I don't care about the results. Your 2013 Specialized looks awesome with those deep wheels, and you clearly enjoyed tanking it for 8k. Your summary was spot on, enjoy the riding with your mates!
Yeah, some dude shows up at our weekly group ride through Houston on a garishly painted, 80's vintage, steel Tommasini with drop-tube shifters--and newer deep section carbon wheels on it. That bike looks cool as fuck... and he's pretty fast on it.
On our monthly vintage ride the guy who's the fastest and passes $30,000 worth of bikes climbing the Torrey Pines grade, is riding a 5-speed 1955 Hetchin vibrant-stays curve-tube bike. Really.
My favorite part of this video, which made it one of my recent favorite GCN videos was the recognition of - “what are we really testing here? Kind of who cares? This is fun!” Just that ethos could carry a substantial series on this channel for quite a while.
@@gcn Lets face it Si is a fast cyclist , if for instance I were to be the tester the results would be much more narrow cos aero has much less effect at my speeds. When I built a bike for the Etape my focus was on weight cos I knew my speed uphill would not have any gains with an aero bike. And going down mountains was quick enough thanks
I agree - this type of riding is so out of my league both cost and fitness wise, but I’ll watch any of it as I’ve an old bike and new bike and an electric and it all fascinated me - who cares? Just watch and then get out there and ride what you’ve got 😅
Great video. Very impressed we didn’t have another rim vs disc debate! Riding for smiles is all I care about (and what my 54yr body can achieve!) but we all like to go fast, that sensation is always highly addictive…
At nearly 63, I have made a conscious decision to trade the excitement of that bit of extra speed for comfort and style. I'm as fast as many of my mostly much younger club mates, fast enough to not get dropped on most rides. And if I do get dropped, I look great and feel great as I chug along. Forty years ago I quite enjoyed bombing a descent at over 50mph, but now I find it mildly terrifying. I do select certain components that are probably making my bikes "faster," but that's in the interest of saving energy, not adding speed.
Dear GCN Team, I have been following the channel for about five years, since I got the bug again to get back into cycling. I adore the fact that you are based in the Bath-Bristol area, since it's the place I used to live until 10 years ago when I returned to my native country of Hungary. I love when you check in from places I used to walk my dogs at and ride around areas I used to take walks from or to work, passing some of the most well-known Banksy works. I thank you for all the videos that you have been making that inspire people to take up cycling. For me, spondylolysthesis caught up to me as an injury I suffered four or five years ago - that I had been able to manage with rigorous physiotherapy so far - that now stops me from cycling temporarily as I am facing an operation to my spine. I hope I can get back into the saddle ASAP and reclaim some of the Strava medals I've lost in the meantime. I'm taking long walks and get slightly teary-eyed each time a group of cyclists passes me or when my I get a look at my own, old vintage steel bikes in the loft almost critisising me as in 'Why don't you take me out for a spin? It's warm outside!". This goes out to all young people: Take a really good care of your body, serioulsy. It's all fun and games while you're young, but do be reasonable, I plead to you. Be fast, but be catious at the same time. There are no guarantees in life, but blessed are the ones who have a great support system. God bless you all!
Thanks for reaching out! Great to hear that you are loving our videos, we are very lucky in where we get to film, would you ever come back to this area? Sorry to hear that you've got a long term injury, having time off the bike can be super hard but we hope you'll be back at it soon! Have you got any tips for other people that are having to stay off the bike? 👀
After a few years hiatus from road cycling, I just bought a 2009 Tarmac Comp that was only ridden 500 miles. Looks and feels brand new to me. I know there is better tech out there, but I love it. Over time and as budget allows, I will upgrade the wheels, maybe groupset, but for now, don't care that it's 'old', I just love being back behind bars.
Upgrading to 50mm carbon wheels from the stock Giants on my 2016 commuter Alu Defy Disc changed the feel and the sound of the bike for the better. I also ride it with mudguards in combo with aero wheels which rises eyebrows from time to time, but I don't care really. I love it
Love the definition of ‘old bike’ - I’m still riding a first generation Trek Madone (2004), which when I put on Zipp 404s tips the scales at just over 7kg. The only ‘new bikes’ I’m in the market for are a gravel bike and - perhaps - a new triathlon TT bike.
Great video. Loved the camera work and the editing. It blows my mind how much we’ve discovered in the last 10 years. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next decade. And I’m glad that it was mentioned at the end of video that all that matters is “just ride. Ride fast, ride slow, ride with mates or not. Just ride”
Great video! Ordinary cycling fans like myself who cannot afford to change bikes every season would appreciate more videos like this one on how to upgrade your 5-to10-year-old bikes faster and by how much. Is it worth the investment, etc.
You can certainly get some great speed on budget bikes, Just look at the time we went racing on budget bikes 👉 th-cam.com/video/mhz1GvKp2Xg/w-d-xo.html
I’m still riding my 10 year old Cervelo S2. I have two sets of wheels. One set are Zipp 404 tubulars and the other is a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbons using tubes. There is absolutely nothing revolutionary in road bikes that is convincing me to go out and drop $5 to 7k on a new bike. Surely not for 30 seconds.
@@abtcup I have a 12 year old Cervelo R3 which I recently upgraded to the new Madone. I would have thought tire clearance would be one of the reasons to upgrade alongside the obvious aero, disc, etc. For me my bike was getting beat up through the number of crashes and mishaps that occurred through just riding the bike. Feels good to refresh it.
I have a steel touring bike from the early 90s and just bought a really nice road bike from 2011. Over my usual hour and a half ride there is no more than a minute difference in time, but the newer bike is massively more fun, and that is all that matters.
The fact you didn't pick a power and ride to it completely moots this video. Going 'all out' is so subjective, just do 3 tests, 200w, 300w and 350w. Compare the differences. Also ensure tyres are exactly the same across both bikes as they are responsible for most of the speed.
No aero handle bar on the old bike, probably different width tyres running different psi, gcn will not do a controlled experiment, they know the old frame will close the gap! Not good for their sponsors.
@@nguyenho9591 Alsp Si is a fast cyclist and Aero is more important the faster u go. If I was to do a similar test , there may be a difference but when u are lucky to do a 20 mph average the gains would be more marginal
Until they get wet… then it’s all over for peak performance. I get tired of cleaning my brakes after I go through a puddle or something.. but I’d take that over constant tweaking my rotors because god forbid you transport them or bump them slightly.. yeah that got old quick. Great performance… but got sick of rub.
I just love the locking up of the disc breaks. Panicked breaded reacently and nearly went over the handlebars. I just love that kind of power on the breaks
You know 100% why they didn’t do that. The new bike would have been embarrassingly close to the old one. Ask any pro in private in the off season and they tell you what they think of these shitty disc brake bikes. Good god they’re putting disc brakes on TT bikes now 😂😂
@@StopTheRot bulshit… it’s one thing to say it would be almost as fast as a new bike (probably true), but a 10 year old bike is not AS fast as a 2023 bike
Glad to see that Si has a new sunglasses sponsor for this years road season. Would have seemed silly hearing all about those handlebar widths knowing his old shades were the widest of them all.
