So good fortune finds me with £500 to spunk on something that will make a difference to my ride, but what to spend it on?

Bike is standard Specilized Enduro 29 comp with Reverb, XT pedals and chunky tough tyres that work for me in the Lakes.

Pondering the following:

Nice wheels e.g. Hope Flow EX or may be DT hubs and some sort of ride coaching session to deal with my ‘issues’ and bad habits and see if you can teach a old dog new tricks.

Or Light bicycle wheels but not sure I trust them for my lack of finesse…

Not sure what else would make much of a difference. Stem and bars are just a aesthetic and a few grams as bars are wide enough and stem is short enoughh

CCDB Inline would tempt me.

CCDB and a skills day. Or wheels, with or without skills day depending on how much you spend on wheels

If it was me I would 1×10 the drivetrain however you may be happy with 2×10.

If not the the drivetrain then I would get Zee brakes and a CCDB inline.

Wheels would be first priority. Hope hubs on your choice of Stans rim would be a good investment. Depending on what you’ve got already brakes would be second priority.

Buy some ENDURO specific clothing and a new ENDURO helmet, everyone will think you’re rad as ****, no need for bike upgrades when you look that awesome!

a nice biking break, 500 quid would easily cover a week in wales or the lakes.

+ 1 for wheels first…29er wheels will have a lot of rotating weight and your bike should feel loads lighter with a good set of wheels

I live half an hour from the glorious Lakeland fells 😉 In fact I’ve just come back from a ride round Elterwater Langdale!

I thinks its pimpin purple Hope hubs and Stans Flow EX and I may have to spend a day with the big beard Ed Oxley.

Shirley stans on crests would be a better bet for an actual upgrade? Mine have lasted fine over a year of abuse in the lakes with 100kg of me battering down on them.

35mm wide set of carbon wheels, with tubeless lyres and that new Schwalbe mini high pressure inner tube to protect the rim and allow you to run even lower pressures.

Your 29er will improve considerably in the the two main weaknesses that 29ers have, wheel stiffness and weight. The stupidly wide rims and lower pressures (on uplift days, when you don’t need to do that much pedaling) will give you a load more grip as well.

Crests are strong but as flexy as a rubber dildo even in the 26 version.