Will I notice a difference?

[Kevs-the-name]

Just to put the question out there...

Recently purchased a Felt Z85 which comes with:
Felt's own brand 700X25 all weather tyres +
Mavic CXP22 wheels.

would you suggest/recommend a tyre upgrade (or possibly a wheel upgrade at a later date)

Can get Michelin Pro 3 for £19 each.

I am riding for fitness and to 'better my time' around a 20 mile route (road)

Cheers
KEV

 

[black'n'yellow]

given the above info, I would suggest a tyre/wheel upgrade is not neccesary. Whether you want to upgrade them is an entirely different matter.....

 

[Broadside]

The CXP22 wheels will be perfectly adequate until you wear them out so I wouldn't bother swapping them.

Tyre upgrades are a different matter though, the Pro Race 3 will haves higher TPI and be more compliant resulting in a smoother ride. They will also probably have a softer compound so will grip a bit better but all of this is academic if you haven't done a lot of riding yet. You would probably be better advised to wear out what you've got than spending money before you need to, that way you can decide if you notice any difference and if it was therefore worth it.

 

[doctornige]

You will have to spend quite a bit to get a noticeable difference over the Mavics. I agree with the other posters on tyres.

For my part, I did switch the Mavics out for Fulcrum Racing 5s and put folding Gatorskins on them. The bike is a shade nippier on quick uphill accelerations, but those wheels are not exactly cheap.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I upgraded from stock Alexrims that came with my Secteur. It also had 700 x 25 tyres. The main reason I upgraded is that the rear one was shite and kept going out of true and it was a major pain. I got Mavic Aksium's with Vredestein Fortezza Tricomp folding 700 x 23 tyres. I run the tyres at a higher pressure and yes I can tell a slight difference, although my wheels are hardly high end. They do look way better though. The only problem I have is that a lot of the roads where I live are in a terrible state and the ride is much harsher and as such I am thinking of switching back to wider tyres. If my bike came with decent cheap wheels instead of garbage I would not of bothered. The Akium's despite the lower spoke count have been superb I also like the cartridge bearings on the hubs as I would rather buy new bearings than mess about with cones.

 

[doctornige]

When I switched my wheels I took advice from Rob in Fred Salmon's shop in Whaley Bridge. They know the roads round here because they ride them, and they also supply British Cycling with wheels when they bend them on the local roads. They were confident that Fulcrum 5s were bob on for the Peak and that Gatorskins would offer the decent compromise between speed and durability.

Basically, if you have an LBS around that are road bike mad, then just ask them what they would stick on the bike. Sure, go in with your Internet price and see what they can do, but remember that you can also get the cassette fitted by them too, and they will even adjust the gears if there is a slight difference in hub fit. Bike Factory were amazing in this regard.

Nige.