blknytro

Hi guys, new to the forum and need some guidance. I've been road cycling for the last eight years and currently ride a 2016 Colnago CX Zero, Full Carbon, 105 group set. I was considering a new bike but not sure it's the correct route. My typical rides range from 25-65 miles and I'd love to shed some bike weight. Do you think it's worth getting a new bike or upgrading the wheels? I was looking at Zipp's 303 Firecrest Carbon Tubular Rim-Brake. Thoughts on which direction to take? Thanks in advance!

blakcloud

New wheels will make the bike feel like a whole new bike and will be cheaper than buying a whole new bike. I say keep the bike, replace the wheels.

zatopek

Both. Buy a new super bike, electronic shifting, aero tubes, top-of-the line wheels. Use the Colnago as your rain bike. N+1, for the win. Or not. I have had great luck with Venn Rev carbon wheels. I have a set, 35 mm depth, on my lightest climbing bike and have, after 1 year, found them to be acceptably light (about 1400 grams for the pair), very stiff, pretty comfortable, very durable (I have only tweaked a couple of spoke nipples to bring the front back into true after bombing potholes. They also are wide enough at the brake track that they accommodate 25 and 28 mm tires with a non-lightbulb shape profile. They brake as well as any carbon brake track wheel I have used when it’s dry and are a bit sketchy in the wet. I recall paying $790.00 for the pair.

rubiksoval

Why tubulars, for one? That's another ball game entirely, especially for every day riding.

No on Zipp for two. Way, way overpriced compared to competitors.

For under a grand (for under $600, even), there are 1400ish gram carbon clincher wheelsets, and even some aluminum ones if you want to go that route. Zero reason to buy Zipp anything, especially with their pretty awful hub problem history.

Either way, buying expensive carbon wheels solely for weight savings when you're already running a heavy bike with heavy components also doesn't make too much sense from a grams/dollars standpoint.

tomato coupe

I think your present wheel set is an important, missing detail.

blknytro

Shimano RS010.

blknytro

You’re right, I’d go with clincher.

Where else can I shed weight then? The bike weighs 19.5lb. If I were to upgrade components then I might as well buy a new bike.

WhyFi

You're looking to shed weight, but to what end? If it's a performance-oriented goal for your present rides, you'll probably be disappointed.

blknytro

A couple of pounds would be nice. I’m just trying to improve the performance a bit.

DeadGrandpa

I don't know what size guy you are, but if your bike is sub-20 pounds, any bike weight gains are a low percentage improvement. Can you realistically lose 5 pounds of body weight? Wouldn't that be a better strategy than spending a couple thousand dollars more on a bike?

Oh, hell!!! What am I saying? Of course you should spend another couple of grand to get a bike that weighs almost a full pound less than your current bike. Sure. I've done it, and it's very satisfying, until I really think about it.

blknytro

Haha, I hear you. I spend thousands on my car for a few extra horsepower at times. Regarding weight, I personally don’t have much to lose. I’m 5’ 9” 150lb.

Dean V

I would keep an eye out for something like a second hand Giant TCR Advance Pro, rim brake with Ultegra.
Sub 16lb, and reasonable carbon clincher wheel set standard.

Kimmo 

Get rid of those, and when you put something more special on, use light tyres.

PoorInRichfield

If you want to shed "a couple pounds", a new bike is likely your only option as the frame is probably the heaviest part of your current bike.

While I also suffer from "weight weenie-ism", the reality is that shaving a little off the bike really doesn't make that big of a difference unless your daily ride consists of riding up Mount Everest. Aerodynamics and comfort will likely result in more speed gains than reducing weight on the bike.

tomato coupe

You could come pretty close to accomplishing both with a new set of wheels. The CX-Zero is a nice frame, so you wouldn't be wasting your money.

rubiksoval

Yeah. I'd go with the new bike.

tomato coupe

Better wheels could get the weight to down to 18 lbs., and upgrading to Dura-Ace should get it down to 17 lbs. This may or may not be cheaper than upgrading the whole bike.

Iride01 

That frame is already a pretty light frame..... I think. So with a component upgrade and possibly wheel upgrade you might shed a couple pounds. Worth it? I don't know.

Is one more bike already built with newer and higher tier components better? Or is not having one more bike better and just spending more money and having extra parts taking up space?

drewtk

Unless you bike in a very hilly area, I would focus more on aero and rolling resistance than weight. The question is - Do you want a lighter bike or are you trying to improve performance? You'll get more performance gains from improving what you already have, from a bang for the buck perspective.

I would go with aero wheels, latex tubes, and a low rolling resistance tire. For the wheels, if you don't want to spend too much, check out the HED Jet 6/9+ from mybikeshop.com or Flo carbon wheels. For tires, I would consider the Continental GP5000.

Then consider other low hanging performance fruit. Are you wearing tight fitting cycling clothes? Could you adjust your fit to lower the front end?

If you want a nicer experience, consider upgrading to Di2. Once you have electronic shifting, you'll never go back.

As for the weight of your bike itself, it isn't light. My Specialized Allez Sprint (aluminum frame bike) weighs 18.5 lbs in Ultegra trim. But you're going to spend a lot of money lose a few pounds on the bike. You can spend that money towards actually making you and the bike faster. But nothing wrong with N+1.

biker128pedal

Can you even get a new bike? Want you want may not be available for delivery until next spring.

tomato coupe

That's not a bad idea. The internal cable routing on a CX-Zero looks nice and clean, but it noticeably degrades the shifting of a mechanical group. I liked the bike a lot better after I switched to electronic.

blknytro

Thanks for your feedback. I was hoping to improve performance by upgrading to aero carbon wheels (which would result in a lighter bike) as the Shimano RS010 wheels seem pretty heavy. I've adjusted the stem position in the past to get me lower in the front but the seating position became uncomfortable after 50+ miles. I already wear tight-fitting cycling clothes. Also, I find the 105 groupset to be sufficient for the type of riding I do. I usually have a 17.5 mph average pace.

Psimet2001 

While the frame is not a light one I would absolutely look at the wheels, tires, cassette, etc as a way to drop weight. I picked up a used Boone myself a couple of months back and dropped 2.5 lbs off the bike simply by dropping the OEM wheels, tires, cassette.

Truth - even dropping ~3+ total pounds off my last bike I still had to ask the same riders to wait up or dial it back. ...but this forum is dedicated to the fallacy that gear is the most important thing about bike riding. As a gear manufacturer I can't say it's not important but I would simply change the equation to say that life is too short to ride bad stuff.

PoorInRichfield

I guess it all depends on what components the bike started with. I've spent a small mountain of money on my 2020 Domane SL7 to put it on a diet and so far I've only been able to shed about 1 lbs. off of the bike's original weight. I've pretty much run out of ways to reduce it's weight short of replacing the frame or go to the extreme with replacement parts that reduce the functionality of the bike. For example, I could buy a solid carbon saddle that weighs nothing, but then I'd hate riding my bike

drewtk

In that case, I would upgrade your wheels, along with running latex tubes and a low rolling resistance tire. And I would get deep dish aero wheels and not worry too much about the weight. Although any decent carbon aero wheel will still be lighter than the typical OEM aluminum wheel, which is designed to be strong and therefore end up being heavy.

If you decide a get a new bike, I wouldn't prioritize weight - I would get a more aerodynamic frame.