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Your best cycling upgrade? We asked, you answered

Wheels, tyres and groupsets are all popular upgrades with road.cc readers this year

What has been your best cycling upgrade this year? That’s the question we asked you on Facebook this week, and the responses came flooding in.

Everything from new groupsets to wheels, tyres to power meters, were among the most popular upgrades. Here are some of the best and most interesting upgrades you’ve been making this year.

Jamie Batabyal upgraded his groupset. “Shimano 105 5800. Astoundingly good upgrade from Claris,” he says.

We reviewed the new 105 groupset and found it to offer excellent performance for the money. It's a really good choice for the price.

Gary Miller has been really busy, with an extensive upgrade of his Giant Defy training bike. Shimano Tiagra has been replaced with new SRAM Force and he’s also upgraded the wheels (Fulcrum) and saddle (Specialized Romin). The aim? To make it feel similar to his SRAM Red-equipped Specialized race bike.

Neil Robertson and Ben Standen both upgraded to Campagnolo Zonda wheels.  “Only 30/40 miles on them so far but they are sooooo much better than my stock wheels!” says Ben. He sounds happy with his upgrade.

Wheels turned out to be one of the most popular component upgrades. Graeme Lee upgrade to Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels. Mavic Ksyrium wheels were Harry Flynn’s upgrade, while Jason Johnson went with Shimano R501 wheels with 25mm Continental tyres. Brandon Copeland opted for a pair of Reynolds Strike SLG clincher wheels.

Gary Harvey, meanwhile, went with hand-built wheels. “H Plus Son Archetype Rims, hand built with CX Ray Spokes onto DT Swiss 240 Hubs, all wrapped up with Vittoria Open Pave CG 25mm Tyres and Continental Super Sonic Tubes. Oh, and Swiss Stop Pads. Great looking. Smooth, fast and pretty much bombproof for British Roads.”

Wider tyres are proving a popular upgrade. Steve Dixon has upgraded to Continental GP4000 S tyres in 28mm width and says he’s “floating down the road on them.” Well, we've also trumpeted the magic carpet ride of wider tyres.

Tyres are always a good upgrade for any bike. Everyone knows that, the tyres can really influence the ride of the bike. Finlay MacArthur treated himself to some Vittoria Pave CG Open Clincher tyres and says they’re “Fantastic on corners and a revelation on climbs.” We reviewed the same tyres recently and can wholeheartedly agree.

Aero helmets are another popular upgrade. The Giro Air Attack, one of the first aero road helmets when it was released a few years ago, appears to be a popular choice. Finlay MacArthur says: “Love my Air attack helmet, not seen a better looking helmet on the market.”

Bike fitting services have sprung up all over the country in the last couple of years. Alastair Jones has invested in one. "Getting a pro bike fitting from someone based at Manchester Velodrome," he says. "Knee no longer hurts and can spend longer in the saddle.”

And while bike fits can seem expensive, Alastair points out that it costs the same as four trips to the physio so in the long-term, it’s probably a good investment, and a noteworthy upgrade if you want to ride faster and/or more comfortably.

Can a carbon fibre seatpost really make much difference over an aluminium one? Ian Ross reckons so. He tells us he upgraded to an S-Works carbon seatpost and a Fizik Arione saddle and says it “smooths out even the bumpiest roads.”

Disc brakes were such a common upgrade as we thought they might be, but Warren Cox upgrade to Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc brakes. Impressed he sounds, saying: “Consistent wet braking and much smoother cadence steps between gears.”

Quite a few of you have been investing in power meters. Tom Simmons upgraded to Garmin Vector 2S power meter pedals. Joe Fisher went for Stages Cycling power meter. Kittiwat Sanguandikul upgraded to Rotor Inpower and says he can now "move ahead with my training." And that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

The best upgrade though is the one that doesn’t cost any money.

“My best upgrade has been going out in my bike even more than last year, and plenty more hill training,” says Mark Herring. We couldn’t agree more Mark, we’re with you all the way there.

Clive Davies agrees with this approach. He says: “Getting fitter and losing weight has been massively more important than any of my other marginal gains!”

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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30 comments

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Yogic Cyclist | 8 years ago
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Mavic R-Sys SLR wheels

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moretti1972 | 8 years ago
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I lost 6kgs. No need for a new bike, just a new wardrobe...

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PhillBrown | 8 years ago
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Clearly the best upgraded that is missing is joining Team Road.cc!

The socks you receive add atleast 5bhp, they are also a great ice breaker on rides when you bump into other Road.cc'ers! (Twice so far!)

GO TEAM!  41

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Dnnnnnn | 8 years ago
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My best upgrade was a strip cut from the lid of a beans tin, wrapped around the left axle taper. Stops that awful creaking.

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CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
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Best functional upgrade custom derailleur hanger to allow 11-40 XTR cassette on my Boardman. Making my bike a go anywhere bike.

Next would be my home made stainless saddle bag bracket, so I can use my carradice bag.

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fukawitribe replied to CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
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CXR94Di2 wrote:

Best functional upgrade custom derailleur hanger to allow 11-40 XTR cassette on my Boardman. Making my bike a go anywhere bike.

