I'm clearly not ready to upgrade components yet (I've been riding for what, 7 weeks?), but I was curious as to what everyone's opinions were when it comes to upgrades. How far "up" should you go? What should you upgrade first and what can wait?
If I was going to upgrade anything, I'd look at my wheelset. As near as I can figure, upgrading the "factory" wheelset provides the best performance gains for the expense. The other upgrade I'd consider is a set of clipless pedals if you don't already have a set.
I did ignore all the "accessories" (lights, jerseys, helmets, gloves, etc.) and consumables (tubes, tires, chains, etc.) that I've spent most of my cash on since buying my bike. I view most of those as "got to haves" vs. upgrades.
Depending on the bike you have, I would agree with Jim. First is the wheelset as far as major upgrades. The first little one you could do is the clipless pedals though. They will make you a much more efficient rider and personally I think a better one. A good computer is a must. If you have only been riding a short time invest in a good computer WITH A CADENCE!!! This is not so much an upgrade, but a necessity. I personally use the Cateye Double Wireless and love it. Everything is mounted to the rear whell so when I ride my trainer at the fire station, the miles count and I still get a MPH reading and my cadence is accurate.
Look forward to meeting you and seeing you on sunday at 2:00. Kathy Cowart said that she will be joining us on her NEW SCOTT ADDICT R3 that she assembled today.
"If you have only been riding a short time invest in a good computer WITH A CADENCE!!! This is not so much an upgrade, but a necessity." - TommyCrow
Couldn't agree more with that one. I assumed a good computer which may have been a bad assumption on my part.
Now for the real reason for the post, what wheelset would you recommend in the sub-1500 gram; < $1500 range? I've looked at the Mavic R-SYS, Mavic Kysirium SL, American Classic Sprint 350, Easton EA90SL (which I know Joe has) and the Reynolds Attack. I've thrown out the Reynolds attack as the spoke nipples appear to be hard to get to if/when the wheel goes out of true. Price-to-Weight ratio seems to favor the American Classic's but I'm a bit leary of them for some reason (like the Price-to-Weight it "too good").
Given all the new bikes ridden by the Bicycle Etc. employees, I'm really starting to get "bike envy" - which causes me to hesitate about buying new wheels (new wheels vs. new bike when you want both!!!). Yes, my list of wants is pretty long and way to expensive.
Dang!!! I don't know why I didn't say this earlier in the thread. But if you're at all interested, I did write-up and submit my "review" of my Speedplay Zero clipless pedals and my Blackburn Delphi 5.0 cycling computer. They can be found in the product review section.
IF I "pull the trigger" on a new set of wheels, I'll certainly submit my review as those after I've had them for a few weeks.