Referring to the 2010s having wider bars as "old school" is interesting. I have a '87 Cannondale R500 hanging in the garage with bar width that's likely in line with what's currently "fashionable", where my every day '11 Trek Madone has the 44-ish mm wide bars. So going wayyy back, they were narrow. Then wide...now back to narrow.
it's amazing that this superbike just lay there and waited for its day. ex professionals just store them as furniture. as a beginner, I would like to buy at least some kind of bike, even if it is old and rusty. beautiful video I love GCN
One of the most important elements of a bike's performance is its speed. Our cycling club has people from all walks of life who may not be able to afford a 15k bike or even a 6k bike. What we recommend is starting with either a new or lightly used 105 Aluminum bike like the AL Domane or Emonda to name a few but its important you start with a decent groupset like 105 that has a long life as the cheaper stuff doesn't last long if you ride a lot of miles and gives you nothing but trouble. At that point we encourage riders to fully accessorize the bike with GPS, bottle cages, flat fix/spare tubes, toolkit and a way to carry this gear as its essential on rides where you're not in walking distance of your house!. We also recommend for comfort that they can look to carbon bars and seatposts as these can help tame some of the vibrations, maybe not as well as a full carbon frame, but its a cheap way to bridge the cap for $100 each end. If they really want to upgrade then we suggest mid level carbon wheels. Better to have an aluminum bike with a *good* groupset and carbon wheels than a carbon bike with a mediocre or low end group set and alloy wheels. Wheels and hubs make an enormous performance difference. If you can spring for it well worth it over the long haul. This way you can get pretty close to the performance of a full carbon bike. You can still tell the difference in the climbs especially honking on the pedals hard but otherwise its very close.
The only "no no"(?) for these bikes were a bit too chonky frames. I got one myself (Corratec, 2010 design on their 10th anniversary). Small vendor from Germany. All I know, it was hated back then, in UK. :D For me - cool paintwork! I got rid pretty much everything attached to it in first 3-4 years (except shifters and brakes). And even now, though I replace parts occasionally, I do see the sign of the time... Specially chasing "new guys".
@@gcn i run a 2014 pinarello dogma 65.1 think2 full campy... i think it looks better than all those sterile looking aero bikes.... nd a lot of my freinds that run the best and the newest.. think the same thing
@@totalcycling , i agree but it was comparison that wasnt too dripping with sponsorship than normal . Specialized , canyon , vision and handlebars. I dont take it too literally
Tony Rominger and his hour record on a metal tube bike. From my testing, a lot of the savings in a bike, if not most, is from the tires and wheels and not the frame
This is almost my exact setup! 2013 Roubaix with Vision Metron 55’s! All bought secondhand and is still way more bike than my skills and fitness could ever max out!
Love to see a video just on the 2013 Specialized stock wheels vs aero wheels...as allot of us are still riding older bikes and upgrading parts does appeal
Totally agree! I ride a 2011 SL3 and my question would be how much faster I could make my SL3 with aero wheels *compared to* the SL3 with the stock wheels. Great video!
This is the video we wanted to see. Aero shapes would amount to something after all. I did a recent time trial of 10:30 with super fast race tires on 2005 year , 11 kg bike with 36 spokes stock rear wheel ( cup and cone) and DT Swiss front wheel 20 spokes.
Wheels can make a huge diference! If you have a decent bicycle with a budget set of wheels, get better wheels. It's not actually about speed only, It's also about feeling safer when cornering.
This is why I won't buy ever carbon wheels, they're opposite of safe How many times I saw people end in the hospital cause their carbon wheels broke cornering just under the normal everyday tension. No crash, no summer heat, no rocks, no anything but being plastic. Cheep wheels may be a tiny bit slower but are indeed way more safer. Alloy wheels forever
@@marketingsam Exactly my thought. Catastrophic failures can happen but I don't believe that there are stats that would confirm that modern carbon wheels are unsafe when cornering. Pros use it at Paris-Roubaix after all - approx 50 km of tough cobblestone roads.
@@dalis994 pros use them what, a month? They don't use them for years. Carbon it's terrible regarding to fatigue. Bit by bit is adding damage to the structure until one day, they snap Also don't forget some pros have World records using alloy frames and alloy wheels, carbon is just marketing
“Wasn’t a fair test” *Also proceeds to do an “all out” effort test (-10 watts on non-sponsored bike, slower tyres, while new bike has latex tubes and GP5Ks or something equivalent), not telling anyone the watts then say it’s slower than sponsored bike* GCN really needs to stop doing these “sciency” test. I don’t know how people can not getting second-hand embarrassment watching these tests😂
I don’t get it. If you think we have no integrity then don’t bloody watch the video FFS. And don’t tell me you think I’m lying. Seriously pisses me off.
@@simonrichardson5259 there are 8 billion people, some tolerates bullshit, some don’t, I definitely don’t. So if you hate these comments, dOn’T rEaD ThEm. Now if you are pissed off because you couldn’t provide hard evidence from your tests, maybe stick to bike painting tutorials or riding up Strade finishing climb or something, those are the enjoyable ones. EVERYONE knows you are shilling, that’s why your views are dropping because you are unqualified and unreliable. Hell, Cycling Tips quotes the Asian new bike brand, Devel, 15k USD to deliberately shill Devel bikes on their platform, God knows how much yall getting paid by Canyon and Orbea. Had enough? Stick to bike paint videos or some 500k challenge.
@@simonrichardson5259 sorry we're getting in the way of your Canyon paycheck. You're a former pro cyclist. You know full well it's a bullsh*t test by not disclosing power numbers and talking about doing a "maximal effort" test.
Man, I love your specialized!! That Campy looks a thousand times better than what Shimano has been putting out throughout the decades. Saying that, I do ride shimano and sram, mostly because like with the Apple ecosystem, I’ve been entrenched and would be too costly to change all those wheels and parts I’ve accumulated over the years. Plus, shimano and sram are easier to find parts for and they’re somewhat interchangeable. That still doesn’t change the fact that Campy rocks!
Still riding my 2015 Tarmac Comp with some 50mm Superteam wheels and feels great! I don’t take the sport as seriously as most do, but the way my bike feels, I don’t have any thoughts of buying a new bike for at least another 3 years. Still feels like a new $7k bike off the showroom floor to me.
While not identical to the test GCN did here, I ran my Canyon Endurace back to back with my Aeroad over several rides just short of 68km each. My Endurace averaged 1.6 kph slower than the Aeroad on average, while averaging almost 35 kph on the Aeroad. So I can believe 1.8 kph. That sounds about right. My position wasn't identical bike to bike like Sy's.
Really liked the vid, also have a SL3 with a updated custom spray on it woth old S60 deep sections, love the bike and loved the video, all the way from S.A
Great video as usual. No need to take it any further, obviously if you do a few more modifications the bike will almost be as fast as the Canyon. But then again you can also make the Canyon even faster! 😁
This makes me look forward to my summer bike even more. Winter bike is a Tarmac SL2 (so even older) and Summer one is a Tarmac SL6 and I'm currently flying (to my standards anyway) on the SL2
I also go along with the 'Unless you are racing ' theme. Only my answer is different, it's not fitness it's enjoyment. If it's uncomfortable or a drag then you ain't gonna bother . If the riding the bike is a joy and pleasure, that should be the target?
I have a 2012 bike and started riding again and this video told me everything i need to know how to get back in the game again. Time to break the piggy bank then
I really love the look of the light blue bike with Campy. I bought my first set of deep dish wheels at the end of last summer 22'. They are tubular Mavic Cosmic Carbone's. I got them for a very good price. I didn't feel much faster. Thanks.
We thought that campy couldn't look any uglier after the 2003 5-pin chainwheel lost a pin and connected the crank to the 5th chainring bolt - so everybody suddenly started buy Chorus cranks. Then when they went to super-chunky carbon we though "OMG we didn't think campy could be any uglier!" But today's campy is as ugly as possible, they seem to revel in making the ugliest bike parts on the planet ...
