# Suggested Upgrades (Carrera Virtuoso)



## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

Hello it meeee again!

Has anyone got any ideas on possible upgrades to my Carrerra. Basically I looking for CHEAP upgrades that will reduce the weight on my bike and increase performance.

I assume that changing the wheels and possibly the forks will do this. However I'm looking for specific products and prices. I don’t want to spend over £150 really, but is there any wheels for example that will be that much lighter and better than the standard wheel to make a difference. Of course I could just buy £600/£700/£1000 + on wheel to make the bike lighter but that’s stupid on an entry level bike. 

So are there any sneaky things I could buy to reduce weight and not bust the Bank?


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## sidevalve (21 Mar 2013)

TBH I don't think you're going to have much luck. As I recall from the one I used the weight is under 10kg anyway [unless the specs have changed dramatically] and to get any significant weight loss at the prices you want will be difficult. At your budget you might be able to shave 1/2 a kg but £150 for weight of a couple of bananas seems a bit OTT to me.


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## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

sidevalve said:


> TBH I don't think you're going to have much luck. As I recall from the one I used the weight is under 10kg anyway [unless the specs have changed dramatically] and to get any significant weight loss at the prices you want will be difficult. At your budget you might be able to shave 1/2 a kg but £150 for weight of a couple of bananas seems a bit OTT to me.


 
So if I changed that idea, to buying a pair of race wheels for races and use the current ones for training, what sort of price of wheels do I need to be looking at to make a difference. The wheels on it now are the standard heavy ones.


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## sidevalve (21 Mar 2013)

Sorry I can't be of more help here [I never really got into racing, and there are others on this forum with more experiance of it than me] but I would seriously try a trip to my LBS and have a long chat with them about what you want and can [or want to] afford and the sort of roads you wold be riding over. I would also try weighing the existing wheels as you may be surprised when comparing them to some "lower end" replacements. A friend of mine has just bought a bootifull race bike and it cost him a BIG wodge of cash, but it's still only 2kg lighter than my £50 Dawes [Ok it looks and rides like the wind but still]. Lightness don't come cheap. Good luck.


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## AndyRM (21 Mar 2013)

Go on a diet. Ride more.

Weight loss? Increased performance?

Done.


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## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

Ive been looking, so for example aparenlty the weight of the standard wheels are around 4kg and looking at these on wiggle at £199 are 1760g

Meaning it will cost £199 to lose 2.24kg

Is that worth it?


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## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

AndyRM said:


> Go on a diet. Ride more.
> 
> Weight loss? Increased performance?
> 
> Done.


 
Yeah thats not going to happen, I presume you presume that Im fat.


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## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-5-clincher-wheelset-2013/


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## AndyRM (21 Mar 2013)

I didn't, it was a fairly flippant reply, but thank you for the clarification.

Those wheels seem a good price for the weight saved.


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## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

AndyRM said:


> I didn't, it was a fairly flippant reply, but thank you for the clarification.
> 
> Those wheels seem a good price for the weight saved.


 
Ha Ha, thank you.


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## BSRU (21 Mar 2013)

Merlin have 2010 Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels for on £175.


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## youngoldbloke (21 Mar 2013)

If you are talking about road/circuit racing you are going to have to lose the tribars anyway, so that will save you a bit of weight. Tyres are a good place to lose grams too. P4R 4, GP 4000, or similar FOLDING, around 200 gms each, and with good tubes will be much more responsive. Fulcrum 5s - good, or Aksiums (Equipe better). Saddles can be pretty heavy too. Those large bottles are going to weigh a lot full, too


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## Cyclist33 (21 Mar 2013)

Peter Armstrong said:


> Ive been looking, so for example aparenlty the weight of the standard wheels are around 4kg and looking at these on wiggle at £199 are 1760g
> 
> Meaning it will cost £199 to lose 2.24kg
> 
> Is that worth it?



i very much doubt those two weights are comparable. it would be incredibly sluggish if the stock wheels were actually 4kg! the 1760g is the claimed weight for the bare wheels without cassette and with skewers. it might differ by a few dozen grams anyway in reality.

the virtuoso's stock wheel weight bare is probably around the 2kg mark but youd really need to weigh them.

there is more to upgrading wheels than weight. aerodynamic improvments in some cases, stiffness improves efficiency, smoothness of hubs, weight distribution from hub to rim etc. so i would definitily consider what youre doing. im waiting for some fulcrum 5s as we speak. they will reduce the weight by about 250g but are hugely better than my stock wheels.

a great way to lose rotational mass is get some folding race tyres. stock tyres are probably wire beaded and weigh around 400g each. get a pair of michelins or schwalbes or similar and youll shave off 300g across the bike.


