Rsma94

I have a 2019 specialized allez for a few years now and im in the market for a new bike.
im looking at the scott addict RC 15, 20, 30 2022.
Rc 30 comes with rival axs, the 20 with force and the 15 with new ultegra di2.
Prices are 4500, 5000 and 6,000 respectively. Would it be better to buy the rc 20 or 30 (5k) and upgrade wheels or buy the rc 15 (6k) with new di2 and syncros 35mm wheels?
also looking into the foil but im leaning more towards the addict.

Maelochs

If you can get good wheels new (12-speed) DI2 .... that's what I would do. The money comes to pennies per day over a ten-year span of owning the bike. A good set of wheels can cost a lot of cash, also, so even saving $1000 isn't that big a deal once wheels are factored in.

But as you already know it is all personal taste. On another day I might say to forget the 12-speed gimmick, get the best frame and group set and buy even better wheels ... spend the $6K and have a better bike than the RC30.

Whatever. No right answer, no wrong answer. But if I were willing to spend $5 grand, i would be willing to spend $6 grand, so the only question would be what features I wanted.

Iride01 

Generally the bike manufacturers have it all figured out and the price difference between the tier levels includes all the better stuff and not just the better crankset and DR's. And usually at a much better price than you can upgrade a lower tier for.

However if wheels are the one and only improvement that matter to you, then do what lets you get the wheels you want.

PeteHski

Depends how much you want the new Di2 and what wheelset you had in mind. There is no right or wrong answer to your question. If it were my money I would probably go with the RC15

cyclezen

Are you buying at a LBS, or buying/ordering without hands-on the bike?
For those costs, I'd wanna have full hands-on for each considered, and go for a test ride... with a decent hill and descent, a rough road section and, of course, a nice flat stretch to wind it up a bit.
Little things combine to make a difference. Shifters feel and operation, feel of the bars, saddle. I'm assuming you wouldn;t want to be changing/swapping OEM components because you might become unhappy with them.
Feeling of the road, as it's translated by the frame/wheels.
I like a fast handling bike, but not at the expense of stability at real speeds. Confidence of the bike stability and tracking, on a fast, twisty descent is high on my list.
Even similar models with different components can have very different road manners.
To me wheels are a big deal - brifters less so... I have dura ace, Ultegra and 105 10spd brifters, and honestly they all work about the same for me...
But my HED wheelsets are heads above most of my other wheels... and make a huge difference in the ride.
...bring a 4 & 5mm hex key to make small saddle/post adjustments while test riding... maybe your pedals and certainly your shoes.
If you ride in a clipless setup, don;t test using flat pedals. Do what you can to best mimic your actual expected use.
Don;t know much about SRAM, other than using their chains and cassettes, so I have no help/opinion there...
If the higher end OEM wheels aren;t that much different than the lower price models. Then I might consider buying lower and looking for a really nice wheelset.
Besides, to me, having more than one wheelset would be essential ! One set for crappy conditions, weather or just plain training rides... saving the better wheelset for those rides and days when you would really appreciate the improved performance/handling.
Thx
Yuri