Originally Posted by
wphamilton
What do you suggest as my upgrade path? The Schwalbe marathon 700 x 28C is 310 grams, a Forte Strada is 368 grams so the pair would only save 116 grams. I just weighed my tube and it was 124 grams vs Schwalbe AV 15 at 105, so 38 grams per pair (using the alternative AV17 would cost me 50 grams).
So the grand total is 154 grams. It seems like a mid-range wheelset would save three or more times that weight for not that much more money.
My apologies but my intention in starting this thread was to post general information to possibly help a few people make their own decisions. 'Upgrading' is a very relative thing and is based entirely on personal priorities and objectives, individual riding habits and routes, and should use an analysis of the complete rider / bike details to make an evaluation. You really haven't posted much info.
But the tires you mentioned don't have good reviews for either flat protection or durability and you also need to decide if any of that is an issue. And before springing for a new wheelset the question is why? If you're looking an a midrange wheelset then obviously you are currently driving on a low end wheelset. Is that an issue? Will the loss of a few grams affect your ride?
The best way to approach an upgrade is to identify the 'weakest links' in your current setup. Sometimes that's weight, sometimes it's reliability, sometimes it's comfort.