Craigster

Most of us are on a budget that we wish we could exceed so we have to make choices.
My question is: Is there a good rule of thumb for prioritizing bike parts from top to bottom?

For example, from my limited knowledge and experience I would guess the top 4 issues might be:
1. Frame
2. Wheelset
3. Rear Derailleur
4. Shifters

and maybe (5. overall Bike weight)

Meaning, if you had to make tradeoffs, those are the things to splurge on, or go one level up...

Whereas, things that you might be willing to drop a level to save money (to be able to prioritize the above things) might include:
- Pedals
- Tires

So, what are your TOP 4 or TOP 5 Bike Parts, in order of importance?

LowCel 

Frame
Wheels
Pedals - must be Speedplay
Saddle - must be my one of my old SLR's
Powermeter

big chainring 

The three points of contact with bike -
Saddle
Handlebars
Pedals

Tires
Wheels

The rest are just parts. Derailleurs don't make much difference. A stem is a stem. Seatpost can be a straight pin. I never put much importance on brakes - If they slow me down thats fine. And the frame IS the bike, I dont consider it a part.

DinoShepherd

Even so called low end components are really really good nowadays It's pretty hardto buy junk. You would really have to go look for it.

Really my only mandatories are 44cm bars and decent tires. Beyond that, it's really not going to make me any faster.

speedevil 

The frame is the starting point, I don't really consider it a part.

Next is the saddle; if it doesn't fit the rider, the bike won't be ridden much.

Pedals are pedals, at least to the recreational riders I know. As long as I can turn the cranks with them, they're fine.

Brakes are kind of important If I can't stop or slow down when I need to there could be serious consequences.

Wheels need to be true and hold true through the occasional pothole or rough pavement. Heavy wheels may slow me down a little, but I'm not that fast anyway. Light wheels may make me faster, but they are less likely to hold true. The weight difference is probably a quarter-pounder or less anyway.

Tires/tubes need to hold the road, and not slip at unexpected times. All tires will lose grip sometime, and as long as you're expecting it you can usually handle it. It's the unexpected loss of grip that gives you the sphincter grip. If they aren't flatting constantly (an occasional flat is normal, just annoying) then the tubes are fine for most of us.

Derailleurs and shifters move the chain left and right. If they're adjusted properly, they will generally work. Campy Super Record and Shimano Sora both fit the criteria. How long they will last is a different question - in theory the more costly mechanisms are better-constructed and will last longer. But sometimes the more expensive ones are just lighter-weight versions and they don't last as long. The trick is to get the best price-to-quality ratio you can. Ergonomics with the shifters is an issue for some, but probably not a deal-breaker, just a preference.

Let's see:

Frame

then saddle, brakes, tires.

ddeadserious

Saddle
Shoes
Bars/Tape/Shifters
Tires
Frame

Comfort is key, the above are most related to ride comfort. I'm 100% more likely to want to ride if the bike is comfortable, and vice versa.

hhnngg1

I honestly can't prioritize parts of my bike. Between my high end and entry level bikes, all the parts seem pretty similarly important. Splurging on one part doesn't make a difference if it's offset by the weakest link in the bike. You could run a great Dura Ace groupset and lose the entire pleasure of it because you're riding a frame that's not the exact geometry or material you want, or you could have a perfect frame that feels like crap because your tires and wheelset aren't working for you. You could also have top functioning everything and have it ride like a dream, but not be happy at all with the bike because it's cosmetically fugly. (Think BikesDirect.)

I will say, however, that the entry level bikes from today have the best absolute value in terms of bang for buck for cycling. I'm not saying that stuff like 105 isn't worth the money, but just saying that you can do 99% of what you would ever do with a bike, from easy cruising to top elite racing, with a $700 road bike versus something higher end. You get more features as you spend more but most of them are not speed related (convenience, durability, and small weight gains mainly) and come with huge premiums.

