Upgrade bike or upgrade wheelset?

scotthunter

Hello,

I have been riding a 2013 Cube Peloton Pro for the last 4 years and I have done about 2,700 miles on it. It cost me £699 new. I mostly ride 50-60 miles on Sundays with my club and aim for around 18mph average with lots of rolling hills (I live in Devon), and do a few 100+ mile sportives through the summer. It has an aluminium frame with carbon fork, full Tiagra groupset and Shimano D500 wheelset, and weighs in at 9kg. Safe to say it's served me well but as a first entry level bike I have probably outgrown it. Link to bike spec is here:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/cube-peloton-pro-compact-road-bike-2013/rp-prod111954?utm_source=awin&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Skimlinks&awc=2698_1524482362_bcabc7276054f1a9b2c01b3217a671cf

I am now considering either upgrading components or buying a new bike. I would like to climb hills faster and generally ride faster on the flat with the same effort. A bit more ride comfort would also be nice.

If I upgrade the wheelset, I have my eye on a set of Mavic Ksyrium Pro UST with Mavic 25mm tyres, which I can pick up for £520. If I choose to splash the cash on a new bike, I have a budget of £1500 and I am looking at the Giant TCR Advanced 2 (£1,449), which is full carbon frame, 105 groupset and Giant PR-2 wheels.

I have generally got on well with the Cube, although despite having the bike regularly serviced, I find the Tiagra shifting can be a bit hit or miss at times, especially when trying to engage the smaller cogs on the cassette. The only upgrades I have done are replacing the cassette with a new Ultegra rear cassette, a new chain and new bottom bracket.

I would be interested to know if you think a new bike with the spec of the Giant would be a worthwhile performance upgrade, given that the wheelset on the new bike won't be as good as the Mavics, and if I buy a new bike I won't be able to afford a wheelset upgrade. The Giant bike would be a kilo lighter than the Cube with its present spec, but if I upgrade the wheelset on the Cube that difference would be only 400 grams, and I would be a grand better off.

In summary then, is it better to have an alumiuium frame with 4 year old Tiagra groupset and expensive light wheels, or a carbon frame, 105 groupset but with heavier wheels?

Thanks

cycleclinic

tiagra shifting is not hit and mis. something is wrong with the gear setup. hanger alignment is a possible cause.

there is more to wheels than just weight. so you will just spend money at present for lower weight which by itself is not going tgo help. also take qutoed weights for mavic wheels and bikes in general with a pinch of salt.

sloppyschleckonds

scotthunter wrote:

In summary then, is it better to have an alumiuium frame with 4 year old Tiagra groupset and expensive light wheels, or a carbon frame, 105 groupset but with heavier wheels?

Thanks

With the amount of mileage you are doing there is no 'better'

slowbike

N+1
It's always better to have a second bike.
I replaced my first (Ali) road bike with a carbon equivalent (S/H - much better value) - intending to sell my original bike. But I couldn't get any money worth having for it - so kept it - eventually replaced the groupset with S/H 105 kit to bring it up to the same speed as my "best" bike and used it with mudguards as the dirty/wet bike. Funnily enough - it shifts better than the best bike now - despite having ~9k miles on it.

as tCC says - shifting isn't hit and miss - my 9 speed tiagra bike is perfect in shifting (5k miles on it) - so you _could_ fix your Cube and ugprade the wheels and have a nice ride ... but if you've got £1500 to spend - why not get a nice new bike - it will ride better because it's new - so will automatically feel better - even without a decent wheelset - then you can fix the shifting on your cube and save up for some new wheels for your best bike - flow down the kit to the older bike ...

drlodge

Personal opinion, if you have £1500 to splash on a new bike, I'd go for that option and get the bike that has the best frameset. Everything else can be upgraded over time.

darkhairedlord

Slowbike wrote:

N+1
It's always better to have a second bike.
I replaced my first (Ali) road bike with a carbon equivalent (S/H - much better value) - intending to sell my original bike. But I couldn't get any money worth having for it - so kept it - eventually replaced the groupset with S/H 105 kit to bring it up to the same speed as my "best" bike and used it with mudguards as the dirty/wet bike. Funnily enough - it shifts better than the best bike now - despite having ~9k miles on it.

as tCC says - shifting isn't hit and miss - my 9 speed tiagra bike is perfect in shifting (5k miles on it) - so you _could_ fix your Cube and ugprade the wheels and have a nice ride ... but if you've got £1500 to spend - why not get a nice new bike - it will ride better because it's new - so will automatically feel better - even without a decent wheelset - then you can fix the shifting on your cube and save up for some new wheels for your best bike - flow down the kit to the older bike ...

