WHEEL UPGRADE

**LATEST**
Have swapped to Ksyriums SLs and the bike, with pedals, now weighs 7.94Kgs. My only other change will be to swap the bars for my spare 42cms ProVibes, which should also shave off a little more weight.

My Canyon Ultimate AL Di2 came with Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels, and fine though those wheels are, I'm tempted to sell them while they're still brand new, and upgrade to something a little lighter. I'm going to want to upgrade at some stage, so it makes sense to get the best price for the Equipes.

I'm probably looking at Mavic Ksyrium SLs but have recently read some good reports of the Velocite Gram SL wheelset. The hubs are supposed to be excellent and the wheels are well built and easy to maintain.
At 1400g they're extremely light and they cost just £569 according to the Velocite website.

They are well reviewed here.
"First ride out of the box was stunning, the hub bearings are ridiculously smooth and spin like silk yarn – super smooth. Against my other wheelsets, the Gram SL’s float along, this alone had me chuckling"

I'll update the blog as I delve back into the arcane world of wheel selection.
I'm also interested in:
Campag's Neutron Ultra (£680, 1529g)
HED Ardennes SL (£760, 1450g)
Strada Handbuilt (c.£700 c.1530g)
Cero AR30 (£449, 1400g)
but will research other options.

TEST: SRAM RED VERSUS CAMPAG VELOCE

We've heard a lot about the new SRAM Red groupset.

We've heard that it 'represents the pinnacle of road racing technology and delivers countless performance advantages to the professional and enthusiast alike'. 

We've also heard that it weighs 1730g and costs £1,400.00
We've heard that you can change gear and that most of the time the chain doesn't come off.
 
We are also familiar with our old friend, the Campagnolo Veloce groupset.
It weighs 2454g and it costs £342.00
You can change gear and most of the time the chain doesn't come off.

We've thoroughly road tested bikes with Campag Veloce and SRAM Red both on the road and our laboratories* and can confirm that they're exactly the same.

The weight difference of 724g is all in the mind. If you think the weight matters you could try drinking two pints less per week, which should see the three quarters of a kilo falling off nicely.

Your bike will also look much nicer and your mates won't think you're crazy.

Campag Veloce, gram for gram possibly the best groupset.....in the world.**

* Possibly not true
** Possibly

TIFOSI WEIGHT REDUCTION

The Tifosi CK7 Veloce Audax bike has arrived!

For £750 (sale price) you get a triple butted 7005 alloy frame with mudguard and rack eyelets, a carbon fork, Campag Veloce shifters and dérailleurs, a Miche compact chainset and brakes, as well as Miche Reflex wheels.

The original weight was 9.6Kgs so I raided the basement to see what weight we could lose by swapping components.

The original alloy seat-post and Selle Italia X1 saddle weighed 620g but I had a PZ 27.2mm carbon post and Fizik Aliante saddle that together tipped the scales at 420g, quite a decent weight saving to get things started. Weight now 9.4Kgs

The next and most obvious weight saving (over half a kilo) came from swapping the wheels & tyres.

The Miche reflex front wheel including Zaffiro tyre was 1.56Kgs and the rear wheel 1.68Kgs, making a total of 3.24Kgs.
Once I'd swapped them for my Zondas (with Continental 4 Seasons tyres) the weight of the bike came down to 8.86Kgs (without pedals) a further reduction of 0.54Kgs.

8.86Kgs is actually quite light for a winter bike. As I have to store my bikes in the basement the weight loss helps getting them up and down the narrow stairs. I went straight out for a test spin and found the bike lively and responsive - and quite comfortable too. A really nice ride and even better than I was expecting.

One reviewer of the bike mentioned being able to 'feel a bit more of the road', saying fatter tyres would help, but I think that problem was solved with the use of my PZ carbon seat-post which really reduces road buzz. The only thing I might change in the future would be the bars as I have a few spares sitting around that might suit me better - although thicker (and less flesh coloured!) bar tape might help as well.

My issue with the front chainring shifting will go on the back burner during winter. On my test ride I shifted between the Miche big and little rings a lot without any problems so fingers crossed (I've got a couple of dodgy left hand fingers, so it can be an issue).

 

Take a look at the Bike Buyers Guide and you can compare weights and prices of most best selling bikes currently on the market.







 
 Veloce shifters have the benefit over Shimano Sora and Tiagra of having under bartape cable routing. Much neater! 
I'll change the tape to black once it's a bit worn out.
**LATEST**
Changed bars to ProVibe 42cm. Another small weight saving (and more comfortable for me).
I've also totally solved my front chainring shifting issue. I've learned to ease off the pressure just before the shift, and the chain is now changing from one ring to the other without a problem. It's taken me long enough to sort that out!
Overall I'm a big fan of this bike, but the wheel change has been the key. The Miche Reflex are fine if you just want a hack, but if you want a bike for sportive riding, winter training or fast commuting I'd highly recommend an upgrade.