Road Cycling - first upgrade

I have had my bike for 9 months now (LeMond Nevada City) and I am very happy with it. When I bought it, I also bought eggbeaters, shoes (Sidi) and a flitegel seat all at the same time. As I said, I am happy with it but this being my first good bike I would like to know if anyone had any suggestions on the first component to upgrade?
I must admit, I have not had one ounce of trouble with the shifters (Sora) but I like the "fit" so I would like to just replace components and not get a new bike (it's getting to be like an old friend)

Any comments

Thanks

I would just wait untill stuff gets worn out/breaks, then replace it with higher end stuff.

9 months? Sounds like it's about time for a new chain...

2 words - wheels.

55/Rad

Wheels, and if you do long events like centuries some nice tyres.

Upgrade as you replace... My Sora bike ended up with 8spd Ultegra Bottom Bracket, chain, chainrings, and a standard cassette. The chain I did actually notice a difference with shifting and noise levels - much better.

Brendon

2 words - wheels.

55/Rad

mmmmmmhm (oh, and cracking me up with the "2 words."). my wife's got the same bike. first thing i did was put my old ritchey's on it. of all improvements you can make, wheels are arguably the most noticable. rotational weight and all... i'd get you a set of good king hub/open pro/revolution spoke wheels from excel or somesuch. pretty cheap, light as most racing wheels, and bomb-proof. dave thomas makes some great wheels too. i know several guys who've gotten them, and absolutely love them. www.speeddream.com/

I have to agree with the wheels statement. Last year, I bought a '02 LeMond Tourmalet (same frame as your bike, with mixed Tiagra/105 components). I am in a pretty hilly area, and one long descent, I can easily hit 40mph+. Well, the first time down, I hit about 36, and my bike started vibrating uncontrollably. Whenever I hit 36 this huge vibration would almost throw me from the bike (VERY scary..) Spent 2 weeks trying to figure it out, when a friend of mine said "Try using my Ksyriums, see if that helps". Well, that day out, I hit 43mph, and the ride was smooth as can be.

Got a great deal on some Ksyrium Elites, threw them on, and the improvement in the ride was amazing. My next upgrade will be a carbon fork, and eventually I may upgrade the components, as I just LOVE the 853 Frame, and it should last forever..

Thanks everone. I'm going to look at some wheels, any suggestions?

Mavic Cosmos would be the best bang for the buck. In fact, I have some 2003's if you're interested. PM me and we can talk.

(Moved to a Campy bike)

I had Open Pro's on my Poprad (similar frame but CX w/steel fork) and changed them out for some Neuvation M28 Aero's. Made a huge difference. Then I changed the frame to a Maillot Jaune and kept the wheels.

55/Rad

Thanks everone. I'm going to look at some wheels, any suggestions?

They are a little bit pricy, but I LOVE my Mavic Ksyrium Elites. With the current Performance online coupon, you can get them for 20% off..

They are a fairly light wheel, with great hubs, practically indestructable, aerodynamic, and they look nice to boot.. :)