Best Performance Upgrade for $1000?
 

I ride a Trek 1500 from 2006. It's fully stock, with the exception of a slightly longer stem and my own pedals. I've begun riding a lot more lately, and have also moved to a place where I can ride year-round, and so I have decided that I'd like to put a some money into my bike.

This bike has a mix of 9-speed Ultegra and 105 and that combination has served me very well. Therefore, I'm thinking I'd like to get a new frame and/or new wheels. The current frame is the Trek SL aluminum frame, with the stock carbon fork. The wheels are Bontrager Select.

What's the best way to get the most performance increase out of $1000? Should I drop it all on a new frame, maybe an aluminum/carbon hybrid? Or should I get a great new pair of all-around wheels, like Mavic Ksyriums, and then do some other small upgrades? If a frame, what would you recommend?

Thanks!

My guess is spend money on the engine. Perhaps there is a professional training center near you? Those seem to be appearing here in South Florida, where you bring your own bike and it goes on a trainer and they monitor your performance and control the trainer to give you proper training to reach whatever goals your looking for.


Having said that, I would order these. http://www.carbonroadbikebicyclecycl...r-wheels-set-0

I keep riding :)

Sell the bike, and buy a new one.

IMO, no upgrade is going to make a consequential difference in performance. Spend it on what you think you'll enjoy, or save up and put it toward a new bike.

I bet that with a little bit of shopping you could get a used power tap rear wheel and Garmin or joule and a copy of Racing and Training with a Power Meter for under $1000.

Agree with power meter. If you are willing to suffer.

Buy a new bike. You also get some sort of mental boost as well.

What is your frame lacking that you wish to change? Wheels are always a good consideration. Rotating weight means a lot.

http://www.powertap.com/collections/...alloy-wheelset

Anything else is mostly bling.

1. Get a structured training plan

$14 at amazon.com gets you a copy of the Time Crunched Cyclist: Fit, Fast, and Powerful in 6 Hours a Week www.amazon.com/The-Time-Crunched-Cyclist-2nd-Ed/dp/193403083X

2. Get instrumentation so that you can follow it.

Perceived effort is bad because it doesn't differentiate between what feels hard because it is and what feels hard because you're tired and should dig deeper.

Power is more affordable these days than a nice wheelset or frame and the gold standard which responds instantly instead of lagging and without inaccuracy from cardiac drift over a ride or how your body reacts on different days.

Heart rate works almost as well for steady-state efforts.

3. Download a copy of Golden Cheetah

http://goldencheetah.org/

You want to track your stress balance which is essentially how fresh you are and adjust your training program to arrive at a sustainable value for you. It'll also accurately calibrate your zones via critical power using representative short and long intervals which is a lot more convenient than working out in a laboratory where they take blood samples or taking care of the logistics and motivation which go with a 60 minute time trial.

Woo Hoo to another bike. Sell this one and buy a better one :D

Not sure you can get comparable components on a new bike for $1000... Most Shimano 105 equipped bikes start around $1500 these days.

if your Trek's components work satisfacorily, I would look at getting a new used wheelset - Mavic Ksyriums or comparable on that popular auction site - a nice cycle computer, (GPS with cadence and heart monitor options), which should still leave you with funds left for extra shorts, jerseys, socks, gloves, or whatever other every-day gear you might be lacking.

The best upgrade would be whatever gets you to ride a bike more.

He could sell the Trek, and put that money with $1000 he has. That should put him close to a new 105 bike.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...400315__400315

I say sell your current bike and apply that money towards a new or used caad10/105 or ultegra.

This has nothing to do with the much love this forum gets with Caad10. This is strictly based on the facts that it is a fantastic frame for the money. Light, stiff and looks good. It will last you a long time without going out of date before you purchase your next bike.

You can check out "All of craigs" (which searches all cities of craigslist for item you desire and then pay for shipping), Ebay, forum classifieds. I searched for 3 or 4 minutes and found 7 caad10's that were under $1400. Just not sure what your size is.

In rigorous scientific tests conducted within the controlled environment of the 41, it has been shown time and again that a power meter is by far the best bang for the buck for a performance upgrade - it's the only option listed above that will improve the engine.

Definitely get a new bike. PowerTap? Are you serious? He's on an entry level aluminum bike from 2006. That's pretty much a Flintstone's bike these days. If he sold it and used that money with his grand, he could get a carbon 105 bike like a few have mentioned. He'll get out and ride a new bike a whole lot more than an old one with a $1000 PowerTap on it. Improving the engine for $1000? Are you serious? Yall's advice sometimes blows me away.

Listen to this man.

I did everything here except for #3 for this season. Got my PT around February. I got the book earlier.

It's all worth it. The book is god-sent if you don't have much time to train (2 hours> a day).

$1000 is not a lot these days. I'd rather you have $3000 now for a whole new set-up. I'd spend it on upgrading the man and not the machine for $1000.

I am 100% serious. OP asked about the best performance upgrade for his money. A power meter used effectively will do far more to upgrade his performance than a carbon bike with 105.

+1, Selling your current entry level bike to buy a new entry level bike with entry level wheels doesn't make much sense. The weak point of most bikes under $3K is the wheels because it costs so much to upgrade them, even for bike manufacturers. Buying a good set of wheels will decrease the total weight of the bike and the rotating weight. Better wheels will improve your acceleration after a stop.
As for putting the money into personal training or a power tap, that's your call. But for equipment, keep your bike, upgrade the wheels. Also, remember upgraded wheels can be transferred to your next bike, unless your next bike has discs.

Agreed.

The OP asked about a performance upgrade, my Powertap and the impact it has had on my riding has done far more for my performance than new wheels, group sets or frames.

How is buying a power tap wheel going to make me faster?

The OP never mentioned that he wants to race.

you read my mind.

I'm with BSY on this one. Not everyone just wants or needs to HTFU.

No, the OP mentioned a performance upgrade.

I didn't mention racing either. It's the OP's money, it doesn't bother me in the slightest what he does with it, I just shared my viewpoint.