Thought that this is the best place to ask for road bike advice bearing in mind the majority of recent threads on here… 😉

So, got a spesh allez elite last year on the C2W scheme. Put about a thousand miles on it through the Surrey Hills, and am actually quite happy with it. I have some spare cash in May that I thought I might put to good use to lighten it up a bit as I have some large rides planned this summer.

I fancy either the Pacenti SL23 wheels on Volta hubs from superstar for £324, or am also tempted by swapping the frameset out for a planet x RT-58 for £499.

If I did the frameset I would have a light frame with the heavy axis classic wheels from the allez, or if I did the wheels I would have an average weight frame with lighter wheels.

Doing both is not an option right now.

What would you lot recommend?

rotating mass is important – I’d suggest go with the wheel upgrade as could always use on a future new frame – assumes current frame is a good fit as would go for fit first so if not working then the frame …..or would probably go off road first 😉

If you are happy with the Allez then you’ll be even happier with it if you put better wheels on it. Like the poster above says you can move the wheels onto another frame in the future.

Wheels, every time. The alez has a good reputation and OEM wheels on <£1k bikes are always horrible.

I’ve got 1275g handbuilt wheels on a 10 year old cannondale frame, and I’d probably upgrade those again before the frame.

Cool. Cheers. Pretty much backed up my thoughts.

+1 for wheels. They will transform the bike.

Your frame is arguably a better frame than the PX already, spend as much cash as you can on wheels.

dura ace C24 wheels are very good.

So here’s an alternative option. Don’t change either, at least, not for that kind of money. Have you weighed the current wheels? The Superstar ones are cheap and light (that should tell you seomthing) at 1490g but they probably won’t be particularly stiff or strong (have a look at the discussion on the road wheels thread elsewhere as that will give you some insight).

Yes wheels make a difference but it looks like the more compelling factor there is aerodynamics rather than weight. Unless the the wheels you have are serious lumps, the lighter Superstar wheels might not make a massive difference.

A less costly option initially to get a little pizazz from the ride would be to put some open tubular clincher tyres on (Vittoria, Challenge, Veloflex) and some latex tubes. Save up and do bigger upgrade with something like a 50mm carbon section wheel. Maybe twice the price of the Pancettis but a lot more speed.

go for the wheels esp. since you’ve not clocked up that many miles on the spesh to warrent replacing the frameset due to wear n tear. Again as long as the spesh feels nice to ride not cramped up etc stick with it.

I was just going to type what GT did – try some nice tyres and tubes first

PX are doing vittoria diamante for a great price at the moment, the continental superlight butyl tubes are also very good, close in weight to latex and don’t require a pump every time

if you are handy with spanners, service the hubs and put in some good quality bearings

Yeah, that does put a different perspective on it. I changed the tyres to Rubino pros a few weeks back, which actually made a massive difference (and was what made me think about changing the wheels).

What is the difference between them and the diamantes?

The classics weigh around 2kg, so there is a lot of weight loss potential there.

Go for wheels, I had a test ride on a planet X straight after riding my allez, no way I’d swap and I’m pretty sure the allez frame weighs about 1400g anyway

Your wheels will be around 2kg, getting down to 1600gm or so will make it feel a lot livelier (bot not actually faster).

Aerodynamics do matter if you want to go fast, and actually ride fast enough for it to make a difference.

I’d prefer light weight myself, I looked at the aero benefits of various upgrades and prefer to keep it lightweight as it feels faster.

I’m not race fast but I can average 20mph. Aero upgrades would save me a couple of minutes in an Ironman IIRC, really not worth it at my speeds IMO

Tyres and tubes: Schwalbe Ones and latex inner tubes will set you back £70 and transform the ride. Nothing wrong with the Allez frame.

For a leftside suggestion, a carbon seatpost and bars would be a good upgrade for compfort. Weight savings would not be huge, but the bike will feel quite different. Stiff frame but some compliance in the seatpost.

Then wheels.

There is something rather pleasing about a “budget” alloy frame with nice bits. Largely because these frames from the big manufacturers are actually rather good. CAAD8, Allez, Defy, all good frames that with top level components will feel like top level bikes. Even the Btwin frame is italian made 8).

Latex is more about feel than weight IMO, well worth the swap over light butyl. They seem more robust too.

