The 7 Worst Road Bike ‘Upgrades’ You Can Make: Stop Flushing Money Down the Toilet!

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We all know the best road cycling upgrades, but what about the worst? I put together a list of the things that will cost you tons of money but will not improve your performance much.

Of course, if money is not an object and you are looking for any gain possible, spend your money on whatever you want. These are just upgrades that provide bad value for money.

What Are the Worst Road Bike Upgrades?

Below are the road bike upgrades you should avoid (or at least think twice before you decide to go for them). They will cost you a lot of money and will not significantly improve your speed. 

In my experience and based on my research of road bike prices, the biggest performance gains are in the $1000 to $3000 price range, and the smaller ones between $3000 and $5000. For bikes over $5000, we are talking about marginal gains.

1. Integrated Cockpits and Handlebar Changes

With the growing popularity of integrated cockpits, many people are switching from simple aluminum handlebars to carbon, integrated ones. This wouldn’t be a big deal if the integrated ones didn’t often cost more than $500. For example, the Roval Rapide cockpit costs $600. 

I agree that it makes your bike look sleeker and saves a few watts. But you shouldn’t forget the more complicated maintenance and the impossibility of adjusting the integrated handlebars further. So be sure you’re buying the ones that will fit you. Later modifications are complicated and expensive.

Did you know that Chinese carbon handlebars are often cheaper yet of the same or higher quality as Western brands?

Going from 44cm handlebars to 38cm handlebars will save you watts, but you probably won’t notice the difference in aerodynamics between 44cm and 42cm. So, your motivation should be more about ride comfort and optimizing the bike fit.

2. Super Expensive Carbon Wheels

Look, don’t take me wrong. Carbon wheels will improve your speed. However, if you already have, let’s say, a $1000 carbon wheelset, buying wheels for $3000 won’t make that much difference. 

Yes, those expensive wheels will be lighter/stiffer/faster, but not three times faster or stiffer. I have experience with Lún MEGA wheels, which cost $2600, and multiple $1000 carbon wheels. While MEGAs are better in many aspects, the differences are marginal.

3. Ceramic Bearings

Paying a premium for ceramic bearings in hubs or a bottom bracket isn’t a bargain. In conversations with engineers at the International Engineering Fair, I found that ceramic bearings in cycling are not living up to their potential (i.e., high temperature and high RPM uses). 

Thus, you can absolutely use high-quality steel bearings, and you won’t know the difference. Ceramic bearings have become more of a marketing tool in recent years. If you want to learn more about this topic, read my comparison of ceramic vs. steel bearings.

4. High-End Groupsets Like Dura-Ace, RED, Super Record

I know, I know. They look flashy. They are appealing. Pros use them. But trust me, they won’t make a difference between winning or losing your race.

Considering the premium we have to pay for the highest-end groupsets from Shimano and SRAM (Dura-Ace/RED), Ulterga Di2 and Force AXS, eventually, 105 Di2 and Rival AXS are fully sufficient for amateurs.

Just take a look at the following tables of Shimano road groupset prices:

…and SRAM road groupset prices:

Is it worth paying a premium for Dura-Ace or RED? I don’t think so. The performance between generations is usually the same; the only difference is usually in weight (and price).

5. OSPW (Oversized Pulley Wheels)

This one makes me giggle. I don’t understand why people are willing to pay $500 for them when their effects are, at the very least, questionable. For example, Ceramicspeed claims their OSPW saves 6-9W. That’s a lot. But are these numbers true? Well, according to the following video (thanks, guys, for doing the hard work for me), they are not. 

So, the only benefit you get from OSPW is a cooler-looking bike (if you are into these things) and a lighter wallet.

6. High-End Carbon Bottle Cages

Weight weenies will probably disagree with me, but you won’t notice 30g savings on your bottle cages. Besides being more expensive than plastic cages, carbon cages are usually more fragile and struggle to hold bottles securely. So, when riding on cobblestones, for example, they tend to fall out.

I have nothing against regular carbon bottle cages. However, the high-end ones are often overpriced, and their functionality is not 100%. 

7. $5000 Carbon Framesets

In road cycling, about 75-80% of air resistance is caused by the rider’s body position, and only about 20-25% is due to the bike and its components. The frame makes only a fraction of this 20-25 % (you get more gains thanks to the wheels); in other words, only about 0.01 to 0.02 CdA (coefficient of aerodynamic drag). So, optimizing your riding position is more effective than spending money on the frame.

I get it… For many, high-end frames are a status symbol or something we save for years. But their “gains” are overrated. Some of the more interesting features of high-end frames include higher stiffness or better ride comfort.

Summary

Not everything presented to us as a good buy is a good buy that will bring results. A lot of these upgrades only make marginal differences. A much more effective way to be faster on a bike is to train, optimize your riding position, use low-rolling resistance tires, or swap shallow rims for deeper ones. 

If this topic interests you, then I recommend reading this article about average speed and what affects it.

At the same time, I’d love to learn about your experiences. What are the worst road bike upgrades you made? Or conversely, what are the best ones? Let me know in the comments below.