Great video Si...couple of points as we are the same size at 186cm. 1. Your good point about position, closed hip angle aka in and down position, related power delivery and aerodynamics. I ride more 'out and up' than you do even though our contact points would be the same to the frame due to equivalent body size. This is not only more comfortable for me, almost as aero for reasons you discussed, but I can get more power down compared to what would be me riding in your position on a 56cm. I believe many decent cyclists can extrapolate from Lance who at 5'10" and shorter than us, rode a 58cm with 130mm stem. He rode perhaps more out and up aka superman position through the air than any great rider in recent history as the trend is more down and in like you ride. Also Si, you can take a page from the Eddie Merckx who is your and my size and he rode a 58cm with 130mm stem throughout his illustrious career. Eddie, like Lance and pitiful me, rode more stretched out and not quite as low and yes too low, forearms merely catch more air as torso angle is constrained by hip flexors, crank length and hip impingement at the top of the pedal stroke. 2. I am not in the camp that frame tubing shape is very dominant for aerodynamics. This is bike manufacturer propaganda to sell the more bikes. Yes, your aero bike was faster in the test. David Arthur did a wind tunnel test between his more round tube TCR and latest Trek uber sleek aero wundersled Madone and there was virtually nothing between the drag numbers with same wheels. I do concede that wheels matter...and tires btw...and handlebar width. But riding position and wheels/tires matters the most. Thanks for all your great videos over the years, your keen insight and wonderful sense of humor. Cheers from America.
Excellent comparison! I like! For many people; the "bike" budget does not allow you to change bikes often. On the other hand, buying a new pair of wheels is more accessible. Thank you very much for this video. And regarding the difference in performance between the new and the "old" bike; I was sure it would be minimal.❤👍🙏
Yes, very surprised at the results, but honestly I have not been in super touch with cycling for a very long time. Back when I was cycling hard, Aero didn't exist, and deep rims had just started coming out. Heck Carbon bikes were still in their infancy. I own a Specialized carbon bike with straight carbon tubes and aluminum lugs. Flexed like crazy! It is amazing to see what road bikes have become over the years. Unfortunately I miss the beautiful steel frames of Eddy Merckx, Cinelli and Colnago. They were ridable works of art. With the beautiful polished Campy and gorgeous paint, WOW.
I have a 2013 specilized venge expert. I've got 38mm aero bars and hunt aerodynamic wheels (62mm F, 82mm R). I've also got a solid aero rotor chainring (though im not sure how much difference that makes) the bottom line is that the whole bike is still very aero and super light and I can still win A grade club races against guys on expensive modern aero bikes with electric derailers. I bought the bike of a friend a year ago for $1000 (Australian dollars) and ive spend $2500 upgrading it. Total cost of $3500. A new bike with the same aero efficiency will set you back around 8k.
It would be interesting to see modern seat post, stem, aero handlebars on the old bike, and the same group set and wheels on the old bike and the new. Ride both at the same power and we can have a definitive answer over the difference. My suspicion is the weight saving on the old bike, will counteract some of the aero gains on the new, in real world testing.
@@simonrichardson5259 compare frame for frame. New groupsets will be more efficient, so to simply change the wheels doesn’t show the full potential of the old v new. Next consideration would be what the handlebars and stem are made from, fair enough keeping the width the same, but are they similar weights? Carbon fibre technology has moved on over the last ten years let alone twenty, which is why Zipp wheels are now both lighter and cheaper than just a few years ago, due to changes in laying up technique’s. Let’s have a real comparison of the frames themselves, same power over the same course, see how the frames have progressed without the variables between the groupsets , etc.
Isn't it the case the 2nd run was on slightly drier tarmac? And above all, kudos for incorporating the feedback from previous vid. Finally, knowing the power for both today's runs would spark even more comments.
I don't see myself giving 42cm bars up. They fit me perfectly. I don't race road (I race cross) so I mostly care about comfort on longer rides for a road bike. That said, my next bike will be steel with 50mm wheels and as aero of a fork as I can get in it. I love a traditional frame with newer parts.
Hi Si, another good'un. Given that the route is different, it is a pity you didn't do this TT with the original setup so we could see the difference the wheels alone make. Apples with apples, not apples and oranges. That would be interesting. Not surprised deeper wheels make you faster. That has been the wisdom since late last century. The refinements are in the details of the shapes. The newer stuff seems to be in terms of arm positions and so on such as being faster on the hoods than on the drops (why do we still carry the weight of the hooks?). My motor cycling better half was telling me about waxed chains in '82 (he has a large round Duckams tin of wax). Good show though, keep em comming.
The advances in bike technology is amazing! I recently gave away our 25 year old Trek 7200 bikes and replaced them with Aventon Soltera ebikes. The ebikes are roughly 13 pounds heavier yet I can average a mile/hour faster on the ebike. That was very exciting as I plan to ride the ebikes without motor assistance 99% of the time.
Another thing is the straight course is no coincidence and I am willing to bet that the wind was either behind him or from the front (probably the former since Si is, as I am, vain). Does Si mention the wind direction (I skimmed the video). An "aero" bike has oval tubes which are aero when parallel to the wind. With a side wind the aero advantage decreases because the wind will be hitting the wider oval side. This comparison, to be fair, to be done on a course which is a loop, as are most of our cycling courses.
Awesome! I just did the same by adding FFWD Ryot 55's to my BMC Roadmachine... it's not at all an old bike, but I wasn't really thinking that it needed the deep section wheels... until I saw how cool AF it looks! "Ok, I just realized that I actually DID need the deeper wheelset after all!" 😆
Speaking of the Mavic Ksyrium SL - they still LOOK amazing (IMO). I have a set on one of my bikes and they're really strong and light - a good thing. But at the time these were at the peak of their popularity I think no one could have foreseen the importance of aero and the development to that end in the years ahead especially lately. And the flat bladed spokes on the Ksyriums you would think would give you some aero advantage to slice through the air - they actually did seem to catch crosswinds very well. I do like them for hill climbing practice due to their lightness. Interesting test. Now I wonder if I can find a set of Vision Metrons that would work with Dura Ace V brakes that doesn't force me to take out a new mortgage.
I don't think the wheels make much difference at all going up steep hills - my Ksyrium SL wheel equipped bike is faster than my aero bike with deep section wheels on the steep hills where I live
@@gcn I do think the aero bike has an edge on longer flatter routes - I have a carbon aero bike with 55mm deep section rims and it is quite a bit faster on flatter routes. On the hilly routes of Derbyshire, however, there is really no difference in average speeds between the aero bike and my Mavic Kysrium equipped bike on routes I do many times. I seem to set all my hill climbing PB's on the latter. I love your videos BTW and watch them avidly.
@@NicholasBowring Nicholas - this is interesting - I'm going to do a test once all the snow melts here with both my Ksyrium SL TI bike versus my Orbea with "medium dish" type (not carbon though) wheels on the same route - flat and climbing. It might be psychosomatic but I do believe I climb faster with the Ksyriums.
I like the idea of optimized bicycles with period tech. That would be a fun series, having the best of ea decade compared to entry level bikes of today.
I am not sure that this is fair. I have a CANNONDALE SystemSix from 2008 and currently ride a 2022 BMC TMR01. The CANNONDALE is still faster. While the BMC takes out the road noise and is massively more comfortable, the SystemSix is so much stiffer and corners like a madman. I run Enve wheels on both, SRAM red (one clearly electronic and the other mechanical) but wow the speed of the older bike is just fantastic.
