Originally Posted by
mihlbach
Trading one low end frame for another isnt really an upgrade. Unless there is something specific about the SE's geometry or the way it fits that doesnt suit you, and unless one of those other frames has the particular fit or geometry characteristics you are looking for, you are just pissing away your money.
I agree with this. I've got an SE draft lite that has a lot of upgrades done with fairly cheap parts. (origin 8 crankset, velocity deepv, alloy bars, ritchey post etc), everything but the fork brakes and saddle basically. It is about 23 lbs, but I haven't weighed it since I replaced the wheels, so probably a bit less. I was also looking to upgrade to a pake since most of the parts I've purchased will be able to transfer over, but I couldn't really see a benefit in doing so because the bike weights most people on this forum give for their pake's with similar parts were around the same weight as my hi-ten steel draft. All a bit over 20lbs. If the weights are similar, whats the benefit of upgrading? stiffness? geometry? I am holding off for a while, will probably save my money and get a Soma Rush in a few months. What's the point of upgrading to something that's barely an upgrade?