Made some changes to the bike over the span of a year. Bike is much heavier but rides WAY better now. Truth be told, a lot of the "weightweenie" components just didn't cut it. They were expensive, did not perform up to task and failed under normal usage. Well, to be fair, I'm on the heavier side, 184cm 85 kilos so WW was never a good idea to begin with.
Lowered the stem (0.5cm spacer left) and will be cutting the excess steerer tube when I have the time.
Stem:
100mm -> 110mm
Improved handling and felt more comfortable on the drops.
Saddle:
Berk Lupina ->
Selle Italia C59 ->
Selle Italia Tekno Superflow SP-01 ->
PRO Stealth Saddle (Carbon Rail)
The Berk Lupina was comfortable but caused numbness during hard efforts. No amount of fore/aft and tilt adjustment could alleviate that.
The C59 was unbearable for me. Cracked on my 3rd ride despite being under the 90kg weight limit.
The SP-01 had great support and the wider profile suited me but like the C59, was awfully fragile and eventually failed at the rails.
The PRO Stealth was an absolute godsend. Shape was perfect and the wider + shorter front with the center cut out meant that I could get into a more forward position without suffering any numbness.
However, what blew me away the most was how stable and rock solid it felt. The Scylon is a decently stiff frame and with the PRO stealth saddle mounted, felt even stiffer. The lack of saddle flex made for a much more stable on bike feel which was something I really enjoyed.
Brakes:
THM Fibula 2018 ->
EE Cycleworks
The latest generation of Fibula brakes were absolutely RUBBISH! Can't stay centered no matter what, fragile carbon return spring. EE's performed well though not as good as the Shimano Ultegra 6800 brakes I had on the bike while I was waiting for the EE's to ship after returning the Fibulas.
Pedals:
TIME Xpresso 15 ->
TIME Xpresso 10 ->
Garmin Vector 3
Xpresso15's were crap. ceramicspeed bearings failed after approximately 2000kms. The Xpresso 10's were much better. They stayed on my bike for about 7 months before I made the jump to the Garmin Vector 3's.
Power reading and accuracy aside, the Vector 3's feel robust and well built. They are reassuringly rock solid compared to TIME pedals with better bearings.
Wheels:
Lightweight Meilenstein Schwarz 20/20 Tubulars -> ENVE 4.5 SES Clincher (Chris King R45C Campy S.Steel Freehub 2x lacing rear, radial front)
I had the chance to ride a pair of ENVEs for 2 months courtesy of a friend of mine and was absolutely blown away by their ride quality.
Compared to the LWs, they felt:
1. Much more planted
2. Better crosswind handling
3. Stable and rolls over uneven road surfaces way better than the LWs largely due to the wider rim profile and 25mm tyres
4. R45c CK hubs had surprisingly low freewheel drag compared to my LWs (serviced every 1000km with proper tools and grease)
5. Were a tad easier to maintain a certain speed
6. Great for sprinting because of how stable they felt for a bigger guy like me
I've always been a bit of a LW fanboy but I have to say that the ENVEs have them beat in terms of performance, ride quality and handling. Then again, this should not come as a surprise since LWs have an archaic rim profile that's proven to be crap in anything but 0 degree wind conditions. The Narrower rim profile also meant that running wider 25mm made front handling a little squeamish.