I just got take-offs from my buddy at SRAM who upgraded his wife’s bike, and I got her 10yr-old Zipp 404s and SRAM Red drivetrain for my 2006 Cannondale CAAD6. I thought I was top end now! But no, I just got the equivalent of Si’s Old Bike Take-Offs! I’ll never catch up
I've got c. 2018 Mavic Ksyrium Elites on an endurance bike. With Conti 5000 tubeless tyres, they are still a fantastic set of wheels. Interesting vid Simon, though a proper scientist (Ollie) would only change one variable at a time....
Great video. I have bikes from 1974-2020 and sometimes I'm fast based on how they make me feel....ok 1874 Mercier is rarely fast but it still feels great.
Really liked the video, as i ride a bunch of older bikes that don’t have the modern tech. My newest bike, that I picked up last fall, oops, autumn for you Brits, is a 2011 Colnago CLX with Campy Record Titanium. It has Kysrium SL wheels that are probably holding my speed down, but is it worth putting a $2000 set of new deep sections on a bike that only cost me $850 on Craig’s List? So far I have said no. I’m not a racer, but then again, many of us do compete daily on Strava, and I like to see my name at the top of a leaderboard occasionally. I do agree with a lot of the comments about the look of Si’s Campy groupset compared to the current offerings from Shimano/SRAM. The Italians do have style. I personally prefer the thumb shifter on the Campy compared to STI shifters that I retrofitted to my 2008 C-Dale.
I can beat you there! My Specialized dates back to 2003! Many times over the years, I've thought about getting a new bike. But I'm too attached to it now - and the closest Specialized to its spec is such an horrendous price now. Okay, it won't win any races - but then neither will I! It's had a few upgrades and change-outs in that time. A bit like Trigger's broom, in fact! The frame is about the only original part. And I still stick doggedly to the triple chainset and rim brakes! I suppose, in all, it's a good advert for Specialized bikes!
I have a 2009 Madone, about 5 years ago I bought some Flo 60mm carbon wheels to replace the Bontrager RXL. I think it bought me between 2-3km/h, but more importantly as much as I love Si's Aeroad, I think those budget aero wheels have helped me put off that new bike purchase just a few more years .... maybe afford the SLX instead of the SL!
One thing I would like to know is how much narrow bars could slow you down if you climb up hills like Contador. I wonder if he still rides 42mm bars as with narrow bars he would lose tonnes of leverage in his out-the saddle style? Remco's narrow bars wouldn't matter as much as he stays in the saddle.
This is popping up at a very timely moment…I’m debating the benefits of upgrading a 10 year old lightly used bike or buying new. I like the idea of continuing to learn more and improve myself on my current bike before really treating myself to a fully new bike.
Have you done the same test for serious long climbs? I'm riding a 2014 Ridley Helium with original ENVE wheels and on loaned Shimano C35s I thought I too had lost 10 years off my age when climbing. What a difference. Am now shopping for a good set of rim brake wheels.
I can’t believe the amount of cynicism in the comments on this. Si is an ex pro and experienced cyclist and probably has a very good idea as to whether he is putting the same effort in. It’s just possible he knows more than the armchair experts in the comments? Thank you Si for another entertaining and informative film.
I’m not surprised that the wheels made the old bike faster, however, 30’s over that distance for simply frame shape, drivetrain and hidden cables is a BIG difference. PS. I need a new bike! 😊
I just bought new pair of Shimano RS710 carbon deep section wheels (46mm) with Pirelli Cinturato Velo 32mm tyres. Damn that thing is nice to ride on tarmac and actually on hard surface gravel as well! :P (I have the old wheelset with 38mm gravel tyres still in store for rougher conditions)
What other upgrades would you make to Si’s 2013 Specialized? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
Put on narrow aero handlebars and wireless groupset to further optimise the front end. And also a ceramic speed rear derailleur cover 😂
Will it give an ultimate boost in speed, if it was using TT disc wheelset?
Aero.bar, same width tyres, same psi, inwardly position shifter, upgrade saddle and seat post, same groupset or equivalent
Put an aero drop bar please.
Specialized turbo cotton tires for the next video and an aero helmet and skin suit. Aero road would be defeated
I don't care about the results. Your 2013 Specialized looks awesome with those deep wheels, and you clearly enjoyed tanking it for 8k. Your summary was spot on, enjoy the riding with your mates!
It did look cool... maybe that's more important after all 😂
Yeah, some dude shows up at our weekly group ride through Houston on a garishly painted, 80's vintage, steel Tommasini with drop-tube shifters--and newer deep section carbon wheels on it. That bike looks cool as fuck... and he's pretty fast on it.
On our monthly vintage ride the guy who's the fastest and passes $30,000 worth of bikes climbing the Torrey Pines grade, is riding a 5-speed 1955 Hetchin vibrant-stays curve-tube bike. Really.
10-year old bike ? That's a brand new bike for me !
Yep! Glad I'm not the only one!
Same here.
@@bicyclist2 My 20-year-old Specialized Sequoia (alloy frame) is still going strong after tens of thousands of miles.
I bought by bike new 10 years ago and it is still going strong.
Still a ten year bike..
My favorite part of this video, which made it one of my recent favorite GCN videos was the recognition of - “what are we really testing here? Kind of who cares? This is fun!”
Just that ethos could carry a substantial series on this channel for quite a while.
Hahahah we love a test... what can we say 😂
@@gcn Lets face it Si is a fast cyclist , if for instance
I were to be the tester the results would be much more narrow cos aero
has much less effect at my speeds. When I built a bike for the Etape
my focus was on weight cos I knew my speed uphill would not have any
gains with an aero bike. And going down mountains was quick enough
thanks
I agree - this type of riding is so out of my league both cost and fitness wise, but I’ll watch any of it as I’ve an old bike and new bike and an electric and it all fascinated me - who cares? Just watch and then get out there and ride what you’ve got 😅
I like Si, the humor he has. These vids to continue and asking the crowd are really fun. Thank you.
What a great summary of the Industry. “Pimping”the older one, and “handicapping” the newer one. Thanks!
Great video. Very impressed we didn’t have another rim vs disc debate! Riding for smiles is all I care about (and what my 54yr body can achieve!) but we all like to go fast, that sensation is always highly addictive…
Absolutely. Doesn't matter what bike you have, you can still have a great time!
At nearly 63, I have made a conscious decision to trade the excitement of that bit of extra speed for comfort and style. I'm as fast as many of my mostly much younger club mates, fast enough to not get dropped on most rides. And if I do get dropped, I look great and feel great as I chug along. Forty years ago I quite enjoyed bombing a descent at over 50mph, but now I find it mildly terrifying. I do select certain components that are probably making my bikes "faster," but that's in the interest of saving energy, not adding speed.
Dear GCN Team,
I have been following the channel for about five years, since I got the bug again to get back into cycling. I adore the fact that you are based in the Bath-Bristol area, since it's the place I used to live until 10 years ago when I returned to my native country of Hungary. I love when you check in from places I used to walk my dogs at and ride around areas I used to take walks from or to work, passing some of the most well-known Banksy works. I thank you for all the videos that you have been making that inspire people to take up cycling.
For me, spondylolysthesis caught up to me as an injury I suffered four or five years ago - that I had been able to manage with rigorous physiotherapy so far - that now stops me from cycling temporarily as I am facing an operation to my spine. I hope I can get back into the saddle ASAP and reclaim some of the Strava medals I've lost in the meantime. I'm taking long walks and get slightly teary-eyed each time a group of cyclists passes me or when my I get a look at my own, old vintage steel bikes in the loft almost critisising me as in 'Why don't you take me out for a spin? It's warm outside!".