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## Peter Armstrong (21 Mar 2013)

youngoldbloke said:


> If you are talking about road/circuit racing you are going to have to lose the tribars anyway, so that will save you a bit of weight. Tyres are a good place to lose grams too. P4R 4, GP 4000, or similar FOLDING, around 200 gms each, and with good tubes will be much more responsive. Fulcrum 5s - good, or Aksiums (Equipe better). Saddles can be pretty heavy too. Those large bottles are going to weigh a lot full, too


 
No, for Triathlons really, and the odd strava segment hunt!

Ive already upgraded the tires to thin folding ones, and tubes too. I only carry two bottles on long weekend rides. Ill look into the saddle, are carbon forks too expensive for the reward?


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## Cyclist33 (21 Mar 2013)

BSRU said:


> Merlin have 2010 Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheels for on £175.



yeah if you like the colour coordination with the silver wheels that is a great buy.

those supra ra30s are very light for the price and according to the guy at merlin, very nice wheels indeed.


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## Cyclist33 (21 Mar 2013)

yay! fulcrums just arrived 30 seconds ago


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## Cyclist33 (21 Mar 2013)

so to give you some idea of how the weight loss might work for your virtuoso in the real world, my new fulcrum r5s, claimed weight 1760g, weight exactly 1800g, 950 at the back and 850 at the front. thats bare, just with rim tape. the skewers weigh 120g as a pair, the cassette 350g and the folding tyres 225g each or 330 with inner tubes.

total set-up weight for the pair, then, is 2940g. if your virtuoso wheels really are 4kg for the pair then you would make a substantial saving.


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## mrandmrspoves (21 Mar 2013)

Wheels are definitely the 1st place to start on your upgrade journey. As it's not just about weight - but also about the amount of effort required to move that weight - so taking 2lbs off the wheels will have greater impact than taking 2lbs off another part of the bike. (Physics isn't my thing so I'm sure someone else could explain this more succinctly)
After the wheels, if you really want to trim weight, I would look at the crank next as there are lots of relatively cheap choices guaranteed to shave off a fair amount of weight.


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## paul04 (21 Mar 2013)

My bike is very similar to yours, the overall weight of mine is 11.7kg. Now I have just taken off the front wheel and weighed it (on the bathroom scales.not scientific I know but gives a rough idea) and that was 1.6kg

Try weighing both front and rear wheels. then you can work out how much weight you could lose by swapping rim's/tyres


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## cyberknight (21 Mar 2013)

Peter Armstrong said:


> Yeah thats not going to happen, I presume you presume that Im fat.


Plenty of excess weight there, stop lifting weights so much 
I have a virtuoso and they come in around 11 kg i think, i put the wheels of my boardman ( cxp 22`s) and although smoother they have not made me that much faster.
Currently running some r501`s from ribble of my boardman, and for the money they are cracking .
linky to a piccie, 3rd picture down ..
*http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/evolution-of-a-boardman.120508/*


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## SpokeyDokey (21 Mar 2013)

Peter Armstrong said:


> Yeah thats not going to happen, I presume you presume that Im fat.


 

You do look a bit chubby there. Definitely scope to shave an ounce or three off.


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## Peter Armstrong (22 Mar 2013)

That was last year,

This is me now


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## Pedal Bob (22 Mar 2013)

Get your hair cut, hippy.


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## mrandmrspoves (22 Mar 2013)

Pedal Bob said:


> Get your hair cut, hippy.


.....yes you will lose an ounce or two and be more aerodynamic too!


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## Pedal Bob (23 Mar 2013)

mrandmrspoves said:


> .....yes you will lose an ounce or two and be more aerodynamic too!


 
And not to mention he aerodynamic benefits too.


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## Tanis8472 (9 Apr 2013)

The front wheel weighs 1445g with a conti tyre and tube.
I weighed it last week on some digital scales. 
I also weighed the whole bike with 2 bottle cages and pump attached and it weighed 12.2kg.


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## ribbleboy (10 Apr 2013)

A triban 5....


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## Peter Armstrong (1 May 2013)

This is my new upgrade that im getting very soon


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