smashndash

IMO aero does not make a bike more fun - besides big changes like a skinsuit and a very aggressive position.

I think weight, stiffness and other, more tangible forms of drag matter more.

One of the best upgrades I made (besides tires) was to a Hambini bottom bracket. With contactless sealed bearings and a stiff alloy housing, the bike “jumps” so much better than before. Way better than the praxis stuff I had before.

If you’re still using that plastic shimano stuff, I would recommend looking into a Hambini or BBinfinite BB.

There’s also no feeling quite like a silky smooth drivetrain, but that can be quite elusive and expensive. Ceramic pulley wheels are “only” $200 or so at some places. When was the last time you replaced your chainrings? People say chainrings last 50,000 miles or whatnot, but if that were true, why do cassettes only last 5-10k miles when there are 11 of them and only 2 chainrings? Especially when the big chainring is made of aluminum.

Not trying to dissuade you from buying a new bike, but it seems like you already have something really nice. IMO you’d benefit more from some TLC on that bike, especially if you look at smiles/$.

What about your shoes? Do they fit absolutely perfectly? Are they plenty stiff? No excess padding, heel slip, or forefoot movement?

EDIT: if you currently have rim brakes, though, I would not advise dumping too much money into your giant. That tech is being left for dead quite rapidly.