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how to upgrade my 2012

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how to upgrade my 2012

Old 08-14-20, 11:14 PM
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btppberk
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how to upgrade my 2012

I have a 2012 Focus Izalco Pro with stock everything. What's the best way to upgrade this without investing a ton of money? I am guessing wheels are the way to go, but I have no idea how to go figuring out what tires to get for an old 10-speed. I guess I'd be looking at used? And how would I know which ones to get? (I'd like all arounders.) Or maybe I shouldn't even spend any money on it and save up for a new bike?

Any thoughts on wheels or other ways to upgrade the bike would be great.

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Old 08-14-20, 11:28 PM
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Uhh... depends. First off tires are different from wheels - is that what you were referring to? Tires are wear items that last 1000-5000 miles or so, and go for $40-70 each. Wheels start at around $100 each, and can go to $10k a pair.

What is it you’re looking to improve? What kind of terrain do you ride? How many miles do you put on the bike at once, or in a season? Without knowing these things, I think the best improvement you can get is a tuneup, new brake and shifter cables, and a proper fitting, if you’ve never had one done.
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Old 08-14-20, 11:59 PM
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Originally Posted by aliasfox
Uhh... depends. First off tires are different from wheels - is that what you were referring to? Tires are wear items that last 1000-5000 miles or so, and go for $40-70 each. Wheels start at around $100 each, and can go to $10k a pair.

What is it you’re looking to improve? What kind of terrain do you ride? How many miles do you put on the bike at once, or in a season? Without knowing these things, I think the best improvement you can get is a tuneup, new brake and shifter cables, and a proper fitting, if you’ve never had one done.
Sorry, I meant wheels! [Edit made] I did have a bike fit many years back and it still seems comfortable, and just got it tuned up (though they managed to make the shifting worse off--a few hours later with youtube and that is fixed).

I'd like a bike that is faster and more comfortable. I've just got back into cycle after a few years off. Doing mostly 1-2 hour rides at this point with 1.5-2.5k of climbing x 3 a week plus interval training. Hope to do longer rides with more climbing when the weather cools off.

Thanks for your help!
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Old 08-16-20, 09:22 AM
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I’m not super familiar with Focus Izalco Pros - I think they pulled out of the US market last year. However, given you said your bike is a 2012, I’d hazard a guess that it’s a rim brake model, equipped with at least Ultegra, and some reasonably nice alloy wheels - any idea what model eheels you got? If you’re looking to upgrade, your options might be pretty few, as I wouldn’t recommend going to carbon rims on a rim brake bike, which leaves going more aero as your best bet. However, going more aero in an alloy rim might add weight over your current setup.

Other options could be a full carbon cockpit, which could save 100 grams or so, be slightly more aero, and likely cut out a bit of vibration relative to an alloy cockpit. Or maybe getting some fresh and fitted bibs/jersey to be more aero? This would likely have a big effect on speed if you’re earring relatively baggy clothing now.
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Old 08-16-20, 10:33 AM
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If nothing really bothers you, then what is there to upgrade?

10 speeds to 11 on the rears isn't a big enough deal for me. Electronic shifting.... maybe, but then if you can't get all the extras like battery and stuff in the frame out of sight, it's ugly (pronounced you-glee). Expensive too, buy a new bike for that.

That leaves you with wheels. Are you going to get any bang for the buck spent? How much lighter can you go from what you already have? Save for a new lighter bike and you'll get more bang for your buck IMO.
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Old 08-16-20, 11:38 AM
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How about upgrading the motor!!!
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Old 08-16-20, 01:18 PM
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Wheels are probably a good way to go. You can generally use wheels designed for 11 speed with 10 speed cassettes by using a 1.85 mm spacer along with a 1 mm spacer. Check the specs to verify, though.

Depending to the groupset the bike currently has and how many miles it's seen, a partial groupset upgrade can be nice. IMO it's only worth it if you're willing to do the work yourself and can find components that are a genuine upgrade from what you've already got at a decent price.

None of this will make the bike any faster. It can make it more fun to ride, though - and if you end up riding more, then you're likely to get faster.
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Old 08-16-20, 01:56 PM
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I just this year up-fitted a 2012 Trek Madone carbon bike. I replaced the stock components with SRAM Force and Red lineup. I even bought a new set of Fulcrum 4 Racing wheels for the new wheel set.

As far as handlebars......full carbon aero bars and a new carbon seat post and finished with jag wire cabling and Kogel ceramic bearings. Oh yeah, new set of Conti GP 5000’s for the shoe leather!

As to where did I source this all, various places to include E-bay and Amazon for the FD and most were either NOS or slightly used for less than a few hundred miles.

The new crankset was used too but in like new condition the seller replaced with something new. Cost........hmmmmm, maybe spent $750 to $1000 to up-fit but it was worth it as the bike runs very smooth.

