Which part to upgrade first?

I'm not really familiar with your particular bike but generally in a lower to mid level bike wheels are a good place to start. Also if you get a good pair you can always use them on your next bike.

Without knowing any particulars about your bike, I'll say the wheels.

Scotty_Dog said:

Without knowing any particulars about your bike, I'll say the wheels.

+1 for wheelset

The Engine, with particular attention to the choice of fuel. 😉

Quoted post said:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty_Dog
Without knowing any particulars about your bike, I'll say the wheels.

+1 for wheelset

Okay, thanks for your replies, I had heard wheels were a good option elsewhere as well and makes sense if they can go on my next bike (though dont know when that will be). What differences will they make?

So next question - which wheels would you suggest? What sort of price range should I be looking at? Obviously they need to sensibly go with a £500ish bike so I dont have an infinite budget...

You give far too little information, and are asking people you don't have any reason to trust. 🙂 Don't get me wrong, get as much information you can, but only use us as one source of information.

A few things to think about.

What are your objectives for cycling?

In what ways do you think your bike is limiting you, as opposed to the rider being the limiting factor? 😉

Is there anything causing a lack of comfort, or that you just don't like the looks of?

What is it that makes you think that anything needs to be upgraded? Or are you responding to marketing and peer pressure?

If you ride with someone and can't keep up with them, and they ride the same size bike, see if you can trade bikes for a day... can you keep up after the trade? (I think not!)

Ride what you have until you are ready to upgrade to a better bike instead of keeping yourself broke upgrading the bike you have... If you feel the need to upgrade your current bike, upgrade as something breaks or shows signs of wear, that is the most logical approach, and it will keep your bike maintained as well. Think upgrades in conjunction with maintenance rather than upgrades for the sake of upgrading.

But, if you simply must upgrade for the sake of upgrading, wheels are one of the common things to upgrade first.

To get a reasonable recommendation for wheels, you should let people know what type of rider you are (racer, commuter, tourer, charity rides) what type of roads you tend to ride (rough, smooth etc) how heavy you are, whether you are looking for durability, comfort, speed etc...

dgregory57 said:

Ride what you have until you are ready to upgrade to a better bike instead of keeping yourself broke upgrading the bike you have... If you feel the need to upgrade your current bike, upgrade as something breaks or shows signs of wear, that is the most logical approach, and it will keep your bike maintained as well. Think upgrades in conjunction with maintenance rather than upgrades for the sake of upgrading.

ill agree with this. Chances are nothing needs upgrading on your bike for you to up your fitness level and get used to your bike (if it even fits you). If the bike doesnt fit you or you dont like it, upgrading NOW will only lead to you spending money you didnt need to. I reccommend waiting a while and seeing how you like the bike, etc.

Ive thought of upgrading my wheelset on my Specialized Allez, but they seem to be holding up ok for now and are true enough yet. Im losing my job soon because of layoffs so i decided id keep my money and just get into shape, THEN ill invest in wheels, and maybe a new drivetrain/group 🙂 looking towards Camagnolo Centuar right now...

Thanks for a frank reply dgregory et al. Fear not, I dont believe everything I read on messageboards, and Im especially selective when it comes to accepting suggestions on how to spend my cash!

Sorry if your questions were rhetorical or for personal reflection:

Quoted post said:

What are your objectives for cycling?

My objective for cycling is primarily cross training for rowing, which during term time at university takes up 8 sessions per week. However, Im entering a rowathlon (same as triathlon but with 4k erg instead of swim) in September, with a 30k cycle which I would like to do well in. The cycle and run will mostly determine my time, over 4k the erg will only be +/- 30secs or so however I perform. In the longer term, once I leave university next year I probably wont have access to a river and so cycling will likely become my main sport.

Quoted post said:

In what ways do you think your bike is limiting you, as opposed to the rider being the limiting factor?

Agreed that greatest limiting factor is having fitness for rowing rather than cycling, ie the answer is to clock up more miles on the bike rather than the erg/water. But in every sport except perhaps formula one (no doubt a separate topic of debate in itself) the sportsman will always have more impact than the equipment. I suppose I would like to do what I can given the constraints on my fitness (and the fact that in terms of training I cant yet wholly devote to cycling where it would damage my rowing eg. I am not going to stop doing heavy weights for my upper body), to do well in cycling races that I enter. There's probably a certain element of just feeling I am taking it more seriously if I have the right equipment as well.