Ali?

drlodge

Ali = aluminium

As above, buying a new bike then means you have two bikes, a main and a spare. Summer and winter. Working and maintenance.

darkhairedlord

drlodge wrote:

Ali = aluminium

As above, buying a new bike then means you have two bikes, a main and a spare. Summer and winter. Working and maintenance.

that's six bikes

slowbike

darkhairedlord wrote:

drlodge wrote:

Ali = aluminium

As above, buying a new bike then means you have two bikes, a main and a spare. Summer and winter. Working and maintenance.

that's six bikes

I need one more then ...

scotthunter

Thanks for your replies.

Assuming I can fix the 'sticky' gearing on the Cube, which will climb better: the Ali bike with the high-end wheelset, or the carbon bike with the budget wheels? With new Mavic wheels on the Cube, assuming the spec weights are accurate, the Cube will be about half a kilo heavier (8.5kg) than the £1500 carbon bike (9kg), however it will have half a kilo less weight in the wheels (1400g vs 1900g). I could always put the Mavic wheels on a new bike in the future.

svetty

scotthunter wrote:

Thanks for your replies.

Assuming I can fix the 'sticky' gearing on the Cube, which will climb better: the Ali bike with the high-end wheelset, or the carbon bike with the budget wheels? With new Mavic wheels on the Cube, assuming the spec weights are accurate, the Cube will be about half a kilo heavier (8.5kg) than the £1500 carbon bike (9kg), however it will have half a kilo less weight in the wheels (1400g vs 1900g). I could always put the Mavic wheels on a new bike in the future.

Strictly speaking the lighter bike will climb faster for a given power output but in reality there will be next to no difference.
I'd get a second bike - something like a CAAD12 with Ultegra - and relegate the Cube to winter/wet duties.

scotthunter

Svetty wrote:

scotthunter wrote:

I'd get a second bike - something like a CAAD12 with Ultegra - and relegate the Cube to winter/wet duties.

To be honest I only ride in the summer months (I run in the winter). I am a fair weather cyclist.

bristolpete

TCR advanced as seen in the bike of the year video. Perfect bike for Devon.

slowbike

scotthunter wrote:

Svetty wrote:

scotthunter wrote:

I'd get a second bike - something like a CAAD12 with Ultegra - and relegate the Cube to winter/wet duties.

To be honest I only ride in the summer months (I run in the winter). I am a fair weather cyclist.

Its wet in the summer too - but this could be a good excuse to start riding all year ...

It's up to you - me - right now? I'd have a new wheelset - but still hanker after a new bike - perhaps next year

joe_totale-2

Svetty wrote:

scotthunter wrote:

Thanks for your replies.

Assuming I can fix the 'sticky' gearing on the Cube, which will climb better: the Ali bike with the high-end wheelset, or the carbon bike with the budget wheels? With new Mavic wheels on the Cube, assuming the spec weights are accurate, the Cube will be about half a kilo heavier (8.5kg) than the £1500 carbon bike (9kg), however it will have half a kilo less weight in the wheels (1400g vs 1900g). I could always put the Mavic wheels on a new bike in the future.

Strictly speaking the lighter bike will climb faster for a given power output but in reality there will be next to no difference.
I'd get a second bike - something like a CAAD12 with Ultegra - and relegate the Cube to winter/wet duties.

I love a CAAD 12 but I also know that a lot of the roads in Devon are the nasty Chip Seal stuff and not proper tarmac, especially on the moors.
I'd worry that a CAAD 12's ride could be too harsh on that stuff, a carbon bike like a TCR would probably be a bit more forgiving.

surfercyclist

I too had this dilemma last year, I had(still have it's my turbo bike) a Cannondale Caad 8 which has Tiagra groupset etc and was thinking of just upgrading wheels but ended up getting a Canyon Endurace with Ultegra Di2 and DT Swiss wheels etc. No regrets, the bike is fantastic and way lighter as well at 7kg. Anyway, if you have the cash a new bike is always nicer! Can then sell old one or keep as I did. My Canyon was above your budget at £2649 (then) but you should find plenty.

