Are Road Bike Wheel Upgrades Worth It

I have a carbon framed bike with decent kit.

Are road bike wheel upgrades worth it. While you may enjoy both road and mountain biking you re not likely to ride one bike for the same type of riding as each bike is designed for specific the specific riding style. A set of new hoops can shed weight to help in the hills or improve aerodynamics so you can power along on. Unless you have a 6000 super bike the chances are the wheels that came with your ride are not the best available on the market. Just like road bike wheels mountain bike wheels aren t all the same and they are definitely a different type of wheel than a road bike.

Speccing a basic wheelset is one of the key ways manufacturers keep. But why should you upgrade. Few upgrades pep up your bike like a better set of wheels. The most significant change with most wheel upgrades is a reduction in rotational mass.

What are the performance benefits from upgrading. It has fairly light wheels dt swiss hubs that are 1775g for the pair. A road bike wheel upgrade for well under 1000 can noticeably improve the performance and comfort of your rim brake bike. Global cycling network 1 149 121 views.

1 8 if you ve bought a road bike that s anything from 1 000 2 500 chances are the wheels on it are pretty basic. I use conti tyres. They are often a component that lags behind the rest of the build on many stock bikes so even a budget set can improve the acceleration. I mainly ride on my own for fitness but occasionally with friends and have done a couple of 100 mile.

However at 799 00 they may be out of some people s budget in which case the rs81 c24 clinchers at 499 00 and less than 150 grams heavier will feel quite similar and will certainly provide a noticeable improvement in performance. I have been riding for a couple of years now and when i bought my first road bike i got quite a nice one so that i wouldn t have to upgrade too soon. A new set of road bike wheels is one upgrade you can guarantee will give your ride a lift. The bike will climb much better accelerate off the line quicker and generally feel more lively.

Don t buy upgrades ride up grades. It s generally good advice if you want to be faster on the bike don t spend lots of money. Of the alloy upgrade wheelsets we tested i rate the hed ardennes sl currently at usd 720 as the best performer available here from a store i recommend for its pricing and customer satisfaction record and the campagnolo zonda c17 at usd 350 325 as the best.