I'm still shocked with how many mellow recreational nonracing and nonhammering riders will consider it mandatory to drop $700 extra dollars on bike just to have ultegra level components, given that they really have no need for this level of performance or weight, ever. (Most of these riders would be perfectly well served and more with Sora. I know, since I have a Sora 2008 bike.)

hhnngg1

I'm not denying that comfort is key, but if you're riding to race, you often make some small comfort sacrifices for speed. My TT bike is not set up for comfort. It's not painful, but it's far from comfortable compared to an upright cruiser bike, as it's set up for speed first and comfort second. My regular road bike is also set up for speed first and comfort second, although with less of a comfort sacrifice for speed. Neither bike is as comfortable as the cruiser townie bikes I used to ride which had full upright positions.

carpediemracing 

I was thinking about this last night. I think certain parts of bikes are prioritized too much. For me the order would be:

1. Fit (frame, bars, stem, saddle). This is not related to material, upgrades, etc, only to dimensions. I'd rather have a cheap aluminum frame that fits (I do) than a more expensive carbon frame that doesn't (I did). My stem, bars, and post are nothing fancy but they put me in the right place relative to the bottom bracket.

2. Pedals. Clipless pedals are like ski bindings. It's almost inconceivable to go out on a serious ride without them.

3. Wheels/tires. If you really want to actually upgrade something then upgrade the wheels.

4. Although most bikes come with good brakes some come with poor brake pads. Upgrade the pads.

Personally I think 105, Apex, no-name brakes, no name stem/bar/seatpost, cheap pedals, cranks, they'll all work well. If someone would buy me a cheap(er) bike to race I would:
https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...team-bike.html

I'm regularly astounded by how light some of my competitor's bikes are. At one race last summer I was checking out a friendly rival's bike - it was in the 14 lbs range. He brought me to his teammate who had a 12 or so lbs bike. Did they race any better? No. I mean, yes, technically they placed in front of me, but did their bikes really help all that much? No. In the spring I was regularly racing better than them.

I also regularly get smoked by guys on Raleighs with regular wheels, regular parts. One of them signed for Jelly Belly next year. That team is a modern incarnation of the team in the post - good solid Cat 1s and 2s, riding a frame any of us can buy, usually on training wheels (non-aero, aluminum), often carrying their seat bag etc. They smoke the rest of us.

So for a bare minimum - fit is key. Minor things like pedals, brake pads, tires, gearing (close ratio gearing helps a lot). Above a bare minimum (you have to be able to shift from the drops, not just from the hoods) group doesn't matter, and the frame material, if it doesn't fall apart under you, doesn't matter either.

pallen

Frame
Wheels (matched to your kind of riding - tough? light? Aero?)

Everything else can be adjusted for cosmetics or budget. I don't really count pedals because unless this is your first bike, that decision is probably already made and not really a choice.

Phil_gretz

I've built up quite a few bikes for personal use, and later have resold them. I'm now pretty confident that I can make a comfortable and pleasurable bike to ride any time that I'd like. My top six starting points:

1) Saddle - I've conceived entire bikes around a saddle that I like, the brown leather Fujita Belt, ca mid-1970s.
2) Hubs - These really matter a lot
3) Brake Pads - Essential to getting the best stopping power and modulation from any lever/caliper combination.
4) Stem/Bars - This combination is the key to my correct fit, since I have a slightly longer torso and arms. I prefer a narrow bar, similar to the ones I rode back in the 1970s.
5) Pedals - the secure, balanced and supportive contact point is important. Bad pedals, or those wrong for the application, are a deal killer for me.
6) Quality cable housings and die drawn stainless cables - affects how things work. Shouldn't be overlooked.

grolby

I'm with CDR, fit and everything related to it is priority number one. That means having a frame that fits, handlebars and a saddle you like, shoes that are comfortable. I ride a relatively heavy custom steel bike (by "relatively heavy," I mean that it weighs 18 lbs set up for racing - so not actually all that heavy, especially with few sustained climbs around here), but the fact that it fits me perfectly is far more important than the weight.