I’d echo comments about waiting and saving a bit more cash and getting something better. If on a budget I’d probably go for some Chinese carbon 30mm for all rounders. Light and a bit of aero.

As an example I’m averaging anything between 17-18.5 mph on a 50-60 mile solo ride with around 3,500 feet of climbing.

So nowhere near race fast, but I like to think not slouching along either. I was thinking that losing weight would make that a bit more comfortable and certainly feel a bit faster.

What is the difference between them and the diamantes?

The Rubino Pro’s are 150 tpi (threads per inch)
The Diamante’s are 220 tpi

More tpi means the tyre carcass is more supple which equals a smoother ride, but at the expense of durability.

Veloflex Masters and Vittoria Corsa CX have 320 tpi and are some of the nicest clinchers i’ve ridden. But they are pricey and wear out fast.

I bought a set of the volta/pacenti SL23 wheels for £150 in one of the pre xmas sales.

They’re pretty good, actually – the build is fine, true and the spoke tension seems even and ok. And as I got the wheels for less than the price of the rims alone I’m not complaining. I’d probably wait fro the next sale rather than spending £324 on them though.

They’re tubeless compatible and there are some good deals on Scwhalbe tubeless tyres out there at the moment which are tempting me.

As an example I’m averaging anything between 17-18.5 mph on a 50-60 mile solo ride with around 3,500 feet of climbing.

I’d say that was pretty good going actually. You’re probably around middle ground in a 4th cat? I only race TTs so can’t be sure but I’m doing similar rides and am close to the hour for a 25 (aiming to get well under this year).

But they are pricey and wear out fast.

They do wear really quickly, but I don’t think they are any more expensive than other high end vulcanised tyres. Conti GP400s/Four Seasons etc are all over £45 each.

I’d say that was pretty good going actually.

Cheers. I do feel like someone is sticking ice needles into my quads after those rides though, which I can only take as a good thing (no pain no gain right?).

I have taken everything posted on board and am still strongly tempted to upgrade the wheels. Up to the £500 mark, and am now tempted by the RS-81s at £331 from Wiggle with a nice tyre and tube upgrade.

(have a look at the discussion on the road wheels thread elsewhere as that will give you some insight

Oh yes, I was reading that thread until it got into a physics debate 😀

best bang-for-buck upgrades?

1) brakepads, by a mile. nothing else is even close.

2) a tyre pressure gauge, and a little experimentation.

3) tyres.

4) replace stuff as it wears out with nicer stuff, if the new stuff is lighter, then that’s great. But there’s little to be gained chasing grams.

a 1 kilo weight saving will make you approx 1% faster on steep climbs. which is roughly sod all, but it’ll cost you £1000.

Cheers. I do feel like someone is sticking ice needles into my quads after those rides though, which I can only take as a good thing (no pain no gain right?).

It’s not called the Darkside for nothing 😀 If you’re not yet on Strava then that’s free and that will also improve your performance no end.

I’ve got a 5 yo Allez which now how decent wheels (Shimano R61s) and tyres (Conti GP4000s) and it’s now an even better bike. About 50% upgraded to 105 as well which is nice.

Roles faster and is nicer to ride than low-mid range carbon numbers owned by mates.

Go for the wheels and tyres. You will love it.

Shimano R61s

I’ve just bought some as a 2nd wheelset, whilst nice I was slightly dissapointed, they do seem to be little more than a tubeless RS-21. There’s no common parts but the weights and spec are very close.

They’re not bad, but unless you’re going tubeless then they’re just expensive.

They might be slightly stiffer than my old shimano wheels, but that could be either the undrilled rims or the asymetric rim.

Wheels Defo.
I just put my SS pacenti SL23’s on I bought in the sale. They’re great, but the GPS 4000s2 were a bugger to get on. To the point where I think I’d struggle to fix a puncture roadside. Also the wider profile meant the 25mm tyres were too wide to fit the rear end.
Now wondering what tyres would go on easier, or run tubeless.

[RS61s] They’re not bad, but unless you’re going tubeless then they’re just expensive.

Mine were very cheap 😀

Not super light but they roll very well and the whole package is top quality, Shimano hubs are always good. I prefer that than some lightweight chineese things. Not a high end wheel at all but highlights how a few modest upgrades on a good Alloy frame can compete with an off the shelf carbon bike.