Upgrades...

[swiftylee]

Have picked up a mint giant defy composite 3 and want to do some upgrades but money is tight...

The bike has the pr2 wheels at the mo.

I have seen some p-sl0 wheels for sale. Would these make it better....

Don't want to spends lots at mo

 

[MikeW-71]

Yes they would, they'll be a good bit lighter, depends how much they are being sold for though.

 

[Cyclist33]

They were on Tredz for £205 the other day although had sold out when I came to buy!

Should be about 1600g versus about 1900 for the PR2s.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

You don't want to spend a lot but you'd pay £205 to save 300g which'll make not an iota of difference in the real world?

 

[MikeW-71]

It will when you go uphill.

 

[Kies]

I have pr2's on my defy. Good wheels. Upgrade once they have worn out. Mine have lasted 2 years, so due an upgrade soon ish

 

[Cyclist33]

You don't want to spend a lot but you'd pay £205 to save 300g which'll make not an iota of difference in the real world?

£205 aint a lot!

but it aint just about the weight, or strava segments for that matter, and yes i would say it makes a difference. anyone with a modicum of sensory perception who has ridden two different sets of wheels on the same bike can feel a difference between them.

whether that turns out to be a difference you want is generally only discovered once youve bought the wheels, im not really aware of anywhere that allows you to test ride wheelsets.

stu

 

[SteCenturion]

Yes - they will be lighter/stiffer & accelerate faster.
300g saving is a big benefit when you hit the climbs.
How much do you want to spend ?

Now I don't know if this is what is called bumping (I don't know what that is) but... it sounds naughty.

I have just photographed my unused/as new Ritchey WCS Zeta wheel set.
They were taken off my brand new but 2012 model bike (bought it Sept 2013) & never ridden.
They were rolled from Tweeks shop door to my car boot.

At 1595g the P-SL 0 wheels are close to the Ritchey's - 1545g & Titanium Q.R's for that model year.
Late 2012 they went up in weight to 1623g & in Oct 13 were replaced by the Zeta 2 @ 1450g weight.

I am going to put them up on the classifieds here for a few days before they go to ebay & will include the Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres & tubes they came with (also never used).

If this sounds like an option PM me & I will give detailed spec.
Will post or email photos too.

The Giants you have been offered are plenty good enough if the price is right.

Be Lucky.

Centurion.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

£205 aint a lot!

but it aint just about the weight, or strava segments for that matter, and yes i would say it makes a difference. anyone with a modicum of sensory perception who has ridden two different sets of wheels on the same bike can feel a difference between them.

whether that turns out to be a difference you want is generally only discovered once youve bought the wheels, im not really aware of anywhere that allows you to test ride wheelsets.

stu

I know it "aint a lot" but the OP said money was tight - will it make the bike better? I realise that 'better' is subjective but is his bike really going to be better as it has slightly lighter wheels? Who knows - they might be lighter and less strong in which case the bike could well be worse for its new wheels.

 

[Cyclist33]

I know it "aint a lot" but the OP said money was tight - will it make the bike better? I realise that 'better' is subjective but is his bike really going to be better as it has slightly lighter wheels? Who knows - they might be lighter and less strong in which case the bike could well be worse for its new wheels.

Yes right, it's all relative to what you want and are prepared to spend. In the case of PR2 versus PSL0, both are made by Giant and the SL0s feature on several of their mid-high end carbon racers as stock wheels so I would imagine they are just as strong as the PR2s which tend to sit on their top alu and budget carbon offerings. But they would offer better acceleration and hold speed. I do agree, over a longish ride they wouldn't change the ride time by more than a few seconds and it all depends on fitness, weather, bothering-or-not etc; but they would almost certainly provide a more "racy" experience.

 

[SteCenturion]

I know it "aint a lot" but the OP said money was tight - will it make the bike better? I realise that 'better' is subjective but is his bike really going to be better as it has slightly lighter wheels? Who knows - they might be lighter and less strong in which case the bike could well be worse for its new wheels.

Okey-Dokey - SpokeyDokey.

The 1st thing I did after reading the OP's post was to google the wheels & read a few reviews.

The thing that came out of the reviews I read was Light & Stiff & also quick to accelerate.

The only negative I found (from 1 reviewer) who had swapped from PR 1's or 2's was that they were a little less comfortable than his old set.

If a rider can live with this trade off then it would seem worthwhile.

A £ figure hasn't been mentioned so we don't know exactly how tight £ is to the O.P & he might not want to say.

However - I take your point that not every upgrade will be the best upgrade or most significant.

There are quite a few who will say ride more/train harder before upgrading parts & they would probably be right too.

All horses for courses & all that.

 

[Cyclist33]

I do take the point about train harder etc, but it is a bit short sighted generally. Think of a wheel upgrade like going from a pony to a horse. Yes, you won't be able suddenly to race horses but you will go faster (as long as you can stay on the horse!)

Stu

 

[Cuchilo]

I went from pony to horse with the Defy 5 to the TCR1 Advanced . I am yet to beat my best time ( on the Defy ) on a lap of Richmond Park .

 

[Cyclist33]

You invested in the wrong horse?

 

[Cyclist33]

"should've gone to DefyAdvancedSavers"