This goes out to all young people: Take a really good care of your body, serioulsy. It's all fun and games while you're young, but do be reasonable, I plead to you. Be fast, but be catious at the same time. There are no guarantees in life, but blessed are the ones who have a great support system.
God bless you all!
Thanks for reaching out! Great to hear that you are loving our videos, we are very lucky in where we get to film, would you ever come back to this area? Sorry to hear that you've got a long term injury, having time off the bike can be super hard but we hope you'll be back at it soon! Have you got any tips for other people that are having to stay off the bike? 👀
After a few years hiatus from road cycling, I just bought a 2009 Tarmac Comp that was only ridden 500 miles. Looks and feels brand new to me. I know there is better tech out there, but I love it. Over time and as budget allows, I will upgrade the wheels, maybe groupset, but for now, don't care that it's 'old', I just love being back behind bars.
when talking about early gcn days... somehow i miss matt as a presenter. the combination matt, dan, si was so great :)
Upgrading to 50mm carbon wheels from the stock Giants on my 2016 commuter Alu Defy Disc changed the feel and the sound of the bike for the better. I also ride it with mudguards in combo with aero wheels which rises eyebrows from time to time, but I don't care really. I love it
who cares about the eyebrows. Atleast your pants are dry😂😂😂
Why do you have carbon wheels on a commuter bike 😂
Nice! I have a flat bar hybrid but now starting to look at new wheelset. Too right! Who cares what people think. Bring on the Tron wheels
@@loc9588 why not. Am less likely to arrive completely sweaty at work with a lighter bike😂😂
@@loc9588 Because I can! 🤣
Love the definition of ‘old bike’ - I’m still riding a first generation Trek Madone (2004), which when I put on Zipp 404s tips the scales at just over 7kg. The only ‘new bikes’ I’m in the market for are a gravel bike and - perhaps - a new triathlon TT bike.
Great video.
Loved the camera work and the editing.
It blows my mind how much we’ve discovered in the last 10 years.
Can’t wait to see what happens in the next decade.
And I’m glad that it was mentioned at the end of video that all that matters is “just ride. Ride fast, ride slow, ride with mates or not. Just ride”
Really brilliant camera work, I loved the double-exposure of Si talking to himself in duplicate ...
Great video! Ordinary cycling fans like myself who cannot afford to change bikes every season would appreciate more videos like this one on how to upgrade your 5-to10-year-old bikes faster and by how much. Is it worth the investment, etc.
I think the choices are
Body position
Zwifting
Wheels
Tires
Handlebar
Maybe lubricant on chain
Helmet
Kit
Pulley wheel
...
Waxing your legs
You can certainly get some great speed on budget bikes, Just look at the time we went racing on budget bikes 👉 th-cam.com/video/mhz1GvKp2Xg/w-d-xo.html
I’m still riding my 10 year old Cervelo S2. I have two sets of wheels. One set are Zipp 404 tubulars and the other is a set of Mavic Cosmic Carbons using tubes. There is absolutely nothing revolutionary in road bikes that is convincing me to go out and drop $5 to 7k on a new bike. Surely not for 30 seconds.
@@abtcup I have a 12 year old Cervelo R3 which I recently upgraded to the new Madone. I would have thought tire clearance would be one of the reasons to upgrade alongside the obvious aero, disc, etc. For me my bike was getting beat up through the number of crashes and mishaps that occurred through just riding the bike. Feels good to refresh it.
Well, those wheels are about 2K euros for a set, so... worth the investment is a relative term. ;)
Ok, the 2 Si's side by side was really cool! 😎
I have a steel touring bike from the early 90s and just bought a really nice road bike from 2011. Over my usual hour and a half ride there is no more than a minute difference in time, but the newer bike is massively more fun, and that is all that matters.
Having fun is the most important thing!
The fact you didn't pick a power and ride to it completely moots this video. Going 'all out' is so subjective, just do 3 tests, 200w, 300w and 350w. Compare the differences. Also ensure tyres are exactly the same across both bikes as they are responsible for most of the speed.
No aero handle bar on the old bike, probably different width tyres running different psi, gcn will not do a controlled experiment, they know the old frame will close the gap! Not good for their sponsors.
now now the sponsors really wouldn't like that now would they
They don’t wanna reveal that old bikes are just as fast with the right components
The fact that he didn't even show the power numbers is quite frankly ridiculous.
@@nguyenho9591 Alsp Si is a fast cyclist and Aero is more important the
faster u go. If I was to do a similar test , there may be a difference but
when u are lucky to do a 20 mph average the gains would be more
marginal
Of your recent videos this was one of the best! Very enjoyable to watch :)
Thanks a lot! Glad you enjoyed it.
Nice, good to see you guys following this up
We aim to please!
Rim brakes for the win in 2023.
Except they lost.
???
Until they get wet… then it’s all over for peak performance. I get tired of cleaning my brakes after I go through a puddle or something.. but I’d take that over constant tweaking my rotors because god forbid you transport them or bump them slightly.. yeah that got old quick. Great performance… but got sick of rub.
I just love the locking up of the disc breaks. Panicked breaded reacently and nearly went over the handlebars. I just love that kind of power on the breaks
Awesome video! Just wished you had showed power output for each run. I think everyone is cheering for the old bike lol
You know 100% why they didn’t do that. The new bike would have been embarrassingly close to the old one. Ask any pro in private in the off season and they tell you what they think of these shitty disc brake bikes. Good god they’re putting disc brakes on TT bikes now 😂😂
@@StopTheRot bulshit… it’s one thing to say it would be almost as fast as a new bike (probably true), but a 10 year old bike is not AS fast as a 2023 bike
@@fabioqueiros9322 lmao, consumer stupidity and GCN D’riding at the highest level.
@@fabioqueiros9322 lmao it literally is. Given same wheels, tires and riding position it’s probably a difference of 10 watts or less
@@fabioqueiros9322they got you drinking the kool aid I see 😂
Can't beat the old bike geometry for looks! Looks fantastic with new wheels on it.
yes..look at all the 'aero ' bikes now,, side by side.. the pretty much look the same bike
@@randellgribben9772 very true
I love that finishing bit. It's very true!
I can hear an echo of 'Shoddy' over at cyclingtips with "Enjoy your riding!"
Glad to see that Si has a new sunglasses sponsor for this years road season. Would have seemed silly hearing all about those handlebar widths knowing his old shades were the widest of them all.
Referring to the 2010s having wider bars as "old school" is interesting. I have a '87 Cannondale R500 hanging in the garage with bar width that's likely in line with what's currently "fashionable", where my every day '11 Trek Madone has the 44-ish mm wide bars. So going wayyy back, they were narrow. Then wide...now back to narrow.
it's amazing that this superbike just lay there and waited for its day. ex professionals just store them as furniture. as a beginner, I would like to buy at least some kind of bike, even if it is old and rusty. beautiful video I love GCN
Now is the time to buy quality secondhand rimbrake bikes.
(its like buying secondhand CD´s)
Damn that Campy groupset looks so much better than the other one.
campy or that era..work of art... shimano/sram.. just industral looking..no passion
Agreed!
One of the most important elements of a bike's performance is its speed. Our cycling club has people from all walks of life who may not be able to afford a 15k bike or even a 6k bike. What we recommend is starting with either a new or lightly used 105 Aluminum bike like the AL Domane or Emonda to name a few but its important you start with a decent groupset like 105 that has a long life as the cheaper stuff doesn't last long if you ride a lot of miles and gives you nothing but trouble.
