I bought my first road bike 2 summers ago, a Specialized Allez Elite with 105 gruppo. Although I don't ride in a competitive sense (play soccer for that), I enjoy riding for riding's sake and for the sense of accomplishment it can sometimes bring. However, I have come to admire this board and its' ethos, despite how utterly lost it really is on my cycling abilities. I enjoy the project aspect of WW and basically this is my one hobby where I can "hot rod" something.

That being said, I've taken the stock porker down from some 21 lbs to 18.2lbs without saddle bag. My goal is to get to mid 16s with my budget.

Here she is in her current form:



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Regarding the asymmetric wheel set up. I had a Mavic Cosmic Elite front wheel lying around for a fixed gear project that never materialized. I transferred that to my Allez to replace the stock wheels and was going get to the matching rear, but found a great deal on a 2010 Cosmic Carbone SL rear that wasn't terribly much more than the Cosmic Elite. I grabbed that instead, knowing one day I will get the matching front.

Performed upgrades:
Ritchey Pro Monocoque Carbon Fork
Mavic Cosmic Elite / Carbone SL Wheels
Conti GP Tires
Conti Race Light Tubes

Purchased upgrades (but yet to be installed upgrades) include:
Deda Superzero Seatpost
Deda 100 Stem
Zipp SL Carbon Trad Bend Bars
Specialized Romin Pro Saddle
Specialized Black Cork Tape

Assumed savings 388g. To be confirmed when I take off the old parts.

Proposed Upgrades:
Sram Rival gruppo with Red crankset (a further 450g)
Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL Front Wheel (basically a wash)

Final weight ~ 16.5 lbs

So, weight weenies, which comes first, a cosmetic upgrade, but one that is basically a wash from a weight perspective, or a gruppo switch out netting about a further 1lb reduction? I can only do one at the present.

Caveats:
Mavic MP3 protection plan for $1 ends today.
Apologies for the chain being in the small ring.

Go for the grouppo upgrade.......kinda like the hot-rod wheel set-up!

Oh, and clean/replace bartape (should be commensurate with grouppo change) and get a matching set of bottle cages......weenie and aesthetics!!

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2012 Fuji Altamira SE - 6.42kg

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Thanks for the input. I kind of like the asymmetric look as well. Even when I get the Carbone front, I plan on keeping the Elite to swap out on days that are windy.

At the moment I am leaning toward ignoring logic and going for the Mavic upgrade first. Here is what it looks like in photoshop (mind you it will have 4 less spokes).