX
Have you noticed we like Shimano? Years of trying other mediocre kit always leads back to the big S.