Should I bother changing wheels and/or tyres?

papekani

Hi all,

Already had some good advice here about my Carrera TdF. I'll hopefully be upgrading to something better later in the year, but for now I'm keeping it as I need to get out more in preparation for a charity London to Paris I'm doing in July.

I'm in the process of changing a couple of things on the bike, but stuck as to whether it is worth changing the wheels and/or tyres. The BikeRadar review of this bike in 2011 said the wheels come in at 3.81kg combined. I've read some posts here that say it's worth changing them to something lighter, and some saying that changing the tyres (they come with Kenda 700 x 23 I think) is a better option.

Assuming that this kind of upgrade isn't completely wasted money (in that if I keep the old wheels, I can put them back on and keep the new ones for the new bike later in the year), what would you guys recommend – change the wheels and the tyres, or just change the tyres to provide a bit more comfort and durability over long distances? Any suggestions as to what to change to would also be most welcome.

Thanks in advance.

MattyyP

At 3.8kg I would be changing the wheels... That is quite a weight for a wheelset... I'm running Shimano RS30s at the minute and they come in at about 2kg for the wheelset, which is still classed as quite a weighty wheel however they are very durable! And at around £200 they aren't too expensive...

Bobbinogs

Decent tyres, one of the best and real upgrades you can make and about the best, Pound for Pound.

Something like 4Seasons at the mo are used by many cyclists but I use GP4000s all year round, as well as Ultremo ZX. I think a lot depends on your local roads but the Cotswolds seem to ok (some areas get a lot of sharp flints, etc., washed onto the surface).

elderone

personally I,d use the ones you have for winter and get something better come spring,but if you intend getting new bike then you can swap wheels and use the carrera as your winter bike.

papekani

Bobbinogs wrote:

Decent tyres, one of the best and real upgrades you can make and about the best, Pound for Pound.

Something like 4Seasons at the mo are used by many cyclists but I use GP4000s all year round, as well as Ultremo ZX. I think a lot depends on your local roads but the Cotswolds seem to ok (some areas get a lot of sharp flints, etc., washed onto the surface).

Would changing tyres alone be enough of an upgrade, or do I need to do wheels too?

papekani

elderone wrote:

personally I,d use the ones you have for winter and get something better come spring,but if you intend getting new bike then you can swap wheels and use the carrera as your winter bike.

I quite like that idea (having spent three hours in the garage on Sunday giving the whole bike a damn good clean).

Gizmodo

papekani wrote:

Would changing tyres alone be enough of an upgrade, or do I need to do wheels too?

If you agree with the Team Sky "marginal gains" theory then every upgrade you can do is worth it. But they have a huge budget, you don't. Go with what you can afford.

Better tyres is a minimum. Lighter wheels will help climbing hills. But how far can you afford to go and how much it is worth it can only be your choice.

nochekmate

MattyyP wrote:

At 3.8kg I would be changing the wheels... That is quite a weight for a wheelset... I'm running Shimano RS30s at the minute and they come in at about 2kg for the wheelset, which is still classed as quite a weighty wheel however they are very durable! And at around £200 they aren't too expensive...

If you paid £200 for RS30s you massively overpaid - just bought a set for around £120+ for a bike build (to sell on) from http://www.bike-discount.de and they are less than £130 here (not that I am recommending them) but just pointing out the pricing

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPS ... 0h___black

Don't buy new wheels now - ride the 3Kg pair through the crap weather then treat yourself in the Spring to new bike and new wheels & new tyres - you'll feel the difference then

papekani

nochekmate wrote:

MattyyP wrote:

At 3.8kg I would be changing the wheels... That is quite a weight for a wheelset... I'm running Shimano RS30s at the minute and they come in at about 2kg for the wheelset, which is still classed as quite a weighty wheel however they are very durable! And at around £200 they aren't too expensive...

If you paid £200 for RS30s you massively overpaid - just bought a set for around £120+ for a bike build (to sell on) from http://www.bike-discount.de and they are less than £130 here (not that I am recommending them) but just pointing out the pricing

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPS ... 0h___black

Don't buy new wheels now - ride the 3Kg pair through the crap weather then treat yourself in the Spring to new bike and new wheels & new tyres - you'll feel the difference then

Sounds lovely, but I won't be buying a new bike until the end of the Summer I would imagine.

