Luck

My wife and I are purchasing bikes and we are trying to learn about bikes as fast as possible. I would like to get her a few gifts for her new bike. She needs pedals and shoes in order to get the bike roadworthy. Could someone recommend some shoes and light weight pedals that wont break the bank? Also any seats, bars, seatposts or anything else that would lighten up the bike a significant amount? Again, we dont need 400.00 bars but we realize lightening up a bike costs money. Finally, as we were putting the bike together I noticed a new style of front axle. I remember skewers from years back but these new ones are something I wasnt used to. Are there other anodized colors and styles available that will fit the bike. Thanks for the help and Im excited to be a new member.

cb400bill

Which model Synapse is she getting?

ckmak

I would suggest going into a shop to try on shoes. They all fit very differently and it is important to get one that fits her feet. Look Keo max would be a good starting point for a pedal.

Luck

Cb400bill : The bike is a women's synapse carbon disc 105.
ckmak: We are going in today to get some shoes and pedals. I will try and find the look models you are talking about. Finally, where could a person save the most weight? Bars? seatpost, stem? We are leaving the wheels alone for a while. Thank you

Tacoenthusiast

Probably not worth changing any of those parts, only very minor weight savings to be had.. not noticable.

Easier to remove weight from your wife directly by changing her diet and\or getting her to ride a lot more :-)

Athens80

Are you buying a new bike? There's something to be said for buying a bike that you're pretty much happy with, rather than one on which you want to immediately replace a number of components.

With that said, typically you'll not only separately provide pedals, but also the saddle. Saddle fit is very individual, and the stock saddle is often not the right saddle. Perhaps the store will switch that for you.

The next candidates for replacement are the tires. Stock tires are frequently low end, with higher rolling resistance.

Next to look at are the wheels. There is some advantage in lighter and more aerodynamic wheels.

But before those are other candidates -- quality cycling shorts, jerseys, and gloves. And accessories such as a couple of spare tubes, inflator, etc., along with a floor pump for home.

surak

If she's going to be riding up mountains or participating in hill climbs, then shaving grams by lightening the cockpit helps, but that's hardly cost effective. Tires with lower rolling resistance would be a noticeable upgrade. Stock wheels on anything but top end bikes are usually boat anchors and are where you can shave off the most weight easily.

If you want to dress the bike up for her a bit, get some Supacaz bar tape.

waters60

Wheels. It seems they are the best item to upgrade as they are often not as good as other components and are easier to replace.

Luck

Tacoenthusiast : yes but changing parts is waayyy less money than changing wives. lol Shes 5'2 and about 105. Not much left to do there.
Atthens80 : We are going to look at stuff today. What is tough for us is that we are new to cycling and have no idea what the quality equipment is such as gloves, riding shorts, etc. We would rather buy quality stuff the first time around,
Surak : We are looking at getting some fun stuff too in order to make the bike hers. I will check into the wrap you are talking about.
Finally, what tires would you all suggest? I see Merlin cycles has some great prices on some tires. What air pressure unit seems to work best? It will be hooked to my compressor. Thanks all for the help. A few more posts and I will put some pictures up.

Iride01 

Although I have an air compressor in the garage/shop with taps to connect hoses all over, I still grab my sub $10.00 Zefal floor pump to air my bicycle tires up. Only a stroke or two to top them up, and more control of the pressure.

surak

Continental GP 5000, Vittoria Corsa G+ 2.0 skinwall if she likes the looks (wish more tires had it!). 25mm if she is comfortable with handling because it would be the lighter than wider sizes, but 28mm or even 32mm if she prefers stabler handling. At her weight, she can safely run at much lower pressure than whatever the manufacturer maximum, I would suggest searching for recommended tire pressure charts that approximate the 15% drop idea for the lowest pressure that can be ridden without risk of pinch flatting. My guess without looking is for 25mm psi around 75 (fudge factor for pressure gauge imprecision, safer to go higher a tad), lower approx 7 psi for each larger size step.

bruce19

I can only speak from my experience. The best mod I've done on a road bike in 40 yrs. of riding is the change to tubeless. I went with Mavic Ksyrium Elite USTs and they spin up faster, are lighter and more comfortable. Haven't had a flat. Bought a set of wheels w/tires for about $500.

blakcloud

Tires I like are the Rene Herse formerly Compass tires. These are supple tires and you immediately feel the difference. If you purchase the Chinook Pass extralights they are only 229 grams. Use tubes with these, they are not tubeless design.

At her light weight, she won't need a lot of pressure in those tires. You could read this and it will give you something to guide you.

As other have said, lighter wheels will is always the best bang for your buck but can also be the priciest.

Depending on how much she rides, a fun thing is a bike computer like Wahoo or Garmin. It won't make the bike any lighter but it is fun keeping track of your metrics.

Congratulations to you both on your new bike purchases.