ThirdCog

***ZOMBIE THREAD - UPDATED down below at bottom of page - sorry for the BUMP***


Apologies for lack of "Search-first" sauce here...

Say you've got this '14 CAAD8 low end, just for fun kick around bike. It has, of course, nasty Claris (recent version which is not the worst thing ever) components coupled with an FSA Vero crank (let's see, that's a square taper ...says fsa cartridge....yeah?)...8 speed cassette, etc.

Right, it works...and no, I didn't expect Dura-Ace from this.

For kicks, though, what would you move towards in terms of re-"grouping" this little rascal? Not worried much about weight weenie-ing this one.
Big target, though, for starters is on that d*mn crank. That has to go asap. I hate that thing.

Fun, low-worry (compared to other bikes I've had) bike for just maintaining miles. Good ol' CAAD.

Jiggle

CAAD 8 is a fine frame. I'd put either 5800 or 6800 on it. You'd need some RS21 wheels, but those are cheap.

ThirdCog

Jiggle, thanks. Yes, I should add that initial thoughts were toward 6800, but didn't want to sway the input.

datlas 

I think 105 level is fine.

PS. Flip it

ThirdCog

105 may end up being the choice in the long run.

Of course, I suppose I'll need to be looking at what sort of battle lies ahead related to the bottom bracket and making the upgrade with regard to that/compatibility, etc.

(flip what? the current components? or you mean the stem? or ...my brain isn't connecting)

milkbaby

I think Claris is fine as well as square taper bb... So I personally would ride the stuff until it wears out. If money is burning a hole in your pocket, then I'd choose to go at least 105 just because it's barely worth the hassle otherwise.

gregjones

Are you strong enough that you can feel the crankset/BB flexing under your power? If so, then you might look into an external bearing BB system that will fit your frame......SRAM GXP as an example. They were the hot thing that everyone had to have, not very long ago.

Flip the bike. As in sell on Craig's List.

You'd be money ahead to sell your used bike and buy a used bike that has the components that you require.

Homebrew01

Square taper cranks work fine. What's wrong with yours ?

I agree with selling the bike and getting one you want.

Jiggle

I disagree with selling to buy a used bicycle. New components are so inexpensive that you don't gain enough buying used. Besides, you can't buy a used 5800 group right now, and 6800 is very hard to find, though I have seen some cranksets and brakesets on craigslist.

A CAAD 8 is worth keeping. Heck, I remember when a CAAD 4 was cutting edge, and it was an awesome bike to ride.

dtrain

Black Rival or 105 crankset would look pretty nice on there (even 3550 Sora). Add Koop Stop salmon pads.

rms13

You can get 10 speed 105 from ribble for $400 or 11speed for $440 if your wheels support 11. Should be able to get a couple hundred for the like new Claris group

datlas 

You are new here. "Flip it" generally refers to the stem. I meant it flippantly, if the fit is correct for your needs with an upward stem I am ok with that.

ThirdCog

Just reviving an old post - should post a better bike porn photo of this one, but just had to say thanks for the input a few months ago on this one. Glad I kept the bike for fun, stripped all the components and sold them off, grabbed a cheap, unused 105 5700 group, a new fizik saddle, a hardly used set of Easton EA50s down at the LBS, and various odds and ends.... and used the bike to gain some experience installing everything and adjusting it all. Added Ultegra brake set most recently.
It's been a nice workhorse these last few months. Had some fun metric centuries during that time...bike felt good. Even though only a CAAD8 frame, it does fly along nicely. It's a nice little climber, too.

TakingMyTime

Sounds like it worked out for you. I recently bought the wife an entry level aluminum Masi and I'm thinking of doing exactly what you did. Her bike is ok for now but she's getting into it more and more so I'd like to upgrade too. As far as everyone saying to flip it, I really enjoy doing things my self and the money I would have saved by possibly buying her a nicer bike with the higher level components does not come close to the time and enjoyment I get to spend upgrading and installing everything myself.

Cafe

Go 11 speed. I just upgraded to the 5800 group and couldn't be happier. The difference between 6800 and 5800 is literally about 78 grams from what I read in a forum. That's it. I installed the 5800 drivetrain myself, basically spent $390 shipped for a complete retail 5800 group, and it was the first time I installed a complete group. There are some good deals going on for complete 11 speed drivetrains for some reason. I'm not sure why...maybe too much supply out there.

Just follow the dealer manuals like I did...the 5800 shifts like butter. Only tricky part is knowing whether to set a converter on or off on the FD for proper cable routing. Knowing how to align the FD correctly can be tricky as well, but Shimano provides the tool for you...just make sure you read the dealer manuals on shimano's site.

Whoops...didn't realize you already upgraded...zombie thread FTW

loimpact

Beautiful!!

Don't change a thing.

Ride it into the ground!! :thumbsup:

ThirdCog

Thanks you guys. It likes to go. I'll continue to ride it into the ground (figuratively, hopefully not literally). I've only been at it since this summer, and started with a great vintage bike, learned some things, went through a nice carbon beast before I decided to backtrack and go back to basics, learn to build everything up, learn some handling, ride and ride more and then more...

Been a great bike. I'll go back to something nicer at some point if I do anything serious. I'm glad, actually, that I didn't "buy up" for instance in this line...the 105 in that year (last year) doesn't come with a complete true 105 group top to bottom. I see that several manufacturers seem to put mix of group series on their various levels of bikes such that you might get a different FD or cassette or RD, and always some alternate crank depending on BB, etc.

It's been fun and pretty painless doing the full upgrade/installs. Nice to know what's going on so that when cables stretch or when shifting gets off, it's easy to find the problem and correct it.

(@Cafe : YES, I totally would have gone the 11 speed route, but dropped by LBS one day and owner had a brand new take-off 5700 group, taken off that day, and sold it to me for a nice price. Otherwise, I would have gone 5800 or 6800. Now I better understand the guts of these things and can build up another frame later exactly as I want. Was glad to still support the LBS and get what I needed for a good price.)