I put ultimate upgrades on my downcountry mountain bike.

Downcountry bikes are the best category of mountain biking in my opinion, and I think they're here to stay. But how does someone upgrade their downcountry bike? It's not like there's guides on the internet on how to upgrade a downcountry bike since the category is so new, so I think we go with parts that are lightweight but also really strong. And the biggest area for improvement is wheels. These stock wheels have definitely withstood my abuse, but I can feel that they're pretty heavy and I can't kick out the rear end like I want to. Also a few videos ago I used this boost conversion but the spacers suck. Lose one of these and your ride is over. So I picked up these Nukeproof wheels without breaking the bank. These are the Nukeproof Horizon V2s and the website says they're rated for enduro and downhill. Perfect! I know that sounds weird, enduro rated wheels on a downcountry bike, but it makes sense, only if they're lighter. Wow, I'm saving over 300 grams with these wheels and they should be way stronger. These wheels came as a bundle too, pre-taped for tubeless with valves, sealant, and tire inserts. Another huge upgrade someone can make is tires. A good tire appropriate for terrain can completely transform a bike. Well, introducing the world's first downcountry tire. These are the Vittoria Sierras and they're pricey, but during Black Friday I got them for 20% off. $64 per tire? Now we're talking. They should be pretty tough because they're 60 TPI and have this sidewall insert, so I hope they can resist pinch flats. These tires weigh 850 grams and I gotta say I really don't like the red logo on the tire and that throws off a lot of people's color schemes and it's kind of like free advertising for the company, so I don't know what they were thinking. The stock Dior group set is rock solid and one of my favorite group sets, but what's also a rock is this Dior cassette. It's a freaking tank at 600 grams and I can definitely feel the weight, so I'm putting on my used X01 one-piece cassette. That'll save me 250 grams. Unfortunately, Seth's cranks have got to go. Seth just sent them too hard and it feels like the pedals are bent down and it's not these HT pedals and the SRAM crank boots that I bought are definitely the wrong size and they even contact the frame in some spots, so I'm going with these Truvativ Descendant cranks that are 170 millimeters and surprisingly they're only 100 grams heavier than the SRAM carbon cranks. Plus, I hope it helps avoid pedal strikes on rocks with that little bit of extra clearance with a shorter crank. This is a Cane Creek preload ring that was recommended to me by a longtime follower, Yohannes. It replaces the plastic preload ring that felt very weak and it has a nice touch of color. People have been starting to comment on my horrifically mismatched brakes and I think they've been working fine, but I agree it does look pretty awful, so I think it's time to swap over to this SLX rear caliber and XT lever with my upgraded lever blade. I'm going to save some time by using the same hydraulic hose and then do a bleed, but I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty big mess. Well, that was a lot more work than I expected. I ended up completely replacing the hydraulic hose because I just couldn't get a good bleed and I also bled the front, but that brings me to these Deore XT4 pistons that aren't braking that good. I've been searching for new brake pads for months for these. They're either completely out of stock or like $80 for a set and I'm not paying that, but I finally found some brake pads but without the fin. Before I bought these, I wish I would have researched replacement pad availability. That way I could have avoided this whole dilemma, but lucky for me the SLX rear caliber has replacement pads that are readily available. I also splurged a little on some expensive rotors. I've only ever used budget rotors, so at $60 a piece, these Shimano XT rotors better be worth it. This is the first time I've tightened rotor bolts by hand and now I know why most people use an impact driver to install these. I've got some major arm pump now. It is all coming together. Just one last problem. With this being a 12 speed cassette, the 11 speed Deore group set isn't going to work. So to make this work, I'm going to throw on my NX derailleur and shifter. Man, this bike is going to be completely transformed. I got lucky on this derailleur install. I tightened the cable and it was perfect shifting right away. That never happens. Now I'm going to tidy up the rest of this build and this ultimate downcountry machine is ready for the trails. Right away, I noticed the wheels and rotational weight being so much lighter, even though my home scale says the bike weighs exactly the same as before. But frankly, this whole bike is completely upgraded now, so of course it's going to feel better in the air and eat up rock gardens better than before. But I have a huge announcement. You guys, the Saga Squad, have supported me so much over the past year and we're growing like crazy. It's pretty clear to me that this channel is so much more than my mountain bike journey. It's all of ours. So if somehow I can hit 20,000 subscribers by the end of the year, I'll build up this bike and give it away.