I have a focus Mares AX3 full alloy frame and fork, quite heavy. Wheels weigh about 2.2kg don’t know about the rest.I’d guess it weighs 10-11kg.

I was thinking of upgrading it a little. I don’t want to go silly as I am still going to use it as a winter road bike and for general offroad riding as well as racing. Don’t want to go to tubs as it would mean having dedicated race wheels which seems silly at the level/volume I race.

Would new wheels be worth it? I was thinking planet X model C but the savings would be ~500g and the wheels more fragile? Cyclocross wheels (like the planet x offerings) seem to offer little weight advantage. Would carbon forks be a significant drop in weight, not that interested in extra comfort as I find it fine now. I’ve changed the tyres.

Any other suggestions, assume a budget of <£200. Doing nothing is an option. It’s a entry level bike and as such has some other fairly heavy tiagra kit on it. Would it actually make a difference? I’d like to move from just below the top ten into it I notice the bike being heavy by the last lap dismounts.

New wheels and tyres would drop a load of weight and improve the ride noticeably. My training wheels come in at around 1500g + tyres and they are very strong, (Shimano Ultegra).

No experience with PlanetX wheels, but I’m sure they’d be fine and plenty strong enough.

Carbon forks with a carbon steerer would also likely drop some weight but they are rarely had for £200.

Keep the bike as it is and spend the £200 on a second-hand pair of wheels with tubs. They will make you faster.
None of the other upgrades you’ve mentioned will make a lot of difference in isolation.

good cheap carbon forks http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/cyclo-cross-full-carbon-fork-columbus-empella-1-1-8-th-fork-race-forks-/130612992772?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item1e69241b04#ht_500wt_1413

and some wheels

Weight will make a difference but it will be minor when you consider how much mud it will be carrying around on it.

Tyres are the main thing which will make a difference, tubs being the biggest improvement. Otherwise, just a spare set of wheels (or even 2 sets) still makes a big difference.

Or get some flat pedals… 😀

Those forks look good value. Go for wheels and a full carbon fork. Why not try normal clincher rims and run tubless kit?

Weight will make a difference but it will be minor when you consider how much mud it will be carrying around on it.

a 21lb bike with 3lb of mud on it will still be heavier than an 18lb bike with 3lb of mud on it 🙂

wheels are the easiest way to save weight and/or gain performance, things like chainsets, seatposts and saddles can be surprisingly heavy, especially on an entry-level bike, and swapping these can be an easy and cheap way to diet

lighter wheels are always a worthwhile first upgrade IMO.

It’s rotational weight, so it’s weight in the place you’ll notice it most. A lighter wheel will accelerate quicker and be easier to keep going at that pace once you’ve got it going.

Upgrade the wheels rather than the forks. Reducing rotating mass will have a greater effect.

Weight will make a difference but it will be minor when you consider how much mud it will be carrying around on it.

I’ve done 15 races so far this season and only 2 have been “muddy”. Even in a wet winter a surprising amount of early season races are dusty

Just to reiterate, wheels.

I tend to look on ebay for wheels at a reasonable cost for my cx bike- lots of people upgrade their road bike wheels, selling on new or nearly new factory wheels at a big discount. I use Bonty race X Lites at around 15-1600g, with no strength issues.

Wow.

Nine posts all suggesting you buy your way quicker… Good luck with that.

I’m not denying weight will make you quicker, I’m saying it shouldn’t be the only thing to think about. It’s traction which will have a bigger factor IMHO which means Tubs if you can afford it. Just having a spare set of wheels in the pits and to train on are invaluable. Even if the wheels are the same weight and you loss nothing, I’d say it’s more value than a lighter crankset.

And I’d rather have two heavy bikes than one light one.

Your exactly of 2 bikes is rather daft, yes the lighter bike will weight less with the same amount of mud on it, but it will be less noticeably light as you get more mud on it. Humans aren’t accurate scales and it’s a human that’s riding it.

The thing which will make the bike the fastest is getting your training right.

The thing which will make the bike the fastest is getting your training right.

This.

You are the key, not your wheels.

Cyclocross wheels

= road wheels

the OP didn’t ask for training advice, he asked for upgrade advice 🙂

Which was given. And also pointed out that the money on a coach might be something worth considering.

I might try a tubeless conversion. I assume I can ghetto with a 24″ innertube?

I’ll look out for cheap wheels but I think I’ll wait until the current ones are older/knackered. Seems daft to have race wheels when the rest of the bike is so low end but I’ll see what I can find, Tubs are expensive but I suppose a generic all terrain set would last forever if I only raced on them.

I didn’t ask for training advice but I’m aware that upgrading can have marginal gains. If you upgrade significantly it can make a difference. It was very noticeable when I went from a £300 second hand sora road bike to £1800 carbon fibre ultegra road bike. It was also noticeable when I started doing a winter chaingang. I’ve only done one cross season so I’m seeing some fairly dramatic improvements so far just from gaining experience.

some better brake pads?

anti fork judder hanger £10 ish

some better shoes?