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The original was posted on /r/velo by /u/mattyrain on 2023-09-26 18:59:11.

44M, beginner road racer with a couple of races under his belt, decent power but overweight (5’11" tall and I currently weigh 195lbs @ 24% body fat - there’s a skinny guy under the blubber). Ideal race weight would be 165-170.

I ride an older alloy rim brake bike with 10-speed 105 groupset and stock alloy wheels. 25mm Conti GP5000 S TRs with latex tubes. Bike is in fine shape but racing on rough pavement, I can tell that my ride is way harsher than that of my fellow racers on nicer carbon bikes with carbon wheels. I struggle to put power down on bad pavement, even if I run lower pressures (80-85 PSI)

Budget is tight as I work a rather low end job right now. Saving 5k+ for a new bike would take a long time, hence my inclination to look for a used set of carbon wheels instead.

So my question is - how much would decent carbon wheels improve the alloy bike’s behavior over rough pavement? Would losing the extra weight be more of a factor?

Open to all suggestions, even mild fat shaming/ribbing.