Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.marnan
12-24-03, 07:35 AM
Upgrade Destined to Happen. Last October my employer gave me a $ 250 Nashbar gift certificate as a bonus and a few weeks later my brother-in-law gave me a new set of Ultegra shifters off a new Klein he just bought. He converted the Klein to a triathlon bar/shifter. I had given him an old Cannondale a few years back and he must of felt this was a gift in return. What to do ? My commuter bike is a touring Raleigh R300 with Sora components that I bought new off Ebay last January for $ 305 plus $ 50 for shipping. It was a steal. I put 2,760 miles commuting on it this year. The Sora triple components were functional, but heavy and I never used the granny gear. So ding ding, upgrade to Ultegra double with 12/27 cassette was on the way plus a new set of Mavic MA3/105 wheels. I bought a Lifu $ 39 toolkit and did the whole upgrade myself. The only missing tool is a nice cable cutter, they run about $30. I bought some accessories at my LBS and they did the cable cutting for me. Here is a picture. I would consider this bike an all-arounder. My question is ‘why can’t I buy a stock bike like this ?’ I don’t want a race ready roadster or a full touring triple designed for 60 pounds of gear. I want a fast commuter that works in the rain, carries 5-10 pounds of commuter stuff, has eyelets for fenders and racks, clearance for a kickstand, and strong 28c tires/wheels that can handle potholes.