Im trying to understand the order in which to upgrade my biking gear over time. I found a few artciles like this one that have a ‘ranking’ or sorts https://www.triathlete.com/gear/bike/which-aero-upgrades-get-you-the-most-for-your-money/ What is the forums general wisdom on the order / types of upgrade to consider for someone with pretty much a stock bike and lowest grade gear and how much does it matter? Know the engine is the most important to my actual time but just trying to get smarter on this area. Thanks!
First, I’d go with a nice set of wheels and tires. GCN has a couple of videos where they put nice wheels/tires on a garbage bike and then they put garbage wheels/tires on a super fast bike. Guess who win? Garbage bike and new wheels/tires.
Second, I’d go with comfort - seat and aero bars.
The end result is a old pig with lipstick.
Finally, you’ll realize that you have an old bike that is not worth very much money with a bunch of nice components. This is my current state with a 2012 Cervelo P3 bike, nice Rolf wheels, new Profile Aerobars and the Bike Blue Book value around $600. I love my old bike and will continue to put lipstick on a pig (slang for continuing to upgrade my old bike with new components).
Best bang for buck for me was a waxed chain. I got my YBN chains from ZeroFrictionCycling w/ MSW pucks for re-waxes and extra master links. Noticed a slight jump in speed maybe like .3 mph but the cleanliness is the major upgrade over chain grease. Also latex tubes if you’re still running clinchers.
After the power meter, which should be first, I’d go for the low hanging fruit: faster tires, better kit, helmet, wheels (in no particular order). Then you can start to look into things like different aero bar setups, etc. I usually just wax my own chains so that is an easy add-on if you dont already do.
I did this ‘downgrade’ recently due to a cracked frame in my awesome race bike rendering it unfixable.
I’ve been racing on a 15 year old entry-level road bike with 10-speed Tiagra until I buy a new tribike.
You should probably get a bike head unit (garmin) and powermeter at some point, preferably earlier, as they’re quite useful for tracking, but they obvious don’t affect aero.
You can get really close to the aero of a top-end TT bike by doing cheap upgrades to everything outside the frame.
In my order:
Aerobars. MUST have for triathlon racing. I get about 1.5mph gain the moment I slap these onto my road bike. I have $30 aerobars with $20 pads, they work fine. (I still shift from the brifters, not the aerobars with this setup.)
Fast tires and latex tubes. The gains are small, sure, but cost is pretty low
Good tight-fitting trisuit. Most folks forget about this as they fixate on the bike, but this one is crucial if you’re doing the aero gains - loose fitting clothes can offset the thousands you spent on your aero frame. And shave your legs! (Lionel sanders aero tested this on video)
Deep race wheels. Don’t underestimate these - if you can have 50mm or larger (preferably larger!) rim wheels, you WILL go faster, and noticeably faster, like 1+mph. Best part is nowadays you don’t have to spend $2k for legit race wheels - I rock Superteam 88s (rim brake though) which sell for $350-$400 on Amazon, and are definitely fast, and look amazingly awesome (not cheap at all). As fast as my Premierbike wheels which were aero tested as very fast.
Aero helmet. Get a good one like the Aerohead. Makes a difference.
I’d go in this order, but you honestly should do all upgrades if you want to be competitive even amongst your age group. And if you’re riding 22+mph for any distance, the aero factors are SUPER important due to the expontential power needed to gain each extra mph at that point.
What is your “base” setup? It matters if you are upgrading a road bike for tris, or have an intro level tri-bike.
There are also things that will increase your enjoyment for all rides (ex. better tubes/tires, head unit) vs. things that are race-only (skinsuits, disc wheels, aero helmets).
Thanks everyone - really appreciate all the input. Im working with a stock Trek Alpha 1.2 Road Bike from 2016 so I know Im not working with the latest and greatest (have had the bike for awhile for general use). I know investing in a more current/decent frame would likely be meaningful as well.
Do folks think i should prioritize getting a modern frame/full bike or some of these upgrades first (and if so which ones) from a dollar/mph gain perspective? Again not trying to be age group competitive but probably will make some investments over the coming months and ahead of the season next year and would like it to be in the right areas
Thanks everyone - really appreciate all the input. Im working with a stock Trek Alpha 1.2 Road Bike from 2016 so I know Im not working with the latest and greatest (have had the bike for awhile for general use). I know investing in a more current/decent frame would likely be meaningful as well.
Do folks think i should prioritize getting a modern frame/full bike or some of these upgrades first (and if so which ones) from a dollar/mph gain perspective? Again not trying to be age group competitive but probably will make some investments over the coming months and ahead of the season next year and would like it to be in the right areasThe simple answer to the first and this follow-on is spend first in speed and second on lux stuff.
The blunt: your bike is basic and not worth spending much on. I wouldn’t even buy wheels.
If you are committed to this bike for a while, then get extensions, disc, and 90mm front wheel. Maybe a Tririg front brake.
Also get an aero helmet, fast tires, and latex tubes.
Power meter and head unit tech are down on the list.
I did this ‘downgrade’ recently due to a cracked frame in my awesome race bike rendering it unfixable.
I’ve been racing on a 15 year old entry-level road bike with 10-speed Tiagra until I buy a new tribike.
You should probably get a bike head unit (garmin) and powermeter at some point, preferably earlier, as they’re quite useful for tracking, but they obvious don’t affect aero.
You can get really close to the aero of a top-end TT bike by doing cheap upgrades to everything outside the frame.
In my order:
Aerobars. MUST have for triathlon racing. I get about 1.5mph gain the moment I slap these onto my road bike. I have $30 aerobars with $20 pads, they work fine. (I still shift from the brifters, not the aerobars with this setup.)
