Thinking of upgrades....
 

Wow that was quick. I've had my bike for about a month or so and I'm already thinking of upgrading some parts. I was going to ride it as is but I guess I've been bit hard by the road biking bug.

On my MTB the best upgrades I made were on the cranks and the wheelset so I'm assuming that would be a good place to start on my road bike too. I'm looking at a Mavic Ksryllium Elite wheelset, which my LBS can get for me at a good price, and an FSA Gossamer crankset.
I had Mavic wheels/hubs on my MTB so I'm not too worried about using them on my road bike but I am a clyde (6'5" @ ~230) so I'm kinda concerned about the durability of them.
The new cranks and bottom brackets are totally foreign to me. I'm hoping I can get just cranks to replace the Tiagra ones I have now but I see that the FSA cranks come with a new/different BB. What happened to pull off the old cranks and put new ones on? Any input on the cranks would be appreciated since I'm still learning about the new style stuff.
Ok so any advice from the group? Thanks as always, you guys are quite helpful.

The "urge to upgrade bug" and "road biking bug" are two completely separate diseases.

I doubt you would notice any performance difference upgrading your crankset and BB - the only difference will be looks. The wheels are probably a nice upgrade, but you didn't mention what wheels you currently have on the bike.

Hmm I guess you are right those are two different diseases. :D

On the bike now are the OEM Maddux 2.1 aero wheels with the Maddux hubs. I think I could use some stiffer wheels since the stockers seem a little 'flexy'

I'm not familiar with those Maddux wheels, but the Ksyriums would probably be a very nice upgrade to your bike.

Have fun.

Wheels are a good upgrade; cranks aren't. Wheels improve your performance but cranks don't. Some things to consider that will help, at least in tersm of comfort, are saddle (get something suited to your likes and feel), seatpost (one that's light with fine adjustments and Thompson is an excellent choice), bar and stems (most likely the initial bike came with stock parts that weren't fitted to you), and pedals.

I recently had the same affliction as you. After talking with the guys at my LBS, I opted for the wheelset upgrade as it seemed to be the most noticable bang for my buck. I upgraded my cheap Jalco GX450 wheelset for Mavic Ksryllium Elites. It was worth every penny spent. I wouldnt worry about your wieght. Im a clyde also (6'3" @ 210). When I first bought the Ksryllium Elites I was ~225. I have put about 400 miles on the new wheelset without issues.

I think if you upgrade to lighter cranks it will help. When I upgraded my parts, I focused on the rotational parts like wheels and crank. However, I changed to Campy group so I had to change my crank.

Not knowing what the bike is- and the wheels were an unknown to me- Can't really say what to upgrade. The Krysiums will be an improvement- I should think- but depends how low grade the cranks are.

Unfortunately- Some upgrades are not worth it unless they can be transferred to the new bike - when you get it. Wheels are an obvious choice as they can go onto a new- better bike in a year or so's time. You may not be as fortunate with the cranks.

Thanks for the input everyone. The bike is an '08 Cannondale Synapse 7. I'm going to get parts I'll eventually throw on another frameset. So far I have upgraded the seat, seatpost and pedals. The fit is just about right, about 95%, but I may look at a new stem in the near future.

My thinking on doing the wheels and cranks is:
less rotational mass in the wheels = better
and
stiffer cranks = better power xfer = better.

I bet a months salary that you cant flex your current cranks.

My recommendation is that if you're upgrading a bike, upgrade the parts that provide you the most comfort. Saddle/bars/stem/seatpost. Only after that, would I suggest going with performance upgrades.

Even if you could, most people wouldn't notice a difference between a super stiff carnk and a softer crank. For that matter, flexing BB

Hmm, fair enough....

How 'bout lighter weight? I'm not dead set on the cranks but the wheels I feel would be beneficial.

You might notice some improvement with the new BB / crank (external bearings) compared to your current BB / crank setup but I doubt it.

In the looks department there is no question..... Consider the Dura Ace cranks :)

+1


Wheels would be the 1st performance part I would do.

Mmmkay.
Since I like my bars and I've upgraded my saddle & seatpost I'll look for a good stem.

I don't think the Gossamer is much of an upgrade from any crankset. It's a bit of a pig. But yeah, you're not going to notice a performance gain from a crankset IMO. Only benefit you get from a new crankset is bling and weight loss, though the Gossamer will likely provide you neither.

If you're going to replace stuff, replace it with top drawer, lightweight parts that are inexpensive. Not just mediocre substitutes. The wheelset seems like a good start.

You say you will need a new stem soon. The Ritchey WCS 4-Axis is almost the lightest stem on the market, including carbon. And it can be had for about $75 if you try. Ritchey WCS aluminum stuff is solid and quite lightweight. The carbon stuff gets too expensive and saves you little if any weight for big bucks.

Thompson seatposts, especially the Masterpiece, are light too, and will last you a lifetime. There are some super lightweight saddles out there like the Selle Italia SLR at 135g but $150. You might be able to find a cheap one on Ebay that didn't fit someone. On the other hand, the Forte SLX is 210g and $40. Both are most likely much lighter than what you have. Comfort is a personal thing.

At your size, I wouldn't buy handlebars, stem or seatpost in carbon. Stick with aluminum and live long enough to upgrade everything with all of your teeth intact. Many road bike parts have weight limits, so make sure you check to see if what you're buying will support you. Much of the ultralight stuff is meant for racing, and most of them are welterweights or thereabouts.

Tires are a decent place to shed some weight too, but I'd run your current tires into the ground first. Conti 4000S are a good balance of weight, performance and longevity.

If you did all of the above, you might save a pound or so...

I'd say wheels and tires are the best performance upgrade, other than that just get new stuff that makes you more comfortable.

The tiagra bb on your bike is probably not bad at all. I'd keep it. The gossamer would probably be a downgrade...

Wheels and tires are the best upgrades that I can see at this point.

yep Gossamer cranks are no upgrade. just go with the wheels and some nice tires.

I'd actually say that ksyriums, while they're great wheels, are a tad bit over priced...

So if you want them, go for them, if you want something about the same weight or lighter, about as aero, and cheaper, check out soul wheels.

Ksyriums sound great, RR. How much flex are you feeling in your current OEM wheels?

FWIW I've have my Roubaix since the start of Jan and am holding strong on the upgrades.....I've started eyeing tires though....must hold strong......

How did the whole bike wobble @ 30 thing work out for you?