I’d get a bikefit before you buy anything else for your bike. This might be anecdotal but in my fastest season I struggled to hold 400W on my roadbike for 3-5min wheras on my hardtail I easily did vo2 workouts 5x3min at 440W. The fitter moved my position on the roadbike quite a bit more forward and down, increased the stance and gave me G8 Performance insoles and now I’m much more able to hold steady power on the roadbike. This could potentially get you your 30W upgrade you need right away or it could not - it’s so individual.
But since you are new to cycling it’s better to get a fit now than later. It could save you money in the long run. Deep wheels are a fancy upgrade but probably the last thing I’d do to gain “free” performance. If you don’t want to get a bike fit get fast tires first, Conti GP 5000 TR s with 111 Aero front and the rest has been said already.
One thing I was good at is my road bike position.
I could do 26.5 mph off 267 watts solo for a 10 mile TT on a road bike.
Kit
Aero frame
60 mm wheels with 25 mm front and 28 mm rear
GP5000 tubeless - I don’t bother with the TT version as I CBA punctures
Nopinz skinsuit (cheapest one they do)
Aero socks
Aero lace covers
Lace up shoe
36 cm bars with levers turned in so narrowest measurement is like 28 cm
Bars are cheap aero alloy ones
Di2 shifters with satellite shifters set to rear derailleur so I can shift in aero position
Triceps training
Evade 2 helmet
Aero positioning of lights
Train to hold the stupid position. I could just about hold it for a 25 mile TT. Your arms will hurt more than your legs.
Cannondale regrip aero bottle
That’s about it. In a tail wind I could fly. Think I did an 18 minute 10 mile in a 25 mile with a tail wind (was a lot slower back into the headwind). Gearing is a limiting factor at these speeds so I had to buy a 54 tooth chainring.
I bet a flat carbon aero bars would probably help some, supporting your wrists / arms more and creates a bit better leverage that can unload your triceps a bit, at least it does for me. That said, 100% correct on your triceps screaming if you hold it that long haha. Congrats on the CdA too, very impressive, it’s certainly world tour level. I need to shave another 40+ watts to achieve that speed.
I just got some aero socks to test but I’m going to look at aero shoe covers as well. I’m also running 30mm tires, but I was thinking about going to 28’s as my wheels are 32mm external and could potentially pick up a couple of watts savings.
If you don’t mind me asking, how much do you weigh?
Wheel suck relentlessly and unapologetically. Take short pulls. Center in the draft in crosswinds by feeling for equal buffeting on both upper arms. The effectiveness of a draft goes up exponentially the closer you get. It’s a calculated risk so best do this only with experienced and skilled group riders, and even then, there is increased risk of a wheel touch.
FWIW I think skin suits are actually the cycling kit that fits best across a range of body shapes. As being a single garment without straps, waist, etc the material has more ability to go to where it’s needed.
I think you meant to respond to someone else but I currently run gp5k tubes or tubeless depending on the bike for general riding annd racing and I run Vittoria Corsa pro speed depending on the course.
At the time around 67 kg to 68 kg. Im quite tall at 1.85 m. I was starting to get a bit underweight and should have worked on my power a bit more and I think I could have been a bit faster.