Best Initial Upgrades

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

It's hilarious but it's correct. You don't spend $20k on a bicycle to get faster. You spend $20k for a pretty bicycle. The pretty bicycle can encourage you to work harder, which can make you faster, but is it objectively worth $20k?

Back to the OP. I would think about:

1. If you're racing, consider structured training. You can self train, you can get a coach. I have to say, training over the winter to keep in shape is really beneficial, and a smart trainer is a big help for structured training. So if you are able to blow $500 on something like the Zwift Hub, seriously think about it.

2. Think about latex tubes. Definitely get fast tires, e.g. Conti GP 5ks. This is really high bang for the buck.

3. Shave your legs for sure if you aren't doing so. The aero gains are on par or greater than aero wheels. And shaving is essentially free.

4. Consider paying for a professional bike fit, if you can find a good fitter.

HA, pretty sure that's not true. Best reason to shave? Massage and if ya crash..hair is dirty.

The most widely cited test was a 1987 study for Bicycling magazine by engineering professor Chester Kyle, one of the pioneers of cycling aerodynamics. He found that leg-shaving reduced drag by 0.6 per cent, enough to save about 5 seconds over the course of one hour at the brisk speed of 37 kilometres per hour.

You can now ride faster, but drag still matters. With an aero bike, you’ll simply be able to go faster than you would with a non-aero bike. The 150-Watt rider riding during a windy day now finishes 6.5 minutes faster on an aero bike (8.4 minutes with no drafting) and is 83.3 seconds per hour faster (93.6 seconds with no drafting)

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by Turkle

On this forum which exists for the sole purpose of getting people to spend $20k on fancy bikes.

If you're talking about lifetime cost, maybe. If it's $20k for one bike I've been on the wrong forum for two decades!

[tv_vt]

Quite a few mention race wheels, but I'd want to know more about the wheels you're using now. And wheels are not cheap.

I'd suggest maybe nice aero jerseys, Rapha and Velocio come to mind. Skin-tight jerseys are way faster than looser ones.

Tires? What are you using? Continental GP5000 25mm are really nice rolling to me.

And maybe a fitting. There was a great video of a fitter (in Ireland?) who talked about the watts to be saved by a good fit. That may lead you down a rabbit hole of shorter cranks, different stem and bars, etc, and other places to spend some money.

[benb]

I will pretty firmly say we all want the race wheels but they're mostly pointless. Cause you probably already have wheels that are race worthy.

Bike fit and a coach are like 100x more effective.

At your age if your new a really good bike fit can be a whole lot of watts. Real watts, not marketing watts.

And no matter how smart you are and how many coaching books you read a good coach will pick things out about you that you're incapable of seeing. Having someone with a removed perspective helps a huge amount cause we are all very good about being delusional about our training state, especially as we train more.

If I have one regret from when I was racing it was not having a coach more continuously. I'd have one off and on just paying a one time thing for training plans for big events... it always helped way more than I expected.

[Alistair]

Bike fit. Make sure you're comfy in the drops and reasonably aero.

Coach, if you don't have one already.

Low RR tires and latex tubes.

Those are the easy things.

If you want to spend more, aero socks, aero helmet, aero skin suit (socks and skin suit would be race-only).

Light, aero wheels are nice, but very expensive - the dollar/benefit ratio isn't there, especially for a college student who I'm assuming has a strict budget. Especially with the very real crash risk.

Maybe a "cheap" set of aero alloy wheels, with race tires (from above), and a dedicated race chain (waxed) and cassette.

[prototoast]

Obviously training/fitness is really important for racing, but that's not what you asked and doesn't diminish the benefits you get from equipment.

Clothing is important, but you're probably wearing a team kit for racing, so you've got limitations with that. Aero socks seem silly but offer good returns for your money. Also aero gloves and an aero helmet (though data on helmet performance tends to be all over the place).

If you have a trainer and a friend with a camera, I would skip the professional bike fit. Professional bike fits are a lot of money, and results can be all over the place. Plus, they'll often try sell you a lot of overpriced components from their shop as part of the process. There are a lot of good wind tunnel videos on youtube that can give you a pretty good idea of what will be an efficient position.

You can buy some components that helps you optimize your position--probably a longer stem and narrower handlebars.

As far as components unrelated to your fit, tubes and tires are the first place to look. https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/ has good info on which tires are faster than others. Try to find the fastest tire that fits in your budget. Also, latex tubes help a lot too, or if your current wheels will support it, tubeless (I particularly prefer tubeless with fast tires because they tend to be thinner and puncture more easily, and tubeless will help prevent flats).

Then, make sure you have a clean chain and a high quality lube (I like Silca or Tru-Tension lubes).

After that, wheels do help a lot, but they are more expensive. My recommendation on wheels is to wait until Black Friday, because wheels often have the biggest sales then. Generally go for the deepest wheels that you can safely handle in the wind environment where you live (for most people, that puts them around 50mm +/- 10mm).

