Upgrade my frame or buy a new bike?
08-03-09, 12:23 PM
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Upgrade my frame or buy a new bike?
My dad had a midlife crisis and instead of going out and buying a corvette or something like that, he got a customer made Independent Fabrications blah blah blah . . .
Good news is that I got his old bike, a heavily modified Lemond Wayzata. I think he has had that thing at least 5 years, and I another 3. I think the only thing left on it original is the frame (steel) has he has swapped out the straight handlebars for drops, added Shimano 105 shifters and gears, Tiagra pedals and Bontrager Select wheels.
I am to the point now where I have lost some weight, upped my weekly mileage and am starting to get more serious about cycling with the goal of doing a century in the fall and feel it might be time to step-up my ride. I don't have the means right now to go out and get a entirely new bike. My original plan was in about 2 years or so drop $2500ish on a whole new set-up. However someone recommended I look into just getting a new frame and moving the components over to it. They figured for about +/- $500 get a carbon frame, getting me the weight savings and maybe making my current set-up last a little longer.
So . . .
Do I hold off and use what I have for the next couple years and then get a all new set-up
OR
Are the components I have good enough to justify getting a frame and paying a shop to put it together for me, giving me more bang for the buck?
Thanks,
Brian
Good news is that I got his old bike, a heavily modified Lemond Wayzata. I think he has had that thing at least 5 years, and I another 3. I think the only thing left on it original is the frame (steel) has he has swapped out the straight handlebars for drops, added Shimano 105 shifters and gears, Tiagra pedals and Bontrager Select wheels.
I am to the point now where I have lost some weight, upped my weekly mileage and am starting to get more serious about cycling with the goal of doing a century in the fall and feel it might be time to step-up my ride. I don't have the means right now to go out and get a entirely new bike. My original plan was in about 2 years or so drop $2500ish on a whole new set-up. However someone recommended I look into just getting a new frame and moving the components over to it. They figured for about +/- $500 get a carbon frame, getting me the weight savings and maybe making my current set-up last a little longer.
So . . .
Do I hold off and use what I have for the next couple years and then get a all new set-up
OR
Are the components I have good enough to justify getting a frame and paying a shop to put it together for me, giving me more bang for the buck?
Thanks,
Brian
08-03-09, 12:29 PM
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My 2cp: 105 and Tiagra aren't really worth keeping to put on a new frame.
2 years is a long time to wait for a new bike though. If you're planning on spending 500 for a frame, 25% of 2500 is like 600 bucks, which would be 6 months worth of the 2500 you want to spend in 24 months. Combined, you could get a great new bike for that 1100, and you wouldn't need to buy anything new in 18 months.
Just an idea. If you weren't gonna buy a new frame, I'd say just stick with the bike you have. But if you have 500 to part with, and 2500 to part with 2 years from now? Get a Giant Defy or a Specialized Allez and call it good.
2 years is a long time to wait for a new bike though. If you're planning on spending 500 for a frame, 25% of 2500 is like 600 bucks, which would be 6 months worth of the 2500 you want to spend in 24 months. Combined, you could get a great new bike for that 1100, and you wouldn't need to buy anything new in 18 months.
Just an idea. If you weren't gonna buy a new frame, I'd say just stick with the bike you have. But if you have 500 to part with, and 2500 to part with 2 years from now? Get a Giant Defy or a Specialized Allez and call it good.
08-03-09, 01:03 PM
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My dad had a midlife crisis and instead of going out and buying a corvette or something like that, he got a customer made Independent Fabrications blah blah blah . . .
Good news is that I got his old bike, a heavily modified Lemond Wayzata. I think he has had that thing at least 5 years, and I another 3. I think the only thing left on it original is the frame (steel) has he has swapped out the straight handlebars for drops, added Shimano 105 shifters and gears, Tiagra pedals and Bontrager Select wheels.
I am to the point now where I have lost some weight, upped my weekly mileage and am starting to get more serious about cycling with the goal of doing a century in the fall and feel it might be time to step-up my ride. I don't have the means right now to go out and get a entirely new bike. My original plan was in about 2 years or so drop $2500ish on a whole new set-up. However someone recommended I look into just getting a new frame and moving the components over to it. They figured for about +/- $500 get a carbon frame, getting me the weight savings and maybe making my current set-up last a little longer.
So . . .
Do I hold off and use what I have for the next couple years and then get a all new set-up
OR
Are the components I have good enough to justify getting a frame and paying a shop to put it together for me, giving me more bang for the buck?
Thanks,
Brian
Good news is that I got his old bike, a heavily modified Lemond Wayzata. I think he has had that thing at least 5 years, and I another 3. I think the only thing left on it original is the frame (steel) has he has swapped out the straight handlebars for drops, added Shimano 105 shifters and gears, Tiagra pedals and Bontrager Select wheels.
I am to the point now where I have lost some weight, upped my weekly mileage and am starting to get more serious about cycling with the goal of doing a century in the fall and feel it might be time to step-up my ride. I don't have the means right now to go out and get a entirely new bike. My original plan was in about 2 years or so drop $2500ish on a whole new set-up. However someone recommended I look into just getting a new frame and moving the components over to it. They figured for about +/- $500 get a carbon frame, getting me the weight savings and maybe making my current set-up last a little longer.
So . . .
Do I hold off and use what I have for the next couple years and then get a all new set-up
OR
Are the components I have good enough to justify getting a frame and paying a shop to put it together for me, giving me more bang for the buck?
Thanks,
Brian
I would not really worry about "weight savings". If you are not riding competitively, a pound or two won't really mean a whole lot.
