What was your best upgrade?



geoinmillbrook said:
1.)From crappy old Araya touring wheels to Mavic Cosmos with 130psi Contis.. rolls much nicer, climbs a little better, even with my 200lb load.
2.) Wider handlebars - opens up chest for better breathing
3.) Went to Ultegra derailleurs - they seem to index more accurately and more positively, I used to have to play with the 105 front triple more.
4.) From crappy Bike Nashbar to SRAM force chain. Huge difference in shifting smoothness and rust resistance.
5.) Seat ! From hard as a rock C'dale stocker to something more anatomically designed and comfortable (WTB Race or something)

That's it.

Geo

interesting one with the handlebars - when i bought mine, i swapped in a slightly narrower set of bars, cos im used to them a bit narrow... lose some torque in sprints, but the breathing seems to be fine? and the aero is worth it, i think? :D
 
I would have to say aerobars...I have probably added 5 mph to my average speed. Oh and a mirror so cars don't sneek up on me anymore and scare the **** out of me.
 
Upgrades generally don't improve performance. Ride more...spend less.

However, I do like getting a new chain every year. Its not an upgrade. But it is amazing how noticable a new chain is.
 
Back to the post about the pedals...I'm looking to possibly get a new ones. I have performance SPD pedals now that I bought about a year ago and now that I am doing some more riding and riding a little more where I need to unclip more in traffic/stoplights, I am starting to wonder if there are any pedals out there that are a little easier to clip back into.
Any suggestions?
As far as an upgrade, I went from my Dad's Motobecane (that he built back in the early 70's) to a new Scott S-20. I can't beleive the difference a newer...and much lighter...bike makes! Well worth the money in my opinion
 
rdr0912 said:
Back to the post about the pedals...I'm looking to possibly get a new ones. I have performance SPD pedals now that I bought about a year ago and now that I am doing some more riding and riding a little more where I need to unclip more in traffic/stoplights, I am starting to wonder if there are any pedals out there that are a little easier to clip back into.
Any suggestions?
As far as an upgrade, I went from my Dad's Motobecane (that he built back in the early 70's) to a new Scott S-20. I can't beleive the difference a newer...and much lighter...bike makes! Well worth the money in my opinion
New Shimano Ultegra PD-6620 pedals, wider platform, bigger clip in target.
 
If you got 5mph from new wheels, something was seriously wrong with the old ones (maybe sand instead of bearings?!).
 
capwater said:
Lose some weight and get new bar tape. Both work wonders.
Losing weight is not only free, but absolutely the best upgrade for ANY endurance athlete (unless they become anorexic). It is absolutely, unequivocally the first place anybody should look to (besides training) if they want more speed and endurance. How many people have spent $4k on a bike to shave 3 lbs off its weight but are carting around a 15% bodyfat? A great many, I suspect!
 
Spending the winter running, lifting, and riding the trainer. Came out much stronger in the spring. :D
 
Skoorb said:
If you got 5mph from new wheels, something was seriously wrong with the old ones (maybe sand instead of bearings?!).
That's why I think that it is mostly phsycological. I suppose that the price of the wheels got me working harder so that I did not waste the money spent. The new wheels do spin easier than the old ones though.
 
Skoorb said:
If you got 5mph from new wheels, something was seriously wrong with the old ones (maybe sand instead of bearings?!).
Everyone is thinking that (I hope). 8km/h is impossible to gain out of any component switch, excluding MAYBE aerobars, if position was 100% perfect.
 
kdelong said:
Who would have thought that a pair of Bontrager Race wheels and Race Lite tires would add 5 MPH to my average speed on my lowly 2003 Raleigh Competition? The weight is close to the Alex wheels that I had with the Conti tires, and both sets use aero rims. The only major difference is that the Bontragers have flat spokes. Is it the flat spokes, or is it purely phsycological?

What upgrades have you made to your bikes that have greatly, or not so greatly, improved your performance?

Good post actually and I've looked at the US Raleigh Competition's spec' and I don't think it's that lowly, its quite a nice bike. My favourite upgrades?

Taking the wierd shifters off my UK Raleigh (trainer bike) and putting on standard Shimano Sti's. Made training 100% more enjoyable and effective.
Compact crankset on my steel special, again transformed my approach to riding and focused my riding on spinning instead of grunting a silly big gear. Worth 5 times what it cost in my mind.
Binning the crapola wheels on my steel special (ex Spacialized) and putting on Mavic Ksyriums. Pound for pound (or dollar for dollar) wheel upgrades always seem to give you the most riding improvement and / or enjoyment. The Mavics are superb and although they look a bit boring, I think I would be reluctant to go for wheels that weren't mavic in future they just run like silk and feel tremendous. To be fair to Bonty kit as well. I have some Bonty wheels and they are very nice kit too though.
 
kdelong said:
Who would have thought that a pair of Bontrager Race wheels and Race Lite tires would add 5 MPH to my average speed on my lowly 2003 Raleigh Competition? The weight is close to the Alex wheels that I had with the Conti tires, and both sets use aero rims. The only major difference is that the Bontragers have flat spokes. Is it the flat spokes, or is it purely phsycological?

