Wheels? Groupset? or Frame?

The accepted priorities are,

Frame -> Wheelset -> Components

However, most of the fully assembled bikes out in the market place have already done the budget balancing act for you. And unless you have spare racing wheels, you really don't want to put all your money just on the frame or any other single component.

it really all depends on you budget.. do you have a ruff idea? coz you couls spend $2000 on just wheels or the same amount on just a frame or get a complete carbon road bike for that.. what sort of thing are you looking for???

bilbo64 said:

I am looking to buy a road bike to ride about 300 kms per week. This includes club racing once a week. Should most of my money go on a good set of wheels, or a nice light frame or a high end groupset? This is assuming that I don't have an unlimited budget and so I can't buy the best of everything.

FWIW. I would suggest that you worry about the frame LAST ...

After a season (heck, a month) of riding, you may decide the size you have under you isn't the size you would prefer ... so-called professional frame-fitters are fine, but they aren't riding in your skin ...

[center]wheels (32x3) ... components (think Campy!) ... frame[/center]

Supposedly (according to Velonews), most pro riders train on "standard" 32x3 wheels.

The wheels & most of the components can migrate between frames ... wheels with Shimano-compatible hubs can also use Shimano-to-Campagnolo conversion cassettes if you eventually choose (i.e., see the benefits of) Campagnolo.

The other thing to bear in mind is that in the Australian market, the get even point b/n buying whole bike vs individual components is around $4000. So if the budget is under that, then the clear value is with whole bike purchase. In which case the cost distribution has already been sorted.