# Upgrading S2 without breaking the bank



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Hey all...

Ok...I have my S2 and I managed to get on it a few times before the snow flew up here in the frozen north. But... I'm thinking I may want to do a couple upgrades, without breaking the bank, to get the most out of it when the snow metls and roads are passable to skinny tires again,

Right now, I have Conti Gatorskin 25's on....I know they roll fairly slow and will be one thing I will look at replacing....maybe some GP4 seasons...

The other thing I am looking at is wheels. Most here will know that the Racing T's are heavy...not bad as training wheels, but not great for unleashing what the S2 can do. So, I've been mulling over some options and I think I could swing a set of Campy Zonda, Campy Eurus or Spinergy Stealth PBO's in my spring budget. Yes, I'm a heavier rider and that's why I am looking at some more solid offerings. The Stealths offer the least weight savings, but they are a 45mm aero rim where the Campy sets are tubeless capable and a fair bit lighter.

Thoughts on these or other options I should consider? The Rival stuff is fine for now (and better than what I had been previously riding) so I'll swap it when things wear out...but any other things I should look at to turn me into a highspeed heavyweight?


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## bayAreaDude (Apr 13, 2012)

Have you checked the inside of the top of your fork for rubbing with 25's? I had GP4000S on mine and I had definite rubbing which left marks. I don't know if it's a serious thing or not, but I didn't like it so I went to 23 Hutchinson Fusion 3 Tubless on Ultegra 6700's and have no more rubbing. I don't know how heavy you are, but I'm 170 and haven't had the Ultegra's go out of true and with tubeless, I run the pressure at 75f/85r, which makes for a very comfortable ride - just as or more comfortable than 25s.

Wheels, tires and a chain catcher(k-edge braze on) are the only things I've upgraded on my S2. If I had money burning a hole in my pocket, the next thing I would do is install a jagwire inline barrel adjuster for the front derailleur.


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## Doc1911 (May 23, 2012)

Not sure how large your bank which you do not to break is, but wheels make a huge difference. I just recently purchased a set of Zipp 101s and my R3 rides like a completely different bike ....


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## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

bayAreaDude said:


> Have you checked the inside of the top of your fork for rubbing with 25's? I had GP4000S on mine and I had definite rubbing which left marks. I don't know if it's a serious thing or not, but I didn't like it so I went to 23 Hutchinson Fusion 3 Tubless on Ultegra 6700's and have no more rubbing. I don't know how heavy you are, but I'm 170 and haven't had the Ultegra's go out of true and with tubeless, I run the pressure at 75f/85r, which makes for a very comfortable ride - just as or more comfortable than 25s.
> 
> Wheels, tires and a chain catcher(k-edge braze on) are the only things I've upgraded on my S2. If I had money burning a hole in my pocket, the next thing I would do is install a jagwire inline barrel adjuster for the front derailleur.


The Gators are pretty low on vertical clearance on the front, but no rubbing that I can see...the whiskers of a new tire will brush, but there is still ~3-4 mm room. Not a lot, but it'll do.

Thanks for the reminder on the catcher....it's something I've added since new and I agree it is a good idea.

The Fusions were one of the tires (not that there are a lot of options out there) I was considering if I went Campy 2-way.


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## madferrett (May 23, 2007)

You're definitely on the right track with wheels, the T's are the only budget item on the bike (even the Rival is decent). I put my Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels on my S2 right when I got it, so I don't have a frame of reference. They are the same as one of the Campys, as really stiff, and spin up really fast.


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## ralph1 (May 20, 2006)

I have an S2 and a range of wheels, this offers you the best bang for buck you can buy (along with tyres) I am also a heavier rider, but down to 95kg at the moment. I have some DA 7850 CL24s, these come in at 1380gms, not weight weenie, but light enough. I have just wrapped them in Pro Race 4s and went for a ride with this combo on my R3-SL and it was magic.
I also have some Ksyrium ES, a bit heavier at approx 1550gms, these are wrapped in Pro Race 3s, another great combo. Both these wheels have been bulletproof for me.
Both these wheelsets can be picked up cheap on ebay most days.


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I use all sorts of different wheelsets on my S2 and for the most part pretty happy with them all. I do not care as much for the stupid light weight ones as I need to drop more pounds anyway. However, I do have 2 sets of the 38mm carbon Boyds and pretty happy with them. One set has the SL+ powertap on it and the other is just stock. I also have 2 sets of the Reynolds 32mm that I have put tons of miles on and never seem to have issues. Those dept of wheel seems to work great with the streamline flow of the S2 chasis.


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## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

madferrett said:


> You're definitely on the right track with wheels, the T's are the only budget item on the bike (even the Rival is decent). I put my Fulcrum Racing 1 wheels on my S2 right when I got it, so I don't have a frame of reference. They are the same as one of the Campys, as really stiff, and spin up really fast.


Yeah...the 1's are ~the same as the Eurus wheels and the Zondas are just a steel spoked version of the same. The 2-way fit Eurus come in at 1500 g, Zondas are about 1550 g. The PBO Spinergy wheels are about 1800 g.

The Zipps (101) might be an idea, but I suspect the local price for them would be more than any of the other two combined.


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