Wheel upgrade? Is it worth it?

[altecsole]

I've had my bike for a couple of years now and I would like some advice on upgrades. From what I've read, wheel upgrades seem to make the biggest improvement to a bike and I'm wondering if that's something that's worth doing, or whether I'd be better looking at replacing the bike.

At the moment, I have a Cube Peloton Race 2015 (http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/cube/peloton-race) which is comfortable and has a good spec. The overall weight of the bike is listed at 8.9kg. The wheels are Fulcrum 77 which are, I think, are specific to Cube bikes, so I don't know how good these are.

A friend suggested something like the Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset would make a big difference to the ride, but I don't want to spend £400 if the result will be barely noticeable. He's suggested that the bike will be lighter and will accelerate and handle better, which all sounds great.

Any advice, or comments, gratefully received. Thanks for reading.

 

[smokeysmoo]

If you spend any less the benefit won't be noticeable at all IMO. Even then IMO the benefit to an average leisure rider* is more placebo than any thing else.

What do you weigh? In most cases the rider would get more benefit from losing weight rather than throwing money at the bike.

FWIW the wheels are where virtually all manufacturers save a few quid to bring their bikes in at a price point, subsequently this is what most folk choose to change as they get more serious.

If your current wheels are mechanically OK, and you don't want to spend a lot then my advice would be wait until your current wheels are fecked and then revisit this issue.

*I'm assuming your not an elite competition athlete.

 

[Tangoup51]

Did some research for you (take with a pinch of salt)
It looks like your current wheelset weight is 1,763g. - and your proposed new wheelset weight is 1550g

Check that for yourself, but for the case being it's 213 grams difference.. - For the price, you could afford to lose 213 grams of weight off your body... or ride with a 40% empty 500mL waterbottle.

But that's weight. As for spoke count and materials, there might be some difference. Still alloy though - also, if a bike has cheap wheels it's best to run them into the ground before replacing, like rip the brake track off it. Wheels that use rim brakes degrade and will wear out eventually. Probably best to keep your current ones on, and invest in other things.

Like better tires, innertubes, changing gear ratios, bar tape, saddles, - There's alot more you can do to a bike for That Price that'll make Much more difference, in my opinion.

 

[Cycleops]

Unfortunately with wheels the law of diminishing returns kicks in quite early. In others words you’re going to need to spend quite a lot of money to notice any real difference. You might get more benefits from changing tyres.
I’d wait until you want to change the bike and put the money there.

 

[altecsole]

Wow! Many thanks for the replies. I don't compete, but I do enjoy pushing myself. I'm 52, 5' 11" and weigh 12 stones. I've dropped 8 lbs in the last 4 months and obviously got fitter in the process. By the sound of it I'd be better off not upgrading at the moment. Cheers

 

[NickNick]

What about getting a decent pair second hand? If its anything like with studio equipment and tools (still fairly new to the world of road bikes), people are often upgrading and selling kit that hasn't had too much use but is already a fraction of the RRP. You can often be better off buying a second hand good quality item, than a less quality new item for the same price. It takes a bit more time trawling through ebay and the likes, but can wield some good results. Although as I mentioned I'm not sure how well that would apply to wheels.

 

[Andrew_P]

I have recently bought some Cero AR24 Sub 1500g for £249, they seem the same to me as the £750 Fulcrum Zero's that were on there but needed replacing and lack of funds etc.


Plus they look like a wheel most bikes shops would be happy servicing, I have see them grimace at a Fulcrum (Two way) and Mavic wheels. Most wouldn't carry bladed spokes etc.

I think the only time I recall feeling a wheel upgrade was going from No name cheap heavy wheels to Fulcrum 3's\Zondas Couldn't tell any difference going from 3's to Zeros to be honest.

 

[Ajax Bay]

OP - I echo the sentiments above and make two suggestions:
Replace your tyres with a decent make (eg Michelin, Continental, Schwalbe) - assume it came with Mavic's own?
Consider replacing the brake blocks - search Cycle Chat for recommendations - eg this thread:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/brake-pads.173710/

 

[altecsole]

*I'm assuming your not an elite competition athlete.

Only in my head, when I get to the top of that hard climb!

 

[altecsole]

OP - I echo the sentiments above and make two suggestions:
Replace your tyres with a decent make (eg Michelin, Continental, Schwalbe) - assume it came with Mavic's own?
Consider replacing the brake blocks - search Cycle Chat for recommendations - eg this thread:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/brake-pads.173710/

Thanks. It came with Continental Ultra Sport 2 tyres, but I'm about to swap those for some Gatorskins for the Winter.

Thanks for the tip of brake pads, I'd never considered that. Kool Stop Salmon seem to be very popular. Cheers.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I recommend Conti GP 4 Seasons as opposed to Gatorskins (lighter, grippier, roll better). The last GP4S I had on the front did 8000km and I only replaced it because I had an important (to me) 1000km ride to complete.
Have a look at this site (I've set up the comparison, and included the Michelin tyre I have on the rear at present).
Road Bike Tire Comparison: compare/continental-gatorskin-2015-vs-continental-grand-prix-4-season-2015-vs-michelin-pro-4-service-course-2014
Continental Gatorskin 2015 vs
Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 2015 vs
Michelin Pro 4 Service Course 2014

 

[mcshroom]

I was actually quite surprised by the ultrasport 2s that came with my Merida. They were better than I expected them to be. I dropped them in favour of wider tyres, but they didn't seem bad tyres.

 

[Joffey]

You’ll feel the benefit more with an aero wheel set rather than a set 200g lighter. Maybe look at some with a 40mm rim depth if you really want to upgrade your wheels.

Happy shopping!

 

[altecsole]

I recommend Conti GP 4 Seasons as opposed to Gatorskins (lighter, grippier, roll better). The last GP4S I had on the front did 8000km and I only replaced it because I had an important (to me) 1000km ride to complete.
Have a look at this site (I've set up the comparison, and included the Michelin tyre I have on the rear at present).
Road Bike Tire Comparison: compare/continental-gatorskin-2015-vs-continental-grand-prix-4-season-2015-vs-michelin-pro-4-service-course-2014
Continental Gatorskin 2015 vs
Continental Grand Prix 4 Season 2015 vs
Michelin Pro 4 Service Course 2014

Many thanks for this; that really is interesting. I might keep the Gatorskins for my wife's bike and get some Continental Grand Prix 4 for me! Cheers.

 

[altecsole]

You’ll feel the benefit more with an aero wheel set rather than a set 200g lighter. Maybe look at some with a 40mm rim depth if you really want to upgrade your wheels.

Happy shopping!

Thanks. There's so much information out there it's sometime hard to know what to do. I read some reviews of 'upgrade wheels' and the reviewer says how stiff and responsive they are, and how well they accelerate etc. It really does make it sound like a new set of wheels will transform your bike. And then you get some real world feedback on here and it seems like that's not necessarily the case. I'll definitely need to do some more research. Cheers