Bought my 2010 Trek Madone when I started riding about 2 years ago. Not my bike in the photo, but same model/specs. I've done a few tris/duathlons on it, and have no plans of upgrading to a newer race-specific bike anytime soon.
Anywho, I got an otherworldly deal on a 2024 Liv Avail Advanced 2 at an auction a few months ago, mainly for tubeless reliability on rough roads and commuting (yes, I still carry tubes and a patch kit just in case).
Last weekend, I raced on the Liv (side brag: I won my age group!). So now I'm having doubts about keeping the Trek. The downside to the Liv is, it's sluggish AF, but I'm wondering if I could improve that with some better tires? I just kept the stock tires for the time being.
Here's where I would like some help from the hive mind:
Should I:
- Keep racing the Madone and just get more comfortable & efficient with flat changes?
- Make some minor upgrades on the Liv and let it be my "all-in-one"? I know the wheels and tires are some of the best bang for my buck. Wheel upgrades might be a bit much, but I can definitely get better tires. I've also thought about swapping the handlebars since the stock on the Liv is a bit wide for me anyway, but not sure what kind of racing advantage that would have aside from comfort.
- Something else I'm not considering?
Additional context:
I mostly race tris on rolling roads, sometimes steep climbs.
Rough roads are common.
The tires on my Madone are Bontrager R3 25mm, and the tires on the Liv are Giant Gavia Fondo 1 32mm.
Would specially love input on:
-How much difference better tires might realistically make?
-Whether the Avail frame geometry is inherently going to feel slower than a madone?
-Whether minor upgrades could meaningfully close the gap?
Any insight is appreciated! Thanks for reading my novel!
by Senior-Butterfly-724