So two years ago I bought a Entry level road bike a CADD 8 with 105. I rode it recreationally for the first year and more serious the second. Now that the season is starting and I want to train for my first Century and maybe a Cat 5 Crit. So far the bike is 100% stock. I have been investing my money in clothing and accessories like Glasses, apparel and small accessories no major parts.

I'm looking to upgrade the bike and ride it for another two years or so. However I was wondering if I'm taking the right upgrade path. My dream bike is a Cervelo S5 but I think I still have not out ridden the bike that I own now yet and dont really want to get dropped on an S5 sorta speak, ego bruising.

Looking to upgrade the following

Saddle: probably Specialized at least 300
Wheels: Fulcrum Racing Zeros: 2 way fit so that I can move into road tubeless as I get more comfortable with the tech or another set of wheels
Component Set: will stay the same till I get a new bike

What say you?, are the wheels over kills for the bike ?

Tubeless is a hassle, IMO. Getting a seal when inflating is difficult and fussy, you have to use slime or equivalent stuff to handle small punctures, getting the tire on and off the rim is is a knuckle smashing annoyance, and woe unto you if you get a puncture on the road. All for what, a few grams of weight savings? Feh!

First and most effective upgrade is tires. Try some of my favorites: Continental Gran Prix 4000s, or Veloflex Pave, or Schwalbe Ultremo, or Kenda Kaliente Pro; paired with some ultra-light tubes. You will notice the difference.

if you want to upgrade your wheels at some point, okay. It's an easy way to drop some bike weight. But start with the tires first.

I say wheels. You can always move them to your next ride too.

Right, I agree with wheels and that why I like the Fulcrum Racing Zeros 2 way fit, because lets say that the technology that is Tubeless gets better and more widely used then that options is there.

I know that the wheels are almost the cost of the bike itself but like you said I can move then to my next bike when the time come. I'm sure that they might lose some relevance as we might all be riding on disc brakes in two years. But I still think they are a good choice given the versatility and they aren't Carbon Zipps that are going to kill my bank.

Id say you have done it right. invested your money over the past 2 years on the important things. Now that you have the equiptment along with some experience under your belt, you can now appreciate and feel what a better upgrade can do for you. So many people get a new bike and then want to go hog wild on upgrading this or that, when they dont even know why they are upgrading it, let alone be able to feel the difference.

I agree with wheels for now.
Saddle only if your saddle isn't working for you. No sense in changing it up if it isn't creating issues. If it is and you want to go specialized, it wont cost you $300. you can get the specialized Romin evo pro with carbon rails for under $200.

"tires" is an inspired suggestion - one often overlooked by those who haven't used a variety of them.

GP4000s seem to be the semi-official tire of the 41. I ride them too. My current favorite for fast rides when the surfaces are likely to be good are Vittoria Diamante Pro Lights. I wouldn't have considered them, but they came stock on my newest bike and they roll like a dream.

What are you trying to accomplish with this upgrade? What about your bike is unsatisfactory to you?

how do you out ride a bike?

You've been spending money, not "investing".

Tires are a great upgrade, so are proper maintenance replacements. If you've worn out your original tires, have your chain checked for wear.

Why this choice of saddles? Don't fall in love with a saddle until you've tried it. A saddle might look cool, but most of the time your ass will be covering it.

I would find zeros on a CADD 8 a very harsh ride, others may disagree

If you want to actually get BETTER, and aren't in it just for the bling:

1. Kurt Kinetic trainer + Trainerroad subscription.

if you've got that already,

2. Powermeter

Those will help you get much faster than any of the aero toys.

I'm not unhappy about anything on the bike, but I would like some new "toys" to help lighten the thing up. I know the engine is the best upgrade but I would enjoy some mods that I can feel. I'm trying to take the "correct" upgrade path instead of just throwing money at the sport and hoping to get faster. I never want to race for money, just fun.

Thank you I will look into both as I have a trainer, but not a power letter which I have read training with power is way better than cadence etc
I'm not in it for the bling as I would just buy the S5 is that were the case

If you are going to race you may want to save some money in case something gets broken from a wreck. You can win a Cat5 with what you've got. Save up for the Cervelo (and keep racing the crap out of your CAAD).

Powermeter and a coach might be up your alley. They'll help tailor a program to what you want to accomplish. I'm currently looking into a coach, but I need to save up my pennies for a powermeter first.

If you are going to race, spend your money on a racing license and race fees.

I wouldn't touch the saddle if the one you have now feels good. Why mess with success? My friend is trying to dump a $200 saddle that looked really cool, but he can't sit on it for an hour.

I have a 2011 CADD 10-4, and all I've done is replaced the wheels with a set of Boyd Vitesse and GP4000S tires.

If you want to get faster, pedal faster.

EPO and HGH will help you get stronger, but riding more and intervals are the best ways to get faster(and they are free).

Tires or wheels first.

For tires I recommend Michelin Pro4.
For wheels I recommend Stans Notubes ZTR 340 (but with tubes).

So but the sounds of it I need to be ride more in general and get a training program for trainer sessions and a good software to track my progression. Before I buy more gear that is.

Shoes are basically components.

I would invest in the best shoes you can afford.

If you want really nice, I would (and i admit to wanting these shoes very badly) look at Rocket7. carbon and made in the usa.

starting at $489
https://www.facebook.com/rocket7?fref=ts

https://www.rocket7.com/#!how-to-order/c2q4

also, start doing group/club rides. the knowledge, and experience will tremendously improve your racing potential. someone mentioned to pay for race fees, i agree.

https://www.usacycling.org/clubs/index.php?state=CA

Sell CAAD 8, get CAAD 10 5.

IF you're ok with training indoors a few times per week, you can start with power-based training by just using trainerroad. You don't need the powermeter right away - it's actually very hard to train 'properly' with a powermeter - requires a big overhaul of your entire training courses, such as riding up and down fixed elevation hills repeatedly or doing loop courses so you can do intervals correctly. With TR, you're good to go right off the bat - just one FTP test, and you can do all your training at the right zones. Good stuff. No coach needed until you feel you need more guidance than TR offers. $10/month - cheap as heck.