Plus I sold some of the Rival parts and made a few bucks back.
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Old 08-16-20, 02:13 PM
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Depends on goals and budget. Start with new chain, fresh cables and housing, and some top notch tires (like Conti GP5000). Maybe a new cassette if current one is worn.

If you have money to burn go ahead and get a new wheel set. Be sure the free hub body is compatible with your (presumably) 10 speed cassette.
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Old 08-16-20, 06:12 PM
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Thanks, everyone, for all the advice.

It is a 10-speed with rim brakes, SRAM Force, and DT 1850 RR wheels. The chain, cables, and cassette are fairly recent. The motor, however, is getting old.

I have no experience with wheels. What wheels would people recommend? It's decently hilly and windy where I ride. Do people think I'd have greater bang for the buck with nice wheels or a new frame?
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Old 08-16-20, 06:31 PM
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it usually comes down to technology philosophy , no real road cyclist rides for comfort , your comfort comes from repetitions and building toughness , just upgrade to newer frame something from 2016 to 2018 should be affordable and effective at giving you a tech boost , i love my 2008 cx bike for training and commute but its mushy and slow , im sure if i had 300 or 400 wats and hour to spare it would be fast but thats not realistic with human bodies , so i switched to a caad10 , what i got was better tech , lighter stiffer , then i added a full range drive train so i could go just about anywhere , bars really dont matter unless you are doing crits or tt , wheels and tires should be matched better to reduce the turbulence between tire and rim , really doesn't matter if its rim or disc , disc does allow a wider tire without expanding the fork size giving you an aero boost , but the tire still has to be matched to the wheel , so if you put 28mm on a 15 mm internal width thats going to add drag , so says the aero experts anyway , but you can always over come any disadvantage with more watts , but that leads to other issues , so if you are looking for more performance efficiency is the key , i personally like the 30mm crank i feel a huge difference compared to 24 so keep that in mind too !
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Old 08-17-20, 10:22 AM
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According to roadbikereview, The DT Swiss RR 1850 is a 1850g wheelset, with 19mm outer width and ~31mm tall rims, with bladed spokes. You can probably gain a bit of width on the rim (aiding comfort), while dropping a couple hundred grams, by going with a higher-end, modern wheelset. Something like the Hunt Race Aero Wide (used as an example) would give 5mm extra rim width, tubeless support, drop 350g, and maintain the same 31mm rim height. I would personally avoid going to carbon rims (stories of bad braking), nor would I go much taller on alloy rims (weight, ride quality).

There's definitely room to upgrade from 10sp Force, but if you're going to switch out shifters/derailleurs/crank, in addition to wheels, I think it might be money that's better applied to a new bike. Do you have any complaints about your shifting performance?

I don't know about that generation Izalco Pro, but modern ones are pro-level frames that are stiff, aggressive, and light. Going to a new frame would allow support for disc brakes and wider tires, but unless you're looking for that, I'm not sure you'd find a whole lot that's a step-change beyond an Izalco Pro. In other words, I would consider upgrading the frame if you're looking for something more comfortable, rather than something faster.

All that said, it's not like a Focus Izalco riding on Force and DT Swiss wheels is a bad bike, or a slow bike - in a 54-56cm, I can't imagine it weighs much beyond 18lbs, and in proper tune I can't imagine it has any major trouble with accelerating, handling, or shifting. From a gear perspective, I think you might see the most benefit with wheels, but going out there and riding will probably help just as much and save you some money.
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Old 08-17-20, 12:46 PM
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Originally Posted by btppberk
It's decently hilly and windy where I ride. Do people think I'd have greater bang for the buck with nice wheels or a new frame?
If you ride for hours at a time, then the lighter the better. Not knowing what your bike weighs, I'd think you'd still get more bang for your buck from a new bike that might weigh five or more pounds lighter than you'll ever get from just changing wheel sets.

Changing frames? Then you'll be compromising by having to ensure the frame will fit with your old components. And do you know what your current frame alone weighs so you can decide if the new one is lighter?

The longer and hillier your riding, the more energy you'll have to go farther if you reduce weight. Whether it's on you or the bike.
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Old 08-17-20, 12:52 PM
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Btw, is this the bike in question?

https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bi...ro-3-0-review/
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Old 08-17-20, 08:40 PM
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Thanks, aliasfox and iride01, for your comments.

Yes, that is my exact bike, I think. Thanks for the tips on possible wheels. The bike has always been finicky about shifting, and it often comes back from the shop with some problem shifting, but currently it is shifting perfectly. I wouldn't mind a compact crank set if they were cheaper, but its not a major problem in the meantime. Sounds like wheels would be a nice upgrade. Having never had any but a stock pair, its kinda hard for me to accept they make as much difference as everyone claims. I'd be more inclined to do it if I'd take the wheels with me to the next bike, whenever that is, but since disc brakes are probably in that next bike's future... Thanks for helping me think through this!
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