Once you get past that, you start getting to pretty severe diminishing returns. Aero handlebars and anything you can do to hide cables helps a lot. Dropping weight from various components helps on climbs.

[oaklandhillsca]

Zipp 303 Firecrest

(internal joke - before I get skewered)

[JMT3]

Ride, ride more and rest. You don’t get faster with training if you don’t completely recover from your training. When I was marathon racing and training I consider deep tissue massage the most important component of my training plan.

[prototoast]

When someone posts asking for training advice, are half the posts telling them to buy better equipment?

[CAAD]

If I had to start over my upgrades after buying a bike that is more than capable like you already have:

-Retul bike fit
-Power Meter
-Some sort of structured training program
-Dial in your nutrition, a coach can help you with that or just trial and error. I shoot for 90-100 carbs per hour while racing or hard training rides.

Down the road grab a nice set of BTLOS or Farsports carbon wheels. Add in some nice tires and latex tubes.

[weiwentg]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

HA, pretty sure that's not true. Best reason to shave? Massage and if ya crash..hair is dirty.

I was not aware of the older study you cited! However, there have been some more recent ones. Velonews cited the Specialized folks, who said something more like 50-80 seconds over 40km.

Flo Cycling compared its 49mm rim brake rim to an Open Pro and claimed 80s savings. This is just the first test I can remember off the top of my head.

So, I think the savings from both are in the same ballpark, at least.

But, if the OP wants fancy wheels, he should get them. Imagine if you shave your legs AND you get aero wheels. The bike might practically pedal itself.

[Turkle]

Originally Posted by prototoast

When someone posts asking for training advice, are half the posts telling them to buy better equipment?

Yes - this literally happened to me like a month ago! Ha

People on the internet answer the question they want to answer, not the one the OP asks... An iron law of internet posting...

[jrynb]

Hi all,

I didn't expect so much traction so quickly, so my apologies for not answering any questions sooner. To respond to some general suggestions/questions:

I am currently being coached by my teammate, he has pretty extensive race experience and USAC Level 1 coaching cert, so I feel like I'm in good hands there.

I run GP5000s for racing/training, but no latex tubes. I may look into those as they seem to be recommended by many.

Wheels - I think they're Giant SLR 1 wheels, circa 2014, same as the bike. Supposedly pretty solid for stock wheels, and relatively light too. I think they claim somewhere around 1500-1550g, so I doubt I'd save much weight without spending big on new wheels.

In terms of fit/cockpit—I did have a semi-fit from a professional a while ago, but that was a long time ago and before I slammed my stem. Working on my position and getting more comfortable in an aero position will definitely be focus points for me. I may also adjust or upgrade my cockpit and/or handlebars. I think turning my hoods in would help with comfort, and getting more modern drop bars might be much more comfortable.

Kit wise, I do wear a team kit, though it is pretty aero and well liked. I may look into a skinsuit for domestic racing. I have wanted one "just because" so I could probably justify it.

I do have one pair of aero socks for race days. I alternate between those and swiftwicks as I prefer the way the swiftwicks look.

Legs - I shave my legs for (most) races, though I never let the stubble get too long during the season. I've heard some people say that slight stubble is actually faster than clean-shaven, as the hairs act as similarly to aero fairings or dimpling. I tried to look into studies surrounding this but found no concrete evidence. Anyone have experience with that?

[lorenbike]

Ride as much as you can while you're not too busy with work (yet) and wrench your back and neck from sitting on a computer. The strongest and fittest cyclists I rode with throughout my 20s never had coaches, expensive bikes, etc. But rode whatever they could scrape together and rode as much as possible. Also they all were into a lot of other outdoor pursuits besides cycling. For other recs here, the best money I spent was a PT bike fit, and then sold and/or adjusted bikes to fit accordingly, rather than looking for lightweight parts.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

I was not aware of the older study you cited! However, there have been some more recent ones. Velonews cited the Specialized folks, who said something more like 50-80 seconds over 40km.

Flo Cycling compared its 49mm rim brake rim to an Open Pro and claimed 80s savings. This is just the first test I can remember off the top of my head.

So, I think the savings from both are in the same ballpark, at least.

But, if the OP wants fancy wheels, he should get them. Imagine if you shave your legs AND you get aero wheels. The bike might practically pedal itself.

Are there Aero benefits with shaven yer legs? Probably but also probably lost in the noise, IMHO. Are there 'aero benefits' to wheels and such, yup but no such thing as a free lunch. These 'studies' assume 'all things being equal', and with a person, on a bicycle, they never are.

But, yup, if the OP want a reason to buy new whiz-bang wheels, sure, go get 'em. Zip up yer jersey, make sure its tight. Get an aero helmet and glasses, no beards and return to center bar end shifters cuz the manufacturer says 'they are more aero'..