Are Wheels The Best Upgrade You Can Make To Your Bike?

Does a better set of wheels offer the biggest gain in bike performance?

When it comes to upgrading, most people will tell you to improve your wheelset, Generally you can expect a sizeable decrease in weight and potential aerodynamic gains. These gains come at a cost though - aside maybe investing in a power meter or changing your bike altogether, wheels will usually be the most expensive upgrade you can make.

But in terms of other upgrades like tyres, groupsets or other component, how does a shiny new set of wheels match up? Well, we took to the road to find out.

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[ilikethisnamebetter]

This is absolutely true. I was very disappointed with the performance of my bike until I put wheels on it.

[KayReezy]

aesthetics do matter indeed. having wheels like those will make me want to ride my bike more

[trickyname]

After years of working in bike shops, I believe that the best upgrade, be it components, or bike, is the one that makes you want to ride your bike more.

The power of shiny new kit to get you out of the door and turning the pedals shouldn't be underestimated, and is the reason to have N+1 bikes.

Great show btw.

[h.s.]

Any upgrade makes my wallet lighter therefore I go faster.

[leeoien]

Dropping a few pounds of body weight has to be up there too. It's a key bike component-- the engine!

[gfusion]

One thing worth mentioning especially when starting out, is although your new aero wheels will look fantistic and make you want to ride, your still going to end up in a ditch in a strong crosswind. Unless your a semi-pro/pro rider stay away from them until you have alot of riding under you belt. Even a passing lorry can send you flying, although they do make a difference in speed.

[mattcolour]

Think the best, most effective, and best value upgrade I ever made was moving to clipless pedals. Simple yet effective.

[diverd]

make a video $1000 bike vs $200 bike with $800 wheels!

[DJKLIBRA]

Great video as ever. I recently started cycling on a racing bike and have watched a lot of gcn videos. Informative and fun way to learn about my new hobby.
Thanks a lot, keep up the good work!

[Miragexe]

As said, we are humans, and everyone is different, some people might care a lot more about aesthetics as others.. so a really good looking bike might have a bigger affect on one person than on the next.

And ofcourse, what looks good is a matter of opinion aswell, some people like the newest, flashiest piece of kit whilst others love the old school vibe.

[THEdavehogue]

"Avoid clicking the triple chainset" LOL! First video I've seen where somebody rides a Shimano Sora groupset. Nice to see you slumming it with those of us riding entry/enthusiast level components! I'm rocking a 10-spd Tiagra myself.

[sebastiennicod]

I absolutely agree with all you say Simon. Perfect and best GCN presenter. Thanx for all

[williamarrowsmiith]

Brilliant! Fun as always and quite true including the part regarding aesthetics. A cool looking bike is not only fun to ride but one is more encouraged to ride it faster as well. Cheers!

[reillystuff]

One of the best if not the best video ever done on the now famous GCN show ! ! !
Very informative, thorough and professional.
The bar is set...Let's see if Dan can one up this one.

[patiofurnituregt]

I just got Enves for my XC race bike and my road bike (specialized venge expert) and would say that it was a more noticeable improvement to the road bike than it was for XC. The combo of a larger tire (25c) and more aero wheel resulted in a more plush ride, were faster on the flats and they certainly look cool which is added motivation to go riding. Definitely happy with the upgrade!!

[jrfurones]

Hello GCN! thanks for your videos. they are great and the mix of humor, cycling and technique is super entertaining. I have a proposal for a video. How about if you explain us how to do proper maintenance of carbon wheels? They are typically a very expensive buy and it is not so easy looking properly after them. thanks in advance!

[reginaldscot]

I am totally with you on this one Si. How the bike looks is very important, it makes you want to ride it, if you look good you feel good and you ride harder and faster. In my personal opinion the looks are the most important aspect of the bike. Because most of us just ride because we love it and we want to have fun. We are not out to win races by 0.2 of a second, so why spend all your money just to go that little bit faster? Being happy on a cool looking bike and being bike fit on that bike is way more important. :)

[RayMAKES]

i am a fan of building my own wheels...that way i know EXACTLY whats in them. as a result i ended up making wheels for others...for exactly the same reason. Great video!

[brianmoore]

Excellent video. Can't wait to see reviews as more new kit comes out.

[diversify]

Thank you GCN for the great videos. I loved the part in this video about aesthetics, because I am definitely a function and form type of person. I do a lot of research to find things that will achieve a certain level of performance, but it also must look good. For me performance is also about a 50% factor while aesthetics is 35% and price holds the last 15% in deciding factor for me. There is a great satisfaction that comes from looking good and it plays a big part in feeling good. Which equates to better performance. I think many people equate aesthetics to trying to impress others with the way something looks, but for me its all about what I like. I can put on a pair of shoes that everyone absolutely love, but if I don't like them I wont wear them

Anyway I do have a quick question for you guys. I ride a Fuji Altamira 1.3. The Reynolds wheelset Ive been looking at runs about 1100 bucks which is almost as much as I paid for the bike. Is the upgrade worth it or should I just invest in a better bike? Keeping in mind that I just purchased the bike new not to long ago