Upgrading Planet X London Road Disc

This has been my commuter bike since Nov 2015 and I had it equipped with a rack and panniers. Since August 2017, while originally running the same set-up, it became a training bike too, as I started putting in pre-work miles. Since then I've been averaging 90-100miles a week on it, and only rarely ride my other bikes in the dry weather. As a result, I think it's worth investing in some upgrades to make it look and ride a bit faster.

I upgraded to TRP Spyres some time ago, from the frankly awful BB7s. I'm considering the hydro versions of these eventually, which have the cylinder at the caliper, but not for now. I'm also going to eventually upgrade from the Fulcrum Racing Sport wheels which are heavy af, but that will be after winter. In its current guise, it weighs around 12kg, although I'll be checking and recording the actual weight.

The first round of changes/upgrades over the next few weeks are:

Matching Deda seatpost to go with the Deda stem I'm running
New mudguard set - SKS Bluemels matt black. The Chromoplastics are mismatched and a bit knackered
SRAM Red 22 levers
SRAM Red GXP crankset 52/36
Trim steerer tube
Remove the (heavy) integrated lights - running Tracers I already have instead
Remove or cover frame and wheel decals/stickers

I'm still going to run the Rival 22 front and rear mechs for now, but might also upgrade those to Force 22 at some stage. The BB is starting to knock under load, so that will need replacing. I'm going to get the LBS to do a full service and replace chain and cables and install all the new equipment. It's something I'd love to do myself over a weekend, but that's just not going to happen at the moment. Plus the LBS is SBC, so I'm more than happy to have them take care of it.

I'm pretty happy with the 35mm Vittoria Hypers - would be cool if there was a tan wall version, though.

As for stealthing the frame and wheels - I need advice on how to do that. Nail varnish remover? In the next post, you'll see from one of the pictures that I tried to remove one of the wheel decals a long time ago and very lazily gave up on trying to remove the residue. I used solvent-based sticky-stuff remover and it wasn't shifting it in a hurry. I suspect doing it properly is just going to take a lot of elbow grease, but any advice on chemical assistance and other techniques is gratefully received.

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Current set up...

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Close up of decals on the frame, carbon forkm wheels and seatclamp.

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Hmmm?

Wouldn't bother

That's a spendy upgrade list, more than the bike to begin? Personally would upgrade as things wear out. Put on some Juin Tech brakes, upgrade the lights and maybe tyres. I'd put brakes ahead of a carbon crank too.

Tyres will probably give the best value change, maybe throw on something like Michelin Pro4 endurance V2 in 28c .

I got the Red levers and crankset for £350, plus I'll sell off the stuff I'm removing, so as it's getting so many daily miles, it seems like good value. And I've always just wanted Red kit and it's my bike so there! (jk)

Those brakes look good - I'll look into them!

Are those tyres slicks? I rode on Kojaks for a while and although fast, they weren't grippy enough for the conditions and terrain I regularly ride - had two accidents which I'm pretty sure were avoidable.

That's a score on the components and your bike, I'd get sucked into doing the same :D
Am a fan of the Juin Techs, not as good as the bikes with full hydro but close and much easier to fit.

They are slicks, more winter orientated but still score very well on low rolling resistance. They can go off-road but if you're doing tow path or gravel daily, then the GKs make more sense.

I'd not heard of them before. They look like a good bet over the TRP hydro ones. Thanks for the tip!

It was a tow path that killed me the first time, and then a light dusting of frost the second time. As always there's a dose of user error, but slicks have made me cagey since.

I found gravel kings not particularly grippy or fast yet they cut up very easily, loads of small nicks and cuts in just a few months use

No experience with regular GKs but have used the GK SKs - they'd probably slow you down over the current tyres.

Agreed, distinctly average. Also noticeably more punctures than any continental tyre I’ve used (gp4000, sport contact, gatorskin, gatorhardshell)

Thanks @suffolk_boii @PhilDAS - I remember using Ribmo tyres once years ago and they were awful. Cut ridiculously easily from new and were hard and dull. Nothing beats the Hypers, all things considered, just wish they looked a bit better.

I started masking off the frame logos and stripping the wheel stickers. I instantly remembered why I gave up the first time. Unless you’re very careful, the stickers split and tear, leaving the full residue on the rim. I found WD40 on an old microfibre cloth gets it off with some scrubbing. Probably going to take a week to sort it out fully.

I weighed the lights - 300g!

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Must be alternatives to getting sticker residue off that are quicker, Google throws up loads of home remedies. I've personally used bike chain degreaser a few times to speed things up.

I’ve got one of those fulcrums in my bike. It’s destickered on one side...

If you want to remove stickers just warm it with a heat gun (or a hairdryer). I removed the reflective strip of hypers, there's gray fabric under that you can paint with a Sharpie

Get a hold of some Autoglym Tar Remover or similar for removing sticker residue, works a charm.

I removed the reflective strip of hypers, there's gray fabric under that you can paint with a Sharpie

I was gonna say this too. I never even bothered with the sharpie, the grey quickly dulled

Thanks for all the advice. Half done the wheels now. Degreaser and WD40 combo is doing the trick. As well as just being very careful, slow and patient! Does the reflective strip just peel right off the tyres?

The logo on the seatpost was whiter than expected, so i’ve matched it with a matching 100mm one I have around for now. I may actually get a 110mm neg rise stem from PX and put the PX seatpost back on. We’ll see about that. Tomorrow should see the cranks, brifters, new guards and all the serving work done. Before I started anything the weight was 10.93kg.

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Does the reflective strip just peel right off the tyres?

Yep. There's a seam somewhere on it which is a good place to start, but it's overall very simple

New bits on. Weight is now 10.27kg, so a saving of 660g. The wheelset weighs 1.87kg, so will be where I try and lose more weight next year at some point. Might get a Force cassette and go down to 32mm Hypers. Definitely going to stick with Rival mechs.

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Sharp looking bike

Needs some colour, tan walls or something. Good work so far though.

I hear you. I'm going to write a letter to Vittoria to ask them to make Hypers with tans...

How did you manage to remove the stickers from the frame? Or did you cover them with paint? If so, with which paint?