CAAD10 - wheels, tyres, brake pads, and bar tape upgrades

jimmm

I'm still relatively new to road cycling - but have caught the bug big time, and therefore want to upgrade some components of my CAAD10, when it goes in for it's first service at the LBS this week. The bike is going to be used all year, most weathers, and all types of cycling (commute and weekend rides) - so I need to make it a tough all rounder!

The first thing to upgrade is going to be the wheelset - as I have read this will make the biggest difference. At present I am running the stock Shimano RS10s. My budget is around the £400 mark - and I know it is recommended to go for hand-built - but I think I have opted to buy factory built. From my research I have narrowed it down to either the Mavic Ksyrium Elite or the Fulcrum Racing 3s. I can get the Ksyrium for £380, and the Fulcrums for a bit less at £360. I weigh 80kg, and am looking for a lightish pair of wheels that will handle both my daily commute, but also my speedier and longer weekend rides. The hubs and bearings will also need to be able to survive the wet weather...or be easily maintained/replaceable. What would be the best out of these two - or should I be considering others? Will I notice a big difference upgrading from the RS10s at this price range?

I've seen it is recommended to put in new brake pads when you get new wheels. I think I will be going for SwissStop GHP II Pads, as I have read that they are good in all weather conditions, and also don't leave too much muck? I can get two pairs of these for £20 - so will consider any other pads for around the same price?

New wheels - means new tyres! Will need to be pretty grippy to last the wet and wintery months, and also resistant to punctures. My LBS stocks the Continental Grand Prix 4000 which seems to fit the bill - and also in a range of colours so I can match to the Liquigas colours of the frame! Are these tyres recommended? Can get a pair for around £60.

Finally bar tape. I want something that is grippy but also cushioned for the long weekend rides. My LBS stocks Lizard Skins DSP Bar Tape - does anyone have any experience with this? Will consider anything around the £20 mark - so any other recommendations would be good.

Sorry for the long post...but any help will be much appreciated. I guess the next areas to upgrade/replace after these will be the saddle, seat post, stem and handlebars - but they will hit my wallet hard so will have to wait till next year!

bikeit65

If you are looking for hand built wheels contact ugo.santalucia on here he is a fantastic wheel builder i can highly recommend him.
He is currently selling a pair of wheels at a great price
viewtopic.php?f=40091&t=12874803

mamba80

my advice to you would be to keep everything standard except the pads and ride the thing over the winter as it is, then in the spring buy the wheels and tape etc etc - replace the tires as and when the get worn out with the 4000s - the winter will muller anything decent you put on and the rs10s are not particularly bad wheels in any case, and get some mud (crud) guards or similar and tape up the forks and seat stays before fitting them or you ll damage the paint work.

thespanishadam

http://www.bikeinn.com/bike/mavic-2012- ... ir/26842/p

The Mavic can be had here at a very reasonable price.

BikeSwan

Wheels:

The RS10's would make good winter wheels which you could thrash around a bit if you so choose, so I wouldn't sell them. A Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 C24 wheelset would be a very nice wheelset upgrade. They can be had from Chain Reaction for 560 pounds which is quite a bit over your budget, but they are completely bomb proof wheels while also being extremely light. I would recommend shedding the extra 160 pounds and get the C24's. The wheels you mentioned are very nice, but they dont hold a candle to the C24's. If you cant quite justify the extra 160, then consider the Shimano RS80's they are very similar to the Dura-Ace wheels but quite a lot cheaper. Overall at your price point I think Shimano will be your best bet, others will have different ideas, but through my own experience I think you get a lot more for your money with the Shimano's.

Pads:

Not really to big a deal. Get what makes you feel good, but most pads will feel roughly the same. I cant say the same for carbon rimed wheels but . . .

Tires:

If your going to be commuting and doing a lot of miles on the tires, then i'd have a look at the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance or Optimum tires. I use the Pro 4 Service Course tires and they are superb! Also if you get the heavier duty tires you can get away with some superlight tubes like Continental Race 28 Supersonics.

Bar Tape:

I use the Lizard Skin bar tape (specifically the Lizard Skin DSP 2.5mm). I cannot recommend it enough, you'll find your self ditching your gloves if you ride this bar tape, its amazingly comfortable and very grippy.

Other:

As mentioned above, some Crud guards could come in very handy at the right moment.

bikeit65

Could you put up some photos of the bike with the new bar tape?

porker33

I have a caad10 as a winter/2nd bike,,,I have fitted michelin krylions and have conti 4 seasons ready to go on as the weather worsens. I have fitted swissstop green pads and kept the RS10 wheels, which I am impressed with for the money and intended use. I have a set of DA7900 C24 with Gp4000S from my other bike, which I fit to the caad from time to time, the bike rides marginally better, not much though.....I feel the caad-105-rs10-combo works quite well together personally, despite owning and having the opportunity to ride something slightly more expensive...

notlongnow

If it was my bike id use everything as it is as they are all solid components however If you want a spare wheelset id use the RS10's for everyday and a more expensive set for club/weekend rides.

jimmm

Thanks for the responses so far...so general consensus is to keep the RS10s till the worst of the weather passes? Probably the first time this forum has got me in the mindset of not spending money! Although I am still strongly considering the wheelset upgrade now rather than later.

