Originally Posted by
glyphrunner
The handle bars are already moved forward and down as far as they will go. The pedals are just the regular pedals that came with it, so it doesn't have clips. As for swapping out the seat, tires, handle bars, etc. wouldn't it just be better to trade this bike in for something new, has those components, and is at the approximate price all these upgrades would already cost?
I'm showing my n00b status by asking this, but I'm assuming "Specialized" is a brand of bike? Aside from brands I've seen mentioned on here, the only actual brands I've seen in person are Schwinn (used to be good but now seem to be sold only at x-mart), Huffy, Mongoose, Trek, Gary Fisher, and Giant.
Specialized is a very good bike brand.
RE: pedals. Switching to clipless pedals and shoes will improve your pedaling efficiency as you will generate power on the downstroke and the upstroke. Using just platforms, you can only generate power on the downstroke. When clipped in, you can pedal in a circle, if that makes sense. When you change bikes, you can put the clipless pedals on your new bike as you can swap pedals out on any bike.
RE: saddle. This is the part of the bike that you have the most contact with. Upgrading a saddle is money well spent. If your saddle is too wide, switch to a narrower model. Again, when you buy a new bike, just keep the saddle you buy for your Navigator.
RE: tires. Getting better tires is also money well spent. Bikes are built to a price point and stock tires on a bike such as the Navigator may be built more for comfort than for speed. Upgrading to a slightly ligher, narrower, smoother road tire would be money well spent.
All of this can be done for $150 to maybe $200 and all of it is transferable to a different bike. An appreciably better new bike than the Navigator will cost you upwards of $500, maybe $700, and I would still recommend upgrading pedals, shoes, tires, and saddle.