Originally Posted by gtmandsager

So I just started racing and am looking to upgrade my bike (am also working my a$$ off to upgrade my fitness, but that's for a different discussion). Unfortunately I'm a student with no income at the moment and so my options are somewhat limited. I'm currently riding a Motobecane Le Champion frame with the components of a Trek Pilot 2.1 - long story. The wheels are the basic Bontrager Race Lights, and the drive train is Shimano 105 triple with Bontrager cranks. My thought is that upgrading the wheelset or drivetrain would have the greatest impact on performance, but I wanted to ask the advice of the more experienced. I've been looking at Neuvation R28 wheels but am certainly open to suggestions. My budget is around $400-500 max, but the greatest improvement at the lowest cost is what I'm going for.