If you're averaging 18mph now on hilly rides you'll be flying on a lighter bike for sure.

scotthunter

Are there any advantages to sticking with an aluminium frame?

darkhairedlord

scotthunter wrote:

Are there any advantages to sticking with an aluminium frame?

You argue on forums about good aluminium vs cheep carbon.
It won't dissolve if it rains.

shortfall

TBH at the sort of mileage you're doing then nothing's going to make you appreciably faster (albeit I'd call your average speeds over hilly terrain very respectable). Some good aero wheels might see an improvement when combined with some cycle specific training and higher mileages to help you get the most out of them. You'd probably have to spend more than your £520 budget but you'll still be well in pocket compared to spending £1500 on a carbon bike with sh1t wheels that won't help you achieve your goal.

scotthunter

Shortfall wrote:

TBH at the sort of mileage you're doing then nothing's going to make you appreciably faster (albeit I'd call your average speeds over hilly terrain very respectable). Some good aero wheels might see an improvement when combined with some cycle specific training and higher mileages to help you get the most out of them. You'd probably have to spend more than your £520 budget but you'll still be well in pocket compared to spending £1500 on a carbon bike with sh1t wheels that won't help you achieve your goal.

I can ride with a group at around 18mph avg on some of the longer undulating club rides but not solo!

I would like to get silver at Dartmoor Classic 107 mile sportive this summer but feel that my bike is holding me back from reaching that goal.

cld531c

scotthunter wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

TBH at the sort of mileage you're doing then nothing's going to make you appreciably faster (albeit I'd call your average speeds over hilly terrain very respectable). Some good aero wheels might see an improvement when combined with some cycle specific training and higher mileages to help you get the most out of them. You'd probably have to spend more than your £520 budget but you'll still be well in pocket compared to spending £1500 on a carbon bike with sh1t wheels that won't help you achieve your goal.

I can ride with a group at around 18mph avg on some of the longer undulating club rides but not solo!

I would like to get silver at Dartmoor Classic 107 mile sportive this summer but feel that my bike is holding me back from reaching that goal.

The bike isnt holding you back - you are! Go for it!

timothyw

The bike is definitely not holding you back, unless there is something functionally wrong with it, which should be fixed anyway, or it doesn't fit.

You haven't mentioned tyres at all - if you are on cheap and nasty tyres now they can have a surprisingly large effect, although you don't need to spend big money - the rubino pros on crc for £12 are excellent for the money.

Overall though, if you want to be faster, don't buy upgrades, ride up grades.

scotthunter

How about this one:

BMC Granfondo GF02 105 2016
https://www.evanscycles.com/bmc-granfondo-gf02-105-2016-road-bike-EV237600

I could buy this and stick the Mavic Ksyrium Pro SL wheelset on it to get it under 8kg, sell my Cube Peloton for £300, and will be within my £1500 budget.

This has the advantage of having a full Shimano 105 groupset (2016) - has much changed in 2 years? Will this be a significant upgrade over my 2013 Tiagra 10 speed? I don't think the Tiagra brakes are that good in the wet, so this will hopefully be an improvement.

darkhairedlord

TimothyW wrote:

The bike is definitely not holding you back, unless there is something functionally wrong with it, which should be fixed anyway, or it doesn't fit.

You haven't mentioned tyres at all - if you are on cheap and nasty tyres now they can have a surprisingly large effect, although you don't need to spend big money - the rubino pros on crc for £12 are excellent for the money.

Overall though, if you want to be faster, don't buy upgrades, ride up grades.

As above, the biggest upgrade you can make to bike is the tyres.

scotthunter

darkhairedlord wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

The bike is definitely not holding you back, unless there is something functionally wrong with it, which should be fixed anyway, or it doesn't fit.

You haven't mentioned tyres at all - if you are on cheap and nasty tyres now they can have a surprisingly large effect, although you don't need to spend big money - the rubino pros on crc for £12 are excellent for the money.

Overall though, if you want to be faster, don't buy upgrades, ride up grades.

As above, the biggest upgrade you can make to bike is the tyres.

The Mavic tyres come with Yksion Pro GripLink (front) & PowerLink (rear).