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jok5
Posts: 46
I have £500 to spend on upgrading my Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 2015. What's a good upgrade to make a good bike even better. If wheels and tyres what ones.
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Jok5 wrote:I have £500 to spend on upgrading my Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 2015. What's a good upgrade to make a good bike even better. If wheels and tyres what ones.
Define 'better'.
Faster? Lighter? More bling?
If you still have stock tyres I would suggest changing these to something like GP4000s or Michelin Pro 4's.
Wheels is the place most bike manufacturers cut corners, so always a worthwhile upgrade. Have a look at some Fulcrum 3s. Mavic Ksyrium Elites etc.0 -
Fulcrum wheels always seem to have good reviews but my experience with them (and my friends) has not been good. Bearings seem to need replacing regularly on mine and water gets into hub easily. But maybe I just have a bad set.
Personally I'd go down the handbuilt wheel route. For £500 you could get dura ace hubs and something like velocity a23 rims or hplus son archetypes rims.0 -
As other have said - it depends what you mean by better - but most people seem to agree that the standard wheels and tyres are the obvious thing to change first on a bike.
I've got fulcrums on both my bikes and they've been great. Many people like Campag Zondas (Campag and Fulcrum are the same company, so basically the same wheeels) but most people with handbuilt wheels recommend them too.0 -
Jok5 wrote:I have £500 to spend on upgrading my Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 2015. What's a good upgrade to make a good bike even better. If wheels and tyres what ones.
You do not say what condition the bike is in, or where you might be looking for improvement, or why.
First, tyres: I would replace these only when they become worn or torn. If they are not, then I'd leave them until they are. There are billions of tyres available on the market and many feel slightly different from others... but better? It depends on what you mean by better. If the condition of the tyres is fine, I'd wait until it is not.
Secondly, wheels: The wheels you have are already pretty good. They do make a difference, but once you're at 'pretty good' the increments are tiny. You seem to like the bike as it is, so I'm not sure that chucking £500 at the wheels will make you like it any more. I'd counsel against mistaking spend for pleasure. If you nerf a wheel beyond repair, have in mind an upgrade that you'd like, but if not, I promise you the greatest difference you'll notice is that your wallet is £500 lighter.
Thirdly, bang for buck: Do you have nice (not Rapha, just nice) clothing for all the conditions you ride in? If not, I'd chuck some cash at that. lined long-sleeved tops, bib tights, bib shorts, overshoes, gloves (fingered and fingerless) woolly hat, sunglasses and so on.
Fourthly, Tools: Do you take your sickle into the shop for jobs you have the knowledge but lack the tools for? If so, I'd buy the tools. Great pleasure derives from knowing (rather than believing) that a nut or bolt is done up just as it should be. And you gain in 'mechanical sympathy' by setting up your own brakes and mechs and cables.
Lastly: Do you have the pedals that best suit your use of the bike? I regularly see commuters hobbling from the bike sheds in road shoes. Similarly, chaingang riders at the weekend on a cake stop.... A nice set of shoes and pedals to make your sickle more user-friendly without being any slower can be a good spend.
But really, it sounds as if you have a lovely bicycle, not in need of cosmetic augmentation or similar.0 -
Debeli wrote:Jok5 wrote:I have £500 to spend on upgrading my Cannondale Synapse Carbon 5 2015. What's a good upgrade to make a good bike even better. If wheels and tyres what ones.
You do not say what condition the bike is in, or where you might be looking for improvement, or why.
First, tyres: I would replace these only when they become worn or torn. If they are not, then I'd leave them until they are. There are billions of tyres available on the market and many feel slightly different from others... but better? It depends on what you mean by better. If the condition of the tyres is fine, I'd wait until it is not.
Secondly, wheels: The wheels you have are already pretty good. They do make a difference, but once you're at 'pretty good' the increments are tiny. You seem to like the bike as it is, so I'm not sure that chucking £500 at the wheels will make you like it any more. I'd counsel against mistaking spend for pleasure. If you nerf a wheel beyond repair, have in mind an upgrade that you'd like, but if not, I promise you the greatest difference you'll notice is that your wallet is £500 lighter.
Thirdly, bang for buck: Do you have nice (not Rapha, just nice) clothing for all the conditions you ride in? If not, I'd chuck some cash at that. lined long-sleeved tops, bib tights, bib shorts, overshoes, gloves (fingered and fingerless) woolly hat, sunglasses and so on.
Fourthly, Tools: Do you take your sickle into the shop for jobs you have the knowledge but lack the tools for? If so, I'd buy the tools. Great pleasure derives from knowing (rather than believing) that a nut or bolt is done up just as it should be. And you gain in 'mechanical sympathy' by setting up your own brakes and mechs and cables.
Lastly: Do you have the pedals that best suit your use of the bike? I regularly see commuters hobbling from the bike sheds in road shoes. Similarly, chaingang riders at the weekend on a cake stop.... A nice set of shoes and pedals to make your sickle more user-friendly without being any slower can be a good spend.
But really, it sounds as if you have a lovely bicycle, not in need of cosmetic augmentation or similar.
Thanks for the reply, Clothes nope have lots..Im luck I work for a very good bike clothing company and have some of the best in the market lol. Pedals and shoes I have, Bike was bought last year and done around 1000miles. thats my bike I only use on dry sunny days :-) I have 3 other bikes, CX, Commute and MTB. Also thought about moving a couple on and investing in a better road bike but as you said i do like my Synapse.0 -
campag zonda/ fulcrum racing 3 wheels and some decent tyres. or handbuilt wheels with hope hubs and some decent tyres.0
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Based on its light use I wouldn't waste my money upgrading anything.
It's a good bike with a reasonable spec. Wait until things wear out then buy something new.0 -
Jok5 wrote:What's a good upgrade to make a good bike even better.
Try improving the rider. Go on a training camp, or get a coaching plan...0
