Road Cycling - The Winter Upgrades

I've taken my road bike, a 2002 Giant OCR-3 with one season of riding, down to the basement to do the upgrades I've been dreaming about since winter started to set in and eBay started to heat up. I ended up buying Ultegra components that were virtually new for next to nothing (especially compared to the cost of good components up here north of the border).

So out with the Sora triple.... and I've ended up with a new drivetrain with a 12-25 cassette, Octalink 172.5 crankset, front and rear derailleurs and an HG-93 chain. And new Ultegra 6510 Flightdeck shifters.

I bought a Time Equipe Pro fork and an Icon Sterling bar and will use a quill converter and threadless stem to finish off the look.

I've still got the Tektro brakes and a crappy set of Alex DR-13 wheels, but my eyes are peeled.

Once the stem is on I'll try and post a picture and see what you think. I already know what they think at home.

Here's the first pic of the "new" bike. I'm still planning the wheelset and the saddle. I'm also planning the end of the snow, but I have less control over that part.

you have to either upload the picture to a site like photobucket, or some other webspace, or "attach" it to your post using the attach function.

helpful hint: if you have pop-up windows blocked, the attach feature doesn't work so well, figured that one out the hard way. :(

For upgrades this winter, I am taking my present racing bike and using it for a training bike.

My new bike will consist of

carbon frame
carbon fork
carbon seat
carbon bars
carbon rear wheel hed 3
Rotor crank
time impact mag pedals
Cane creek 200sl brakes with titanium hardware.

I had a space in the file name that I hadn't noticed. Fixed that and the post went through.

The stem is the Giant aluminum/carbon one they use on the TCRs.

Bart,
nice looking machine. Did you do the work yourself ? I did a similar upgrade to my touring/commuter bike last month. Upgraded a Raleigh R300 (Sora Triple) to Ultegra double with a 12-27 cassette. I upgraded the wheels from Sora/Alex DM18 to 105/Mavic MA3s from JensonUsa. What a difference. My commute is fairly flat and I never used the granny so I went with the double (172.5). The narrow cranks are nice and the shifting is so smooth. The quality of the Ultegra parts compared to the Sora parts are like night and day.

Thanks Marnan,

I did the work myself, but just to be sure I'm going to have the LBS go over everything during the spring tune up and let me know if I messed up anywhere.

I'm really looking forward to the Spring and getting out there. The more I play with the wheels trying to get them right, the more I'm looking forward to a new wheelset. I've never ridden with a nice wheelset and I've been told (by everybody) to buy the best I can afford because the wheels make the biggest difference.

I could be wrong about this but, I was told awhile back that you should not clamp aluminum bikes by the tubes. Something about their ability to withstand forces in directions that were not designed for. YMMV

MtnMan-

You are correct. That bike should be clamped by the seatpost. As for my own winter work, my Bianchi is still half re-assembled. So far I have:

Touched up the paint
Replaced the bottom bracket
Replaced the chainrings
Replaced the cassette
Replaced the chain
Replaced the brake pads
Replaced the headset bearings

Still to go:

New cables and housing
New bar tape
New chainstay protection

Except for the chain, which I replace every year, the drivetrain is the original 9 year old Campy Mirage grouppo that came on the bike. The cassette, chainrings and bottom bracket all had 16,000 miles on them. The headset is the only piece of Shimano gear that I own- a 600 unit that uses cartridge bearings, and I got 4 years out of those. The cables have been replaced once, although the housing was original. I ride in all kinds of weather, so I am always surprised at how little gunk I find in all the nooks and crannies that are exposed by doing a complete stripdown of the bike every winter. I have cleaned and polished everything as I do the reassembly. Other than the number of dings that don't quite match the original celeste paint (I have to mix up my own touch up paint using Testors enamels), you would never know that this is a 1995 model. My 40th birthday present to myself (2005) is going to be a frame refinish. Should get me another decade out of the frame!!!

Bart,
Here is an option for your wheelset upgrade. JensonUsa has an Ultegra hub / Mavic Open Pro 32H wheelset for $ 195. Open Pros have a great reputation as a light traditional road wheel. Do a search on BikeForums on the Open Pros and you will see alot of positve comments.

I'm still planning the wheelset and the saddle.

Hey originalbart, looks like you've got some good upgrades for good deals! Here's my $.02. If I were in your shoes, I'd pick up a Mavic Cosmos wheelset from Colorado Cyclist for $199 in a second. Try a search on these forums on the wheelset and I think you'll see a pretty good concensus on how good a wheelset they are. I love mine; especially the silky smoothness of the hubs. Grab a pair at your LBS and spin them and I doubt you'll feel any friction from the sealed bearings. Cheers! - Ralph

Thanks for the advice on the clamp MtnMan and Demoncyclist. I've been pretty wary of tightening the clamp and the bike usually just sits in there with no pressure. I'll try setting it up on the seat tube to be safe.

As for you, Marnan and Rjtokyo, ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH. Do you think you guys can shoulder some of the blame when you-know-who comes downstairs and sees the new rims... or (worse yet) answers the door when the wheelset gets delivered?

Ahh, well. She'll understand. She likes the skinnier me more anyways.

Another vote for a custom wheelset with open pros. I have had that and a set of Cosmos wheels, and the open pro set, IMHO, rides a bit better and is easier to work on, without gaining any weight or losing stiffness or durability to the Cosmos.

Edit: if you're giving the bike a makeover, what about some different pedals? Speedplays maybe?

As for you, Marnan and Rjtokyo, ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH. Do you think you guys can shoulder some of the blame when you-know-who comes downstairs and sees the new rims... or (worse yet) answers the door when the wheelset gets delivered?

:roflmao: ROFL! No problem originalbart. We'll take ALL the blame. Tell her it's completely our fault. My wife about flipped when I told her how much my new wheelset cost. After that she strongly suggested I was done with my bike budget for the year. Actually, I think it's best to look at it this way. You spend for good equipment once, then after that it's pretty much free. No cost for lift tickets, seat tickets, monthly membership fees, etc. On top of that, like you said, she gets a fitter, trimmer, in-shape husband. Just think if your hobby of choice were yacht racing $$$. Cheers, Ralph.