Must say, if there was a vote for Best Upgrade On Road.cc this would have to be mine. Cracking idea, good engineering beautifully executed, looks stunning. Nice one.

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hampstead_bandit | 8 years ago
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best "upgrade"?

my new Super Six Evo....absolutely love it

//ep1.pinkbike.org/p6pb12624560/p5pb12624560.jpg)

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yorkphotoworkshops | 8 years ago
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Buying first road bike for 25 years (they're soooo much nicer now), swapping the MTB for a track bike (local velodrome just opened).

Specifically having replaced entire groupset on team boardman for Ultegra (Dura Ace callipers), the Mavic Kryxziumzs make the bike far more responsive, though you do feel the road far more.

Most of the rest was just bling, though the Ultegra levers are much more solid and slick than the Tiagras, and the Dura Ace callipers do work better than any cheaper ones (especially at half price).

Shouldn't have changed the chainset though, no functional improvement.

Overall save 1 kg (8kg now with pedals). Very much diminishing returns from now.

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Super Domestique | 8 years ago
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I got to ride more.

That's all that counts.

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Robj72 | 8 years ago
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A new addiction;
A new bike after getting back into cycling after 20 years out. Then another one to use on a turbo trainer. Now looking for n+1.....I was warned but didn't believe. How wrong I was.

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Beatnik69 | 8 years ago
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105 pedals to replace the stock ones that came with the bike.

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dafyddp | 8 years ago
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Brooks B17. Sometimes the oldest upgrades are the best  3

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McVittees | 8 years ago
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TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes on my CX commuter. Replaced some rubbish move-on-one side discs. Eliminated rubbing and fiddly set up task as the pads wear. Brilliant.

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flathunt | 8 years ago
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Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, as they say in Spain.

[edit] Ironic isn't it, after spending all that money you'd think your wife would want to rein in the outlay, not lash out on an expensive divorce. I'll never understand women...

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joemmo | 8 years ago
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I got a water bottle that fits in my pocket, a toolkit that fits in my bottle cage , an energy bar that fits in my toolbag, a helmet with lights built in, a light with a camera built in, a camera with GPS built in, an e-bike with a dynamo that charges my smart phone wirelssly so I can locate my bike via the transmitter that is built into the suspension seatpost, a carbon fibre bike with vintage styling, a steel bike with modern styling, less teeth on the cranks, more teeth on the cassette, wider tyres, narrower bars, a helmet with less ventilation, a jersey with more ventilation, bankruptcy and a divorce.

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StantheVoice replied to joemmo | 8 years ago
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joemmo wrote:

I got a water bottle that fits in my pocket, a toolkit that fits in my bottle cage , an energy bar that fits in my toolbag, a helmet with lights built in, a light with a camera built in, a camera with GPS built in, an e-bike with a dynamo that charges my smart phone wirelssly so I can locate my bike via the transmitter that is built into the suspension seatpost, a carbon fibre bike with vintage styling, a steel bike with modern styling, less teeth on the cranks, more teeth on the cassette, wider tyres, narrower bars, a helmet with less ventilation, a jersey with more ventilation, bankruptcy and a divorce.

Great post, I'm going to send you a pair of road.cc socks for making me laugh! Thank you!

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harman_mogul replied to joemmo | 8 years ago
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Top man, joemmo!

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flathunt | 8 years ago
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I got a job that's 7 miles further from home.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 8 years ago
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Garmin 810.
All my ride data on one screen, and it has a very handy "I'm knackered, take me home the quickest way" feature.

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Simmo72 | 8 years ago
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bamboo socks. no more hot foot. ride faster and for longer, all for £5. best purchase of the year...feeling smug

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muddyfox69 | 8 years ago
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I got two bionic knees. I now feel no pain.

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steviemarco | 8 years ago
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Upgraded to DA Di2 fitted a stages power crank and binned the Zipp 404's for Mavic R-SYS SLR's, not as fast in a straight line (not that it mattered anyway) but no crosswind carry on anymore from those little gaps in the hedges. Really enjoying my riding again and that's how it should be.

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Charles_Hunter | 8 years ago
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Joined a club, got chewed up, go faster now.

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Vili Er | 8 years ago
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I got down to 65kg.

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portec replied to Vili Er | 8 years ago
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iamelectron wrote:

I got down to 65kg.

This is easily the best "upgrade" you can do to improve your speed and endurance, especially on hills.

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BBB | 8 years ago
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28mm Schwalbe One on 25mm rims at 70/50 PSI  4

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chokofingrz | 8 years ago
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I had a traditional bell but this year I upgraded (side-graded?) to a flick bell. It's made all the difference! I now have more energy in my thumb and can ride for longer.

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Stef Marazzi | 8 years ago
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I did better wheels last year - this year fitted 105 5800 front and rear callipers to all my road bikes, at £17 a calliper its a no brainer, and the braking is amazing now.

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vonhelmet | 8 years ago
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N+1

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themartincox | 8 years ago
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Disc brakes and tubeless tyres - Shimano hydraulics and Schwalbe One's in 28mm respectively.

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