[Closed] Upgrading my (road) bike

Sensible plan as long as the wheels are in good nick. Lighter tyres will help also.

Light weight wheels will feel quicker but don't actually make much difference even on climbs. Aero wheels aren't as light and will actually go faster but you won't notice it unless you are measuring it.

I go for light wheels as I want to enjoy my bike, I rarely race so speed isn't important to me.

You can go for lighter seatpost, stem etc to save weight too, plenty on fleabay. I got csome FSA carbon cranks for £50 saving 250gm.

£200 wheels wouldn't really be an "upgrade" from what you have. Save some money and double your budget for noticeably better wheels.

Start with some tyres the gators you have aren't the nicest feeling tyres out there. Some gp400's will improve the ride a fair bit.

All depends on what you want from the upgrades. £200 won’t buy you a great set of wheels, may not even be a tangible improvement. You may need to look at someone like Hunt Wheels, about £380 will get you a reasonably light set of wheels. Tredz have Vision Team 35 wheels for £240, 1800 grams, but not sure it’s worth the upgrade. eBay didn’t show too much after a quick look, best I saw was a set of Bontrager Paradigm wheels, again, I’d probably not.

if the tyres are Gators (continental not Specialized) then getting rid of these and swapping for a nice supple and fast tyre will be a good upgrade. Vittoria Cora’s G+ are highly recommended. Look good, roll well. Get some latex tubes and you’ll have a very nice ride. You could possibly do that swap for £100.

With regards to 105, maybe slowly start upgrading that as it wears out. New cassette and chain if it’s now been changed recently, maybe look at older 6800 Ultegra to keep prices down.

Hmmm, it seems a bit odd to spend £400 on a set of wheels on a bike that only cost £1050 (old model in a sale). Perhaps I need to adjust my thinking and save a bit more...

Sorry - the tyres are S-Works Gripton.

I would look at a set of cero AR24<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">24 wheels or the prime wheels. They are around your budget and around 1500g which should make quite a difference to the way the bike feels and picks up speed.</span>

I recently switched to the cero a24s after years of deep section wheels. They are pretty light and decent for the money. Not as nice as other light weight wheels I have tried but much cheaper.

Apart from wheels and tyres shove some swisstop pads on it, change all that cables, new bar tape and new chain and cassette.

The Axis wheels are heavy - 1.8kg+ IIRC, so £400 wheels not needed.

Ultegra chain/cassette = no benefit apart from tiny weight saving (and consumable). replacing stuff that's not worn out may feel good but again no benefit.

OP don't think of it as a £1050 bike, it isn't.

If you are upgrading for the sake of upgrading with no particular need or benefit then doesn't really matter what you change (I am guilty of doing that).

Saying that, wheels and tyres are still the most noticeable difference but saving a few grams on some wheels won't make a lot of difference if the weight is in the hubs

tyres then wheels, then contact points, then groupset (not really needed as 105 is very good).

I'd source a second hand pair of Ksyriums and swap to a decent set of Schwalbe Ones with latex tubes, Aim for 1400 g wheels. A change in bar shape would be a functional upgrade, and a nicer saddle might help with comfort. Decent bar tape males a difference too.

For £200you will struggle to change all of these. But used Ksyriums go for about £200. Tyres and tubes would always be my first change though.

All a bit too vague for my liking. To what end do what to upgrade the bike- bits beginning to wear, you a racing and want to buy a bit of performance , you want to improve the ride quality, confidence cornering or riding in the wet, you want to improve the quality of the gear change, you want to make it look cooler parked again the cafe window?

then groupset (not really needed as 105 is very good).

Agreed - my last bike (alu Speech Allez) had 105 and I was very happy with it - certainly for the amount of times I get to ride and distances I get to do - I couldn't see the point in spending lots and lots upgrading it.

I’d source a second hand pair of Ksyriums

Yeah this is what I have seen for sale several times and wondered

and swap to a decent set of Schwalbe Ones

Noted

and a nicer saddle might help with comfort

I find the saddle perfectly fine to be honest

All a bit too vague for my liking. To what end do what to upgrade the bike- bits beginning to wear, you a racing and want to buy a bit of performance , you want to improve the ride quality, confidence cornering or riding in the wet, you want to improve the quality of the gear change, you want to make it look cooler parked again the cafe window?

Th primary aim is to improve climbing speed. I am currently improving lots week on week (twice weekly spinning classes, starting to run again and commuting as much as I can on my cheap Halfords special - fun for the climb back up the hill to home every night) and I assumed the best way to further improve this would be reducing rotating weight.

I couldn't give a fig to *what* they look like outside a cafe as I hardly ever ride in groups and never stop mid-ride - my time is too precious for that!

The primary aim is to improve climbing speed.

as I hardly ever ride in groups

So to clarify, when you are climbing these climbs are you doing it on your own? Is there a clock involved (like doing local TTs or in a Sportive)? If not, why do you care? Better wheels (especially only a bit better) might improve your climbing speed by 0.5-1% but if there is no one to beat or not get dropped by, what does it matter? I guarantee you won't notice on the road and if you are the type that spends loads of time looking at your Strava times you'll never know if you bought the improvement or earned it through blood sweat and tears which is actually very unrewarding.  I did a lot of racing in all sorts of forms in my 20s and 30s and spent a small fortune improving my kit for every marginal gain. Now I ride for different reasons and could not give a damn. I leave all my 'upgrades' to when I've worn something out.