MattyyP

nochekmate wrote:

MattyyP wrote:

At 3.8kg I would be changing the wheels... That is quite a weight for a wheelset... I'm running Shimano RS30s at the minute and they come in at about 2kg for the wheelset, which is still classed as quite a weighty wheel however they are very durable! And at around £200 they aren't too expensive...

If you paid £200 for RS30s you massively overpaid - just bought a set for around £120+ for a bike build (to sell on) from http://www.bike-discount.de and they are less than £130 here (not that I am recommending them) but just pointing out the pricing

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/WPS ... 0h___black

Don't buy new wheels now - ride the 3Kg pair through the crap weather then treat yourself in the Spring to new bike and new wheels & new tyres - you'll feel the difference then

They RRP at £250, and were being sold just before christmas at around the £200 mark, they came with my bike so I didn't really pay much for them considering... Didn't realise they had dropped so much in price though in the sales...

rjkflyer

Friend of mine changed from his Specialized Espoir 23mm tyres to Conti 4 Seasons 25mm: saved 200g, massively more compliant ride, and hopefully not a puncture every other week...

A nice upgrade.

philwint

Hi,

I’ve the same bike. I’ve already changed the tyres for Continental Grand Prix 4Season (massive pot hole induced front tyre splitting open). This does seem to have made a noticable difference. The grip is better for sure, and they do feel slightly lighter and more responsive. I have had the wheels off and weighed them – 2548 grams!!! (Pair - no tyres/cassette/quick release)

So my plan is, yes, to change the wheels. Even the very cheap (chainreaction £99) Shimano R501 @ 1.9kg look to be a good cost/weight compromise. But for almost double the cost I’m also considering the Mavic Aksium.

Also looking to upgrade the bike completely as the weather improves, but will retain this as a winter trainer, so want something reasonably long term on it.

simon_masterson

philwint wrote:

2548 grams!!! (Pair - no tyres/cassette/quick release)

So my plan is, yes, to change the wheels. Even the very cheap (chainreaction £99) Shimano R501 @ 1.9kg look to be a good cost/weight compromise. But for almost double the cost I’m also considering the Mavic Aksium.

Also looking to upgrade the bike completely as the weather improves, but will retain this as a winter trainer, so want something reasonably long term on it.

Don't buy wheels for weight; buy them for performance and durability. Cheap factory wheels often have low quality hubs and rims. The weight difference won't change your life anyway.

zx6man

The stock tyres are rubbish. I use continental ultrasports on mine and they made a huge difference.
Wheel wise again, save the pennies for the new bike . Heavy wheels will help you train anyway :-) more weight to lug around.

cycleclinic

3.8 kg for ypour Tdf wheels will be with tyres, tubes, skewers and freewheel. By the time you have put all the kits on some fulcrum racing 7's or shimano equivlent you will be adding over 1 kg so the weight saving will be not a great as you think. To drop weight each component needs to weighed first and then the new part weighed after you have bought them. Manufacturers claims cannot always be trusted. I would start with tyres. Those kenda will be 280g+ GP4 seasons are 220g each I have weighed them. There's 100g at least.

I would also save for a new bike. Change the tyres at the most you can keep those for your next bike.

papekani

zx6man wrote:

The stock tyres are rubbish. I use continental ultrasports on mine and they made a huge difference.
Wheel wise again, save the pennies for the new bike . Heavy wheels will help you train anyway :-) more weight to lug around.

Thanks. I'm definitely leaning more towards just changing the tyres, perhaps once the weather starts getting a bit better. When you say "they made a huge difference", can you elaborate a bit more? In what way? Comfort, average speed, punctures, etc.

zx6man

The stock ones felt as if they were just too hard so didn't seem to grip. Although this was only evident once mine were changed. The front had a bulge so forced me to change within a day. The ultrasports gripped more which made it more stable in corners.

Can't match like for like on punctures etc as the stock ones didn't get more than 10 miles on them.

papekani

zx6man wrote:

The stock ones felt as if they were just too hard so didn't seem to grip. Although this was only evident once mine were changed. The front had a bulge so forced me to change within a day. The ultrasports gripped more which made it more stable in corners.

Can't match like for like on punctures etc as the stock ones didn't get more than 10 miles on them.

Thanks. Out of interest, did you go for rigid or folding and 23mm or 25mm?

zx6man

23mm and I believe they were rigid. not 100% on that as they were fitted in the shop, can double check tonight if need be for you. I dont think they are puncture proof but had none in nearly 3000 miles..