Which Wheels as next upgrade?

[Jameshow]

I think you may have these bikes confused with something else, neither is a gravel bike, both are very much road bikes, fast road bikes. Granted the C3 can take 32mm tyres but that hardly makes it a gravel bike. The Caledonia takes 36mm, again that doesn't make it a gravel bike.

The Caledonia was described as a gravel bike in several reviews at the time all be it a road orientated gravel ready bike.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

3kph is a big difference.

I would estimate 2 to 2.5 km/h of that is the tyre and much reduced rolling resistance. I have summer and winter tyres and you really do see those kind of differences when you swap over.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I must admit I am still intrigued by some of the high-end CFRP wheelsets coming out of China though; I imagine moving from boggo alloy rims to some composite hoops that weight getting on for half as much must feel pretty special

I haven't tried a set, but there are a few brands now which people like Hambini and Peak Torque on Youtube (both pretty experienced engineers) rate very highly. 9velo come out very well when reviewed and with the dollar exchange rate plus a 10% code can be picked up for around £650-700 delivered. I very nearly bought a set about 12 months ago but the exchange rate was a bit higher back then, and I got an unbelievable deal on a set of carbon campag shamals, so I purchased those instead.

 

[mickle]

When you consider the hundreds of thousands that people happily spend on high performance motor bikes and super cars, which will never be driven to their full potential, i think spending a wedge on upgrading your bike *just because you want to* is enough justification in itself. You don't need a perceived performance benefit beyond wanting to ride a farking nice bike.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

When you consider the hundreds of thousands that people happily spend on high performance motor bikes and super cars, which will never be driven to their full potential, i think spending a wedge on upgrading your bike *just because you want to* is enough justification in itself. You don't need a perceived performance benefit beyond wanting to ride a farking nice bike.

I agree, it is up to people how they spend their money, if you want nice things then I don't really see the issue. My main pet peeve (which doesn't really happen here but we used to get loads of on the old BR forum) was people constantly asking will X bike or Y wheels make me faster, or thinking that dropping £8k on a bike would turn them into a semi-pro cyclist by some act of magic!

 

[Jameshow]

I agree, it is up to people how they spend their money, if you want nice things then I don't really see the issue. My main pet peeve (which doesn't really happen here but we used to get loads of on the old BR forum) was people constantly asking will X bike or Y wheels make me faster, or thinking that dropping £8k on a bike would turn them into a semi-pro cyclist by some act of magic!

In thinking it will!🤣🤣 roll on 50th birthday!!

 

[Dan Lotus]

Durano Plus tyres versus GP5000s!

I have ridden both tyres, and rate them very highly, but for me they are for very different situations.
The Duranos are fairly heavy and have a whacking great thick foamy layer to try and protect the tube, generating a fair amount of rolling resistance.
I used mine in the past for commuting and as a winter tyre - only one breach which was a ginormous thorn.

GP5000s are my summer tyres, and they roll really well, have low rolling resistance, and are much lighter.

I carried out a test on a local 80km loop I ride regularly on consecutive Sundays, same bike, one Sunday with 25mm Duranos, one week with 25mm (I've since migrated to 28s) GP5000s, and the unscientific result was a 3.2kmh speed difference, so I do not doubt your own findings one bit.

Fwiw, when I upgraded I went to Spokesman wheels, and he built me a set of wheels exactly to budget and as light as we could go within reason, based on the bike it was for - delighted with them.

 

[fossyant]

Durano Plus tyres versus GP5000s!

I have ridden both tyres, and rate them very highly, but for me they are for very different situations.
The Duranos are fairly heavy and have a whacking great thick foamy layer to try and protect the tube, generating a fair amount of rolling resistance.
I used mine in the past for commuting and as a winter tyre - only one breach which was a ginormous thorn.

This.

I moved to Durano's for commuting as I was puncturing Conti 4 Seasons far too often once I moved to a shared path route with glass. The Durano's felt a lot slower, and showed on my times, but I got used to them - it's a commute innit. My current commuter, I'm on a slow heavy MTB with semi off road tyres. It's slow. The CX bike with gravel tyres feels fast.

Tyres make a huge difference, even for MTB - speed or grip ? I can't be bothered these days with latex or PU tubes, but tyre choice is important. Some roll better than others, and do a good job.