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Better wheels or better groupset?
I'm just about to buy my first road bike and after months of deliberation have settled on the Sensa Romagna at Merlin Cycles, gets great reviews and seems awesome value for money. I have one last question though....
My budget is 700ish, Do I go for...
A. Sensa Romagna Special with compact Shimano 105 5700, FC560 Chainset & 105 BR560 Calipers and stock Supra RA Comp wheels for £725
Or
B. Sensa Romagna custom build and downgrade the groupset to full Tiagra (only triple available) but upgrade the wheels to Mavic Aksiums for £705
I'm leaning towards B but want a second opinion.
Cheers 
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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The most crucial factor of cycling performance is training. If you dont join a good cycling training program, you can never become a successful cyclist. You can find many useful resources like books and magazines on effective cycling training online as well as offline. Most of these resources can be helpful, depending on your goals and experience.
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Training? No one's disputing the benefits of that, the post was about which component to spend money on?
Although I understand the POV of specing a better groupset initially then upgrading the wheelset, it seems to me the advice here was a bit suspect - 'just blow the budget now or spend more in the future'. This option may not be open to him! We all know that lighter wheels will make you go faster than a lighter groupset.
Anyway looks like its a done deal now from the OP's reply, but it would be interesting to see how he's getting on with the new bike and let's hope those heavy wheels aren't slowing him down too much.
We may all 'know' that lighter wheels will help you go faster, but the effect is massively overstated on most cycling websites. I dare say the OP won't be held up at all!
@Chris James - then why even bother with the extra expense to upgrade the wheels later? Which is what many are suggesting here! Assuming a limited budget, you prioritise the wheels if you wanna go quicker. Simples!
Sorry, Chris James is right. Prioritise training if you want to go quicker.
Lowly Worm has hit that nail squarely on the head. Well said, Sir!
My view is A too. If you go for A, upgrading the wheelset later is easy; if you go for B, upgrading from Tiagra to 105 later would be much more involved.
Canyon Roadlite AL6.0 £869, FULL 105 black + Aksiums + better finishing kit + 1kg lighter.
+1
105 seems a fine choice
Pretty sure I'll go with 105 then. Thanks for all the feedback.
The answer you are looking for is A. The 105 groupset will last a long time if you take care of it and it incorporates much of Shimano's best tecnology. Wheels are an easy upgrade that you can take care of yourself whenever you feel like it or can afford it. Upgrading the whole groupset will take you a long time and cost more than a decent set of wheels. Get the 105 and then look out for some wheels in the 300+ bracket on a deal from somewhere. Bobby's Boys and the rest have it spot on. 105 at this price is a steal, go for it.
I recommend A.
Tiagra is fine but the fact its a triple would put me off. I always found setting up the triple trickier and it never stayed indexed for as long and the shifts were never as crisp, I changed my triple set up for a double 105, never been happier.
105 groupset on my ribble ultralight is sublime
A .... 105.
Lots of good wheels out there second hand relatively cheap .... go for better grouppo .... 105 just doesn't need upgrading - superb.
Discount bikes have American Classic Sprint 350 for £375 at the moment .... save up and you have yourself a very good bike!!
I got my Aksiums for £120 new they are good but not great wheels probably only marginally better than the Supra RA . The difference between 105 and Tiagra is about £200. Personally I would go for the 105 and upgrade the wheels at a later date