NWR Road bike thread

Exotic wheels are probably the worst £/w spend you could make on a bike - the best reasoning for getting some would be to make the bike look cooler, otherwise you’re better off looking at switching tyre/tubes, immersion waxing etc. I’ve always found it amusing when a £1k+ wheel set gets a top review from the cycling media with comments like “rolls so well, so fast to spin up..”
That’s probably a little bit simplistic? It really depends on wind angles, but deep section rear or even better a disc wheel can really generate speed in the right conditions.
 
That’s probably a little bit simplistic? It really depends on wind angles, but deep section rear or even better a disc wheel can really generate speed in the right conditions.
Yes the aero gains are as you say a lot more complicated than that, but some of the other options I mentioned will save watts in all conditions so are usually a better starting point
 
I took my new Cervelo Caledonia-5 out for a gentle social ride with some friends around the Surrey Hills yesterday. I ended up putting 32mm Continental four season tyres on it (not tubeless) and what a difference they made to comfort vs the 25s. Likewise using Di2 for the first time, what a difference. The bike has Reserve wheels: 44 at the back and 40 at the front. A good investment I think. I will try and sell my S5 and keep the R3.

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To add onto Russell’s comment, i think it rarely makes sense to upgrade the groupset. Bike manufacturers get the parts so much cheaper than you do, it usually makes sense to sell your bike and buy a new one - unless you are the kind of person who loves to tweak and upgrade parts.
 
You would also (probably) need to drill holes in your frame. That’s generally a bad idea.

Going SRAM would be less hassle.

But it’s really not a good idea.
I retrofitted di2 to a bike around ten years ago, was fairly straightforward, although it had all internal cabling to start with.
Also replaced a mechanical group set with SRAM etap on a TT bike, but obviously even easier.
 
Yes I can see it’s easier if you have internal routing already. Presumably not fully internal (through the stem) or the junction box would have been an issue (before they went to bar end junction boxes).
 
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