2nd hand caad9 upgrade

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daveje
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2015 11:14 pm

by daveje

Hi,

I recently bought a 2nd hand caad9. Very stock, Tiagra 9-speed triple, shimano wh-r500 wheels, about 5/6 years old. Previous owner had only done about 2500km on it. Thrashing the bike through the winter while I get used to being on a real bike again, and looking to upgrade components for the summer.

I was never a roadie, 20 years ago I was a pretty serious mountain biker, but haven't been on proper bikes since. I'm probably in classic MAMIL territory here, but I'm still pretty fit (I run half marathons, times aren't too shabby), weigh about 70kg. I also live in Amsterdam, so I have to go to neighbouring countries to get hills. Which means, probably no hills.

The upgrades I'm looking at:

- Shimano WH-9000 C24 wheelset;
- Ultegra 6800 groupset.

Wheelset first, the wheelset will take the current 9-speed cassette until I replace the group.

Is this a reasonable upgrade path, or overkill?

Cheers,
Dave

RimClencher
Posts: 194
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:00 am

by RimClencher

Nothing wrong with a CAAD 9!

Riding mainly on the flat, an aero wheelset seems like a better idea.
If you haven't got one already, a carbon setback seatpost would also help smooth out the somewhat harsh CAAD 9 ride.

by Weenie


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stripes
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 5:58 am

by stripes

Depending on your budget I would consider a custom built wheelset over the C24 wheelset as it'll be easier to service in the long run + built to your needs. I think it's around ~1k USD for a Pacenti SL23 custom build which is similar to the C24 price point (depending where you buy it).

daveje
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2015 11:14 pm

by daveje

Nothing wrong with this caad9, just needs some love..

The carbon setback seatpost wasn't something I had previously considered, though I'm pretty used to the harshness of Cannondales - I used to MTB on an M800 back in the day.

As for wheels, the C24s seem a good performance/pricepoint to aim at, in that I know they're a well-regarded wheelset for the money. But I like the idea of a custom build, only issue is finding a local wheelbuilder.

Thanks for the advice.

RimClencher
Posts: 194
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:00 am

by RimClencher

I was thinking of the Pacenti SL23 rim on a custom wheelset for a while. But a lot of people seem to have a lot of trouble getting tyres on that rim.

If you find the wheelbuilder, perhaps consider a 50 or 38 mm depth carbon clincher rim from a Chinese source, with CX-Ray spokes and Dura Ace 9000 hubs. The main problem with carbon clincher rims seems to be they heat up too much when breaking on technical descents so not a problem for you. And if you do ride in the mountains, you can simply put the old R500 wheel on the front as most braking is done on the front wheel. The Dura Ace hubs should last forever and are very easy to service. 24 front/28 rear spokes should be enough.

daveje
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2015 11:14 pm

by daveje

Someone who got a wheel built with Pacenti SL23 ended up putting the tyres on another rim first, inflating them, and left them overnight to stretch them. Seemed to work.

I think I'm settled on the Dura Ace hubs either way. One thing I liked about the Shimano C24's was that the braking surface was aluminium while the rest of the wheel was carbon, which seemed a good mix. I'm still a little skeptical about heat transfer on a full carbon rim.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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