>>1204745For a road bike I would say at about the $1500-$2500 price point you see diminishing returns for the money. Spending anymore than that is just spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to shave a few grams. Infact those extreme weight weenie bikes are less reliable after crashes.
>>1204837>>1204838So true, tires are the best upgrade you can make. I also notice like you do that many Freds on forums brag about puncture proof Schwalbe marathons or Continental Gatorskins that are stiff and heavy as molasses and make any bike and wheelset slow and unresponsive.
The best upgrade you can make to a road, cyclocross, gravel, touring, etc. bike is to get the softest, most plushest and widest tires you can afford and that will be suitable for the area that you will be riding.
I invested in a pair of 38 mm Compass Direct Barlow Pass ultra
lights (
https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/components/tires/700c/compass-700cx38-barlow-pass/ $80 each tire for the ultra-light version) for my Gunnar cyclocross bike. Back when I was riding that same bike with 32 mm Panaracer Pasela PT tires that are touted for being tough and puncture proof I hated the ride feel and riding that bike. But when I installed the ultra-thin and supple Barlow Pass tires the same bike became my favorite bike to ride on the road. Why? Because that bike has the most supple and widest tires for the road.
>>1204854You are an idiot, gatorskins have a shit ride feel and are slow. You may as well add glue to your tire externally...
Any tire primarily advertised, created and touted for being puncture proof is gonna ride like shit and be slow, that is a fact period. You just prove you don't know what you are talking about with what you wrote.
