Robotman99

Hey guys, I'm a long time reader but first time poster on this site. I'm currently racing in Cat 3 and I feel it's time to upgrade. I'm currently riding a Giant Defy 3 bike which has 2200 and other crap gear on it. It's right on 22lbs with pedals.

I'm not sure whether I should opt for a new bike altogether or just upgrade the components. I've grown rather attached to this bike and the geometry fits me like a glove so I'm leaning heavily towards keeping the frame. I don't feel the frame is holding me back at all. I talked to a LBS about the possibility of upgrading and they told me it's not really an upgrade worthy frame. I've read this a lot on BF too - people saying certain frames aren't worth the upgrade in components.

Would it be rather pointless to put a full Rival groupset and Soul S3.0 wheels on such a basic frame? With the upgrade, I'm predicting the bike can get under 17lbs which is pretty decent in my books. What does BF think?

Also...in before "upgrade the engine". I'm racing with people on bikes worth more than 5 times my bike already!

AngryScientist 

as long as the frame fits you well, i say do it, you can always get a new frame later. i just put full chorus-11 (about 1200) and new wheels on my bianchi narone alu which previously had sora components on it. it tripled the original cost of the bike easily. i love it. i will probably get a new frame somewhere down the road, but for now, i have a frame that fits great with great components and wheels.

do it.

hao

cat 3 with a defy 3, very awesome.

umd

cat 3, where?

Jase5

I went to watch a crit on the weekend and everyone in C grade (which I think is equal to your Cat 3) was pretty much on really expensive frames with really expensive wheels so you must be doing pretty damned well with such a primitive (relatively speaking) bike! In fact I didn't even see many aluminium bikes in the lowest grades, pretty much everyone rocks up on carbon bikes.

Gav888

That is a good question and I would like to know the answer aswell.

Im in the market for something new, but as you have found some people say the bikes I like are not upgradable....

I guess at the end of the day the frame is the heart of the bike, if your happy with it then stick with it, you obviously doing very well with what you have now. Alot of people like to have a carbon frame with a good brand name to show off what they have bought, but if you look at the weight of the frame it could be heavier than one costing half as much LOL

mzeffex 

Well the defys not a race bike so if thats an issue..

merlinextraligh

I'd define an "upgrade worthy frame" as a frame that enough value that it is cost effective to put new components on it.

In your case your proposed upgrades are highly likely to cost at least as much if not more, as getting a new bike, with a better frame and the upgraded components, and selling the Defy.

Moreover, despite your comment that the Defy fits you like a glove, the Defy really isn't intended as a racing bike, and you'd be better suited from a geometry point of view with a bike intended for racing (unless you've got some wierd proportions.)

diziet

umd's shenanigans meter going off ;<

umd

Just asking... Ok, so a few thoughts:

1) I think we can all agree that the competition is not equal everywhere. Without getting into specifically where it may be stronger than other places, it is fairly obvious that places with more cyclists will be more competitive, and being out in the middle of nowhere it will be easier to move up.
2) If someone is strong and has a lot of natural talent it will be possible to move up quickly regardless of point #1
3) Given #2, the bike isn't going to make any difference. The stronger they are than everyone else, the less difference it will make.
4) The geometry of a Defy isn't very "racy" but I was thinking more about the components. If the OP's 2200 components haven't self-destructed yet, he probably hasn't been riding/racing it very long.

diziet

Yeah that's what I was thinking as well, putting a few thousand of miles over two years on those components won't really cause destruction but I would imagine it will cause aggravation to the rider.

fa63

I would consider a Giant Defy aluminum frame to be upgrade worthy, as well as race-worthy. It has a well designed, stiff aluminum frame and I really doubt its geometry will hold you back (if you think you are not low enough, remove all spacers and get a -17 degree stem).

Plus you won't cry yourself to sleep if you crash and damage it in a crit.

Brian Ratliff

My thoughts on the subject:

1) any frame that holds the wheels together is worthy of an upgrade to the drivetrain/components.

2) It is very rarely cost effective to do a full upgrade in place of buying a new bike. It only makes sense if some of the new components come out of your "parts bin" that naturally accumulates over time if you ride/race bikes and start upgrading things, or you have lots of time to pin down good deals on NOS or lightly used components.

What I would do is save up your money to buy a new race bike. It doesn't have to be a $5000, 15lb wunderbike with carbon wheels. Something for around $2000 is a good value in a race bike. Try to get Ultegra quality shifters and crankset. You'll notice the difference in shifting quality and the chainring quality respectively. Everything else can be 105; the difference is just weight with the remaining components, not functionality.

After a while, you'll want a second bike. You can start collecting new parts for cheap and start hanging them on your old frame. At some point everything will be replaced and you'll have a solid second tier backup bike.

If you don't have the money to buy a new bike and are forced to upgrade this one, I'd replace the 2200 shifters and crankset (and front derailleur if you are moving from triple to double). Move to a 10 speed drivetrain or find some NOS or lightly used 9 speed ultegra shifters.

This will cost something like $500 all told, which is why it is generally better to buy a new bike. You are already 1/4 of the way to your $2000 bike and you are still stuck with a lot of lower quality components. OEMs get a much better deal on the groupset than you can ever find retail.