At that point we encourage riders to fully accessorize the bike with GPS, bottle cages, flat fix/spare tubes, toolkit and a way to carry this gear as its essential on rides where you're not in walking distance of your house!. We also recommend for comfort that they can look to carbon bars and seatposts as these can help tame some of the vibrations, maybe not as well as a full carbon frame, but its a cheap way to bridge the cap for $100 each end. If they really want to upgrade then we suggest mid level carbon wheels. Better to have an aluminum bike with a *good* groupset and carbon wheels than a carbon bike with a mediocre or low end group set and alloy wheels. Wheels and hubs make an enormous performance difference. If you can spring for it well worth it over the long haul. This way you can get pretty close to the performance of a full carbon bike. You can still tell the difference in the climbs especially honking on the pedals hard but otherwise its very close.
The older bike looks incredible now
The only "no no"(?) for these bikes were a bit too chonky frames. I got one myself (Corratec, 2010 design on their 10th anniversary). Small vendor from Germany. All I know, it was hated back then, in UK. :D For me - cool paintwork! I got rid pretty much everything attached to it in first 3-4 years (except shifters and brakes). And even now, though I replace parts occasionally, I do see the sign of the time... Specially chasing "new guys".
Something nice about that old style frame with those deep modern wheels! 👌
@@gcn i run a 2014 pinarello dogma 65.1 think2 full campy... i think it looks better than all those sterile looking aero bikes.... nd a lot of my freinds that run the best and the newest.. think the same thing
Sy this is your best video yet. Open minded, informative and have creditability with comparison of past athletes. Pure gold! Well done 👊
No power data. So rather meaningless given the channel is sponsored by Canyon.
@@totalcycling , i agree but it was comparison that wasnt too dripping with sponsorship than normal . Specialized , canyon , vision and handlebars. I dont take it too literally
Tony Rominger and his hour record on a metal tube bike. From my testing, a lot of the savings in a bike, if not most, is from the tires and wheels and not the frame
This is almost my exact setup! 2013 Roubaix with Vision Metron 55’s! All bought secondhand and is still way more bike than my skills and fitness could ever max out!
These are the only videos I want to watch. Cause it relates to me
Love to see a video just on the 2013 Specialized stock wheels vs aero wheels...as allot of us are still riding older bikes and upgrading parts does appeal
Totally agree! I ride a 2011 SL3 and my question would be how much faster I could make my SL3 with aero wheels *compared to* the SL3 with the stock wheels. Great video!
This is the video we wanted to see. Aero shapes would amount to something after all. I did a recent time trial of 10:30 with super fast race tires on 2005 year , 11 kg bike with 36 spokes stock rear wheel ( cup and cone) and DT Swiss front wheel 20 spokes.
Very nice 👌
Nice to see you also getting involved in the retro vs modern, should we hand this bike over to Ollie and get some TT action going? 👀
That generation of Campy groupset is still one of the most beautiful ever (although I still prefer the look of the previous 10 speed iteration).
I prefer the same. Much Agreed!
Wheels can make a huge diference! If you have a decent bicycle with a budget set of wheels, get better wheels. It's not actually about speed only, It's also about feeling safer when cornering.
This is why I won't buy ever carbon wheels, they're opposite of safe
How many times I saw people end in the hospital cause their carbon wheels broke cornering just under the normal everyday tension. No crash, no summer heat, no rocks, no anything but being plastic.
Cheep wheels may be a tiny bit slower but are indeed way more safer.
Alloy wheels forever
I'm curious how many times you were casually driving by a hospital and saw a queue of injured cyclists gripping onto collapsed carbon wheels?
@@marketingsam Exactly my thought. Catastrophic failures can happen but I don't believe that there are stats that would confirm that modern carbon wheels are unsafe when cornering. Pros use it at Paris-Roubaix after all - approx 50 km of tough cobblestone roads.
@@marketingsam sadly more than one.
You can search in TH-cam videos of carbon wheels snapping
@@dalis994 pros use them what, a month?
They don't use them for years. Carbon it's terrible regarding to fatigue. Bit by bit is adding damage to the structure until one day, they snap
Also don't forget some pros have World records using alloy frames and alloy wheels, carbon is just marketing
pretty slick video editing there :)
Thanks!
“Wasn’t a fair test”
*Also proceeds to do an “all out” effort test (-10 watts on non-sponsored bike, slower tyres, while new bike has latex tubes and GP5Ks or something equivalent), not telling anyone the watts then say it’s slower than sponsored bike*
GCN really needs to stop doing these “sciency” test. I don’t know how people can not getting second-hand embarrassment watching these tests😂
I don’t get it. If you think we have no integrity then don’t bloody watch the video FFS. And don’t tell me you think I’m lying. Seriously pisses me off.
@@simonrichardson5259 there are 8 billion people, some tolerates bullshit, some don’t, I definitely don’t. So if you hate these comments, dOn’T rEaD ThEm.
Now if you are pissed off because you couldn’t provide hard evidence from your tests, maybe stick to bike painting tutorials or riding up Strade finishing climb or something, those are the enjoyable ones. EVERYONE knows you are shilling, that’s why your views are dropping because you are unqualified and unreliable. Hell, Cycling Tips quotes the Asian new bike brand, Devel, 15k USD to deliberately shill Devel bikes on their platform, God knows how much yall getting paid by Canyon and Orbea.
Had enough? Stick to bike paint videos or some 500k challenge.
@@simonrichardson5259 So we aren't allowed to question your methodology? That is part of the scientific method that you are obviously not aware of..
@@simonrichardson5259 sorry we're getting in the way of your Canyon paycheck. You're a former pro cyclist. You know full well it's a bullsh*t test by not disclosing power numbers and talking about doing a "maximal effort" test.
good results! much closer and I must admit the old bike looks better: modern classic!
I have done that same thing. Awesome. Tarmac SL3 with Cosmic. 😊
Those vision wheels are actually a vision 😍
Really well thought comparison. Thanks
Man, I love your specialized!! That Campy looks a thousand times better than what Shimano has been putting out throughout the decades. Saying that, I do ride shimano and sram, mostly because like with the Apple ecosystem, I’ve been entrenched and would be too costly to change all those wheels and parts I’ve accumulated over the years. Plus, shimano and sram are easier to find parts for and they’re somewhat interchangeable. That still doesn’t change the fact that Campy rocks!
Campy is undeniably cool! It's just that premium edge that can make it hard to find parts and fix. 😬
I added 49mm Front and 59mm depth hoops to my Cannodale CAAD 9, it is now a speedy boy. Plus the deep section wheels makes it look fast.
I put a new set of wheels on my old 2015 Emonda and picked 2 to 3 mph. I love this bike...
That SL3 is a beaut. It would be interesting to see how much the disk version of the Ksyriums slows up the Canyon.
Still riding my 2015 Tarmac Comp with some 50mm Superteam wheels and feels great! I don’t take the sport as seriously as most do, but the way my bike feels, I don’t have any thoughts of buying a new bike for at least another 3 years. Still feels like a new $7k bike off the showroom floor to me.
While not identical to the test GCN did here, I ran my Canyon Endurace back to back with my Aeroad over several rides just short of 68km each. My Endurace averaged 1.6 kph slower than the Aeroad on average, while averaging almost 35 kph on the Aeroad. So I can believe 1.8 kph. That sounds about right. My position wasn't identical bike to bike like Sy's.
Really liked the vid, also have a SL3 with a updated custom spray on it woth old S60 deep sections, love the bike and loved the video, all the way from S.A
Thanks! Glad you liked it
Great video as usual. No need to take it any further, obviously if you do a few more modifications the bike will almost be as fast as the Canyon. But then again you can also make the Canyon even faster! 😁
This makes me look forward to my summer bike even more.
