Bike
MTB
5 ways to pimp your mountain bike
It's Pimp My Ride – The MTB version.
Face it. Your mountain bike is looking a little bit tired. It's time to pimp it to the max.
Yo dawg I heard you like bikes
© Bartek Wolinski
Unfortunately we can't send Xzibit –host of MTV's legendary Pimp My Ride – to your house to style up your bike. What we can do is give you some tips on how you can personalise and pimp your bike yourself. SPOILER: some are subtle, others are not-so-subtle.
1. Gold Chain – From £24.99
If you want to add a little bling to your bike but don't want to go overboard (because you're classy like that), then swap out your dull silver chain for a snazzy gold one. Both KMC and SRAM sell them, and you can get them here with prices starting from £24.99. You can pair it up with a gold cassette like in the image above, but the gold chain really stands out against a black cassette.
If gold isn't for you then you have to check out the coloured range of KMC chains here.
2. Fancy handlebars – From £50
Business in the front! A new bar or grips can spruce up your dirt destroyer nicely, but these are a very personal choice so read our quick guide on how to pick the right handlebars. Renthal and Race Face have a cool selection to pick from, and if it's grips you're looking for then try Lizard Skins.
If subtlety is key then you can get some personalised handlebar end caps fromPurely Custom, who also have a collection of colourful components to add a bit of bang to your bike.
3. Pimped Pedals – From £89.99
HT Components AE-03 collection
© HT Components
Pair these pedals with a gold chain and you'll be crowned the pimp of the bike park. For flat pedals try the HT Components AE-03 collection, who also have a sick coloured collection. If you ride clipless and fancy a gold setup then try DMR V-Twin Pedals.
4. Stickers – less than £10
Who are you loyal to?
© CPGANG/ Ride or Die
You don't need to spend £££ to add something extra to brighten your bike. Bike stickers are a great way to personalise your mountain bike or show your loyalties to a particular bike crew. Some bike parks have their own stickers so if you spend a lot of time at a particular one you can show them some love.
5. Custom paint job – From £400
The only limit is your imagination
© Fat Creations
Steve Peats Tweed Santa Cruz V10
© Fat Creations
Steve Peat's cow theme
© Bartek Woliński
Why not go all the way and fork out for a fully customised paint job? If the pros can do it then so can you!
Carbon frames start from around £400, with aluminium being slightly cheaper, and you can even get your fork, seat post, bars etc all done as well at an extra cost.
