So helpful!! I’m used to seeing “how quickly can I break the cheapest part I can buy” and “I’m going to show you how this part that costs more than your entire bike is amazing in every way”, but I haven’t seen much of the middle ground — “here’s how to balance budget and safety so you can actually get out and ride epic trails (or help your friends to do the same)”.

Awesome video, thanks!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻

Fun fact: The difference between Shimano mt200 and mt201 is that Mt200 has steel levers while Mt201 has aluminum levers. Btw mt200 and mt201 has the same prices.

Obligatory PNW dropper post comment:  I've purchased and used inexpensive KS and PNW droppers, PNW is by far superior to the KS post.

Hey Seth just letting you know you are the reason i started mountain biking, you are such an inspiration and put so much effort into every single one of your videos consistently. Keep up the good work

The microshift cassette is really good - it's much lighter than pretty much all other wide range cassettes

Stihl safety glasses, made by 3M, as riding glasses. They are UV protective, have an anti glare coating, high light transmission, great shape and field of view. All that for under $10.

The MT400 and 500 (and the 4 piston versions) are also fantastic. And you can usually find them as like new takeoffs from folks who swap them for higher end  options without trying them

CST stands for Cheng Shin Tire, which is the parent company of Maxxis. Their tires share a lot of tech.

Thanks for getting the word out on CST tires. I feel that you can really tell that the company didn't just make another budget brand. They took the knowledge gained from being the parent company of Maxxis and incorporated it into making an amazingly decent tire that is affordable.

I just wanted to say a huge thank you from someone in the UK.  I'm not far off 50 years old and have loved bikes since before I stated BMX racing in 1982.  I've had times when I was more or less into bikes over the years (my first two mountain bikes didn't even have suspension forks - I'm that old!).  I'd ended up at a point where I had a cheap second hand 26" hard tail which I could not get on with.  I swapped out the drive train with Microshift 9x, the bottom bracket/crankset you suggested, and added an external dropper - and I love it.  Although I can build a motorcycle engine I was always a bit mystified by bicycle stuff, but I watched this video and went for it.  Today I hit the first bike jumps I've tried in the best part of 30 years.  I'm back in love with bicycles and I wanted to say thank you.

can this be another new series? I love it. Also thanks for getting me into MTB. I made so much progression in the last couple months after getting my first non-walmart bike. I went from barely getting close to clearing a small jump to fully clearing medium jumps and building some sick techy trails with my friends out in a local forest. Thanks for being so great at what you do mate!

For anyone curious about the CST tires, cst is Cheng Shin Tire the parent company of maxxis. Great tires for the money coming from an established tire manufacturer.

I have an advent x I think I sent $170 for everything.  Derailleur, shifter, cassette, and chain. And it's awesome, haven't had an issue since I put it on(mb 2 years ago)

build a bike with all of those products on it

I had the AdventX on a bike that i tested for like a month. I wasn't careful with it! It shifted perfectly, chain never dropped even if i didn't use the clutch, i rode it without the clutch on for 99% of the time. It has 11-48 cassette compared to the basic advent 11-42 and a 30t narrow wide chainring up front. It is also very easy to set up. I messed up intentionally the settings of the derailleur and then reset it just for fun and it took me longer to make it not work then to fix it. 10/10 For the AdventX would buy it for myself!!!

Coming from the BMX world into mountain biking where you could get a sprocket for $30 and stems for $40 & $300 wheel sets all day, seeing $250+ dollar dropper posts makes my ass cramp 😂 this video is fantastic. Most people who buy Jordan’s don’t play like he did. Most people who buy team edition bikes don’t ride like that, budget and entry level equipment is getting better and better. I worked at Fezzari and had to remind someone that 20 years ago we were riding the same trails on fully rigid 26ers.

Don’t forget about PNW Cycled as well! I have bought two droppers that were recycled. They are fantastic, full rebuilt and we’re cheap. PNW is a rad company!

This should totally be a main channel video, so much valuable information!

Got a really good deal on a used Hero 8 a while ago, and love it. Had no idea it was smaller than later generations or the first without needing a case. Glad to hear I made a really good purchase.

Both CST and Maxxis are brands of Cheng Shin Tires. Cheng Shin also manufactures for other brands. The original Snake Belly tires that were so popular on slick rock trails in the 80s were Cheng Shin. Some of the modern tread patterns are recycled from their original offerings, with minor design changes.