Fast tires and latex tubes. The gains are small, sure, but cost is pretty low
Good tight-fitting trisuit. Most folks forget about this as they fixate on the bike, but this one is crucial if you’re doing the aero gains - loose fitting clothes can offset the thousands you spent on your aero frame. And shave your legs! (Lionel sanders aero tested this on video)
Deep race wheels. Don’t underestimate these - if you can have 50mm or larger (preferably larger!) rim wheels, you WILL go faster, and noticeably faster, like 1+mph. Best part is nowadays you don’t have to spend $2k for legit race wheels - I rock Superteam 88s (rim brake though) which sell for $350-$400 on Amazon, and are definitely fast, and look amazingly awesome (not cheap at all). As fast as my Premierbike wheels which were aero tested as very fast.
Aero helmet. Get a good one like the Aerohead. Makes a difference.
I’d go in this order, but you honestly should do all upgrades if you want to be competitive even amongst your age group. And if you’re riding 22+mph for any distance, the aero factors are SUPER important due to the expontential power needed to gain each extra mph at that point.
Hey
How does superteam 88s perform?are they notivebly faster?
I have fulcrum racing4 alu wheels 35mm
They are very good Rigid and strong. No problem
But for superteam 88s and price around 420€ i could try
Any other user that can say anything about this wheels???
Tenks
I think it boils down to how much you are comfortable with spending. My only talent is that I can do a lot of sport, but to go faster I sadly need to spend lots of money and take extra care with my equipment choices.
Over a similar course and at similar power, I found…
Canyon Speedmax Disc roughly bumped my avg speed 3kmh over my Stigmata outfitted with same tires, clip ons but basic aluminum rims. The delta here is body position, deep wheels and an aero frameset. €5k
Castelli Free San Remo 2 trisuit bumped my avg 0.3kmh over tight fitting bibs and a jersey but only cost €150!
I hope it’s not off-topic to say an indoor trainer or trainer setup of some sort. I defer to others on equipment specs, like wheels, tubes, helmets, etc. I feel like I got more speed out of indoor riding and a power meter than any other equipment or activity. I know it’s not quite what you’re asking.
If you have a basic or even a decent standard road bike then I would go with the following, assuming you already have your position on the bike dialled in: -
Aero bars but make sure you use them.
Wheels, probably with a carbon deep section rim.
Good tyres and latex inner tubes.
Skinsuit - well fitting but comfortable.
Aero helmet (road or TT depending on your chosen discipline).
I’d consider the above the most important upgrades to make noticeable improvements.
After the above you can look at lighter components, power meters, waxed chains etc.
Appreciate everyone’s replies. Helpful and know Im working with the basic of basic bikes here so helpful to know where to think of investing if I want to over time. Thanks again!
this might be a hot take, but my opinion on your question is that the “best” investments are always going to vary person to person. i would say put little to no stock in someone else’s list, besides observing general trends.
i’d say focus on your goals and what you view as important towards achieving them.
common wisdom will say that a power meter is the best tool/upgrade to get stronger. however, i would venture - if you bought a new bike/new wheels, and that purchase simply inspired you to ride more that you would on your old bike with a power meter, could that actually make you fitter? Riding 6x per week without a power meter, versus 2x per week without…that’s up for debate but i’d say lots of us would say yeah if you rode 6x per week your fitness is going to skyrocket, even if you aren’t doing structured workouts, and probbaly make you fitter in the end, up to a certain point.
Get whatever excites you the most. the bike industry is a funny one - they release new products constantly, and sometimes it can feel like you NEED those things in order to go fast or enjoy cycling. but that’s usually not true. find what makes you the most happy. that might indeed be going as fast as possible, even by yourself on training rides where there’s no results/prizes/competition besides yourself. or it might be maximizing your comfort. or it might be achieving the perfect balance of comfort and speed. or it might be just looking “cool”. or it might be just elevating your personal cycling experience, like as through a cycling-focused vacation where you can ride your bike in places you only dream of or see on TV…
Im trying to understand the order in which to upgrade my biking gear over time. I found a few artciles like this one that have a ‘ranking’ or sorts https://www.triathlete.com/...most-for-your-money/ What is the forums general wisdom on the order / types of upgrade to consider for someone with pretty much a stock bike and lowest grade gear and how much does it matter? Know the engine is the most important to my actual time but just trying to get smarter on this area. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing that article. I like that they try to get to a watts per dollar approach. Without knowing the original and replacement equipment, it’s hard to determine the applicability of the metric.
The answer depends on what you mean by investment. For me, it meant grabbing the low hanging fruit as inexpensively as possible. Assuming by stock bike, you meant stock road bike with box rim 32 spoke wheels and further assuming that you already have a device to measure speed and distance, my order would be:
Aerobars
Aero helmet
Good tires with latex tubes or good tubeless tires
Other low cost aero goodies
Best chain lube that your willing to do the extra work for.
Aero tri-suit
Front wheel
Rear wheel
A fit is likely worthwhile. My knowledge on bearings is dated, but the tests I remember didn’t show an improvement that was greater than the test error range.
Here’s a link to a calculator that shows how many more watts are required to increase speed by a given amount. Using it along with the wheel manufacturer’s aero charts will help you set an exception for speed improvement. I found it especially helpful when choosing wheels. https://www.gribble.org/cycling/power_v_speed.html
The best thing you can do is get a new or used tri bike. If you are serious about maximizing your potential, a road bike won’t cut it. A tri specific bike, new or used, with a proper fitting from your local bike shop will give you the most gains. Then a set of race wheels. I used a power meter for about a year and haven’t used past 10 years. I found no need. If a tri bike is not in the picture for now, then a set of clip on aero bars should be your first purchase. Check the ads here for a used tri bike.
