Long time lurker, new poster here. I was wondering what peoples’ thought were regarding the best upgrade for a road bike. Sorry, but don’t pick the easy choice – wheelset (already did that). Of course, I am sure this depends on the individual, so for a little background, I ride a Trek 5200 with Rolf Prima Vigor SL wheelset. I am just a recreational rider, but I do like to hammer (which for me means sustained rides at 22-3 on the flat, slower in the hills) sometimes. I also reserve the right to enter a sprint or Oly tri at some point (came from a running background). So, esteemed slowtwitchers, what do you think is the best way to buy some speed? Many thanks in advance.
adjust your bars/stem until your road position looks like greg lemonds
then a wheelset, your wheelset is not particularly aero-pimp
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tyres
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Triathlete mag did a story on this last year. Dont have the edition with me at the moment. Maybe another STer has that issue. I think they listed wheels, aero helmet, coaching, etc and ranked which one was the best. I do remember the right clothing was pretty high.
Aero bars?
Jack-
You are one funny guy! Never miss a beat!
Thanks for the replies, everyone…please keep them coming.
Jack, mind if I borrow that “aero-pimp” phrase?
Proper bike fit and any equipment changes that might incur such as new handlebars, stems, etc.
After that, I’d say aerobars then wheels.
And, don’t forget new bar tape. It can improve a bike ride so much…
From the April 2008 Tri Mag:
100 representing the best value in terms of time saved per dollar spent
Clothing 100
Tires 80
Aero Helmet 46
Training Tools (HR Monitor, coaching, power meter, etc.) 18
Positioning 16
Fork 14
Aerobars 9
Wheels (front and rear) 7
Frame and Frok 7
Frame 6
Ceramic Bearings 5
.
Rotor Ceramic BB, It will make a big improvement for a little over $200 bucks
From there web site http://www.rotorbikeusa.com
Rotor SABB bottom bracket
The Worlds most intelligent BB?
Are you sick of replacing your outboard bearings? Are you tired of having to drag overreinforced
lead plated BB’s unhill? Weight Weenies, quality lovers and discerning
cyclists beware! The SABB (Self Aligning Bottom Bracket) is the final solution for
unrivalled reliability, that is also one of the lightest options on the market. You won’t be
dissapointed!
What is the SABB?
The Self Aligning Bottom Bracket from ROTOR is the standard BB of the Ágilis crank
set and is compatible with most crank sets from other major manufacturers. The SABB
uses external bearings, but contains a fundamental difference to every other outboard
bearing bottom bracket system: the bearings are held within ballinsocket
housings,
allowing them to swivel into absolutely parallel alignment with each other, irrespective
of any outside influences. This automatic selfalignment
of the bearing races occurs
independent of any possible frame imperfections or stresses: unparallel faces, non
perfect concentricity of the threading in both sides, deformation due to excessive
loading, etc.
Additionally, due to its user friendliness and simplicity, the consumer can change the
bearings without the need of any special tool. Anybody who is tired of replacing their
standard BB cups from other brands can easily retrofit the ROTOR SABB system to
their bike, guaranteeing thousands of kilometres of care free cycling.
The SABB is available for Road (BSA and ITA tube), and for MTB (68 and 73 mm).
Install it and forget it.
$200 bottom bracket is the best upgrade for the dollar = False.
Tight clothes, fast tires/latex tubes, set of aerobars, aero helmet, aero wheels, aero frame. Probably in that order.
If we are talking road bike upgrades here I have always been partial to high-end pedals and cranks. You can really notice the difference if you upgrade to a top-of-line crank; the stiffness of the crank makes it feel like your bike leaps forward and you can save a good chunk of weight on this component as well. I like Shimano Dura-Ace but there are a number of awesome aftermarket cranks on the market as well. Same with pedals - I won’t even bother to state which ones I like because pedals are such personal preference; but this is another component where you can notice the rotating difference with high-end bearings, better cornering clearance, and less rotating weight.
$200 bottom bracket is the best upgrade for the dollar = False.
Yeah I have to agree with that. You can get Dura-Ace outboard BB’s these days for $45 or so, less if you shop around and I really don’t see why anyone would want to spend more. I just replaced my DA BB last week and the prior one had lasted 3 years; and yes I ride a race a good amount.
replacing all of the cables, bar tape, brake pads and chain if necessary, plus a complete clean up and performing derailure adjustments if the chain is not performing correctly are about the only “upgrades” I can think of for a trek 5200 short of a bike fit. Of course, if you are running a triple crank set, you could throw it in the dumpster and replace it with a double crank.
A nice set of bib shorts is money well spent and if you are wearing a Sponge Bob jersey on your rides, you would be wise to burn it and upgrade to a more stylish looking jersey immediately.
ROAD BIKE, I would assume he has clothing, top end tires and quick to puncture latex tubes have a shorter life span and will cost close to that (assuming you don’t gray market them and buy them from a local shop) no need for aero bars or aero helmet its for a road bike and road use. not to mention its not prudent to put aero bars on a road bike unless they are the shortys and the rider know how to rotate there pelvic cradle. He has wheels and again its for Road use, he would spen alot more to buy and change over to a new frame.
The Rotor BB is Ceramic and untill you feel the differance you may not want to dismiss it completly
DGG
Correction its $179 and installation is free if you have an Elite and come to our shop/headquarters in Philadelphia
I agree the DA BB is great, but the Ceramic Rotor is better.
DGG