Originally Posted by
Andy_K
You're not going to make it very far as an engineer if you don't factor cost into your designs.
But I completely understand. I used to upgrade the heck out of everything. Eventually I learned that it's better to try to figure out what components a bike "wants" to have, sort of like a sculptor figures out what a block of marble wants to be. The lightest, most expensive components aren't always the best choice.
I'd like to suggest that Deore components aren't just cheaper, for your purposes they are better.
What would you say determines what a bike wants to have? I know the feel of what you're talking about, the kind of purity of purpose. How things all meld together. I don't know enough about bikes to determine that yet though. :/
And Deore would be better? Why would you say that?
I might have a chance to pick up a Specialized Sirrus Elite on the cheap with a Deore RD, might want to check that out.