| For the sake of this article let's assume you have an | | | | puncture resistance. The best part is they are half the |
| good quality carbon fiber road bike such as a Kuota | | | | price of comparable tires from other brands. |
| Kharma with SRAM Rival. It's not freaky high end by | | | | Wheels |
| any means but a good solid bike. You love how it rides | | | | Most road bikes have pretty heavy wheels that come |
| but now want to make it faster. Do you need to get a | | | | stock on them. A lot of companies put the Mavic |
| new frame or upgrade your groupo? What about | | | | Aksiums which are pretty tough but they weigh a ton. |
| wheels? Will a stiffer crank give you more speed? If I | | | | In addition to the weight, most stock wheels aren't very |
| make my bike lighter, how much faster will I be? | | | | aerodynamic. What a bad combination. Upgrading to a |
| While people obsess over weight the best ways to | | | | deeper aero wheel set that is also lighter will feel like a |
| faster are put out more power, reduce rolling drag and | | | | totally different bike. For speed the deeper the better |
| reduce wind drag. The three upgrades I recommend | | | | up to around 60mm. Beyond that will be good for time |
| cover these areas | | | | trials and triathlons but be harsh riding and poor in cross |
| Here's the 3 equipment upgrades to make your road | | | | winds. Rims this deep will almost always be make of |
| bike faster. | | | | carbon fiber. This allows companies to make deep |
| Rotor Q-Rings | | | | rims are still light. Good options are available from Edge |
| These are non-round rings that have been optimized | | | | Composites, Zipp and Spinergy. Expect to pay a lot |
| to match the power curve of your legs. The road | | | | more for a set of carbon fiber wheels but they are |
| version have 5 settings so you can adjust the position | | | | lighter for the hill climbs and much more aerodynamic |
| of the power stroke. A simple chainring upgrade will | | | | the rest of the time. And on top of it all the deep |
| yield a power increase of 4-5% and a decrease in | | | | wheels look cool. |
| fatigue. This is one of my favourite upgrades as you | | | | A set of 58 mm deep aero wheels will be a couple |
| notice it from the first ride. You have just a little more | | | | minutes faster over 40 km. This will make a difference |
| going up hill and it never feels like your are pedaling | | | | in both long road races and crits. |
| squares no matter how tired you get. | | | | Summary |
| Tires | | | | Increase power output, reduce rolling resistance and |
| Most road bikes come with relatively cheap tires. The | | | | cut wind drag. These areas will give you the most |
| stock tires have a lower thread count to the casing | | | | bang for your bike buck. As you can see none of this |
| and denser, slower rolling rubber. Upgrading your tires | | | | is focused on weight as a pound makes very little |
| can make a big difference in both speed and the ride | | | | difference on flat to rolling terrain. If you climb the |
| quality of your bike. Now there are a number of high | | | | mountains then a bit of weight off your bike will make |
| quality clincher tires that roll fast and are pretty | | | | a difference but until you can see your abs, don't |
| puncture resistant. My favourite is the Kenda C2C 700 | | | | worry about the weight of your bike. |
| X 23mm. They are light, roll fast and have good | | | | |