300gm off of your wheels off of say 80kg rider+bike = 0.375% quicker, 13 seconds for every hour climbed at most.

It will feel nicer though.

Yep - doing it on my own but I don't see why that should stop me from wanting to improve, whether it be to better my fitness or to better my Strava results. I just like to challenge myself. Don't get me wrong, I see your point, but I don't see why I shouldn't make changes even if the only person I am competing against is myself. (Going through a similar thing with ParkRuns at the moment - trying to get sub 25 minutes (done), trying to get under 8 minute miles (done) and finally trying to get to 'good for age' local running club level (currently at 59.76% and need to get to 60%).

Don’t get me wrong, I see your point, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t make changes even if the only person I am competing against is myself.

It's your money and obviously you can do what you like and we all 'get off' on different things.

But.....for me you are not competing against yourself when you do that. You are competing against a new you with an unfair advantage. Take it to a logical conclusion - I was at Goodwood festival of speed  a couple of weeks ago watching all the fancy machinery getting driven up the hill. If one driver drove up the first time in a1920s vintage car and then jumped into a modern supercar and improved their time by 20 seconds does that make them suddenly a better driver? Do they get a warm glow inside for knocking 20 seconds off their time? If the driver had gone back up the hill for a second time in the 1920s car and improved it by 0.5 seconds I guarantee they would have had a more satisfying experience.

My bike collection is daft (but now a bit long in the tooth). I have some trusty, perfectly nice but not too fancy kit that gets used 99% of the time. But in the cupboard I have 2 sets of Zipp wheels, a disc and a trispoke from my old racing days. It's never entered my head to get them out to ride around a local loop to try and beat the time I set the week before on my every day wheels. I don't know what I'd be achieving doing so.

To add - if climbing speed and improving your strava segment times are your primary objectives and you are training positively I would suggest the thing that will change your time most is not a slightly better set of wheels but a power meter. Provided you learn what the numbers mean and have the discipline to ride to and use the data it will make a big difference. That's what I would be saving for in your situation. I made huge gains when I first switched to using power data.

Best 'upgrades' on my road bike...

Seat - took a few attempts to get the right one but now super comfy all day comfort

Bar tape - decent bar tape makes a tangible feel - thicker for better bump absorption.

Thinner seat post - seat tube is 31.6 but I shim a 27.2 light weight post in. A little extra flex = more comfort on long rides.

Wheels and tyres - I got some Superstar tubeless road wheels circa 1500g for £150 and a pair of Schwalbe Pro One tyres for 70.  For £220 that makes a great upgrade over most stock wheelsets.  They're not just light but stiff too, have cartridge bearings in the hub and standard j-bend spokes should any ever need replacing.

EDIT - The above are for function and 'niceness'. Just seen you want to increase climbing speed.  I'd spend the money perhaps on a few trips away to do decent day-rides in hilly areas

Not very stealthy ad:

I have a pair of Ksyrium Elite's and an Ultegra 6800 groupset both in VGC going spare if you're interested?

BTW, don't try and rationalise it. 'Want' beats 'need' almost every time 👍

Have a look at the Prime wheels on CRC/Wiggle, very good for the money and light for the money too. I'd buy a pair of them at the budget you have, then pair them with some good tyres, Veloflex Masters perhaps.

If the requirements for a purchase were driven by 'need' then most of us would be on halfords specials.

I for one think that a set of light wheels transforms a road bike. I have a set of primes very impressed. Mine are the carbon variety but you can pick up a set of circa 1500g alloy clinchers for around 160 with a bc code. Spwnd the rest on tubeless tyres.

I would suggest the thing that will change your time most is not a slightly better set of wheels but a power meter

Beat at me to it but I reckon your right,stages shimano 105 powermeters come up reasonably priced at around what the op wants to spend on wheels.

If your serious its  a must, Just makes it way easier to make sure your train8ng hard enough or resting enough and for pacing up hills just faby doozy.

It’s that whole thing of training smart and maximising your time spent training.

I may also be running axis 2’s with schwalbe pro one tubeless tyres (25c) tubeless on a carbon roubiux (disc though).

It’s that whole thing of training smart and maximising your time spent training.

With the added benefit of getting to bore the pants off anyone unlucky enough to ride with you!!

With the added benefit of getting to bore the pants off anyone unlucky enough to ride with you!!

🙂

It’s that whole thing of training smart and maximising your time spent training.

And also to learn how to judge your effort. I was amazed hope much RPE had me putting in too much effort early on and generating less power than I would imagine by the end.

If you want to go faster, spend your money on a ramp test and a fitness plan.

Nice tyres, tubes and a power meter.

Forget speed as a primary  measurement of your effort, focus on how many Watts you can sustain for how long.