After that, I think the next priority is the wheels. Not as in light wheels, though that's nice, but strong wheels. Well-built. Wheels that will take a beating and stay round and true. They don't have to be tanks to achieve this, just built by someone who knows what they're doing.

As for the rest, pretty much all modern components are excellent. Current Tiagra is really, really, really nice. Most of what you gain by spending more money is less weight.

jrobe

Frame
Frame
Frame
Frame
Frame

The rest are all easily replacable parts that you can buy and sell on Ebay. A frame should last 30,000 miles and more if you pick the right one.

hhnngg1

Except, that aside from a poorly fitting frame, pretty much any fitting frame will work. There are pretty much no major bike manufacturer frames that are failure prone or dysfunctional, even the most inexpensive ones. Carbon is nice if you can swing it, but there are plenty of aluminum frames that ride really well, and for sure, there is essentially real world measurable speed differences between frames from these major manufacturers.

Also, your shiny new frame will pick up dings and small scratches from road debris if you ride it outdoors after several years. These can be fixed often (especially with Ti), but there will be cosmetic aging effects on the frame like it or not. Won't affect the function, but it's not like frames were ever particularly dysfunctional or wearing out.

banerjek

Engine
Engine
Engine
Engine

Sadly, I'm 0 for 4

Lazy Dog

1. Dork Disk
2. Bar end mirror
3. Loud speaker for music
4. Seat with tons of gel and springs
5. Bell

hhnngg1

This is the truth. Both the engine x 4 thing and the going 0 for 4 for it!

I actually give myself a 9/10 for effort, though in peak season. I try pretty hard, get up to put in the miles at 4AM, and will put up 18hours per week of real training hours for 3-4 months in a row. Too bad that race results don't just count effort - talent is even more important, as my race results show.

MileHighMark

Fit.
Fit.
Fit.
Fit.
Fit.

A badly-fitting frame made from the 'best' material, etc, is still a badly-fitting frame.

Jed19

In all my years of cycling experience, the frame (material and quality-wise) are the most remarkable things that have stood out for me. Fit is important, but I have never really had a bike that did not fit reasonably well. Frame material and quality (not necessarily in that order) are what I remember about bikes I've had, and till date, when I throw my legs over a bicycle, the frame quality is what I immediately start evaluating. And this tells me that it is the thing I value most about a bike.

pallen

6. BF Login and a bookmark to the 41

tagaproject6

Saddle, wheels, handlebar, groupset.

Don't forget the gun

Taste

Hopefully taking this advice soon. Ironically, Im on a Raleigh Revenio 3.0 with regular wheels.

Commodus

I try to spend a little more on anything with bearings, just for longevity. BBs and headsets and hubs.

Nachoman

wheels, saddle, brakes, derailleurs.

wphamilton

I know I'm stating the obvious, but it depends on the criteria and whether we're talking about a little money or a lot of money. In other words, are we deciding which piece we can get away with cheaping out on, or which ones to double down on? And first of all it depends on what the bike's for.

carediemracing, obviously, is a racer. Wheels makes perfect sense since a, you aren't going to totally cheap out on anything for a race (that would be dangerously nuts) and b, wheels give you the best gains for the buck of any component for higher speeds and less weight. I can't think of any rational reason *I* would want a much more expensive wheel set so it's a low priority. Force me to choose and I'd say frame first, because you must have the right geometry and size, and it's a bigger pain to swap the frame out than anything else. Second is anything that causes mechanical drag - bottom bracket, hubs, even headset - shouldn't slide to the lowest. Up to a minimum point; it's crazy to spend a lot on a headset when all "normal" ones are really good. Then brakes and shifters, because these are annoying when they don't work properly. Everything else is pretty much immaterial to me as far as good vs better goes.