When I say most weather - I will be avoiding heavy rain showers, snow, sleet etc. But will commute if it is really light rain/or if the ground is wet from a recent rainfall - and every so often I will get caught in a heavier shower. I will be avoiding riding at all when there is salt on the ground or ice as I don't want to destroy the bike! So I was ultimately looking for a wheelset that won't get damaged or lose performance if they are caught in the rain every so often.

I had the Crud guards fitted for a small amount of time, and just didn't get on with them so they eventually came off! So means I get a wet backside every so often, and a bit more cleaning of the bike - but I will survive.

Bikeit65 wrote:

Could you put up some photos of the bike with the new bar tape?

Yeah no problem, will post them up once it has been put on. Thinking green bar tape - and then changing the hoods to either white or blue.

ugo.santalucia

jimmm wrote:

Thanks for the responses so far...so general consensus is to keep the RS10s till the worst of the weather passes? Probably the first time this forum has got me in the mindset of not spending money! Although I am still strongly considering the wheelset upgrade now rather than later.

When I say most weather - I will be avoiding heavy rain showers, snow, sleet etc. But will commute if it is really light rain/or if the ground is wet from a recent rainfall - and every so often I will get caught in a heavier shower. I will be avoiding riding at all when there is salt on the ground or ice as I don't want to destroy the bike! So I was ultimately looking for a wheelset that won't get damaged or lose performance if they are caught in the rain every so often.

I had the Crud guards fitted for a small amount of time, and just didn't get on with them so they eventually came off! So means I get a wet backside every so often, and a bit more cleaning of the bike - but I will survive.

Bikeit65 wrote:

Could you put up some photos of the bike with the new bar tape?

Yeah no problem, will post them up once it has been put on. Thinking green bar tape - and then changing the hoods to either white or blue.

The ones I am selling at a slashed price that Biteit65 was mentioning fit all your requirements, unless what you really mean is "I want some wheels that look fast with big bladed spokes and massive logos", in which case they don't. I have built lighter, sleeker wheels, but really don't fit your description.
Don't mean to be rude, but most people ask for advice for something reliable for 365 days use and what they really want is a set of high profile carbon wheels... :roll:

jimmm

No I really do want something that is reliable - the reason I was siding for factory builts was that the LBS has 20% off everything at the moment - and they have quite a good range of factory builts in stock. The other reason is that they were readily available and could get fitted when I have my first service.

But I am always open to suggestion - do you have a link to the ones you are selling - or can you PM me the details with prices and pictures please? Really interested to see what you have to offer especially as you have been recommended above. Performance and reliability are my main priorities - but looks do play a bit of a part of course

jimmm

I should add that my commute is only 2.5 miles each way - all on road - and half of that along cycle lanes. So I'd hardly say my commute is that strenuous.

notlongnow

So you've spent money on a caad10 but want to change its components already?why didnt you just buy a more expensive bike?Like in my previous post your components are fine at least get some wear out of them or at best buy a spare wheelset and better tyres for your longer rides,its just my opinion but if you want to splash the cash go for it.

bikeit65

I would agree with notlongnow,
i replaced the RS10 wheels with a pair of hand built from ugo.santalucia and it made a big difference to the bike, if i was in your shoes the only thing i would replace on your bike would be the wheels and tyres, get some Gatorskins or GP4000s tyres to go with your new wheels.
i dont think the RS10s will last long if you are using them daily.

tonye_n

Gosh!
I wish I had this type of money to just blow on non-required upgrades soon after buying a very good bike.
Why not just ride what you have into the ground and then upgrade.
The ONLY thing I would have considered changing immediately is the wheelset.

This far into the year, I would not upgrade anything so close to the winter months.
If you truely intend to use this bike for daily commuting, then some of the components (cassette and chain) would be ripe for replacement by next summer.

A good set of 32 spoke wheels will make a huge difference to the smoothness of ANY alu bike... even a 'Dale.
However it does not need to be handbuilt. In any case most local LBS don't build wheels any better than so called factory builds these days. The key is in the quality of the rims and the spoke count. More spokes mean that the spoke tension does not need to be so high, making for a more compliant ride.

Perhaps a set of Open Pros with double butted spokes and at least Ultegra level hubs (or even hope hubs if you can stand the noise).

tonye_n

I use a set of Mavic Ksyrium Elites for my commuting bike (as steel joby....).
Have had the wheels since mid 2010 and have never needed any work doing on it.
I opened, cleaned up and regreased the rear hub recently (just out of interest) but thats all.
Supper reliable. Stiff and light enough (<1.5kg) to be very responive for the inevitable hills climbs when commuting about Bristol.

Perfectly true since day one. I am 5'8" with normal cycling weight (slim), and I use a backpack on my every commute with a laptop in it.

jimmm

Think I am going to take some advice given this thread - and not make any changes till spring - as long as I can stay strong in the lbs when I go there next week!

I'm still relatively new to road cycling - so may find myself using the bike differently to what I am at the moment - which would mean I would need different parts.

Probably the most sensible route to take.