equipment upgrade debate

Over the winter, I mulled over which upgrades I'll make to my cycling gear for the 2010 season. As the sun started shining on a daily basis, I made up my mind.

Aerodynamic wheels would be a good addition to my arsenal. Last year, I bought a pair of Shimano WH7850 carbon clinchers. The wheels are pretty nice, but the front wheel is just too light for me to use. It goes out of true after every ride. The rear wheel is nuke proof. Too bad they didn't include a couple extra spokes on the front.

I mulled over a purchase of Zipp 404 tubulars. I figured if I'm going to blow that much money to try to obtain a performance gain, it doesn't make sense to get the clincher version. I know I would at first stash the wheel away as my race only set, but they'd end up on the bike all the time and I'd chew up several sets of tubular tires in a season. That's not so practical for me. Zipps.

Reynolds Assault carbon clinchers rose to the top of my list after some research. They're all carbon and spec'ed at 1525 grams and are reputed to be very strong. The front wheel has 20 spokes, a reasonable number for a heavy rider like me. I should be able to ride with those as my everyday wheel for training, and also race with them.

I think I'll also add a TT bike to the stable sometime soon. The main event on my calendar this year is the Tour of the Valley and riding the prologue Merckx style just doesn't cut it. Also, I'll make the trip out to Presque Isle this year for the TTs.

I've been looking at power meter options for a while. My only real complaint with the iBike is that it flakes out in the cold (under 40 degree) weather. It relies on tiny single use batteries, and the cold weather adversely affects their chemistry. Some people hacked a solution. On some rides the cold weather fail irritates me enough to want to get something new, but once it warms up, I won't care, so I'm going to stick with the iBike.