Quoted post said:

What is it that makes you think that anything needs to be upgraded? Or are you responding to marketing and peer pressure?

Yes probably at root marketing pressure, that pretty much drives all consumerism - I dont think most people really *need* a phone with an XYZ megapixel camera either, and I would rather spend money on my bike than ipods etc. The real reason is that when I bought my bike last summer I made a compromise to myself in the initial outlay (only £195) because I didnt want to spend £500 until I knew I liked the sport. So now that risk is out of the way I feel happy to make up the difference to what I would have bought in the first place. Kind of roundabout justification for an upgrade I know.

I have a few questions about components though - is losing 200grms of your wheels just the same as losing 200grms off your bodyweight? Or, is there any special significance to the way the weight is distributed? My bodyfat is 6% so dont think there is massive scope to lose weight there but if I was really serious about cycling I appreciate I could lose upperbody muscle.

Info for wheels:
Type of rider - racing (at least eventually)
Roads - smooth
Weight - 66kg
Looking for - speed, stability
Budget - Less than £150

Comments welcome. Andy

My son has this very bike. At 13, he bought it as his entry level machine to road biking. If they are the same model, it is equipped with a 105 in the rear and the rest is Tiagra. I know that his first upgrade was to go with Ultegra components that he was able to pick up at a relatively fair price. He also upgraded the stock Alexrims wheelset to a pair of much lighter Bontrager Selects, which were also purchased used. but in very good shape, and at a reasonable price. By far though, the best money spent on that bike was the change to the much better quality Ultegra front and rear deraileurs and shift/brake levers. The 1200 is already a good quality entry level machine. These additions just made it much easier to ride, and at a minimal investment.

add30 said:

Thaks for a frank reply dgregory et al. Fear not, I dont believe everything I read on messageboards, and Im especially selective when it comes to accepting suggestions on how to spend my cash!

Sorry if your questions were rhetorical or for personal reflection:

My objective for cycling is primarily cross training for rowing, which during term time at university takes up 8 sessions per week. However, Im entering a rowathlon (same as triathlon but with 4k erg instead of swim) in September, with a 30k cycle which I would like to do well in. The cycle and run will mostly determine my time, over 4k the erg will only be +/- 30secs or so however I perform. In the longer term, once I leave university next year I probably wont have access to a river and so cycling will likely become my main sport.

Agreed that greatest limiting factor is having fitness for rowing rather than cycling, ie the answer is to clock up more miles on the bike rather than the erg/water. But in every sport except perhaps formula one (no doubt a separate topic of debate in itself) the sportsman will always have more impact than the equipment. I suppose I would like to do what I can given the constraints on my fitness (and the fact that in terms of training I cant yet wholly devote to cycling where it would damage my rowing eg. I am not going to stop doing heavy weights for my upper body), to do well in cycling races that I enter. There's probably a certain element of just feeling I am taking it more seriously if I have the right equipment as well.

Yes probably at root marketing pressure, that pretty much drives all consumerism - I dont think most people really *need* a phone with an XYZ megapixel camera either, and I would rather spend money on my bike than ipods etc. The real reason is that when I bought my bike last summer I made a compromise to myself in the initial outlay (only £195) because I didnt want to spend £500 until I knew I liked the sport. So now that risk is out of the way I feel happy to make up the difference to what I would have bought in the first place. Kind of roundabout justification for an upgrade I know.

I have a few questions about components though - is losing 200grms of your wheels just the same as losing 200grms off your bodyweight? Or, is there any special significance to the way the weight is distributed? My bodyfat is 6% so dont think there is massive scope to lose weight there but if I was really serious about cycling I appreciate I could lose upperbody muscle.

Info for wheels:
Type of rider - racing (at least eventually)
Roads - smooth
Weight - 66kg
Looking for - speed, stability
Budget - Less than £150

Comments welcome. Andy

First thing I'd think about upgrading is the saddle. Most bikes in that price range come with a torture chamber for a saddle. Fizik Arione or Selle SLR are much easier on your behind.

I assume it has clipless pedals. If it doesn't, think about them next. Take some getting used to, but well worth it.

Computer, if it doesn't have one, preferably with cadence. Best way to track your progress.

I would upgrade tyres first before wheels. Makes at least as noticeable a difference and costs much less. Look at Continental GP4000s or Michelin ProRace 2's.