Winter bike is a Tarmac SL2 (so even older) and Summer one is a Tarmac SL6 and I'm currently flying (to my standards anyway) on the SL2
Unless you are actively racing, the only thing that matters is your own fitness and that doesn't change just by adding aero parts.
I also go along with the 'Unless you are racing ' theme. Only my answer is different, it's not fitness it's enjoyment.
If it's uncomfortable or a drag then you ain't gonna bother .
If the riding the bike is a joy and pleasure, that should be the target?
I still mainly ride my bike from 2013. I just love the look of it and can’t let it go. BMC Teammachine slr01
I think we can all relate there. Falling in love with your trusty steed!
I have a 2012 bike and started riding again and this video told me everything i need to know how to get back in the game again. Time to break the piggy bank then
I really love the look of the light blue bike with Campy. I bought my first set of deep dish wheels at the end of last summer 22'. They are tubular Mavic Cosmic Carbone's. I got them for a very good price. I didn't feel much faster. Thanks.
We thought that campy couldn't look any uglier after the 2003 5-pin chainwheel lost a pin and connected the crank to the 5th chainring bolt - so everybody suddenly started buy Chorus cranks. Then when they went to super-chunky carbon we though "OMG we didn't think campy could be any uglier!" But today's campy is as ugly as possible, they seem to revel in making the ugliest bike parts on the planet ...
Great video Si...couple of points as we are the same size at 186cm.
1. Your good point about position, closed hip angle aka in and down position, related power delivery and aerodynamics. I ride more 'out and up' than you do even though our contact points would be the same to the frame due to equivalent body size. This is not only more comfortable for me, almost as aero for reasons you discussed, but I can get more power down compared to what would be me riding in your position on a 56cm. I believe many decent cyclists can extrapolate from Lance who at 5'10" and shorter than us, rode a 58cm with 130mm stem. He rode perhaps more out and up aka superman position through the air than any great rider in recent history as the trend is more down and in like you ride. Also Si, you can take a page from the Eddie Merckx who is your and my size and he rode a 58cm with 130mm stem throughout his illustrious career. Eddie, like Lance and pitiful me, rode more stretched out and not quite as low and yes too low, forearms merely catch more air as torso angle is constrained by hip flexors, crank length and hip impingement at the top of the pedal stroke.
2. I am not in the camp that frame tubing shape is very dominant for aerodynamics. This is bike manufacturer propaganda to sell the more bikes. Yes, your aero bike was faster in the test. David Arthur did a wind tunnel test between his more round tube TCR and latest Trek uber sleek aero wundersled Madone and there was virtually nothing between the drag numbers with same wheels. I do concede that wheels matter...and tires btw...and handlebar width. But riding position and wheels/tires matters the most.
Thanks for all your great videos over the years, your keen insight and wonderful sense of humor. Cheers from America.
This video had some much more potential, like knowing how much the modern wheels improved over the Ksyriums...
Excellent comparison! I like! For many people; the "bike" budget does not allow you to change bikes often. On the other hand, buying a new pair of wheels is more accessible.
Thank you very much for this video. And regarding the difference in performance between the new and the "old" bike; I was sure it would be minimal.❤👍🙏
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Masterpiece of video transition! 🤯 1:50
Yes, very surprised at the results, but honestly I have not been in super touch with cycling for a very long time. Back when I was cycling hard, Aero didn't exist, and deep rims had just started coming out. Heck Carbon bikes were still in their infancy. I own a Specialized carbon bike with straight carbon tubes and aluminum lugs. Flexed like crazy! It is amazing to see what road bikes have become over the years. Unfortunately I miss the beautiful steel frames of Eddy Merckx, Cinelli and Colnago. They were ridable works of art. With the beautiful polished Campy and gorgeous paint, WOW.
There's never a 30 second difference with matching power numbers, closer to 3 seconds
agree
"Different day, different course, different weather" - He made it quite obvious that they have no intention of doing a fair comparison, shame.
Of course there is. A lot has changed in 10 years.
10 year old bike. Rider who is 10 years older. In most cases the older rider will be the biggest factor in bike speed!
I have a 2013 specilized venge expert. I've got 38mm aero bars and hunt aerodynamic wheels (62mm F, 82mm R). I've also got a solid aero rotor chainring (though im not sure how much difference that makes) the bottom line is that the whole bike is still very aero and super light and I can still win A grade club races against guys on expensive modern aero bikes with electric derailers. I bought the bike of a friend a year ago for $1000 (Australian dollars) and ive spend $2500 upgrading it. Total cost of $3500. A new bike with the same aero efficiency will set you back around 8k.
I love the curves of that SL3 frameset.
It would be interesting to see modern seat post, stem, aero handlebars on the old bike, and the same group set and wheels on the old bike and the new.
Ride both at the same power and we can have a definitive answer over the difference.
My suspicion is the weight saving on the old bike, will counteract some of the aero gains on the new, in real world testing.
Haha, hold up, what exactly are you trying to compare them?! You’ve lost me.
@@simonrichardson5259 compare frame for frame.
New groupsets will be more efficient, so to simply change the wheels doesn’t show the full potential of the old v new.
Next consideration would be what the handlebars and stem are made from, fair enough keeping the width the same, but are they similar weights? Carbon fibre technology has moved on over the last ten years let alone twenty, which is why Zipp wheels are now both lighter and cheaper than just a few years ago, due to changes in laying up technique’s.
Let’s have a real comparison of the frames themselves, same power over the same course, see how the frames have progressed without the variables between the groupsets , etc.
@@colinb8327 I feel like if you change everything except the frame you’re no longer comparing old Vs new though, don’t you think?
Isn't it the case the 2nd run was on slightly drier tarmac?
And above all, kudos for incorporating the feedback from previous vid.
Finally, knowing the power for both today's runs would spark even more comments.
No it bloomin rained all day! 😂
I don't see myself giving 42cm bars up. They fit me perfectly.
I don't race road (I race cross) so I mostly care about comfort on longer rides for a road bike.
That said, my next bike will be steel with 50mm wheels and as aero of a fork as I can get in it. I love a traditional frame with newer parts.
Hi Si, another good'un.
Given that the route is different, it is a pity you didn't do this TT with the original setup so we could see the difference the wheels alone make. Apples with apples, not apples and oranges. That would be interesting.
Not surprised deeper wheels make you faster. That has been the wisdom since late last century. The refinements are in the details of the shapes. The newer stuff seems to be in terms of arm positions and so on such as being faster on the hoods than on the drops (why do we still carry the weight of the hooks?).
My motor cycling better half was telling me about waxed chains in '82 (he has a large round Duckams tin of wax).
Good show though, keep em comming.
The advances in bike technology is amazing! I recently gave away our 25 year old Trek 7200 bikes and replaced them with Aventon Soltera ebikes. The ebikes are roughly 13 pounds heavier yet I can average a mile/hour faster on the ebike. That was very exciting as I plan to ride the ebikes without motor assistance 99% of the time.
My motorcycle is a lot of pounds heavier and yet I can reach 150km/h without problems! That thing called motor is amazing!!
@KenchikukaYorch44 Yup, got one of those too.
Why not powerdata anymore? Pedal powermeter not available anywhere anymore? This was not a test, but advertizing of Canion.
I just helped replaced + upgraded an old Liv bike's tyre (without she knowing it is an upgrade) and she can feel a huge performance gain on flats😊
Another thing is the straight course is no coincidence and I am willing to bet that the wind was either behind him or from the front (probably the former since Si is, as I am, vain). Does Si mention the wind direction (I skimmed the video).
