TeddyKGB

I have had my bike for 28 days. I love it and am completely happy with it. I ride about 75 miles a week and the best part of my day is when I get on the bike. I absolutely love this sport. Problem is, I can't stop thinking about how to make my bike better, even though I am a casual rider.

I have come into some extra money and want to use it on my bike. I can't decide where to spend the money. I know for sure I want to get a new saddle (the stock Bontrager is horrible) and I'm still deciding what to get. I still have around 400-500 dollars after I buy the saddle. My bike has a 105 rear derailleur and a Tiagra front derailleur and I was thinking about upgrading the Tiagra derailleur. Do you think I would notice a performance difference or should the money go elsewhere? Any recommendations? Thanks!

UmneyDurak

Not really. If you like your bike as it is now just ride it. If you want to burn the money I would go with professional fitting. It will make more of a difference then swapping components. If you do want to spent money on components then it's a toss up between the wheels, or you can get ultegra front shifters (or shifter) and ultegra RD. Might notice some improvement in shifting.

cadencesdad

Good wheels, good brakes.

TeddyKGB

Any recommendations for some good wheels that will cost me around 400-500 bucks?

Anybody have any thoughts on upgrading the Tiagra front derailleur?

EDIT: Maybe I'll just buy another bike

Beaker

Top of my head -- tires? Bet you could upgrade whatever you have as stock. Are you clipless yet and what about upgrading your shoes?

For $4-500 I'd seriously consider bike clothes - you could buy some really nice bibs, jerseys etc. assuming that your cycling wardrobe is pretty thin right now.

TeddyKGB

My cycling wardrobe is pretty thin...maybe I'll buy another pair of bibs and another jersey. I am going to buy new tires as well. I'm thinking about getting some Vittoria Rubino Pros. And yes, I do have clipless pedals with brand new Shimano shoes. I really like them, so I don't think I'll spend the money to upgrade them right now.

My eventual goal is to get all the Bontrager components off my bike. I have only had the bike for a short period so I don't see the need to do all of that now i.e. crank arms, fork, seat post, bars etc. I'm just trying to do the more practical stuff first Thanks for all the recommendations?

mista_chewey

neuvation deep carbon tubulars 600bucks
i want new wheels so that's what i would get

TeddyKGB

That is only for one wheel, or two? If it is for one, then man, I picked the wrong sport...

Beaker

There you go -- you could evaluate a very nice pair of Assos bibs and learn if the investment is worth it. If yes, then you could perhaps buy one more pair

Rob P.

I'd say buy some clothes and bank the balance of the funds. You need gear. You don't need new components. At some point your components will be worn and you can replace them with higher end stuff or buy a new bike.

You can't buy upgrades to go faster. Instead you need to ride up grades. Get out and ride.

Ramjm_2000

Avoid tubulars if your a newbie, aren't a proficient bicycle mechanic, or have a good bit of disposable income for expensive tires.

TeddyKGB

I'll look into those. I really want to get a pair of these:

https://www.feltracing.com/08/store/D...asp?catid=1569

I know that is pretty Freddish of me, but argyle is awesome and it would match my bike...but still, I just can't convince myself to buy a team kit. I don't know what it is, I just feel like it is an unforgivable sin.

cadencesdad

If you want the Garmin/Chipolte kit, get it. You ride for you. If I could afford it, i'd get a Rock Racing team kit. Then tatoo "FRED" across my head, and support it proudly. Especially if thats the team you support.

Heck, I don't play for the Denver Broncos, but sometimes I wear a Broncos jersey.

SSIndyRider

Good advice here to consider some clothing and bank the rest. There's no need to spend everything now. Save it for later needs - worn out chain, replacing tires, etc. Get your saddle if you're uncomfortable, but overall there's nothing wrong with Bontrager components. I have 8000 miles on my bike with Bonnie wheels, bard and cranks. Not a problem from them. I even got 3000-4000 miles out of my initial Bontrager front tire. For the amount of riding you're doing, you'll not likely see a ton of difference with upgraded components, at least not this early. If you have no tools, you may consider buying a basic set of tools - hex wrench kit, cassette lock ring tool, chain whip, a couple of extra tubes and maybe an extra tire to have on-hand in the event of emergency replacement need. Have a mini pump or CO2 inflator on the bike? How about a small bad under the saddle with a spare tube and some patches? All of these are more important than upgrading components this soon. If you wait on them, you'll have a better idea of what you might want/need to change anyway.

MONGO!

Clipless pedals, shoes, bike clothes etc. saddle if you need it, you certainly don't need carbon tubulars.

Beaker

Do what makes you feel better on the bike. If it was me with $4-500 of unreportable income* (*-to my other half) - I'd be looking at the top end swiss bike clothes. Anything that makes your interface with the bike more pleasurable is a good thing.

TeddyKGB

Thanks for the advice man. You are right about the Bontrager components. I really haven't had a problem with them at all and the only reason I wanted to change them was because people said they were horrible. I too much of a noob in this sport to even notice I don't really have any tools and that is something I have been looking into so I'll definitely get some of those. As far as the CO2 inflator and bag, those are covered. The tools thing is definitely a good idea. I may also pick up the Park Tool book on bike maintenance because I REALLY want to learn how to work on my own bike rather then taking it into the bike shop all the time.

Also, thanks cadencesdad and Beaker...I kinda feel a little better about the team kit. Maybe enough to make the purchase...

mista_chewey

that would be both
280 for the front 320 for the rear

you could get some 600dollar/wheel wheels too
or 1K/wheel

of course MONGO is right you don't need carbon tubulars but you don't need to upgrade either hehe

j_amie_

+1

saintsfan342000

Get a repair stand (something like the Park PCS-10...quality lower end), and learn how to work on your bike. That'll save you money in the long run, and really makes the bike yours.

Invest in some comfortable shoes too.

Val23708

tubes, tools, pumps, clothes, cyclecomputer... sunglasses, helmet,

Booger

Clothes and tools.

tmass

New Tyres....they want break the bank and you'll feel the change.

bsyptak

Sounds like you really want to upgrade that front der. I'd go for it, but wouldn't go above 105 because there's no point since the rest of you bike is 105. It's only about $40 and it will make you feel better. Don't expect it to perform better, FD's don't give you that.

Wheelsets are another component that is worth upgrading. This is because you can easily take the wheelset with you when you get a new bike. Save the old wheels and put them back on the 2.1 when you sell it to upgrade to a better bike. It's not worth it to upgrade to Ultegra. Better off getting a whole new bike IMO.

Other things easy to swap from one bike to another are saddle, post (assuming same size), stem.

For $500, you could get

Xero XR-1 wheelset $230
Thomson Elite post $80
Ritchey 4-Axis stem $80
Saddle $100
FD $40

I bought this wheelset 2 years ago and after a few thousand miles on it can't justify replacing it with anything else. It works perfectly and is ridiculously light for the money. Nothing comes close. It isn't a bling wheelset though like Ksyrium SLs, but you do get about 4 wheelsets for the same price.

RoboCheme

I like my Neuvation R28 SL3s. The new version (SL5) cost $330 for the wheelset. They're very light and I haven't had to true mine in a year and a half since buying them.

https://www.neuvationcycling.com/wheels.html

The decals are ugly, but are easy to remove.