New wheels or red group?

[stickville]

I have a great HSG frame and want to spice up my ride after 5 years with SRAM Rival and zipp 101 wheels.
What would be the most bang for my buck?
An American Classic tubeless wheel set(1200 g) or going to a Red group? The wheels would save about 300g and the Red would save about 500g.
The wheels are about half the price of the Red group and would probably change the feel of my ride the most.
Any suggestions?

[Joachim]

Wheels, no doubt. I can't provide info with regards to the AM Classic wheels but upgrading wheels will give you the best bang for your buck.

[nooneline]

I'm not sure about bang for your buck, but you're going to get very different performance improvements from wheels versus group upgrade.

If your goal is to shed weight, well, Red will save more weight, but the rotating weight of the wheels is something you're probably going to feel more.

If your goal is to make your bike better, I'd say that upgrading to Red is going to make more of a difference than changing wheels, since you have quite nice wheels already. The difference between Rival and Red is not just weight - Red also has "zero-loss," which means that the shifter throw is shorter and when you're downshifting, the shifter starts pulling cable immediately. It's a faster, more immediately responsive system than Rival or Force.

[ericssonboi]

My vote goes to wheels also. Changing the group will only decrease the weight of your ride. You most likely won't feel that much of a change compared to how ride will roll

[Pete Mckeon]

build and fit?

Once you quantify to yourself it might help to your decision process

. riding and training time are more important, the new sram force and red have improved same with wheels,

Additionally and lastly which will put a bigger smile on you and thus get you to ride more and thus be faster?

There are many opinions and belief but neither will turn you or me into a pro.:mad: pete


I have a great HSG frame and want to spice up my ride after 5 years with SRAM Rival and zipp 101 wheels.
What would be the most bang for my buck?
An American Classic tubeless wheel set(1200 g) or going to a Red group? The wheels would save about 300g and the Red would save about 500g.
The wheels are about half the price of the Red group and would probably change the feel of my ride the most.
Any suggestions?

[Gummee]

How about just Red shifters and use the rest for a used wheelset? That zero loss on the right side is so nice.

M

[IJWS]

Wheels. The SRAM stuff is going to work and feel almost identical. But lighter, differently shaped wheels are gonna rock your world.

[AngryScientist]

How about just Red shifters and use the rest for a used wheelset? That zero loss on the right side is so nice.

M

this is what i would do. i'm not a SRAM guy, but i think the new hoods are way nicer than the previous generation ones.

[Len J]

What kind of riding do you do? Climbing? Flats? Racing etc?

What is your normal speed solo on flats?

What's your budget?

Len

[nooneline]

Wheels. The SRAM stuff is going to work and feel almost identical. But lighter, differently shaped wheels are gonna rock your world.

have you used both older Rival and the new Red stuff? The Yaw FD and the zero-loss on the rear shifter are both responsible for pretty different feel and function.

[RedRider]

What don't you like about the Zipp 101 wheels? If you want tubeless they can easily be converted. They are one of the top aluminum wheels available and spec'd on many high end builds. The wider, aero rim has advantages that more than offset the slight weight difference. Replacing them with American Classics would be a down-grade.

[vqdriver]

Most people would be "upgrading" to 101s.
I say get the new red group. Perhaps just the levers and yaw FD of you like. Pocket the rest.

[buddybikes]

Those wheels appear pretty delicate, are you light and easy on wheels?

[bluesea]

I've done similar upgrades, and while the Ksyrium > Neutron was great, Rival shifters to Red was equal bang for the bux.

[rnhood]

I agree with RedRider, keep your 101's as they have a good reputation. Either convert them to tubeless if you fancy this system, or put some latex inner tubes in a new set of tires of your choice. If you want to "upgrade", then put a Shimano drive train on it.

[stickville]

I am 160 and ride rolling terrain in the blue ridge mountains of Virginia. I am a group rider and not a racer.
Everything on my HSG is great and there is no need to upgrade. However, I am getting a little bored with the ride and want to change something.
The HSG frame and fork are light and fit me well. The wheels are great, no problems there and the Rival equipment works well.
I was attracted to the AC wheels because they would probably feel livelier. Are these wheels going to be too fragile for everyday riding ?

[Pete Mckeon]

It will be durable :). Pete
I am 160 and ride rolling terrain in the blue ridge mountains of Virginia. I am a group rider and not a racer.
Everything on my HSG is great and there is no need to upgrade. However, I am getting a little bored with the ride and want to change something.
The HSG frame and fork are light and fit me well. The wheels are great, no problems there and the Rival equipment works well.
I was attracted to the AC wheels because they would probably feel livelier. Are these wheels going to be too fragile for everyday riding ?

[thirdgenbird]

I wouldn't buy red right now. I suspect we will see 11spd soon. This will give you the option to go with what's new or buy 10 cheaper.

[sparky33]

Flip a coin. You can't lose.

[oldpotatoe]

I wouldn't buy red right now. I suspect we will see 11spd soon. This will give you the option to go with what's new or buy 10 cheaper.

If you want to try to fix a 'rut' you may be in..get a coach, go on a cycling vacation, something in Europe, sign up with a really good massage therapist, sign up with a nutritionist, go to the bike show in Europe, go to Italy.

[RedRider]

If you want to try to fix a 'rut' you may be in..get a coach, go on a cycling vacation, something in Europe, sign up with a really good massage therapist, sign up with a nutritionist, go to the bike show in Europe, go to Italy.

"If it ain't broke..." I agree with Old Potato and would also suggest bringing the bike shop that sold you the HSG a case of their favorite beer 'cause they got it right.

[sparky33]

have you used both older Rival and the new Red stuff? The Yaw FD and the zero-loss on the rear shifter are both responsible for pretty different feel and function.

Agreed. The new Red group is a huge step forward. The action is light and crisp. The new hood shape is really nice. I would say get the Red levers, yaw front der - they need to work together. Then get the crank and new cassette if you feel spendy. The new rear der is nice but not necessary.

[carpediemracing]

I'd use this excuse to buy a set of aero wheels. If you don't go over 50 mph regularly on windy/gusty descents then a set of 404s/similar would be a nice addition to the wheel quiver. 101s and 404s... no way to lose with that set of wheels. If it's really windy or you're going to break 50 mph you can use a 101/404 combo. If worried about whatever use 101s. If you want a bit of speed use the 404s.

Group stuff is nice when you put the bike on the roof rack or carry the bike up some steps. Once you're on the bike you won't notice it. Although I prefer Campy ergonomics (the shifter) I've used various front derailleurs and brakes. I even use a Shimano 9s rear derailleur on the tandem (with Campy 10s ergo levers). And my ergo levers range from Centaur to Record. Does it make a difference? Not really.

Wheels... they make a difference.

Wheel stuff lasts longer, works on multiple bikes, and gives you some tangible benefits. I post like mad on wheel benefits/drawbacks but to give one example - there's a very tree-covered/sheltered descent on a group ride I used to do. I had, at the time, both HED Ardennes and HED Jet 6/9 wheels (F/R), i.e. not-aero and aero.

On the Ardennes I started the descent one day at the back of the group. I sprinted past people, tucking when I could, and ended up at the front of the group at the bottom of the descent. I went about as fast as I could.

On the Jets I started the descent one day at the front of the group. Because it's a dick move to try and "break away" from the group ride I only tucked and coasted, and eventually I sat up because I couldn't see anyone behind me. In other words I didn't try to go fast.

I looked up the rides at some point to compare descent speeds. To my surprise I hit about 49 mph on the Ardennes, sprinting and tucking. On the same bike, same brand/model tires, without sprinting, I broke 50 mph on the aero wheels.