An "aero" bike has oval tubes which are aero when parallel to the wind. With a side wind the aero advantage decreases because the wind will be hitting the wider oval side. This comparison, to be fair, to be done on a course which is a loop, as are most of our cycling courses.
Adding 50mm section hoops to my 2008 Cervélo made an amazing improvement to it.
It now looks cool AF.
I bet it does! Have you uploaded any photos of it to our app?
@@gcn I have not - most remiss of me.
@@Adrian-515mm Do it! We want to see that bike 👉gcn.eu/app
Awesome! I just did the same by adding FFWD Ryot 55's to my BMC Roadmachine... it's not at all an old bike, but I wasn't really thinking that it needed the deep section wheels... until I saw how cool AF it looks!
"Ok, I just realized that I actually DID need the deeper wheelset after all!" 😆
@bateriayvr8988 Aye, those FFWDs make a bike look blydi lovely (and they're faster, a Triathlete pal swears by his.)
I have a 2011 trek 2.1 compact with mavic wheels and it weighs 8.4kg. It rolls well and is all I need for normal road cycling.
Speaking of the Mavic Ksyrium SL - they still LOOK amazing (IMO). I have a set on one of my bikes and they're really strong and light - a good thing. But at the time these were at the peak of their popularity I think no one could have foreseen the importance of aero and the development to that end in the years ahead especially lately. And the flat bladed spokes on the Ksyriums you would think would give you some aero advantage to slice through the air - they actually did seem to catch crosswinds very well. I do like them for hill climbing practice due to their lightness. Interesting test. Now I wonder if I can find a set of Vision Metrons that would work with Dura Ace V brakes that doesn't force me to take out a new mortgage.
I don't think the wheels make much difference at all going up steep hills - my Ksyrium SL wheel equipped bike is faster than my aero bike with deep section wheels on the steep hills where I live
@@NicholasBowring How about on flatter longer routes? Do you think the aero bike has an edge?
@@gcn I do think the aero bike has an edge on longer flatter routes - I have a carbon aero bike with 55mm deep section rims and it is quite a bit faster on flatter routes. On the hilly routes of Derbyshire, however, there is really no difference in average speeds between the aero bike and my Mavic Kysrium equipped bike on routes I do many times. I seem to set all my hill climbing PB's on the latter. I love your videos BTW and watch them avidly.
@@NicholasBowring Nicholas - this is interesting - I'm going to do a test once all the snow melts here with both my Ksyrium SL TI bike versus my Orbea with "medium dish" type (not carbon though) wheels on the same route - flat and climbing. It might be psychosomatic but I do believe I climb faster with the Ksyriums.
It's also amazing how neglected gunked up pulley wheels can cause huge drivetrain friction!
I like the idea of optimized bicycles with period tech. That would be a fun series, having the best of ea decade compared to entry level bikes of today.
I am not sure that this is fair. I have a CANNONDALE SystemSix from 2008 and currently ride a 2022 BMC TMR01. The CANNONDALE is still faster. While the BMC takes out the road noise and is massively more comfortable, the SystemSix is so much stiffer and corners like a madman. I run Enve wheels on both, SRAM red (one clearly electronic and the other mechanical) but wow the speed of the older bike is just fantastic.
I just got take-offs from my buddy at SRAM who upgraded his wife’s bike, and I got her 10yr-old Zipp 404s and SRAM Red drivetrain for my 2006 Cannondale CAAD6. I thought I was top end now! But no, I just got the equivalent of Si’s Old Bike Take-Offs!
I’ll never catch up
I've got c. 2018 Mavic Ksyrium Elites on an endurance bike. With Conti 5000 tubeless tyres, they are still a fantastic set of wheels. Interesting vid Simon, though a proper scientist (Ollie) would only change one variable at a time....
Have a Colnago Super with low profile carbon wheels from 90s.
Great video. I have bikes from 1974-2020 and sometimes I'm fast based on how they make me feel....ok 1874 Mercier is rarely fast but it still feels great.
That SL3 is a beauty
Really liked the video, as i ride a bunch of older bikes that don’t have the modern tech. My newest bike, that I picked up last fall, oops, autumn for you Brits, is a 2011 Colnago CLX with Campy Record Titanium. It has Kysrium SL wheels that are probably holding my speed down, but is it worth putting a $2000 set of new deep sections on a bike that only cost me $850 on Craig’s List? So far I have said no. I’m not a racer, but then again, many of us do compete daily on Strava, and I like to see my name at the top of a leaderboard occasionally.
I do agree with a lot of the comments about the look of Si’s Campy groupset compared to the current offerings from Shimano/SRAM. The Italians do have style. I personally prefer the thumb shifter on the Campy compared to STI shifters that I retrofitted to my 2008 C-Dale.
I can beat you there! My Specialized dates back to 2003! Many times over the years, I've thought about getting a new bike. But I'm too attached to it now - and the closest Specialized to its spec is such an horrendous price now. Okay, it won't win any races - but then neither will I! It's had a few upgrades and change-outs in that time. A bit like Trigger's broom, in fact! The frame is about the only original part. And I still stick doggedly to the triple chainset and rim brakes! I suppose, in all, it's a good advert for Specialized bikes!
I have a 2009 Madone, about 5 years ago I bought some Flo 60mm carbon wheels to replace the Bontrager RXL. I think it bought me between 2-3km/h, but more importantly as much as I love Si's Aeroad, I think those budget aero wheels have helped me put off that new bike purchase just a few more years .... maybe afford the SLX instead of the SL!
One thing I would like to know is how much narrow bars could slow you down if you climb up hills like Contador. I wonder if he still rides 42mm bars as with narrow bars he would lose tonnes of leverage in his out-the saddle style? Remco's narrow bars wouldn't matter as much as he stays in the saddle.
Love the self reflection at 6:25
Some mad video edition skillz at 4:00
This is popping up at a very timely moment…I’m debating the benefits of upgrading a 10 year old lightly used bike or buying new. I like the idea of continuing to learn more and improve myself on my current bike before really treating myself to a fully new bike.
Totally love this video. You don’t need science to have a bit of fun comparing them and now. And big shout out to the double Si scene!
Not sure we could deal with a real double Si! 😂
Have you done the same test for serious long climbs? I'm riding a 2014 Ridley Helium with original ENVE wheels and on loaned Shimano C35s I thought I too had lost 10 years off my age when climbing. What a difference. Am now shopping for a good set of rim brake wheels.
I can’t believe the amount of cynicism in the comments on this. Si is an ex pro and experienced cyclist and probably has a very good idea as to whether he is putting the same effort in. It’s just possible he knows more than the armchair experts in the comments? Thank you Si for another entertaining and informative film.
sure but they are also getting paid by advertising new products and bikes so there sure is that bias
Great conclusion
I’m not surprised that the wheels made the old bike faster, however, 30’s over that distance for simply frame shape, drivetrain and hidden cables is a BIG difference.
PS. I need a new bike! 😊
Yeah I was surprised there was that much advantage when arguably in this test the old bike had the deeper section wheels.
My ten-years old noname bike and New Modern Canyon Aero.
No it’s absolutely not a commercial
Hi, anyone knows the full video to the clip at @4:20 where Connor is climbing? Thanks ❤
Yes I prefery upgrading my older bikes as opposed to buting the newest fad. That is why I love these vids Siborg.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I just bought new pair of Shimano RS710 carbon deep section wheels (46mm) with Pirelli Cinturato Velo 32mm tyres. Damn that thing is nice to ride on tarmac and actually on hard surface gravel as well! :P (I have the old wheelset with 38mm gravel tyres still in store for rougher conditions)