I  agree with most of what has been said but if I remember correctly that bike comes with axis brakes and they are really poor so the best upgrade would be to stick a set of 105 calipers on it . Certainly won't make you quicker up hill but it will make your bike nicer to ride , especially if you live somewhere hilly .

I find the brakes really quite good. But saying that, my commute bike is a Carrera cheapo so anything is better than those 🙂

With the added benefit of getting to bore the pants off anyone unlucky enough to ride with you!!

if you can talk your not trying hard enough tbh 🙂

If the bike is not wearing out, I'd be inclined to leave as is. With the possible exception of a new pair of tyres, which offer amazing bang for the buck on so many levels.

With the remaining money, I concentrate on improving myself rather than the bike. The potential uplift in speed of a faster rider, is way higher than the increase by a better bike. I be looking at potentially a bike fit, the lowest rung of these comes in at £80ish. Or maybe a personal trainer, for £150 you might be able to get 5 sessions. Or maybe just enter some hilly sportives. Will encourage you to train, ride more, ride more hills, and add a goal this is unmoving.

Regarding power meters, agree they would really be a help. But expensive. If you don't have a heart rate monitor (which are almost throw away money), I'd definitely get one of those before a power meter.

............... but if I remember correctly that bike comes with axis brakes and they are really poor so the best upgrade would be to stick a set of 105 calipers on it .

I've just got a new Allez with the Axis calipers, with proper cartridge pads and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them, yeah they're not quite as good (prestigious) as the Ultegra ones I had on my previous road bike, but they as powerful and 95% as good in feel and modulation.

As for upgrades, my bike came with a very similar spec to yours, 105 gearing, Praxis Albs chainset, but DT Swiss R460's on no name hubs. I changed the seatpost for a FSA SL-K one and the saddle for a Spesh Power Expert as I didn't get on with the bogo Toupe Sport and it's waterproof, grippy covering and a (good) carbon post is always nice for added comfort.

I also swapped the wheels for a set of 2018 Fulcrum Racing Quattro Sports, they're no lighter than the original ones, but they feel stiffer and smoother and with the added (little) aero advantage of the deeper rims. Plus they look better 🙂

Speed wise I'm at least as quick (probably quicker) on it as when I had a 7.5kg carbon road bike with Ultegra and RS81 wheels, and it rides just as nicely.

I do keep thinking about a power meter, but road is more of a change of riding for me / keeping things fresh, over my normal MTB based training and riding. So I might get one, or I might not.

The most dramatic upgrade for the least money would be to treat yourself to some real Rolls-Royce cotton-wall tyres like Vittoria or Veloflex open Corsas, with latex inners. Your confidence will double as the bike will corner like on rails and the ride will be much more comfortable.

Do you have a decent GPS? Revolutionised my road riding as I could plot a new route every weekend and go exploring, have now made it a mission to ride a new road or roads every ride, obviously looking for the twistiest and hilliest roads I can. All it required was a Garmin Edge 25 with breadcrumb trail navigation and Strava route planner.

An alternative and boring (sounding...) upgrade path would be to properly weatherproof yourself and the bike, by which I mean

- Swisstop BXP pads for better wet weather braking

- Invest in some good mudguards (PDWs) and take the time to make them fit, I've managed to get full mudguards on my otherwise racey bike, although I had to chop the front mudguard so it stops at the back of the fork crown

- Winter tyres, perhaps Conti 4seasons

- Good clothing, would suggest a medium weight windproof softshell, this keeps you comfy even in showers/rain, carry a proper waterproof in back pocket for heavy and prolonged downpours.

It all sounds a bit boring, but this winter past was a revelation for me as I could genuinely get out and enjoy long rides in some foul conditions, and it's actually a pretty uplifting 'feeling alive' sort of moment to be out for a hilly century in the pissing rain and snow but still feeling warm and snug inside your own wee cosy ecosystem.

turbo for the winter Zwifting !

😉

(probably true though)

Hmmm, it seems a bit odd to spend £400 on a set of wheels on a bike that only cost £1050 (old model in a sale). Perhaps I need to adjust my thinking and save a bit more…

A long time ago I had a very basic Giant OCR - I think - that cost me around £250 in a sale. It was my first road bike and it was harsh, heavy and unresponsive. I fitted some decently light Bontrager road wheels that cost about twice the price of the bike. Completely transformed the feel of the thing, felt a lot sharper and more responsive.

Other things I changed were the tyres to GP4000s and brake pads to Swisstop Greens. The bike was still harsh and a bit heavy, but it felt infinitely livelier and more pleasant to ride. When I sold the bike, I just stuck the original wheels back on it and kept the Bontrager ones for my next bike.

I wouldn't bother with £200 wheels though.

Undoubtedly wheels and tyres.  I had a hire bike in Mallorca last year tha came with some awful heavy wheels, paid for upgraded top of the range Mavic Kyriums and the difference was not only measurably faster (power/speed/time) but noticeably so too.  Infact I was 9 minutes faster for the same power on Pollenca > Sa Calobra.   I think that U shaped shallow carbon ones probably offer a bit of aero benefit too, and I currently have the giant carbon climbing wheels on my Bowman