Q&A

A right up grade for a racing bike

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Parent Category: Q&A

Category: Q&A Bicycles

Published on Wednesday, 18 August 2010 08:22

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Dear Editor,

congratulations for your site, very great attention to detail. You were useful for the purchase of new bdc, Bianchi Infinito Athena Fulcrum 5. The weight of my bike including pedals (Dura-Ace) and bottle cage, is 8.160 kg.

Wanting to shave a few hundred grams I think in the near future to upgrade to lighter wheels, but I am undecided which to choose. Consider that I live in Sicily, namely inland, where the streets are a constant ups and downs, so we can rule out a high profile. Mavic Ksyrium Elite or SL? Fulcrum or 3? I want to spend max 500 Euro. How much weight I can save with these wheels? Other components for the moment does not change, because a rotating seat or other parts do not roll doesn't care so much, right? I would know how many seconds you retrieve uphill to km per 100 g less on wheels?

Signed letter

Dear reader, thanks for the compliments, I am pleased that our test bike was the endless white support in choice. Improving the performance of your bike when you already part of a base good as his, is not easy, especially when confronted with the limits on budget. In your case you are lucky, because you have a good frame, which deserves far more tractors and group. The overall performance of the bike, the same frame, depends on its weight and not a single component. But it is also true that by easing some components to get more benefits than others. Lighten seatpost, saddle, handlebars and stem makes the bike lighter, better you go uphill and you gain faster speed, but at the same cost should first change the wheels, because the same programs spared, we will have more entries in the curve faster, more rapidly in the shots and equal benefits uphill. The group as a whole affect, and not a little, but the spending is even more excessive. Then this is cosider: from scientific point of view also only 50 grams lighter make go faster. This is important because for an athlete end a race with a second less, it means winning a race. n reality we are talking about 1 second on a race of 6 hours. Consider that a reduction of 1kg should save you a minute to a climb of 10 km along the slope of 10%, although such calculations are always taken with the benefit of the doubt, because they are affected by many factors. Then it is useless to save 50 grams on the components and not treat clothing, shoes, maybe taking much heavier than the market offers. In your case, then right from the wheels, then go to other parts. Already has good wheels, and then moving to Fulcrum Racing 3, that the council would save those 100 grams seeking. But from the standpoint of the actual performance would change little, if not a race course, and apart from the appearance psychologic would notice little difference, in my opinion does not justify spending 540 Euro list. You should therefore think seriously about the Campagnolo Zonda 2010 (we tested), obviously in the normal version, which saves about 180 grams, an amount already more interesting, for a list price of 605 Euros. Finally, the wiser choice to make: if you look good online is the good Fulcrum Racing 1 from list price of 916 Euros on offer to 559 Euros (serious and reliable shop). With Fulcrum R1 save about 280 grams and warns of a safe good growth performance, besides being of great wheels. With the R1, it also closes chapter up grade wheels for your bike, until you have changed all the other components on Campagnolo Record level.