£120 upgrade - Wheels, brakes or mechs

Fearnie

Ok, my Trek 1000 is as basic as you can but its got me slim, to work and out every weekend. However, I want to upgrade it bit by bit and looking more towards a set of wheels most likely Fulcrum 7's. This is going to cost approx £120 with tyres but would I be better off spending this on upgrades to the front and rear mechs (Ultegra at least) or better brakes (tried some Campag skeletons and awesome compared to mine).

Id be grateful for coments, and would I notice such a difference with either options?

Unfortunately a new bike fitted with Campag is out of the question!

Garybee

Whether or not that is a worthwhile upgrade depends on what is currently on the bike really. Generally, it's not worth making a small upgrade so unless the wheels you currently have are very poor I would say don't bother. I also don't think changing the mechs is likely to be worthwhile unless yours are not shifting properly. I have a Veloce rear on my road race bike and 105 on my TT bike, they both shift perfectly.

A good wheelset will make a noticeable difference but don't fall into the trap of getting something a bit better. Save up a bit longer and get something a lot better. This will cost less in the long run as you won't need to upgrade so often.

Slow Downcp

Not sure what wheels you have as standard, but you probably wouldn;t get much improvement from switching to Fulcrum 7's (unless as already said your wheels NEED replacing). Better to put more money into the tyres first (Michelin ProRace 2 or 3's would be a good choice), and save more towards better wheels.

Fearnie

Thanks guys, the wheel I have on at the moment are Chrina Rigida's (no, I havent heard of the either!). They are reasonable but to be honest, I was going to use the rear for just my turbo trainer to save tyres and the new ones for the road.
Maybe I should just get a cheap rear wheel/tyre for my turbo sessions.

The front mech is Sora at the best and Tiagra at rear so not sure how much difference an upgrade in that department would be?

If I dont spend this, I can see it blown on a donkey at Cheltenham next week!

maddog 2

wheels

but I'd either:

- buy s/hand
(e.g I sold a pair of open pro on Hope monos a while back for 150)

- or, save up and spend more

perhaps even source the hubs s/hand then get the built up using OPs with decent spokes, by a decent builder. Something like that could come in for maybe 150 ish if you're canny

Ste_S

Save the money, and buy something nice when bits need replacing.

acorn_user

Actually, that's Rigida Chrina They are very good rims for the money (about 15 pounds each). I have some laced to Campagnolo Athena hubs that have given me excellent service. They weigh around 100g more than a Mavic Open Pro, but are strong and dependable (if built correctly). Made in France too.

I would spend a little money on new brake blocks, new cables and some nice tyres.