What upgrades have you made to your bikes that have greatly, or not so greatly, improved your performance?

Probably psychological. I got lucky in the late fall on ebay a couple of years ago, and snagged a set of Zipp 404's in tubie for $600. Didn't need them, but definitely wanted them.

Speed increase? According to the computer, 1-1.5km/h over the Rolf Vector Pro's I had been riding, on a circuit that had several fast downhills that take advantage of the Zipp's aero qualities. And some of that might be just me pushing harder. They sure did have a sweet and smooth ride - probably the tubies were responsible for that.

Best upgrade I ever added? Hard to say - a proper fitting saddle (Fizik Aliante) was probably it. Set of Cinelli RAM bars greatly increased the comfort factor (another used ebay find - $200). These are all in the comfort area - the only great performance leaps I've seen were when I upgraded the engine with longer and harder rides.
 
KellyT said:
Good post actually and I've looked at the US Raleigh Competition's spec' and I don't think it's that lowly, its quite a nice bike. My favourite upgrades?
Lowly Raleigh Competition is just a little tongue in cheek humor. Some People in this area who I am aquainted with see a road bike with triple chainrings and eguate it with a department store bike, even if it is a TI frame with a Campy gruppo.

As for Raleigh, my first real ride is an old Nottingham Grand Prix that was highly modified over the years. I have just started to restore it to closer to its original condition as a 12 speed bike, but with all 70's vintage Dura-ace components except for the brakes. They will be 80's vintage 600EX because it is better to be able to stop than to be historically accurate. In reality though, who ever saw a Raliegh Grand Prix with Dura-ace components? Anybody know of a good decal reproducer?
 
KellyT said:
Good post actually and I've looked at the US Raleigh Competition's spec' and I don't think it's that lowly, its quite a nice bike. My favourite upgrades?
Lowly Raleigh Competition is just a little tongue in cheek humor. Some People in this area who I am aquainted with see a road bike with triple chainrings and eguate it with a department store bike, even if it is a TI frame with a Campy gruppo.

As for Raleigh, my first real ride is an old Nottingham Grand Prix that was highly modified over the years. I have just started to restore it to closer to its original condition as a 12 speed bike, but with all 70's vintage Dura-ace components except for the brakes. They will be 80's vintage 600EX because it is better to be able to stop than to be historically accurate. In reality though, who ever saw a Raliegh Grand Prix with Dura-ace components? Anybody know of a good decal reproducer?
 
kdelong said:
Who would have thought that a pair of Bontrager Race wheels and Race Lite tires would add 5 MPH to my average speed on my lowly 2003 Raleigh Competition? The weight is close to the Alex wheels that I had with the Conti tires, and both sets use aero rims. The only major difference is that the Bontragers have flat spokes. Is it the flat spokes, or is it purely phsycological?

What upgrades have you made to your bikes that have greatly, or not so greatly, improved your performance?
My best upgrade was probably replacing the 531 plain-gauge frame with a 531 butted one. Replacing the cheap'n'nasty wheels with decent handbuilt ones is probably best equal. I've also replaced the bars and stem, saddle and post, BB and crankset. In fact you'd hardly know that it was the same bike.
 
~MoDCoN~ said:
interesting one with the handlebars - when i bought mine, i swapped in a slightly narrower set of bars, cos im used to them a bit narrow... lose some torque in sprints, but the breathing seems to be fine? and the aero is worth it, i think? :D
Hmm the way I ride, I doubt if I notice a difference in aerodynamics - I spend as much time up on top as in the drops (I only race myself ;) ). Also there are so many hills and trees where I ride (hence the dreaded and beguiled triple front chainrings) the wind/areo factors play a pretty small role except in downhills. I have really wide shoulders and have exertional asthma. :eek: So the wider bars are a comfort thing as well - and allow me to stretch my shoulders back and stick my chest out - to breath easier if I am having trouble. Luckily the drugs for asthma have helped a lot - and the overall excersize seems to keep it at bay as long as I don't over do it. I also like the feel of more torque during steering like you said.


Geo
 
Don Shipp said:
My best upgrade was probably replacing the 531 plain-gauge frame with a 531 butted one. Replacing the cheap'n'nasty wheels with decent handbuilt ones is probably best equal. I've also replaced the bars and stem, saddle and post, BB and crankset. In fact you'd hardly know that it was the same bike.
Do you still have the original brakes?
 

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